ROTARY PEACE FELLOWS WIN COMPETITION TO SPREAD PEACE

 

Twelve Rotary Peace Fellows are about to get even more guidance in their area of focus. They are not just peace fellowsbut also a select group of Global Peace Index Ambassadors who were recognized for their innovative ideas on working with Rotary clubs in spreading the messages of peace.

Through the program, a collaboration between Rotary and the Institute for Economics and Peace, over 100 former and current peace fellows spent two months receiving training on the methodology the institute uses to create the Global Peace Index, the world’s leading tool for quantifying peace. Ambassadors learned about research behind the Positive Peace and Rotary’s increasing involvement in peace and conflict prevention and resolution.

For the "10 for the 10th" competition, which celebrated the tenth annual release of the index, ambassadors submitted creative ideas for communicating the findings of the report and working with clubs around the globe. The winners will be trained to give Global Peace Index presentations in 10 cities around the world and will receive up to $1,000 to conduct the events.

The institute announced the winners at the Future of Peace Summit on 15 June in Washington, D.C. The 10 winning proposals were submitted by 12 current and former peace fellows:

  • Maria Aseneta (Chulalongkorn University, January 2015)
  • Eduardo da Costa (Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2010-12)
  • Phil Gittins (Chulalongkorn University, June 2012)
  • Umar Hayat (Chulalongkorn University, June 2015)
  • Manisha Javeri (Chulalongkorn University, June 2010)
  • Sellah King’oro (Chulalongkorn University, January 2016)
  • Summer Lewis (University of Queensland, 2010-12) and Jorge Meruvia (International Christian University, 2008-10)
  • Philip Mwesigwa (International Christian University, 2007-09)
  • Ian Saini (Chulalongkorn University, January 2014)
  • Sarah Sanderson and Joshua Campbell (International Christian University, 2015-17)

Rotary General Secretary John Hewko spoke at a peace summit on 15 June in Washington D.C., calling Rotary’s collaboration with the institute “very promising.” The two organizations have begun a peacebuilding project in Uganda, Hewko said. With a Rotary global grant, Rotary members will use the institute’s findings to educate 100 Rotaractors on how they can become pillars of peace. 

Learn more about the competition winners and their events

Learn how to support Rotary Peace Centers

By Ryan Hyland

Rotary News