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Peace Net
March 2010 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Rotary Peace Centers Community,
March is a busy time of year, and our Rotary Peace Centers around the world are bustling with activity. At many of the centers, preparations are underway for the upcoming annual seminars, which allow the graduating class of peace fellows to present research in a variety of fields related to peace and conflict resolution. We are pleased that these seminars have continued to grow through the years, with more Rotarian and non-Rotarian guests attending each year. We encourage anyone who's interested to contact the nearest Rotary Peace Center about attending this event.
Our Class VIII fellows studying in Argentina and Australia have just arrived on campus to begin their studies, and first-year fellows in the Northern Hemisphere are busy researching applied field experience opportunities. This fieldwork gives fellows valuable practical experience to complement theoretical material and is repeatedly identified as a highlight of the fellowship.
As a final note, we hope districts have begun the process of finding and interviewing candidates for 2011 Rotary Peace Fellowships. If districts have not found any qualified applicants locally but are interested in sponsoring a fellow, please contact Carly Dachis [mailto:carly.dachis@rotary.org] at 847-866-3307. Endorsed applications must be submitted to The Rotary Foundation by 1 July. Help us work toward 100 percent district participation!
Peace, Judy Gibson Rotary Peace Centers Department Manager The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the news
Alumni sound off During the Rotary Peace Symposium in Birmingham, England last summer, Global Outlook, part of Rotary World Magazine, asked four Rotary Peace Fellows about their vision of peace. Read the article here Rotary Peace Fellow makes impact in India India's national newspaper, the Hindu, recognized Rotary Peace Fellow David LaMotte for his recent applied field experience work in Vijayawada in the state of Andhra Pradesh.Read more about LaMotte and his work here. Peace fellows at Duke-UNC support Haiti
in silent auction Icelandic peace fellows come together District 1360 (Iceland) has sponsored a Rotary Peace Fellow every year since the inception of the program. All eight of the Icelandic peace fellows got together over the winter holidays to catch up and share stories about their fellowship experience. They enjoyed the opportunity to be together.
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Program news
New Rotary Peace Center's promotional materials available. The Rotary Foundation has created a new promotional poster and brochure for the Rotary Peace Centers program. It's available online here or at the Rotary International online shop.
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 process. Here are some ideas to help get the process started: Take advantage of the resources in your community to draw qualified applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to peace and conflict resolution through academic, volunteer, or professional experiences. These may include:
* Departments of international studies, political science, and peace studies at your local universities or colleges * Nongovernmental organizations involved in human rights, disaster relief, aid distribution, environmental advocacy, refugee issues, and mediation and arbitration * International organizations and corporations * Governmental agencies, diplomatic corps, and local police and military offices * Returned Peace Corps volunteer meetings * University alumni associations and placement or career offices * Former Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholars who studied peace and conflict resolution and now work in international arenas Promote the fellowship at the club and district levels. Consider the following suggestions:
* 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 above. * Invite current or former peace fellows to speak at informational meetings for Rotarians and non-Rotarians. * Send Rotary Peace Fellowship brochures to relevant organizations and agencies in your area with your contact information included. * Issue news releases to local or regional publications, university newspapers, radio stations, and public-access cable television stations. * Begin to market the fellowship early to ensure enough time for interviews at the club and district levels. Work with your district peace fellowship subcommittee chair to help promote the fellowship and solicit applications. If you do not know your fellowship chair, contact your district governor or write to rotarypeacecenters@rotary.org [mailto:rotarypeacecenters@rotary.org]. Also, do not hesitate to contact other districts that have been successful in nominating candidates.
Upcoming Rotary Peace Centers seminars Save the date for an upcoming Rotary Peace Center seminar in your area. Chulalongkorn University Friday, 2 April Duke University/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Saturday, 10 April University of California, Berkeley Sunday, 11 April
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Published peace fellows
Ready-made garments industry in Bangladesh
In 2009, Rotary Peace Fellow Nidhi Khosla published work related to the ready-made garments industry in Bangladesh. This piece appeared in the November 2009 issue of the Journal of International Women's Studies. Read the article (PDF) here.
Downscaling of microfinance in Africa Recent Rotary Peace Fellow Emmanuel Mutisya has published a book about the downscaling of microfinance in Africa. The book is available for purchase at Amazon.com here and A1Books.com here~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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. Here are some recent alumni updates:
Yolanda Cowan (Sciences Po 2003-05) is working on a short-term assignment with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. When not on assignment, she works for the Australian Department of Health and Ageing on the development, monitoring, and evaluation of health emergency operations centers and the State Health Emergency Coordination Centre.
Cheryl Hebert (Chula July 2007) performs mediation work in Nova Scotia, Canada, and is involved with a new local project on community conferencing with the province's restorative justice program. She also chairs the board of the Canadian Cancer Society's Nova Scotia Division.
Rún Ingvarsdóttir (Berkeley 2004-06) is a foreign news editor for the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, RUV.
Francis Kabosha (Bradford 2008-10) is a returns, reintegration, and recovery officer for the United Nations Mission in Sudan.
Angeli Mendoza (ICU 2007-09) is a liaison officer for the UN World Food Programme in the Philippines, primarily working with the Philippine government's Department of Social Welfare and Development on operations in Luzon and Mindanao.
Roberta Rodrigues (USAL 2006-08) is a development worker in Sucre, Bolivia, for International Service, a charity based in the United Kingdom. She is responsible for the institutional strengthening of Ayninakuna, a local organization benefiting children with disabilities. The effort is one of the Bolivian components of a three-year project funded by Irish Aid that aims to include people with disabilities in areas of national and local development.
Amanda Sutherland (Bradford 2006-08) has enrolled in writing courses at the University of Toronto and is writing a book.
Vilaysack Thongkhamhan (Chula July 2006) is a freelance translator/interpreter, performing consecutive and simultaneous interpretation for different ministries, nongovernmental organizations, and international organizations in Laos.
Helga Thorolofsdottir (Bradford 2003-05) is a development adviser in a Norwegian-led provincial reconstruction team in northern Afghanistan. She works for the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Ian Wadley (Berkeley 2002-04) works with the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia, where he investigates and assists in the resolution of complaints against lawyers.
Jane Welsh (Duke/UNC 2007-09) is a gender adviser for the Futures Group, an international development firm in Washington, D.C., that focuses on HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, population and family planning, maternal and child health, infectious diseases, and gender issues.
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