Becoming a Better Ancestor

The Well-being for All Webinar Series: A Shared Inquiry into Well-Being in Systems and Ourselves. Co-hosted by the Academy for Systems Change and CoCreative

We live in a world that is structured around a false hierarchy of human value that works to justify the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few. Most of us take this world for granted–as we have inherited these ideas over hundreds of years–and in doing so, don’t recognize that we inadvertently perpetuate this hierarchy and lose opportunities to reclaim our full selves.

In the Well-being In the Nation Network–and in the work at Well-being and Equity (WE) in the World–they begin by understanding the legacies that got us here and how they shape our world, reclaiming soul and role to address these legacies, and choosing to chart a path toward toward collective renewal.

This interactive webinar explores what being a better ancestor could mean for each of us and poses questions to reflect on this alongside changemakers who are charting long-term paths to resilience all around the world.

By the end of the webinar:

• Understand how legacies of the past lead some people to predictably be in adversity, and how our structures and systems depend on that

• Receive stories from the speakers' about the relationships with their own ancestors

• Ground on what it means to have the choice to be better ancestors–and how we need to change ourselves to change our world

• Imagine legacies we want to be part of creating for generations to come

Speakers: Somava Saha, Andrew Martin & Aziz Royesh

Co-Hosts: Russ Gaskin & Marta Ceroni

Download the slide deck we used in this session. We also invite you to explore these links to learn more:

• WIN Theory of Change: describes the vital conditions needed for inter-generational well-being and equity. Over 1000 communities and stakeholders across the country contributed to this.

• ‘Color blind’ boys scheme to get same haircut to trick teacher: Example of how racism is an acquired illness.

• The Last Thousand: One School's Promise in a Nation at War: A book about Aziz Royesh's work founding and sustaining The Marefat School in Afghanistan.

• Learn more about innovative and effective change-makers and ways to support this critical work.

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Dr. Somava Saha

Founder and Executive Lead, Well-being and Equity (WE) in the World & Executive Lead of the Well Being In the Nation (WIN) Network

Somava Saha, MD, MS (aka Soma Stout) has dedicated her career to improving health, wellbeing and equity through the development of thriving people, organizations and communities. She has worked as a primary care internist and pediatrician in the safety net and a global public health practitioner for over 20 years. While difficult, she has witnessed and demonstrated sustainable transformation in human and community flourishing around the world.

Currently, Soma serves as Founder and Executive Lead of Well-being and Equity in the World (WE in the World), as well as Executive Lead of the Well Being In the Nation (WIN) Network, which work together to advance inter-generational well-being and equity. Over the last five years, as Vice President at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Dr. Saha founded and led the 100 Million Healthier Lives (100MLives) initiative, which brought together 1850+ partners in 30+ countries reaching more than 500 million people to improve health, wellbeing and equity. She and her team at WE in the World continue to advance and scale the frameworks, tools, and outcomes from this initiative as a core implementation partner in 100MLives. Learn more here.

Andrew Martin

Director of Network and Strategic Partnerships, Well-being and Equity (WE) in the World

Before working with WE in the World, Drew was the Director of Growth for United Healthcare. He led a team operating the largest and most accomplished homeless prevention portfolios of any major managed care organization. Prior to joining UHC, Drew was a Senior Manager for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement where he assisted local and state Health Departments with its Health Needs Assessments and was a leader within the 100 million Healthier Lives Movement. Drew has also led major community development and targeted social service projects across the Chicago area within neighborhoods of concentrated poverty. Learn more here.

Aziz Royesh

Founder and Teacher, The Marefat School

Mr. Azizullah “Aziz” Royesh is the founding principal of Marefat High School, based in Kabul. Founded in 1995 as

an educational institution for Afghan refugees in Pakistan, the Marefat School moved to Afghanistan in 2002 and went on to achieve international recognition for its curriculum promoting critical thinking and civic education and its commitment to equal access to education. Within the Marefat community of students, alumni, and teachers, nearly 50 percent are women. Mr. Royesh has authored textbooks on humanism, human rights, democracy, and Quranic interpretation. With his colleagues, he also established the Marefat Civil Capacity Building Organization, which has worked to strengthen democracy and civic norms. Mr. Royesh was named a Yale World Fellow in 2010 and served as a 2011 Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy, where he worked on his memoir, Let Me Breathe. Learn more here.