Peace Net - Rotary Peace Fellows

 

February 2010

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Dear Rotary Peace Centers Community,

 

Building Communities - Bridging Continents, the 2010-11 RI theme unfurled at the  International Assembly last month in San Diego,
aptly describes Rotary and its work today. These four words are also the key ingredients for a more peaceful world.

Rotary works alongside non-Rotarian groups in small towns and big cities to improve local communities.

 

Through its educational exchange programs -Ambassadorial Scholarships and Rotary  Peace Fellowships - Rotary bridges continents,
improves international understanding and trains thoughtful and committed international citizens. By working locally and internationally,
Rotary is actively engaged in the world. This engagement fosters understanding, which in turn can prevent conflict. Congratulations
to President-elect Ray Klinginsmith for a great theme for Rotary and for world peace and understanding.

 

As a final note, we bid farewell to Rotary Peace Centers Fellowship Supervisor Espen Malmberg as he bridges the North American and
European continents by taking a position at Rotary's Europe and Africa Office in Zurich. Espen will be the manager of Foundation
Services for the region. We in Evanston will miss him, but we wish him all the best in this new Rotary role.

 

Peace,

Judy Gibson

Rotary Peace Centers Department Manager

The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

News

 

Setting the pace for sustainable peace in Uganda His experience as a Rotary Peace Fellow inspired Robert Opira to co-found the Great Lakes Center for Conflict Resolution - http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/100106_news_opira.aspx

 

Working for peace through theater

Former Rotary Peace Fellow Russell Vandenbroucke uses the stage to convey his desire for peace. Read more

http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/091123_news_russellvandenbroucke.aspx

 

Rotary Addresses Root Causes of Conflict and War Freelance writer Jim Luce profiled the Rotary Peace Fellowship in an article written for the Huffington Post, a widely read political and lifestyle blog. Read more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-luce/rotary-addresses-root-cau_b_384379.html

 

 

New Rotary Peace Center: Request for Expressions of Interest

 

The Rotary Foundation seeks expressions of interest for a new Rotary Center for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution.

 

Interested universities must:

 

·        Offer a master's degree in peace studies and conflict resolution that is

up to two years in duration and that is at least three years old

 

·        Be located in a country that has Rotary clubs

 

·        Be willing to accept up to 10 Rotary Peace Fellows per year

 

·        Have a curriculum that allows for the incorporation of 10-12 week internship

experience (usually during the summer break)

 

Guidelines

 

The expression of interest must not exceed five pages in length and should address the following areas:

 

·        Academic strength of university

 

·        History and record of success of current master's degree program (alumni

achievements, faculty recognition, growth of student population, etc.)

 

·        Administrative support for a Rotary Peace Center

 

·        The university's unique approach to peace studies/conflict resolution

 

·        Tuition and other costs for the master's degree

 

·        Administrative budget to operate Rotary Peace Center (may include part-time

office support, office supplies, etc.)

 

·        Full-time faculty teaching in master's program

 

·        Sample curriculum of master's degree extending up to two years

 

Review Process and Deadline

 

The deadline for submissions is 1 March. The Rotary Foundation's Rotary Peace Centers Committee will review the submissions and solicit full proposals if interested.

 

The expressions of interest should be sent to:

 

Judy Gibson

 

Rotary Peace Centers

 

The Rotary Foundation

 

1560 Sherman Avenue

 

Evanston, IL 60201-3698 USA

 

E-mail: judy.gibson@rotary.org [mailto:judy.gibson@rotary.org]

 

If you know of a university that may fit these criteria, please contact Judy Gibson to obtain a PDF of this announcement that can be sent to the university's representatives.

 

Program News

The Rotary Peace Centers Committee made several decisions that affect the name, admissions, and application process for the Rotary Peace Centers.

Nomenclature

As you might have noticed, we have a new name! The committee voted to change the  colloquial name from Rotary Centers to Rotary Peace Centers. The full and formal name will continue as Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution. However, the program is now the Rotary Peace Centers program and fellows are now Rotary Peace Fellows.

Admissions

The committee voted that a minimum of three years must pass between the date of completion of a candidate's Ambassadorial Scholarship and the date of application for a Rotary Peace Fellowship (master's degree).

This three-year wait is also true for any Rotary Peace Fellow who participated in the short-term certificate program at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand.

Also, no fellow who has been awarded a master's degree through the Rotary Peace Centers program will be eligible for the short-term certificate program at Chulalongkorn University. However, a fellow who participated in the certificate program is eligible for the master's program (after the three-year wait).

Applications

The committee voted for applicants to choose between the certificate program and  the master's program. Applicants can no longer seek admission to both programs simultaneously. Only one application is allowed per applicant; therefore, an applicant cannot have one application for the certificate program and another for the master's program. A new 2011 application is available on the Rotary Peace Centers website.

Moving forward, we will no longer accept outdated applications; please advise any interested applicant to obtain the latest edition, and spread news of the update  to those who need to know.

The 1 July 2010 application deadline remains the same.

Selection

In addition to the October selection committee, there will now be an August subcommittee that will select fellows for the January session at Chulalongkorn University. The August selection will be for January applicants only and will have no impact on applicants to the master's programs. If your district is sponsoring an applicant  who wants to attend the January 2011 session, the application and all supporting documents be submitted by 1 July.

 

Call for applications

 

Applications for the 2011-13 class of Rotary Peace Fellows are due 1 July.

 

Rotarians and peace fellows can help find the best candidates for the world-competitive selection of peace fellows. To get the process started, consider the following ideas:

 

 

Check out the following in your local town or community to draw qualified applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to peace and conflict resolution through academic, volunteer, or professional experiences:

 

·        Department of international studies, political sciences, peace studies

at your local universities or colleges

 

·        Nongovernmental organizations involved in human rights, disaster relief,

aid distribution, environmental advocacy, refugee issues, mediation and arbitration

 

·        International organizations and corporations

 

·        Governmental agencies, diplomatic corps, local police and military offices

 

·        Returned Peace Corps volunteer meetings

 

·        University alumni associations, university placement or career offices

 

·        Former Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholars who studied peace and conflict

resolution and now work in international arenas

 

Clubs and districts can also consider the following for promoting the fellowship  to attract candidates:

 

·        Hold informational meetings at the organizations and locations listed above.

 

·        Host lectures or discussions relevant to peace or international understanding,

and invite representatives from the organizations listed previously.

 

·        Invite current or former peace fellows to speak at informational meetings

for Rotarians and non-Rotarians.

 

·        Send out Rotary Peace Fellowships brochures to relevant organizations and

agencies in your area with your contact information included.

 

·        Issue news releases to local/regional publications, university newspapers,

radio stations, and public-access cable television stations.

 

·        Begin to market the fellowship early in order to ensure enough time for

 interviews at the club and district levels.

 

Know who the Rotary Peace Fellowships subcommittee chair is in your district (if  you don't know, contact your district governor or e-mail rotarypeacecenters@rotary.org [mailto:rotarypeacecenters@rotary.org]). Work with that person to help promote the fellowship and solicit applicants. Also, consider contacting other districts that have been successful in nominating candidates.

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Class Notes

 

We encourage all our alumni and friends to stay connected, especially those who are in the same line of work or geographical area. By sharing your successes, we  can update Rotarians on Rotary Peace Fellows' activities and inspire current students and alumni. Please contact the alumni relations coordinator, Mike Pfriem [mailto:michael.pfriem@rotary.org],

with news of your recent work.
 

Veronica Guzman (Berkeley 2007-09) works for the Arc of King County, a nonprofit  organization that helps people with developmental disabilities in the Seattle area.

She coordinates Family Support 360, a U.S. government-funded program that provides support to families caring for people with developmental disabilities in low-income and ethnically diverse communities.

 

Sang Hee Jeong (Duke/UNC 2007-09) works in a short-term consultancy for the Climate Change for Development Professionals project with the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

 

Krishna Jhugroo (Bradford 2002-04) is the assistant commissioner of police with the Mauritius Police Force. He is in command of the police for the southern part  of the island.

 

Timothy Kariuki (Chula January 2009) is the chief executive coordinator of Elections International, an NGO in Kenya whose functions are electoral policies and statutory analysis, advocacy for reforms, civic and voter education, and electoral observation and monitoring.

 

Diana Manevskaya (Duke/UNC 2003-05) is a program coordinator at the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management unit, Office of the Vice President of the World Bank in Washington, D.C. She coordinates projects within the Commission on Growth and Development.

 

Emmanuel Musau Mutisya (ICU 2007-09) is enrolled in a PhD program at Tokyo University.

He is studying sustainable development and sustainability science.

 

Nimene Myers (Chula July 2008) teaches two courses at the Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation at the University of Liberia. He is also involved in a teachers' re-education program through the Ministry of Education that helps train teachers to teach peace education, citizenship education, and human rights in primary and  secondary schools.

 

Israel Newberry (Chula July 2008), who works as an IT specialist for International Resource Group, an implementing partner of the Norwegian government in Liberia, is currently a guest lecturer at the Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation at the University of Liberia.

 

Mayer Ngomesia (Duke/UNC 2006-08) is the projects coordinator for the Diamond Development Initiative in Ottawa. This organization is a multi-stakeholder partnership between governments, industry, and civil society to enhance social responsibility specifically in the alluvial diamond mining industry.

 

Arik Gutler Ofir (UQ 2004-06) established the Theatre Centre for Social Justice in Galilee, Israel. He also teaches political science and theater at a local high school. He is part of a team that facilitates workshops on humanism and holocaust for Arab and Jewish students from different high schools.

 

William Payne (USAL 2003-05) is the inter-institutional network coordinator for the Latin American Human Rights Education and Research Network in Ottawa.

 

Sara Petersson (Berkeley 2005-07) is an early recovery associate expert for the International Organization for Migration in Harare, Zimbabwe. Her main tasks involve designing recovery activities for internally displaced people as well as co-leading the Early Recovery Cluster together with United Nations Development Programme.

 

Stephanie Pollack (Chula January 2008) accepted a position in the writer's residency program at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. She will be working on a few books and curriculum development, all looking at conflict and peace concerning issues of personal health and illness, relationships, education, diversity, and organizational sustainability.

 

Hanna Seyl (Chula July 2008) is studying for a master's degree in environmental science at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, USA.

 

Muhammad Ayaz Shafqat (Chula January 2009) teaches at the International Islamic University, Islamabad, in Pakistan. He also works with the youth of Rawalpindi/Islamabad under a social action project.

 

Umar Shavurov (USAL 2003-05) works for the World Bank in Washington, D.C., with the team that provides technical assistance on tax policy and administration.

 

Sukthawee Suwannachairop (UQ 2004-06) works for the Mekong River Commission's Climate Change and Adaptation Initiative in Vientiane, Laos.

 

Pushpika Weerakoon (Chula July 2007) is interning with United Nations Development Programme in New York. She works with the Bureau of Conflict Prevention and Recovery's conflict prevention and interagency teams.

 
The Great Lakes Center for Conflict Resolution Uganda
and Our Rotary Foundation Newsletter 15 January 2010


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