We share what we know about development challenges and the realities of those that directly face them via presentations and speaking engagements.
We work to connect actors, approaches, practices, and learnings that advance social good and help shift the balance of power in development in favor of self-determined communities.
True Roots co-founder Summer Lewis is an international development specialist, Rotary Peace Fellow, and humanitarian who has presented as a keynote speaker, panelist, moderator, and workshop facilitator at numerous events globally in both English and Spanish.
Summer’s speaking highlights include:
“Working Toward Peace”, Rotary International Assembly 2018 (video)
“Trabajando para la Paz”, Congreso RIMEX: Meeting of Mexican Rotary Leaders, 2018 (video, Spanish)
Summer’s presentations weave together 10+ years of academic and professional experience in community development at an international level – from the field, to the classroom, to the boardroom – across 30+ countries and 6 continents.
Through her presentations, Summer seeks to inspire “ordinary” people to see themselves as changemakers and peacebuilders – to value their extraordinary power and to motivate them to meaningful action.
“Summer very effectively helps people understand that working toward peace and conflict resolution can be done through means that the average person typically doesn’t connect with the issue. For example, the ways in which grass-roots community development efforts can improve people’s lives and create a space for them to consider things beyond daily survival, and that when that happens for enough people in a population, they can begin collectively addressing matters that will benefit the community as a whole. Summer’s presentation made her listeners aware of these possibilities.”
– Vickie Randel
Past District Governor
Rotary International
“Summer is an excellent presenter and her content was outstanding.”
– Chuck Udell
Essential Action Design Group