Renjie Butalid

Myth-conceptions of Dubai & Abu Dhabi

renjie — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:13:42 +0000

My Ignite Waterloo talk on the myth-conceptions of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which took place at the Waterloo Regional Children’s Museum on March 3, 2010, as part of Global Ignite Week.

Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam
Where they cut off your ear
If they don’t like your face
It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home

When the wind’s from the east
And the sun’s from the west
And the sand in the glass is right
Come on down
Stop on by
Hop a carpet and fly
To another Arabian night

Walt Disney’s Aladdin (1992)

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Interview on TechVibes

renjie — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:17:51 +0000

My interview with Prashanth Gopalan featured on TechVibes.

Renjie Butalid’s obsessed with change. Not the monetary type, but with the sort that launches movements, spurs creativity, tests organizations and attracts followers.

He’s the Communications Co-ordinator of Social Innovation Generation, a Waterloo-based collaborative partnership between The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, the University of Waterloo, the MaRS Discovery District, and the PLAN Institute. He has also been featured as a speaker at Ignite Waterloo, and was the Lead Co-ordinator for the team that put together the TEDxWaterloo conference last month.

I recently treated Renjie to his very own personalized speaking session, which featured my 7-question barrage.

You were a member of the TEDxWaterloo organizing committee, and were recently featured as a speaker at the Ignite Waterloo conference that took place last Wednesday. How did you make the wide transition from Waterloo student to “socialpreneur” in such a short amount of time?

Transitioning from university student life to working full-time was an interesting experience to say the least. In many respects, helping to organize events such as TEDxWaterloo and Ignite Waterloo in the local Kitchener-Waterloo community was very similar to the many student-run events and initiatives that I was involved with while at the University of Waterloo. This time however, these events (TEDx, Ignite) were done on a much larger scale and had the capacity to impact and connect a lot more people within the broader KW community. At the end of the day, its all about being passionate about what you do, and having fun while you’re doing it.

Could you name perhaps one or two key events in your life so far that has led you to where you are now?

A key turning point in my life happened when I was selected to attend the Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC) in Washington DC and New York City right after I graduated from high school in the United Arab Emirates in 2002. The GYLC is a leadership development program held every year organized by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, that brings together young people from around the world to build critical leadership skills in a global context.

In order to understand why this is a key turning point for me, it is important to know that I was born in the Philippines to Filipino parents, raised in the UAE since the age of 5, and only came to Canada for university once I graduated from high school. Given all of this, the GYLC helped to solidify part of my identity as a global citizen, as well as helped to provide me with the necessary confidence and foundational leadership skills at an early age (I was 17 when I attended the GYLC) that has led me to where I am today.

As a Waterloo student, where do you see the University of Waterloo going in the next few years in terms of social change and social leadership? Where do you see the Kitchener-Waterloo region going in the next few years?

Along with the rapid pace of development found within the Region of Waterloo, the University of Waterloo is certainly positioning itself to become a global leader in social innovation and social change. Examples include the recent launch of the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) within the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo, with the goal of integrating knowledge on environmental sustainability, business management and economic development.

Another example is the early stage development of the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation (WICI) being spearheaded by Thomas Homer-Dixon of the Balsillie School of International Affairs and Frances Westley of Social Innovation Generation, to help facilitate the trans-disciplinary, collaborative research focused on innovation and resilience within complex adaptive systems. These are just two examples of many coming out of the University of Waterloo that I am sure will help to define UW as well as the Region of Waterloo in the years to come.

Do you have any advice to share with current university students who harbour ambitions of being the social leaders of tomorrow?

For university students who are very interested in the (broad) emerging field of social change, I would highly encourage you to learn as much as you can about the issues that you are passionate about. Read everything you can about the subject matter at hand in books, magazines, blogs, websites, etc. I would also encourage you to reach out to mentors and thought leaders within your own personal network (e.g. professors, community leaders) as well as people/organizations who are on Twitter and are engaged in the space that you are interested in. By reaching out, you are allowing people to help move your thinking along by constantly having your assumptions challenged and therefore, giving you permission to refine your ideas. That, and you never know what opportunities might come your way by putting yourself out there. Also, I firmly believe that you learn by doing, so if you are just starting out, I would encourage you to get involved in whatever way you can.

What do you plan to conquer next on your horizon?

I am planning a trip within the next year or so to the Philippines, with the specific intent of traveling around the country as a photojournalist/blogger for two/three months, illuminating compelling stories of people affective positive change in their local community set within the context of a developing country. The last time I went to visit the country was way back in 2004, a trip back to the Philippines is clearly overdue. This journey for me is driven by a burning desire to learn more about my cultural heritage and history, so if anyone is interested in coming along for the journey, or even interested in working together as a partner of any sort, I would definitely be open to a discussion and sharing of ideas.

I can’t help but throw in a classic interview question, but where do you see yourself in the next 3-5 years? 10 years might I ask?

I see myself continuing to work in the emerging field of social entrepreneurship and social change, having a much deeper understanding of how broad transformational change happens on the ground within a complex system. I also recently obtained my open water scuba diving license, so in 3-5 years, I’m hoping to have a lot more scuba diving experience under my belt. I may even venture into the world of underwater photography.

If you could name one thing that coaxes you to wake up on a daily basis, gives you your drive throughout the day and makes you passionate enough to view sleep as an unwelcome interruption, what would it be?

I continue to imagine what the world will be like twenty years from now when children that were born in the past five years, have all grown up into young adults similar in age to myself and my peers today. Knowing that I have the capacity and the opportunities to help create a better future with the decisions I make today, drives me. Working with others who share this drive and having fun while doing so, is an added bonus and I consider myself to be an extremely lucky person in this regard.

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Fast Company: How to Write a Mission Statement That Doesn’t Suck

renjie — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:14:49 +0000

By Dan Heath

Use concrete language. Check out this mission statement from SonicBids, a fast-growing small business: “We want to help musicians get gigs, and promoters book the right bands. … We’re a bunch of people who think that music can truly change the world and make it smaller and better. … We believe that independent music belongs everywhere: on festival stages; in video game consoles; on film screens; in college theaters; on the radio; in advertisements; on club stages and at sporting events.” Wow. It gives you a picture of what they do and tells you why it’s worth doing.

Talk about the why. Most mission statements are all statement and no mission. The whole point is to say why you’re doing what you’re doing. What makes you care? Look at the start of Johnson & Johson’s famous credo: “Our first responsibility is to the doctors, nurses, and patients, mothers and fathers and all others who use our products and services.” Well, okay, that’s worth getting out of bed for. Compare that with ExxonMobil’s. Did you feel that? A little part of your soul just died, reading that.

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Canada and the Vancouver Olympic Games

renjie — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:11:18 +0000

I’m going to miss the Vancouver Olympic Games.

These games certainly united the country, with yesterday’s Team Canada gold medal win over the United States bringing the country to a fever pitch. Yonge and Dundas in downtown Toronto was awash in a sea of humanity last night, with people out on the streets screaming, dancing and celebrating with one another. It also helped that with Team Canada’s victory in hockey last night, our total gold medal count came to 14, meaning we now hold the record for most gold medal wins by any country throughout the 86-year history of the Winter Games.

For a moment in time, it was amazing to be a part of something much larger than our individual selves.

Last night felt good to be Canadian.

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TEDxWaterloo – Tomorrow Started Yesterday

renjie — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:22:05 +0000

After months of hard work, we’re coming down to the wire with the organization for TEDxWaterloo, finally happening next week on February 25 at the Gig Music Hall in downtown Kitchener – and we’re definitely super excited!!!

On a personal note, it’s been quite the journey for me from my initial blog post on a possible TEDxWaterloo event last summer, to opportune meetings with an amazing group of people who are equally as passionate about ideas worth spreading. Credit for putting TEDxWaterloo together really has to go to the entire team of volunteers behind the event, who have collectively given hundreds of hours of their time, energy and commitment towards making TEDxWaterloo a success.

Our diverse range of speakers, all of whom are well recognized and respected in their fields, are also giving us their time and energy because they truly believe in sharing their ideas and experiences with the broader community.

We will be live webstreaming the entire event beginning 2pm EST on February 25 at www.tedxwaterloo.com. All of the TEDxWaterloo Talks will be made available online after the event.

For more information on TEDxWaterloo, please visit: www.tedxwaterloo.com

TEDxWaterloo Speakers

Terry O’Reilly – Advertising visionary and host of the CBC award-winning radio series “The Age of Persuasion“.

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Philip Beesley – Professor at Waterloo Architecture creating vastly complex ‘living’ environments that can breathe and feel.

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Raymond LaFlamme – Founding Director of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing whose insight changed Stephen Hawking’s mind and theories about our universe.

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Paul Saltzman – Beatles photographer and two-time Emmy Award winning film & television producer-director.

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Caroline Disler – A master of translation with working knowledge of ancient languages including Sumerian, Akkadian, Edomite, Ancient Hebrew, Egyptian, Sanskrit, Latin and Greek.

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Madhur Anand – Internationally recognized scientist, poet, and professor of Global Ecological Change at the University of Guelph.

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Michael Sacco – Chocolatier and social entrepreneur promoting the diversity of production of organic cacao through a structure defined as “horizontal trade”.

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Darren Wershler – Canadian experimental poet, non-fiction writer and cultural critic.

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Marty Avery – A connector and catalyst whose strategic approach offers remarkable insight into the human side of business.

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Amy Krouse Rosenthal – New York Times best-selling children’s author, radio host and creative filmmaker.

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Below is a video segment of Jaclyn and I discussing TEDxWaterloo that appeared on the Waterloo Region Record website, courtesy of Philip Bast.

The full interview with Chris Meidell of Waterloo Tech TV can be found here.

TEDxWaterloo on The Record from Renjie Butalid on Vimeo.

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Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

renjie — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:23:07 +0000

Im definitely getting the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics fever, after watching the (at times) visually stunning opening ceremonies on Friday, Jen Heil’s silver medal win in the women’s moguls Saturday (she didn’t lose gold, she won silver), and yesterday’s golden boy Alex Bilodeau breaking Canada’s dry spell of no gold on home soil since the 1976 summer Olympics in Montreal.

In case you missed it, watch Bilodeau’s gold medal run in the men’s moguls here.

I even went as far as giving in and buying a Vancouver 2010 sweatshirt at the Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto earlier this afternoon. Im glad that I did however, because the Olympic Torch was on display at the Eaton Centre and I was able to get a photo with it. I have to admit, a part of me was disappointed when I missed the Olympic Torch relay when it passed through the Toronto/Kitchener-Waterloo area at the end of December (I was out west in Cranbrook, BC for the holidays then), and I missed it again when it passed through Cranbrook, BC at the end of January (I was back in Waterloo already).

GO TEAM CANADA!!!

Of course, I would also like to express my heartfelt condolences and prayers to the friends and family of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the luger from Georgia who died in that horrific Olympic training crash just hours prior to the start of the opening ceremonies. Shame on CTV for needlessly showcasing video footage of the horrific crash, sensational journalism at its worst.

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Photos Courtesy of the Toronto Star

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Happy Valentine’s Day Monika!

renjie — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:06:58 +0000

Happy Valentine’s Day baby… I love you!

And a happy Chinese New Year to everyone as well, I hope you’re all spending today with your loved ones.

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Waterloo Lecture on Social Innovation (full video)

renjie — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:06:34 +0000

This blog post originally appeared on SiG@Waterloo’s blog on February 2, serving as a quick recap to the Waterloo Lecture on Social Innovation. David Yoon and Hilary Abel also have their take on the evening. Feel free to leave other blog post recaps of the Waterloo Lecture in the comments section. That said, the video of the Waterloo Lecture on Social Innovation featuring Adam Kahane is now online and I have re-posted it from the SiG@Waterloo website below.

I am currently reading Adam’s book, “Power & Love: A Theory & Practice of Social Change”, and will post a book review and my thoughts when I am done. My review of his first book, “Solving Tough Problems: An Open Way of Talking, Listening, and Creating New Realities”, can be found here.

On Wednesday January 27, over 200 people gathered in the packed atrium of the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo, Ontario, for the Waterloo Lecture on Social Innovation featuring Adam Kahane. A further 150 people were able to join us online for the live webcast of the Waterloo Lecture.

A social innovator, once praised by South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, we were pleased to have Adam Kahane join us to deliver the Waterloo Lecture on Social Innovation and to launch his new book, “Power & Love: A Theory & Practice of Social Change”.

As a partner with Reos Partners, an international organization dedicated to supporting and building capacity for innovative collective action in complex social systems, Adam has worked with a diverse range of colleagues and organizations in more than fifty countries on a variety of challenges all over the world. Some of these challenges include addressing critical developmental issues in the transition from apartheid in South Africa; implementing the peace accords that ended the civil war in Guatemala; reducing child malnutrition in India; unblocking political stalemate in the Philippines; as well as accelerating the shift to a low-carbon economy in Canada.

At the Waterloo Lecture on Social Innovation, Adam drew on his experience with leading multi-stakeholder change processes to offer practical guidance for effectively balancing power and love, two-always present, usually polarized, often undiscussable-drives.

All tweets with the #waterloolecture hashtag can be found here

Photos from the Waterloo Lecture on Social Innovation can be found below.

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My take on carpe diem

renjie — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:55:15 +0000

Photo courtesy ahisgett on Flickr

My absolute favorite quote in the world that captures my passion for life:

“Those who dare to discover the ocean must have the courage to leave the shore”
- Andre Gide, French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, 1947.

Seize every moment, cherish every relationship and try your best to not live with any regrets. Enjoy what you do and the company you keep, for life is too short to be taken too seriously.

Enjoy the ride!

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A tribute to Sigma Chi brother Jeff Aho

renjie — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:02:57 +0000

Sigma Chi Wine & Cheese, January 2007: (L-R) Kiran Narayansingh, Matt Colphon, Michelle Zakrison, Levi McCulloch, Jeff Aho, Swiss Nanton Gill, Renjie Butalid

It is said that nothing brings family together more than weddings and funerals.

This could not be more true for the Theta Psi chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity at the University of Waterloo, who lost brother Jeffrey Aho last week. Outside of Sigma Chi, Aho truly had an impact on Greek university life, the Engineering Society, as well as student politics on the University of Waterloo campus as a whole. I was privileged to have known Aho, as a brother, friend and colleague, having worked with him when we were both on student government at UW several years ago, and more closely as a brother when he pledged and joined Sigma Chi close to three years ago. (I joined Sigma Chi in April 2005)

Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State, once said that “University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small”. This could not be more true of Aho, who truly embodied the principles and steadfastness of student politics, even right up to the very end when it was revealed that he was indeed behind the @fakefedspres twitter account.

Although there were times when we did not see eye to eye on issues related to governance policy and business operations of the Federation of Students, I have always had a deep respect for Aho and his well-thought out and reasoned arguments, and often sought out his advice on such matters. Rest in peace brother Jeff Aho, I truly hope that you have found the peace that you were always searching for. You will be missed.

Guard well and strong arms around you.

In hoc signo vinces,

Renjie Butalid

Memorial Service – February 8, 2010

Sigma Chi brothers at Theta Psi’s 20th Anniversary, March 2007

A memorial service for Jeff Aho has been organized by the Theta Psi Chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity at the University of Waterloo. It will be held on Monday, February 8, 2010 at 7pm on the UW campus.

Details below.

In accordance to Jeff’s wishes, a secular memorial will be held for friends and family to honour his life. The ceremony will commence on Monday, February 8 beginning at 7pm in the Festival Room of South Campus Hall at the University of Waterloo.This is meant to be a celebration of his life providing the opportunity for friends and family to reminisce and rejoice. The atmosphere is intended to be similar to that of Wine and Cheese, one of Jeff’s favourite events. Hors d’oeuvres will be provided and formal attire is encouraged. Wine and drinks will be available from a cash bar.

A memory box will be present at the ceremony for loved ones to share stories, photos, and other memorabilia to later share with the Aho family. Jeff’s Fraternity brothers will take part in the White Rose ceremony in accordance with his wishes.

A similar memorial service will be held in Jeff’s hometown of Thunder Bay later this week. His obituary can be found online (http://www.erbgood.com/Obituary.php?id=5078)

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone touched by the loss of Jeff.

Strong Arms,

Theta Psi Chapter of Sigma Chi

Time: 7pm

Date: Monday, February 8, 2010

Venue: Festival Room – South Campus Hall, University of Waterloo

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