Last weekend, more than 1,000 college and university students from across the country and around the world came together at the University of Chicago for the 11th annual Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) meeting, making more than 700 Commitments to Action to address this generation’s most pressing challenges. New commitments this year include efforts to combat the opioid crisis in the United States by building an online platform to reduce stigma and provide access to the overdose medication, naloxone; providing minority youth in Chicago with a platform to discuss and address social and racial issues in the United States by launching an experiential education program; promoting maternal health in Vietnam by developing a week-long reproductive education series for women led by health care professionals; and combating climate change by encouraging Nigerians to use public transportation though a mobile application. Among the new commitments include:

Storyboard
Commitment By: Rebecca Castillo and Ariana Hoshino
School: Swarthmore College
Focus Area: Education
Geographic Scope: United States

In 2018, Rebecca Castillo and Ariana Hoshino committed to create an arts and media literacy after-school program for high school students in Chester, Penn. The program will teach students film, photography, and writing skills to produce content on social issues affecting their communities. Students will produce multimedia content. The pair will partner with local community access media and digital production training centers to provide students with a platform to share their content with a broader audience. Rebecca and Ariana expect to welcome their first students by the end of 2018.

Yo Merezco
Commitment By: Annette Gonzalez, Ana Esquea, and Karen Stark
School: Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra
Focus Area: Peace and Human Rights
Geographic Scope: Dominican Republic

In 2018, Annette González, Ana Esquea, and Karen Stark committed to create a social and political movement to reduce the gender pay gap in the Dominican Republic. The team will use social media to create awareness about the existing pay gap and gain support for a national awareness day. They plan to partner with local businesses, corporations, and local leaders to achieve a formal declaration committed to ensuring equal pay as part of their practices. Annette, Ana, and Karen hope that their Equal Pay Pact will help to reduce that wage gap to under 10 percent by 2024.