Y-Not-Chocolate

International Cocoa Producer & Distributor I CEO Maya Benzoni I Trial II: Plaintiff

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAE1LRZLkDA)

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WE WON!

Great job everyone! The witnesses, the attorneys, the judge, even the defense. We all had so much fun becoming our characters, thanks for making it an awesome experience!

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JEFFREY SACHS GETS REAL WITH Y-NOT-CHOCOLATE

Pei Ja: Good afternoon, Mr. Sachs. Thanks for being here. Can you explain about your experience at Harvard University?

Sachs: At Harvard University, I first received my B.A. then went on to receive my M.A. and Ph.D. In 1993, I became Harvard’s youngest tenured economics professor when I was twenty-eight. And I later became the director for the Harvard Institute of International Development and I then spent twenty years as a professor at Harvard.

Pei Ja: Wow, that is quite impressive. Similarly, what have you done at Columbia University?

Sachs: So, after I left Harvard, I went on to lead the Earth Institute at Columbia University where we try to tackle global issues such as health, poverty, and sustainable development. I also teach sustainable development, health policy, and management at Columbia.

Pei Ja: Now, what are some of your past experiences as a professional economic advisor?

Sachs: As an economic advisor, I have advised several Latin American countries on ending hyperinflation. My economic plans restablized their economies. I also advised the Anti-Communist Solidarity Movement in Poland. And wrote a plan that was later incorporated into the post-communist Polish economy.

Pei Ja: Great. And why were you inspired to pursue issues such as environment, public health, and economic disparity?

Sachs: These issues are truly global and they require global assistance. They need global collaboration to be solved.

Pei Ja: So do you think that our company partnering with La Suerte will be beneficial to the community?

Sachs: Of course it will be beneficial to the community. It will increase the quality of health and it’ll be good for the environment.

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DISCUSSING GIRLS RIGHTS AND GLOBALIZATION WITH EXPERT WITNESS CHUYIA

Pei Ja: Hello Chuyia, welcome. Why do you consider yourself an expert in this trial?

Chuyia: I’m an expert because I’ve experienced things pertaining to globalization.

Jack: Can you elaborate on your feelings of women’s rights in developing countries and how building a school in La Suerte, in terms of your past experiences, would be beneficial to the girls?

Chuyia: I feel like Y-Not-Chocolate is a global country that needs global attention, especially with the development of education and women’s rights. They definitely need outside forces coming in to progress the situation. I think giving an education to those girls would help develop their own ideas.

Pei Ja: Do you believe India’s politics and values have the potential to change for the better?

Chuyia: Yes I do. We have a long way to go, but I do. Like I said, as India becomes globalized, their ideas will soon become more progressive. India used to be dictated by traditional Hindu beliefs but because of globalization they are able to evolve as a country because of outside influences.

Jack: Do you think the addition of Y-Not-Chocolate will help the culture in La Suerte find it’s identity without harming the rights of its people?

Chuyia: I feel like Y-Not-Chocolate will provide a lot of more jobs and in creating their cocoa industry, women will be able to utilize those jobs. They will become more independent, especially in the schools and then they can work in the chocolate business, so it really comes full circle.

Jack: Describe your experience growing up and how you think globalization impacted the events in your life?

Chuyia: When I was five years old, I was forced to marry an older man. He passed away a few years later, so my father sent me to an ashram to mourn with other widows. And this was definitely because of the heavy influence Hinduism has in India. Even though British culture was also prevalent, their influence was more economic. Ever since I left India, I believe the country has evolved for the better.

Jack: Thank you for your time, Chuyia!

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FORMER HEAD OF MICROSOFT SPEAKS OUT: BILL GATES

Jack: Good morning, Mr. Gates.

Pei Ja: Thanks for being here. Why do you consider yourself an expert on this particular case?

Gates: On this particular case, well, I’ve donated a whole lot of money all over the world to different foreign locations to help with their economies and global health and I really believe that Y-Not-Chocolate, a new global industry, can really help La Suerte as a whole.

Pei Ja: Do you mind talking about some of your past accomplishments?

Gates: Well, I founded Microsoft. But I left the organization in 2008 to spend more time with my foundation.

Jack: But you wouldn’t say you had anything to do with the monopolization of your company in Europe?

Gates: Well, I mean I wouldn’t say that because I’m still on the board. I still help out, but I’m not on the board every day because I really think I’ve sort of done my work at Microsoft. But, honestly is that really that bad that my company was so successful? I’m sorry my company offered the best product and created lots of jobs and raised a lot of people out of poverty. And now that that money is being used to raise lives, I don’t really think I’ve done a horrible deed. Maybe putting a couple companies out of business because I offered a better product. I think that’s just sort of natural selection of the business world.

Jack: Can you talk a little bit about our foundation and what it’s done in the past and how you think it’s going to apply in La Suerte?

Gates: Definitely. Well, my foundation in the past has really focused on helping to eradicate, or at least combat, global disease all over the world so more people can either not acquire the disease, or easily get vaccinated. And with that, it really helps with the economy and standard of living because with less people being sick and dying of disease it allows them to work more and that gets the whole wheel turning.

Jack: How do you think the economic situation of La Suerte will improve after partnering with Y-Not-Chocolate?

Gates: I think the economy will greatly improve because when foreign industries move into new locations, they create a lot of jobs and the new jobs will lift more people out of poverty. With more people out of poverty, they can buy more things and the entire economy improves.

Pei Ja: Thanks so much for your time, Mr. Gates.

Gates: No problem.

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PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON SUPPORTS Y-NOT-CHOCOLATE

Pei Ja: Welcome, Mr. President.

Jack: What is your educational background?

Bill Clinton: I attended the Yale School of Law and I also went to Georgetown for undergrad.

Jack: What is your political background?

Bill Clinton: My political background: I was the Attorney General for the state of Arkansas and I was also the governor of Arkansas as well as the 42nd President of the United States.

Jack: What was the impact of NAFTA during your presidency and how did you make an impact?

Bill Clinton: Really, immediately after NAFTA was passed it pulled Mexico out of a longstanding recession they had in the late 80’s, and their economy went back down the gutter for something they did badly. But, really the impact of it was all positive during my presidency - it still has been a net positive. The impact I had on that: I was really supportive of it and it passed during my presidency.

Pei Ja: How do you think the economy of La Suerte if the Partnership Agreement passes?

Bill Clinton: You know, I think the economy of La Suerte will really be enhanced by this global opportunity just because when an international company invests in a foreign place, or really any place in general, the increased wealth the company brings to an area really benefits the people.

Pei Ja: Great, thank you for your time, Mr. President.

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INTERVIEW WITH BERNARD KOUCHNER

We recently interviewed Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) and Doctors of the World (Médecins du Monde) co-founder Bernard Kouchner. Check out the video above!

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UNRAVELING THE MYSTERIES OF THE WORLD BANK WITH DR. JIM YONG KIM

Pei Ja: Good afternoon, Dr. Jim Yong Kim. Do you mind talking about your background in education and your studies?

Kim: Yes, of course. I went to the University of Iowa and actually transferred to Brown and graduated Cum Laude and then went to medical school at Harvard, where I got my M.D., and this is how I got my start in the World Health Organization, where I was the director in the HIV/Aids Department.

Pei Ja: Great. Do you mind elaborating on the World Bank and it’s purpose?

Kim: Yes, the World Bank’s official goal is to reduce the level of poverty throughout the world and specifically targets extreme poverty, when you are receiving less than $1.25 per day.

Pei Ja: Wow.

Kim: Per day. Not per hour. Per day, pretty insane. and we invest in developing education and health programs and our goal is to raise that level of poverty.

Pei Ja: Now what are some of the accomplishments that you’ve experienced while working at the World Bank.

Kim: So, the number of people living on $1.25 a day has halved in the past twenty years and that’s been the help of the World Bank. And now it’s just 14.5 percent, and it’s still a lot, about a billion people, it’s still a lot less than what it was.

Pei Ja: Do you mind talking about your experience in public health working with globalization?

Kim: Sure. Well, at the World Health Organization, I really saw that developing countries have little to no access to medicine and these advancements we’ve had in the medical field can really help them out because we’ve overcome some of these diseases. In other parts of the world, the World Health Organization has been able to come in and aid people. And connecting these foreign countries promotes the greater good because we can share our advancements.

Pei Ja: From your experience, do you think that increased globalization in La Suerte will benefit the people?

Kim: I definitely think so, we can share our experiences with them and we will improve their quality of life and make the people healthier and happier.

Pei Ja: Thank you so much Dr. Jim Kim. We greatly appreciate it.

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH OPRAH WINFREY

Pei Ja: First, do you mind sharing a little bit about your childhood?

Oprah: Of course. My name is Oprah Winfrey and I was born on January 29 in 1954 in a small suburb in Mississippi to my uneducated, unmarried, teenaged mother, Venita. When I was six years old my mother moved to a suburban city in Wisconsin living a very minimalistic life and saving every penny we could. When I was seventeen, I won the Miss Black Tennessee Beauty Pageant setting the stage for my famed career in media, the arts, and education.

Jack: Why did you start your girls school in South Africa and what are some of the positive impacts it has already had?

Oprah: Okay, so I made a promise in 2002 with Nelson Mandela to start a school up soon, and in 2007 is when my dream became a reality and I accepted my very first students into the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. I once said, "When you're changing a girl's life it's not just that life. You start to affect a family, a community, a nation." Just some of the positive aspects of that, you know, these girls would have otherwise not been able to receive an education and go further in life and solve these international problems and I just thought it was important that I started from nothing as well and I didn’t have the opportunity to really strive, but little things in life can help you get further. If you don’t have the opportunity, you just can’t do it.

Pei Ja: Do you believe Y-Not-Chocolate and it’s mission to create a girls school in La Suerte will have a similar effect?

Oprah: I definitely believe so, it is almost the same scenario between me and the South African school and Maya Benzoni and La Suerte in Venezuela. I believe it will be extremely successful, just like how it has been in South Africa.

Jack: Can you elaborate on the early years of the school and what that experience was like for you?

Oprah: It’s not always been such a smooth road for Orpah, you know, all in all, every business or school or foundation there’s gonna be some rough patches, but it’s going to outweigh any fears about putting in a school because it is so gratifying to see these girls, walking down, when they graduate and become these problem solvers in the international community and local communities.

Pei Ja: How has your success in television and social media been able to aid you in your humanitarian efforts?

Oprah: I believe it has helped extremely. I don’t think without the fame that I’ve earned through my network and talk show, I wouldn’t have much popularity, and funding, as well with my school. That’s how I even started it, with my success during my talk show I visited with Nelson Mandela and we began to talk about how to really make a difference for girls in South Africa who wouldn’t have received an education otherwise. I think also along with my show, I’ve had the means and communications to get the word out about my school and the success it’s had and I’ve inspired many others to do the same.  

Jack: Thanks for being here today!

Oprah: No problem!

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CEO MAYA BENZONI

Maya: Hi! I’m Maya Benzoni and I am the CEO of Y-Not-Chocolate

Jack: Great. Why did you choose La Suerte, Venezuela for your company?

Maya: I chose La Suerte because of geographical reasons. I think the fields there could be really, really beneficial for the cocoa and for my chocolate company in general. And I think I see a lot of opportunity and potential in the community.

Pei Ja: Great. Why do you think your company will benefit the town?

Maya: Well, I think, for one I think it would provide a lot of jobs and provide a lot of people of a lower class because there aren’t a lot of requirements to work in the cocoa industry. It would provide a lot of people with opportunity. And as well, I plan to use part of the profits to create a girls school.

Jack: Do you believe this school will genuinely improve the situation for girls in La Suerte?

Maya: I think so, yes, because we plan to teach them fundamental business and English skills which could give them really good opportunity later on in life which could be really beneficial to the people in La Suerte.

Pei Ja: Awesome.

Maya: Thank you for having me!

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OPENING STATEMENT

Y-Not-Chocolate is a small company based in California that produces and distributes chocolate products. We were founded by our current CEO, Maya Benzoni. Recently, Ms. Benzoni has taken action in order to expand our company’s market to the global level by reaching out to various landowners in the town of La Suerte, Venezuela, in the hopes of establishing an agreement to develop her cocoa industry there. The climate conditions and agricultural potential are excellent in the region surrounding La Suerte. Ms. Benzoni promises to use sustainable methods and fair trade prices to ensure economic and political honesty from her company, and also plans to build a school for girls using a portion of the profits as a way of giving back to the community. This “Partnership Agreement” aims to grow and develop La Suerte’s economy and strengthen their international status. The Town Council, however, has prohibited this agreement, distancing La Suerte from its potential economic prosperity.

After being unjustly prevented by the Town Council, Maya Benzoni has unfortunately been forced to sue, so that she can expand her company, and, more importantly, bring these possible benefits of globalization to the people of La Suerte. In an increasingly global market, Ms. Benzoni’s company seeks to expand to the same international scale that many companies before her have successfully done without impeding on existing cultures.

The Town Council of La Suerte has the right to defend their town from imposing forces, and it is actually reassuring to our company that our prospective partner has stood their ground with such strong integrity. Globalization’s history has been tainted with instances of exploitation and cultural hegemony; there is evidence of this in many countries, including the Congo and Iran. We understand it is reasonable for small communities such as La Suerte to fear this expansion because of these past failures of globalization. However, these corrupt situations do not represent the mission and morals of Y-Not-Chocolate. While many small towns in developing countries have become wary of globalization’s impacts, our mission is to pursue it in a responsible, sustainable manner. The Town Council has clearly demonstrated their opposition to Y-Not-Chocolate’s partnership agreement, but with the potential of improvements in their economy, schools, and overall quality of life, it is clear that our partnership will create lasting prosperity.

Our witnesses include some of the most qualified experts and luminaries of our era. We are happy to be working with one of the co-founders of both Doctors Without Borders and  Doctors of the World, Bernard Kouchner, who will discuss how more stable countries are able to stabilize others through globalization. You will also hear from Oprah Winfrey, the proud founder of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls in South Africa, who has invested her personal time, money, and voice to push for education. We are also fortunate to have the founder of both the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Microsoft Corporation, Bill Gates, as well as our wonderful CEO, Maya Benzoni herself. She has dedicated her life to enriching the cocoa industry and is confident that her company and its mission of expanding sustainably and responsibly.

Our most important goal is to better the lives of Venezuelan citizens—we are here to create jobs and foster education. We believe, unconditionally, that when done thoughtfully and carefully, globalization promotes the greater good. It will create stable jobs and a balanced, fair society for La Suerte. In creating jobs, the local economy will improve profoundly, helping to dissolve the income gap between the wealthy and impoverished. We promise to build a school for girls so that together, Y-Not-Chocolate and La Suerte can inspire the next generation of young scholars for our quickly developing world. La Suerte will soon stand as an image of success and progress for other developing areas where education is a rarity, especially for young girls. Each aspect of our potential influence aims to improve the livelihood of local Venezuelans and create outstanding economic opportunities. Globalization is inevitable; we can already see it permeating cultures and societies across the world. If the Town Council of La Suerte would be so generous as to partner with us, we promise to be pioneers of a new era where increased globalization benefits the communities and people involved.  

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A candid photo of Oprah Winfrey and her girls from the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy based in South Africa. Her school, founded with Nelson Mandela and the Minister of Education, Professor Kader Asmal, cherishes the love of education through grades 8-12. The Academy strives to develop dynamic female leaders in a globalized society while keeping the African principle of Ubuntu/Botho that harnesses the ideals of humanity, compassion, and service to others. "When you're changing a girl's life it's not just that life. You start to affect a family, a community, a nation." - Oprah Winfrey

http://owla.co.za/# 

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The Milton Hershey School, Pennsylvania. Home of the Spartans! The Milton Hershey school is a cost-free, private, boarding school that houses low-income families. It’s philanthropic mission has helped millions of K-12 students receive adequate education. With over six billion dollars in assets, the Milton Hershey School is one of the wealthiest schools in the world. Milton Hershey, former CEO and founder of The Hershey Company, created this school in 1909 for underprivileged kids and dedicated the land he inherited from his family to create this school. Just one of the examples of how globalization increases education of youth and creates a positive impact in communities! 

http://www.mhskids.org/about/contact-information/