that culminates in a cata - lytic public event. I found- ed it last year as a fellow in MIT’s Special Program in Urban and Regional Stud- ies. We are partnering with MIT’s Sloan School of Man age ment to examine and develop sustainability models for it. Communi- ties often feel powerless in facing issues and may lack skills and resources to steer their futures. We need to rekindle a sense of possi - bility and agency. Forced change often builds resist- ance, but the arts have the potential to express iden - tity, bring comfort, and ele vate someone, even momentarily, out of frus- tration or despondency. In the past I worked with the Aga Khan Develop- ment Network, the United Nations, and the Interna-
MOLLY BERGEN ’07 SPREADS THE WORD FOR CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL.
tional Organization for Migration. Most rewarding was my experience in Kabul, Afghanistan. People have a perception of it as a very scary place, but I found it full of hope and charm. I felt at home immediately, despite the difficulties the country was facing.
In May 2013, I collaborated with artist Yazmany Arboleda on “We Believe in Balloons.” With the help of civic groups, government departments, businesses, and embassies, we orchestrated an event that engaged 10,000 people in the streets of Kabul. More than 100 smiling young people or- ganized to hand pink balloons to bewildered adults living with terror every day. The connec- tions cut across di- viding lines—like a brightly dressed girl handing a balloon
FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE, I’VE FOUND THE COMMONALITIES BETWEEN PEOPLE TO BE
FAR MORE COMPELLING THAN OUR DIFFERENCES.
to a beggar woman in a burkha or to an army officer. The experience was one of joy, togetherness, and wonder. And it demonstrated how art can be a medium for social change. From a very young age, I’ve found the commonalities be- tween people to be far more compelling than our differ- ences. For many, the reality of our common humanity is hidden beneath learned differences. My hope for Commons is that it will give people spaces and opportunities to better
relate to one another and become agents in improving quality of life: to make good people common and common places good.
“Lost there, felt here”
Molly Bergen ’07, senior managing editor of the Human Natureblog for Conservation International, was previ- ously a zookeeper in Connecticut and a volunteer with the Jane Goodall Institute in Tanzania.
Q: Who reads the blog?
A: People all over the world. Our intended audience is the educated layperson who knows something about environ- mental issues but may not be “dark green”—that is, very committed and active in green living. Q: What makes a great work day for you? A: Meeting with the people who are directly pursuing conservation efforts every day, whether they gather with villagers at a floating school in Cambodia, or trek through the jungles in Suriname in search of undiscovered species, or attend global summits to come up with a plan to fight climate change. I’ve traveled to Mexico, Brazil, Qatar, Cam- bodia, and the Galapagos Islands, and all have been incredi- ble experiences. In the Galapagos, not only was it great to see so much wildlife up close, but I learned a lot about the
SPRING 2015 SCOPE 29
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