Published on Thursday September 22nd, 2011
By Andrea M. Meek

 

Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and Mashable's Pete Cashmore began Day 2 of the Social Good Summit with a discussion on "Ancient Values and New Media: the Future of Ethics in a Connected World."  

Wiesel and Cashmore discussed how technology is changing the way information is exchanged and how the publishing industry is going digital. (FYI: Wiesel confessed that he still prefers the printed page.)

"We have to provide young people the instruments they need to learn, engage, and become passionate," said Wiesel.

Geena Davis and Variety's Brian Gott opened up a discussion on "Empowering Women and Girls," a panel focused on how women are portrayed in media. Davis, who founded the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, is working to change the negative images of women in media to positive ones.

"When are we going to get over the idea that it's shocking that women can do things?" said Davis.

She noted that 80% of the media consumed worldwide comes from the U.S., which is responsible for exporting this negative view of women around the world.

Next, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake announced Serena Williams as the next Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. "We’re going to work her to death,” joked Lake. “This might be the end of her tennis career!”

Williams said she knows how to work hard and that she will "stand out and make a lasting impression." Lake had only two words for her: "Big Heart."

Lance Armstrong and Doug Ulman, of LIVESTRONG, took the stage to talk about how the LIVESTRONG wristband campaign evolved since its launch in 2004

"The yellow band democratized philanthropy," said Ulman. "It gave people a way to participate in something for $1." He added that the bands also helped de-stigmatize cancer.

Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of The Earth Institute, and Ericsson president and CEO Hans Vestberg discussed how technology can better the quality of education around the world in the panel "21st Century Education for All in a Networked Society." 

During the panel, Sachs talked about how technology can help lower access barriers and cost to education.

Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and Christopher Mikkelsen, Co-founder of Refugees United, joined Vestberg for the next segment: "Connecting the Most Unconnected: 42 million Displaced People Around the World." The panel discussed the role of social media in helping refugee communities and displaced people connect and bring families back together.

Geena Davis was back on stage again, along Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS; Abigail Disney, the executive producer of the documentary 'Women, War & Peace'; and Asi Burak, co-president of Games of Change. Kerger urged everyone to tune in to PBS' new documentary series 'Women and Girls Lead' starting October 11th. 

Disney said she would like to hear a man's voice speak in indignation abou violence against women. "No social shift ever happened, until people who had nothing to gain joined the movement," she added.

In "Open for Business, Open for Good," Beth Comstock of GE talked about transparency and responsibility in business.

"It's up to big companies to use our power, our access to scale and connect it with those tho have great ideas," she said.

Randi Zuckerberg and Mandy Moore and malaria activist Derrick Ashong, took part in the final panel of the day "Spreading the Buzz to Stop Malaria" and to talk about the Nothing but Nets campaign. "Every 45 seconds a child dies from malaria," said Moore. "Facts like these are so easy to retweet and raise awareness."

You can find links to the day's videos here.