I did a short little video blurb for the Development Project Management Institute course at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
Vox Souley
The online voice of the anasara formerly known as Souley. A working, generation X Dad, in his mid 30's, trying to make his way in the international development field.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Bitterness over San Francisco
Just got a reminder of the state of mind we were in when we decided to leave San Francisco in late 2005. Part of the reason was Chris Daly. The Chronicle just published an article about him buying a house in Fairfield and moving his family there. Precious.
Posted by
Scott
at
7/25/2009 06:05:00 PM
0
comments
Labels: Gen X, Growing Up, Politics
Monday, July 20, 2009
Positive Generation X Article
Why Generation X Has the Leaders We Need Now - Tammy Erickson - HarvardBusiness.org
This is an excellent article, I'm looking forward to the book. I would have dated Generation X a little later to encompass those born between, say, 1964 (after JFK) - 1979 (people born in the 80's don't seem Generation X-ish to me).
It's nice to see a positive representation of our generation - that we're pragmatic, hardworking, and innovative. We are not slackers! The Baby Boomers just thought we were, but we were just fed up with the more narcissistic and hyperbolic aspects of their culture.
I would never, for example, expect any entitlements from a company or the government. That doesn't mean I wouldn't welcome them, though. Long Term employment and pensions, social security, etc - I know when I'm old I'll only have the work I'm doing and the assets I build up over the next 20 years or so to sustain my wife and me. That and hopefully whatever my parents leave me.
I try to channel my cynicism into something positive - taking care of myself and my family, trying to do a good job, always trying to learn and be a good husband and father. If I can make a positive contribution to society I'll be happy.
Posted by
Scott
at
7/20/2009 06:23:00 AM
0
comments
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monterey Institute Alumni Interview
A group of students and staff at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) interviewed me last month for a series on reconnecting and networking with Alumni.
Posted by
Scott
at
5/27/2009 04:39:00 PM
0
comments
Labels: Career Development, Foreign Policy, International Development, Organizational Development, Video
Friday, May 22, 2009
President Tandja in Niger as a new Big Man?
My friend at Niger1.com posted an article about President Tandja of Niger. His constitutionally mandated second and final presidential term is up at the end of this year, and it's not clear whether or not he'll step down:
President accused of breaking his word in third term bid
He publicly stated that he would step down after the November elections and a new president is sworn in, but he's suddenly wanting to re-do the constitution, like so many other modern-day dictators, to remain in power.
I haven't followed Niger close enough to truly comment on his time there. I was disappointed with the way he handled the recent Tuareg rebellion; he could have taken a page from Malian president Toure's book and started talking to them right away instead of lumping them with terrorists and drug dealers. Niger is still in the bottom five on the UN Human Development Index, and 8 years is a long time - there could have been much more meaningful change during that time.
I don't know entirely what to think of this. I would bet the villagers of Niger would like Tandja to stay, they like his stability and he'll probably go down in Nigerien history as a great president like they perceived Kountche to be. But this definitely looks bad from a diplomatic/foreign policy perspective.
Posted by
Scott
at
5/22/2009 06:13:00 AM
1 comments
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Gaston Kaba - Health APCD in Niger Retiring
Wrote this in tribute to my old Associate Peace Corps Director for Health in Niger - Gaston Kaba:
My wife Andrea and I were PCV's in Niger form 97-01. We were Ag volunteers so we didn't report directly to Gaston. However, we found him to be a very useful and helpful Nigerien to talk to, especially in the beginning before we really knew what we were doing. We were volunteer leaders during the second half of our service and I had the opportunity to install new Health PCV's in their villages with Gaston. He would always keep his cool - while PCV's would be getting themselves very worked up and upset over perceived misjustices or misunderstandings, Gaston would always be able to work things out. I think in time the PCVs would come to understand how much Gaston helped shape the enabling environment in their villages. Having Gaston on your team as a PCV helped give you that gravitas - of having an educated, respected, literate and fluent dotijo - vouching for you, so your villagers knew you weren't totally crazy.
I went to Gaston's office one day to ask for some Child Survival money - about $500 - for a garden well in my village. At the time in the late 90's he had a huge amount of money to spend on anything related to Child Survival. He asked me for a proposal, which I provided, and then I returned to my village for a couple of weeks. When I got back - he said - "I've got $3000 from the Rotary Club of Truckee for you - let me know how you can use it!" That money ended up continuing and expanding the Torodi team garden well project and the installation of at least 10 wells that year. And that's really just a drop in the bucket of the 13 years Gaston was Health APCD.
So - from the bottom of my heart - I thank Gaston for his service - Na Gode, Ay Sabu, Mi Yetti, Merci Beaucoup! Sannuka da Aiki sosai.
Posted by
Scott
at
4/22/2009 03:20:00 PM
1 comments
Labels: Niger, Peace Corps, Public Health, Sustainable Development
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Defending Young and Inexperienced PCV's
I just read an interesting article on DevEx about a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia. The author is a volunteer with VSO in Zambia who is professionally blogging in DevEx about volunteering, and he has some good counter-arguments for those who disparage the Peace Corps for sending young and inexperienced PCV's to developing countries.
For anyone who has worked in development - you know that behavioral change takes a long, long time. Crockett - the author of the article - highlights that many development experts who disparage inexperienced PCV's wouldn't be able to hack it in the village for 2 days, let alone 2 years. And it takes a lot more than an afternoon presentation with free food to convince subsistence farmers to change their farming styles for the better.
In Niger - it was common to have a demonstration field. You get the village chief to cede some land to you for a couple of years so you can experiment with the new methods you are sent to teach. The novelty of a foreigner working in the fields already attracts attention; if you carefully practice what you were taught in training, you can really help people see, over time, that you can increase your millet yields and use compost effectively, for example.
The other thing is that it is more than just the work - it's the intangibles that count. Each PCV is an American Ambassador. They leave two years of stories behind and the villagers never forget "their American" or their Americans...
So as long as there is the money and the political will - we should remember that sending intelligent, articulate, and motivated young people (possibly without too much professional experience) to serve as PCV's in remote countries is not a waste of time.
Posted by
Scott
at
4/01/2009 09:32:00 AM
2
comments




