Why Is that Guy Tap Dancing? And Other Frequently Asked Questions about the Arts at SwitchPoint

April 19, 2018Most of the 350+ people who come to this North Carolina conference aren ’t artists. That’s the point.It ’s one of the things that puzzles people most aboutSwitchPoint.I mean, this is a conference about global health, technology, and humanitarian innovation, right? So what ’s the deal with that guy reciting poetry? Or those modern dancers? Or the live music peppered throughout a program that’s otherwise packed with entrepreneurs and inventors and experts?Here ’s the answer.Why the arts at SwitchPointWe talk a lot in global health and academia about “breaking down silos.” We’ve said it so much that it’s become a cliché.But the true meaning of the expression —the desire to pull people out of the deep niches they’ve nestled into so they can swap ideas and share their knowledge across disciplines—is worthwhile. It ' s the only way we ' ll make any real progress on our greatest human ambitions, such as theSustainable Development Goals.And this is what it looks like when you break down silos. You end up in a room with people you didn ’t expect.Most of the 350+ people who come to SwitchPoint in Saxapahaw, North Carolina, aren ’t artists. They’re CEOs and students, entrepreneurs and professionals from across humanitarian fields. But this makes integrating the arts even more crucial. Because we’re not just trying to get demographers talking to epidemiologists, or educators talking to family planning experts (though t hat’s a good start...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: news