A conversation with Forest Whitaker.
In the latest Up To Speed podcast, the actor and social activist talks to Hans Vestberg about conflict resolution, peace development and the role technology can play.
Academy Award winning actor Forest Whitaker has a deep-rooted interest in conflict resolution work. As a youth who grew up in south central Los Angeles, he saw the rise of gangs. Later, he traveled to Uganda to work with former child soldiers.
In a conversation with Verizon’s incoming CEO Hans Vestberg, Whitaker talks about the work his organization, the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI), is doing to educate and empower young people in Uganda, the U.S., South Sudan and Mexico in the areas of conflict resolution, information communication technology, life skills and social entrepreneurship and business. In fact, the Verizon Foundation has supported the Initiative’s work to integrate conflict resolution into the curriculum at middle schools in Los Angeles.
Whitaker and Vestberg discuss the role technology plays in achieving these, the U.N’s Sustainable Development Goals, and the opportunities both businesses and individuals have to drive change.
