ChangeTheStory.net Moves From Dialogue to Action

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New York Times consultant Haris Agha engages panelists at the CTS Panel discussion. Panelists include Phillip M. Hellmich, Radha Kramer, Shamil Idriss, and Fatima A. Shama.
Thursday, January 7, 2010

On Oct. 29, ChangeTheStory presented From Dialogue to Action, the first panel discussion in a three-part series. Panelists included Fatima A. Shama, commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and senior education policy advisor to Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Shamil Idriss, executive director of the Alliance of Civilizations Media Fund; Radha Kramer, founder and director of the TE’A Project; and Phillip M. Hellmich, senior officer for strategic philanthropy at Search for Common Ground. The discussion was moderated by New York Times Consultant Haris Agha.

The panelists’ discussion included aspects of their respective work: Islam and being Muslim post-Sept. 11; conflict and crisis management in West Africa; engaging young people to address the needs of immigrants and education in New York City; and other topics. While panelists spoke from their areas of expertise, they all focused on how to transform conversation into action. More than 70 guests attended this lively and vibrant discussion.

On Nov. 10, ChangeTheStory partners—including the Interfaith Center of New York, the UN Alliance of Civilization Media Fund, and the Council on American Muslim Professionals—cosponsored a NYC premiere of Inside Islam: What A Billion Muslims Really Think. The film explored the expertly-gathered opinions of Muslims around the world, as revealed in Gallup’s first major opinion poll on Muslim thought. The film premiere was hosted at Scholastic Auditorium and prefaced with a light dinner for ChangeTheStory partners, donors and guests.

After the film, Intersections Director Robert Chase participated in a panel discussion and discussed aspects of the ChangeTheStory program. Other panelists included Commissioner Shama, ACMF Executive Director Idriss, and Alex Kronemer from Unity Production Films. The discussion was moderated by Muslim Public Affairs Council NYC Representative Zeba Iqbal. A video of the event can be seen here: http://www.intersectionsinternational.org/changethestory

In January 2010, CTS will host its second panel discussion exploring the Iraqi refugee crisis. Visit our events page online at www.IntersectionsInternational.org/events for details. Visit www.ChangeTheStory.net for more information on the CTS program.