issue 12_october 15, 2011
DESCRIPTION
Issue 12_October 15, 2011TRANSCRIPT
NEWSLETTER October 15, 2011
Inside this Issue
Facilitator Corner 2
Our Projects 3
Conferences 4
Regional Updates:
Africa
5
Asia 6
Europe 6
North America 7
South America 9
Executive Team 10
Advisory Board 11
Member
Organizations
12
Collaborating
Knowledge Partners
14
Directory 15
Get Involved 16
Our Sponsors
UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
FOR SOCIAL ACTION RESEARCH
UCP-SARnet is a growing global social network
that was created at Arizona State University in 2008.
It is governed by students and young community activists.
Its mission is to empower new generations of community leaders to become
actively involved in the realization of the UN Millennium Development Goals.
Utilizing the recent advances of Information and Communication Technologies,
UCP-SARnet offers a platform for the multicultural exchange of visions, ideas and
best practices aimed at achieving MDGs.
We engage university faculty and students in partnerships with community
organizations, local governments and socially responsible corporations.
Creating a powerful educational environment for students preparing themselves to
become leaders, we also bring about a sustainable social change
in their communities.
Newsletter Team:
Fitzgerald Jerome
Abidah Khalife
Dorav Kumar
Osee Romeo
Dr. Marek Wosinski
Page 2
Facilitator Corner
Our Sponsors Creating a better future for communities through research Founded in 1982, CCBR believes in the power of knowledge to impact positive social change. They are passionate about bringing people together to use knowledge
to provide real and innovative solutions to community needs. Their approach to
research is participatory and action-oriented in a way that mobilizes people to par-ticipate as full and equal members of society.
www.communitybasedresearch.ca
IGLOO's social software solutions help organizations create vital connections
between people, processes and information through the creation of online business
communities. Companies use online communities to improve collaboration, knowledge sharing and drive employee engagement across geographically dispersed
project teams, departments and business units inside and out.
http://www.igloosoftware.com/
Turning theory into practice Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities/SWPS was founded in 1996 by former professors of the Institute of Psychology and the Polish Academy of Scienc-
es. Ever since its foundation, the University has been continually growing and de-
veloping and now consists of 8 faculties located in five academic centers in Poland (Warsaw, Wrocław, Sopot, Poznań and Katowice). SWPS is committed to the
highest academic standards as well as to the transfer of practical knowledge and
skills. http://www.swps.pl/english/index.php
Dear UCP-SARnet Partners, Members and Followers,
This past month our Arizona Leadership Team focused on three tasks: organization of the Stand Up Against Poverty Event, preparations for the International Leadership Summit in China, and
participation in the President's Interfaith Campus Challenge project.
We all expect a very powerful STAND UP event and looking forward to when the efforts of the
Leadership Team and the UCP-SARnet based club at ASU "Forks for Change" will materialize. For the China Leadership Summit we have begun updating the program of presenters and events
and we are also putting a lot of effort into designing a new marketing flyer and application form. We hope this will be completed soon and we hope to begin our marketing campaign beginning to mid-
November.
We had several meetings with the of the Interfaith Campus Challenge leadership team and it was really uplifting to hear during the last meetings reports from different parts of the campus on things that have been already done. The problem
still is, however, that information about projects and events is not easily available for everybody so the need of a web-site allowing fast sharing of updated information is really crucial. Definitely our platform could serve this role, however
we still were not able to register participants of the Interfaith project as UCP-SARnet members. One of the elements of the project is recently completed by students of Community Psychology course who write semester papers describing
and evaluating community projects conducted by diversified faith massed communities. We hope that their papers will
imitate a library of such projects.
The challenge we all need to seriously address in the nearest future is related to the passivity of many members of our
network. When we see how vigorously the members of the ―Forks for Change‖ club are involved in the projects they organize, this leads to reflection as to why we cannot have similar involvement from the majority of our members. In
this context a discussion on the new strategies of involving our members into collaboration with our partner organiza-tions seem to be crucial and next to a fundraising campaign must become the focus for the Leadership Team next year.
MW
Dr. Marek Wosinski
Page 3
We encourage your collaboration on these projects!
Please contact us if you would like to get involved! OUR PROJECTS
Arizona State University Proudly Accepts President
Obama’s Interfaith Campus Challenge
Back in the spring of this year, President Obama invited high-er education institutions to join in an interfaith initiative and
to commit to a year of service towards that initiative; the White House called for proposals for University-Community
Partnerships and Arizona State University (ASU) was one of
250 universities across the nation that responded to that call. The theme for the ASU proposal and this year of service on
our 4 campuses and in surrounding communities is PEACE. “An act of service can unite people of all faiths or even no faith
around a common purpose of helping those in need” – President
Obama in Interfaith and Community Service Campus Chal-
lenge Video Clip Calling for Action
Since the call for action came at the end of last semester, and
since various groups at ASU could not pass down taking part in something that they already believed in so strongly, these
groups came together and formed an advisory board made of students, collaborating offices and organizations, and part-
nering student organizations. They looked at all of the service
plans each of their groups already had in place and threw these together into a very ambitious project proposal that
hopes to use the vast student resources available on our Uni-versity to make all of their goals happen. ASU is the only
university in the state that is participating in this great initia-tive and there are also 2 community colleges involved. Amy
Golden, Director for Strategic Initiatives, Educational Out-
reach and Student Services with Arizona State University is the facilitator of the President’s Interfaith Campus Challenge
at our University. There are 20 students on the leadership team two of whom are also on the UCP-SARnet executive
team – Mohamed Camara and Dorav Kumar. UCP-SARnet is of course one of the organizational partners in this initia-
tive. And finally, the student organizations at ASU are all
under CORA (the Council of Religious Advisors) which is a network of many of the interfaith groups present on each of
the 4 ASU campuses. Ben Sanders with Community Minis-
tries (part of CORA) has been around ASU for a long time, he does a lot of networking in the local community and also
works on campus. He and his wife Sarah (pictured below, right-most and left-most respectively) are very active in the
ASU Interfaith Campus Challenge.
Last month Birendra Kumar, the UCP-SARnet Facilitator
for Asia and the Pacific, created the webpage for the ASU Interfaith Campus Challenge on our UCP-SARnet portal.
Eean Patterson and other UCP-SARnet executive team members will be working on gradually updating this page
with all of the groups, ministries, leadership team members and other partners that are taking part in the challenge as
well as the list of upcoming events. We hope that this will
serve to disseminate information on the vital work that needs to be done and that all students, faculty, and community
members should strive to be a part of. All this initiative calls for is for people to get involved in the efforts and opportuni-
ties that are already in place but that lack the manpower and support and that lack the religious and cultural diversity of
participants; so the effects of the campus challenge and the
proposal at ASU hope to be 2 fold, we need to build commu-nities but at the same time to do so as diverse groups so as to
learn about and accept peoples of all different backgrounds and attain PEACE on multiple dimensions.
To find out about community service and social responsibil-
ity opportunities already in place at ASU please visit: 1) Ser-
vice at ASU , 2) Service Learning Opportunities and 3) ChangeMakers Central.
Abidah Khalife
Page 4
Mark Your Calendars:
INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
Sias International University
Xinzheng, Henan Province, CHINA
July 1 – July 23, 2012
Students, faculty members and community leaders are invited to participate in the first official International Leadership Summit at Sias International University. This interactive, project fo-
cused, problem-solving curriculum is designed to engage 1000 international men and women from universities around the world in an event that will accelerate engagement and outcomes for
projects focusing on the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. The International
Leadership Summit is being convened by the World Academy for the Future of Women and organizing partners Sias International University, Global Interactions, Thunderbird School of
Global Management and UCP-SARnet.
The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) address the world’s most dire economic, educational, health and social conditions and address basic human needs. The impact
of these conditions is devastating to the lives of people around the world. While resources exist
to address these conditions, bold and daring leadership required to achieve these goals is lacking. The International Leadership Summit organizers and faculty are inspired, committed, and re-
lentless in their pursuit to develop an international team of young leaders committed to acquir-ing knowledge and effective strategies and skills that will empower and enable themselves and
others to ensure that these basic human needs are met.
PROGRAM COST AND REGISTRATION DEADLINES
EARLY BIRD REGISTION by January 23, 2012 $ 900.00
REGULAR REGISTRATION by February 27, 2012 $1100.00
Discounts are available to groups of 10 or more with accompanying faculty member.
Program cost includes:
Airport pick-up and delivery at Zhengzhou Airport,
Lodging (double occupancy) and three meals daily, A three-week interactive problem solving curriculum on entrepreneurial skills, leadership and
team action projects addressing world issues focusing on the United Nations Millennium Devel-opment Goals,
Internationally recognized faculty and facilitators,
Optional Mandarin classes at beginning, intermediate, or advanced levels and 24/7 opportunity to engage and practice, and
Historical and cultural visits to introduce and expand knowledge of China. Sites Include:
Xinzheng, birthplace of first Chinese Emperor Huang Di, Zhengzhou Provincial Museum.
Shaolin Temple, oldest Martial Arts School in the world.
Laoyang, historical and cultural city, ancient capital with 5,000 year history. On the list of
UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
APPLICATION FORM AND MORE DETAILS WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON!
Jerrie Ueberle
President
Global Interactions, Inc
CONFERENCES Presented in Partnership with:
Page 5
Regional Updates: AFRICA
Sustainability in Cameroon: Ecovillage Rosa Green School Project
A current project that is being developed by UCP-SARnet is the Ecovillage Green School Project in Cameroon. The land for this project has been ob-
tained (some images to the right) and the fully thought out project proposal and governmental requirements are also in place, the current steps that need
to occur are procurement of funding for the project and then after that the
actual implementation. One Objective of the Green School Project that is presented by UCP-SARnet members Dr. Marek Wosinski, Osee Romeo
(Myself), Alban Olivry, Adam Euerby, and Andy Chen is: To provide world
class environmental & ecological education across the whole spectrum of
Cameroonian society in order to aid successful adaptation to climate
change.
For a country such as Cameroon, at the very beginning of its development, here and in our immediate future, climate change threatens to undermine our
economic, social and environmental stability, decreasing food security and
increasing rural and urban poverty to a substantial degree, and in the long term, climate change threatens our very existence.
With rising sea levels, rising temperatures, increased incidence of extreme
weather patterns, rapid escalation in vector and water borne diseases, substan-tial aquifer depletion and salinity, desertification and global food insecurity
the outlook for Cameroon does not look good. Adaptation, both effective and
immediate, is the only chance that Cameroon has of surviving.
To successfully adapt to climate change, to successfully adapt to our new and unpredictable environmental climate and to stabilize that climate in the long
term future, we have to bring about a profound, lasting and sustainable change in the economic climate, in the spiritual climate, in the social climate
and in the global political climate. There is no other way; the environmental
climate will continue to change and the rise in global temperature will contin-ue to escalate, for as long as we, the human race, continue to fuel it.
The Green School will undertake to educate in a holistic manner in order to
raise awareness on some of the necessary social, environmental, economic and spiritual changes that are needed to ensure successful and timely adapta-
tion, and which will also substantially contribute to poverty reduction and
environmental protection on a national scale.
Tourism in Cameroon has a unique part to play in this project; if this can be incorporated into a learning atmosphere, for all participants, where people
from all countries come to teach as well as to learn, then the long term mutual benefits will be enormous. By incorporating the training into ecotourism,
Cameroonian participants will have the unique opportunity and advantage of
having access to potential sponsorship, support and bursaries and the ex-change of ideas and views from both tourists and local participants should go
some considerable way to forging international understanding and assistance.
Osee Romeo Tcheupgoum Njacheun
Assistant Facilitator for Africa & North America
UCP-SARnet
Page 6
Inauguration of Gandhi College of Social Work through Padyatra
Champaran Satyagraha Walk
The Padyatra or ―journey on foot‖ is a one of a kind inauguration and kickoff of
events for the Gandhi College of Social Work. An event which began on October
2nd, the Champaran Satyagraha Walk is well on its way with only a few days left to complete the journey. More than 5000 people are taking part in this walk of over
600 km through 30 villages – most of which were visited by Mahatma Gandhi in 1917 and 1918 during his Champaran Satyagraha (Indigo Movement), back when
poor farmers and laborers in this region were forced to grow Indigo (for Indigo Dye) and other cash crops rather than the more vitally needed food crops.
It is only appropriate to commemorate the Champaran Satyagraha in light of the new school that hopes to perpetuate the teachings of the highly respected Gandhi.
The entire event is promoting the college in the district as well as promoting Gan-dhian thoughts of Peace and Non-violence. Additionally, the villages along the
route have Gandhi memorials which are going to be important places to setup off-campus study centers. Some of the activities that have taken place in each village
are: 1. a film show on Gandhiji and gram swaraj (concept of self-governance), 2. a
talk to villagers about the college and Padyatra, 3. Prayer, respecting all religions for promotion of unity and peace, 4. Cleaning of the village, the road, the Gandhi
memorials, for promotion of cleaning habits and water sanitation, 5. Walk for next village. More on this exciting event will be shared once completed on October 18th.
Birendra Kumar
Assistant Facilitator for Asia
UCP-SARnet
Regional Updates: ASIA
Regional Updates: EUROPE
This Year’s Nobel Peace Prize recognizes work for
Women’s Rights
After Swedish scientist, engineer and inventor Alfred
Nobel passed away in 1986 and in his will decided to
leave most of his assets to a fund that would endow
recognition on those who have made the best contribu-
tions to advancement in each of several fields, this was
the beginning of the Nobel Prizes. The categories being
Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Litera-
ture, and Peace, Nobel Prizes have been awarded each
year since 1901 by various Scandinavian Committees.
The Nobel Peace prize in particular is awarded by the
Norwegian Nobel Committee, in Oslo, Norway.
This year, of 241 international nominees—comprised
of both individuals and organizations—the Peace prize
was awarded to three women for their championing of
the safety, equality and freedoms of women in their
conflict-ridden regions. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Presi-
dent of Liberia, Leymah Ebowee, also Liberian, and
Tawakkul Karman, Yemeni, were chosen to split the
2011 prize which is comprised of a medal, certificate of
recognition and a sum of money (currently $1.5 mil-
lion). True and lasting peace requires the voices of
women to be heard from strong leadership positions;
these women receiving this year’s prize allows for them
to further the work they have done for women in their
countries and also serves as inspiration to other women
struggling for their rights.
Abidah Khalife
Image from: nobelpeaceprize.org
Page 7
Regional Updates: NORTH AMERICA
Media coverage of The Hunger Banquet event hosted by Forks for Change: MDG Awareness Group
On October 4th, 2011 Forks for Change hosted a Hunger Banquet event aimed towards raising awareness of world hunger for members of the ASU student body. After sharing the statistics on poverty and hunger in Arizona, the US, and world-
wide, one of the exercises done during the Hunger Banquet was randomly separating the participants by ―social class‖
based on a slip of paper taken from a bag. These students were then seated based on their social class and were served food to depict real world injustices – the ―upper class‖ received of course a full and satisfying meal whereas the ―lower class‖
received nothing more than a piece of bread. The Hunger Banquet closed on a note about ―Feed My Starving Children.‖ Forks for Change is currently raising money and will volunteer at the ―Feed My Starving Children‖ organization location in
Tempe on November 4th. This organization collects money to feed children in South America. Each packet of food prepared contains the nourishment a child needs over 2 days (6 meals) and costs $1.44 only – for 6 meals!
Two videos covering the event can be viewed HERE. These videos were shot and edited by: Loc Nguyen (Myself), Media Relations, UCP-SARnet and Forks for Change. The first video is a little over 4 minutes long and is a brief overview of the
event including comments from a few participants. In the second video, Humza Salim, Leadership Team member and Club member, gives a 1 minute post-event commentary. Check these out!
Loc Nguyen
Meeting with Faith-Based groups in Tempe
On Sept. 20, Dr. Marek Wosinski, Osee Romeo, Mohamed Camara, and I repre-sented UCP-SARnet at a meeting with ministers, pastors, and community members
from surrounding cities, which was convened at the 1st Congregational United
Church of Christ in Tempe, located near the ASU campus. After presenting UCP-SARnet’s vision and mission, we tied our global reach back to the importance of
work to solve problems from a strong community foundation upwards. Our involve-ment with the ASU Interfaith Campus Challenge group has reminded us of the im-
portance of faith-based organizations in community work since these organizations have some of the strongest ties with individual community members.
It is our hopes to collaborate with the various groups we met with; we hope that UCP-SARnet members will volunteer to advance the little projects that are already underway to end poverty, homelessness, the abuse of women and children, dis-
crimination, and more. Special thanks to Rev. Robert Koth and Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer from the Southwest Conference United Church of Christ for their role in making this meeting happen.
Abidah Khalife
From 1st Congregational Website
Regional Updates: NORTH AMERICA
Page 8
Advocacy Through Photography
I recently had the opportunity to visit the Phoenix Art Museum to see the work of Gordon Parks in the Bare Witness exhibi-tion. The photographs brought home to me two things: the powerful effect photography has had in bringing awareness to
life's issues and how many of these issues are right in front of us but taken for granted. Many of these photographs are of everyday occurrences: a family in their apartment, a woman holding a mop and broom in a state building, but they make us
stop and really look at the sights we pass every day, to really see these individuals' struggles and strengths. Moreover, the contrast of images of high fashion and celebrities with the photographs of Harlem gang members and an impoverished family
of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil bring home to me personally the contrast in focus of U.S. media, with celebrity stories being listed
right next to reports of fighting in the Middle East. Which ones do you most likely read?
Amazingly though, the series of photographs of that family from Rio de Janeiro resulted in aid being sent to the family. The power of the simple action of clicking a button to take some pictures to share with others is amazing. This experience renews
in me the purpose of meeting our Millennium Development Goals around the world, and to recognize and assist those indi-vidually who may not be meeting the MDGs even if their particular country is on track so we can maintain our success-
es. For this reason, I ask that UCP-SARnet members and collaborators take the time to share inspiring photographs that we
can all learn from. Shannon Monn
President Obama and ASU's Interfaith and Community Challenge
Tuesday Sept. 26, kicked off ASU's involvement in the President’s Interfaith and
Community Campus Challenge. Jannah Scott, the Department of Homeland Securi-ty's deputy director for neighborhood partnerships, presented President Obama's
challenge and call for action.
Jannah Scott, Amy Golden, Ben Sanders, Dr. Marek Wosinski, and other partici-pants in the Interfaith Campus Challenge at ASU spoke to a promising crowd of
organizations and individuals about tackling the challenges of the 21 first century.
The speakers stressed the communication across faiths and communities for a com-mon goal.
The ASU Interfaith Group announced peace as their overall theme for the challenge.
UCP-SARnet has signed on to serve as a window for ASU and other organizations on a local and international level.
I hope through this interfaith and community challenge, ASU and others are able to demonstrate that peace is not just a utopian dream, but a reality within reach. But to
achieve such a glorious challenge we cannot do it alone. It requires the help of our neighbors, friends, and those around the community. Like the United Nations Mil-
lennium Goals by 2015 this poses a challenge and is no easy task. But with convic-tion and the determination of others, peace and the betterment of humankind is at-
tainable.
Eean Patterson
Regional Updates: NORTH AMERICA (continued)
CURRENT EXHIBITION:
Bare Witness: Photographs by Gordon Parks
Norton Photography Gallery
August 20—November 6, 2011
Image and Exhibition Info found on Phoenix Art Museum Website
Page 9
Regional Updates: SOUTH AMERICA
What has TESA been up to lately?
During this year TESA has signed multiple agreements between Argentine universities and Israeli university to accommo-
date exchanges of students, professors, and information. We have already had several successful exchanges. Additionally, we are growing steadily and have added branches in Paraguay, Israel, and are working to expand into Spain. Our aims are
the same as always: promote ethics and environmental awareness through positive and proactive examples.
We’ve acquired a weekly radio spot on Radio UBA (radio of university of Buenos Aires) where we bring guests to discuss
environmental and ethical issues. So far we are happy with the number of listeners and queries we receive.
We are currently working on getting a slightly different web address at: www.fundacion-tesa.org. There is only the Spanish version being set up along with a blog whose link can be found on the website. There we give advice and simple tips for
the home and classroom on environmental responsibility and ethics. The English version will hopefully come soon.
New UCP-SARnet Member & Our New TESA Contact
My name is Valentina, I am 23 years old, and I am originally
Uruguaian. I have my degree in International Affairs which I consider it's a very interesting career to learn more about the
world, other cultures and be more connected with each other.
I am currently living in Argentina. I have joined TESA Founda-tion as a Co-coordinator of the foundation with the President
Susana Pesis. Our mission is to educate about environment and
economics which I believe it's very important for helping improve the world we are living in, be more aware and try to help we
whatever we can.
Valentina Jinchuk
Co-Coordinator with President
TESA Foundation
Image from TESA Website
TESA will again be giving the yearly trip to Israel/Palestine with a
new delegation of opinion-formers. This is something that has been done for several years now. We will begin our trip the last week of
November and be there interviewing politicians and citizens alike to
bring deeper understanding to the world about life in the area and the politics that affect the daily lives of the citizens. Visit our website to
read more about this project and to find out how to get involved.
Another upcoming project is a bi-cultural art exposition that we will
be hosting in Buenos Aires to promote peaceful co-existence. The participants will be exclusively Argentine citizens of either Jewish or
Arab descent, and they will present work based on that theme.
Finally, my internship with TESA is coming to an end but replacing
me is a new Co-coordinator, Valentina Jinchuk, who will be working
alongside Susana Pesis to expand the exemplary work of TESA Foundation.
Rachel Lysak
Assistant to the President
TESA Foundation
news.bbc.co.uk
Page 10
Executive Team This Fall marks the formation of a New Executive Team.
Learn more about our members by checking out their profiles.
This Month in Meetings:
September 16th, 2011 We began this meeting by discussed "sharing" knowledge; how people use communication methods to share knowledge with others but the knowledge is not always successfully grasped on the receiving end of the communication. The key to
proper communication is to give constant feedback to ensure that a message (or knowledge) is properly received. We then watched a video clip on SIAS University's Annual Culture Week 2010 to observe the liveliness and vibrancy of their Uni-
versity Community. We continued on to discuss what will be happening regarding the International Leadership Summit in China 2012. During last week's meeting we had Ben Sanders join us briefly to discuss the Obama Interfaith Campus Chal-
lenge Project, this week Amy Golden, Director for Strategic Initiatives, Educational Outreach and Student Services joined
us to give us a little more background as she is also a facilitator for the President's Interfaith Campus Challenge at ASU. Though the proposal that was submitted to the Whitehouse by ASU is quite broad and ambitious, it does not entail starting
projects from scratch and building upon them; the plan is to bring together people already involved in service initiatives, to bring people of different faiths/beliefs together through service events to highlight the common interest in helping others.
September 23rd, 2011 This entire meeting was devoted to the planning of the STAND UP against POVERTY
event at ASU. Like last year, we hope to have cultural entertainment to grasp the attention of
passer-bys. But we definitely want to include an interactive element to the whole event. The event coordinators, Olivia and Fritz, will be contacting as many community organizations,
interfaith groups, and ASU Clubs as possible (all related to the vision of ending poverty and accomplishing the MDGs). We hope for students to interact with us all and find out how
they can get involved on campus and in the surrounding community. Humza is also securing funding, and then subsequently designing and ordering spirit wrist bands to hand out at the
event which we will most likely be calling the "SUN DEVILS STAND-UP 2011 EVENT".
September 30th, 2011 This meeting was to discuss plans on the best ways to go about inviting new members to UCP-SARnet, both individuals and organizations. The official points of discussion began with the brief learning workshop focused on who of the general
population most gets involved in organizations. This information will be useful to us all when we decide to reach out to organizations and universities around the world to invite them to join UCP-SARnet.
All members were encouraged to reach out, to our network members and organizations around
the world to remind them about the STAND UP events and to encourage them to take initiatives
of their own. We are also disseminating information on STAND UP events to new Universities and Community organizations, both to encourage carrying out STAND UP events but also to
introduce our mission and invite them to be a part of UCP-SARnet. We will also be inviting various interfaith organizations to join UCP-SARnet. The final points made during the meeting
were regarding events coming up - these being in collaboration with our Forks for Change Club and the ASU President's Interfaith Campus Challenge.
October 7th, 2011 Fritz is the new meeting coordinator, filling in for Osee while he is in Africa. The first point we briefly touched on was the
ASHOKA U Conference which will be at ASU Feb. 2012. Dr. Wosinski recently put in a workshop application for the conference and we will wait to hear back from them. We continued on to our objective of finalizing the Sun Devil
STAND UP at ASU Event. When all the details are confirmed we hope to advertise them in the State Press, in our news-letter, and also in other newspapers in Arizona to reach out to a broader audience. Some updates from Dr. Wosinski are
his meeting with a new possible organizational member- the Lula Washington Dance Theatre. We also have a few more advisory board members that are joining our team this semester.
This meeting closed with updates on the club and upcoming club events most notably the Forgotten Faces of America Poetry and Poverty Jam on Oct. 18th, and a
visit to "Feed My Starving Children" on November 4th.
Page 11
Introducing Members of Our Advisory Board
New Advisory Board Member: Solomon O. Kanu
Originally from Nigeria, Mr. Solomon O. Kanu (J.D.) is a
first generational immigrant. After earning his BA in Eco-
nomics and Masters Degree in Business & Finance, both at Universities in India, Mr. Kanu earned his JD from the
Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan. He became a citizen of the United States a year or so later and attained
the right to practice law in Arizona shortly after that in 2001. He is currently the managing attorney at the Kanu &
Associates, P.C. law offices in Phoenix. The other two
attorneys at Kanu law are also immigrants, and as the law firm deals primarily with immigration law, their slogan is
quite appropriately ―Immigrants Helping Immigrants.‖ The attorneys at Kanu & Associates are also equipped to
handle various other legal matters that relate to long term solutions for immigrants—visas for short or extended stays,
becoming a legal resident, getting citizenship if that’s what
they want, starting businesses, asylum… as Mr. Kanu de-scribes: ―I have been there and done that as an immigrant
and so I understand why people come to the United States and why they want to stay, live, work and contribute to
this great country.‖ (Kanu Law Website)
Dr. Wosinski met Mr. Kanu on the occasion of some legal
consultations on behalf of a friend. This is when the subject
of interesting charitable work Mr. Kanu is doing in Nigeria came up, and Dr. Wosinski shared with him information
The following distinguished colleagues agreed to serve on our Advisory Board:
Robert Cialdini, Arizona State University (USA), Liz Cunningham, University of Brighton (England), Aecio D’Silva,
University of Arizona (USA), Kim Eagles, Grassroots Activist (USA), William A. Foster, Foster and Brahm
Management Consulting (USA), Rajesh Jangareddy, Vitesse Semiconductor (India), Solomon O. Kanu, Kanu and
Associates (USA), Joanna Ochocka, Centre for Community Engaged Research (Canada), Grazyna Prawelska-Skrzypek,
Jagiellonian University (Poland), Jan Sadlak, Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities (Poland), Daniel
Schugurensky, Arizona State University (USA), Jerrie Ueberle, Global Interactions Inc. (USA), Christopher
Zambakari, Student Representative (USA).
about our network. Mr. Kanu expressed interest in UCP-
SARnet and accepted the invitation to be part of our distin-guished advisory board members. Dr. Wosinski will be
meeting with him again in a few weeks to find out more about the work being done in Nigeria. We welcome Mr.
Solomon O. Kanu to our network, we hope to be able to advance our efforts with his expert knowledge, and we also
hope that this new collaboration will help us to expand the
UCP-SARnet’s presence in Nigeria.
Abidah Khalife
Image from Kanu Law Website
October 14th, 2011 Dr. Wosinski is leaving for China later today. He is going to present the EcoVillage project in Cameroon to potential inves-
tors. He is also planning on meeting with governmental officials and CEO’s of companies to give background on a confer-
ence in May 2012 hosted by SIAS and the government of Zhengzhou and which will be focused on the importance of in-vesting in primary schools and early education. We discussed various means of fundraising and the importance of fundrais-
ing to keep UCP-SARnet and our projects going and then moved on to mention to all members what phase we are at in planning the International Leadership Summit in China, by the end of this month we will have a confirmed program, list
of presenters, and list of moderators. We will also be preparing a brochure soon to advertise the event.
Abidah Khalife
Member Organizations
Page 12
AASRA for Community Transformation (ACT) is a non-profit advocating for universal human rights and children’s
rights. Website: www.aasraindia.org/
African Woman and Child Features Service (AWC) ensures that the voices of the women and children in
Africa, and the issues they face, are better represented in mainstream media. Website: www.awcfs.org/
Ann Foundation empowers people who live with the daily challenges of vision impairment, hearing loss and other
disabilities in some of the world’s most impoverished places. Website: www.AnnFoundation.org
Anti-Poverty Project (TAPP) assists communities through job training, personal development training and provid-
ing technology to non-profit organizations and to the disadvantaged. Website: www.tapp.org.
Association for Welfare, Social Action, and Research—India (AWSAR) is an organization comprising of a group of
professional social development workers from diverse background. Website: www.awsarindia.org/.
Beam Foundation provides needy children in the developing world with school uniforms and necessary school supplies. Website: www.beamindia.org/
Cameroon Association for the Protection and Education of the Child (CAPEC) works with children, youth, par-
ents, and governmental bodies to identify the needs of underprivileged children in Cameroon. Website: www.capecam.org.
The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice works towards a civil justice system that is accessible, effective, fair and
efficient. Website: cfcj-fcjc.org/news/
The Centre for Community Research and Action, Laurier works to advance community knowledge, social poli-
cy, and practice for community wellness and social equity. Website: www.wlu.ca/homepage.php?grp_id=2615
Changes for New Hope supports the impoverished children from the Peruvian Andes region through educational pro-
grams, personal development, and building of social and emotional wellbeing. Website: www.changesfornewhope.org
The Community University Research Alliance explores new ways of providing community mental health support.
Website: www.communitybasedresearch.ca/takingcultureseriouslyCURA/
Department of Youth Development, Sport & Training (Vanuatu). A government ministry that oversees sports
and recreation along with technical vocational education and training which provides applicable life-skills to
Youth and forges national, community and individual development. No Official Website: More Info Here.
Ecuador Volunteer Foundation volunteers for social, community, educational, healthcare, and ecological pro-
jects throughout Ecuador. Website: www.ecuadorvolunteer.org/
FIRBEJC—Fondation Islamique de Recherches pour le Bien-Etre de La Jeunesse Congolaise—is an NGO dedi-
cated to helping youth in region fight economic, human, sociocultural, and political poverties. No Official Website.
More Info Here.
Global Thinking Women empowers women of all ages throughout the various stages in their lives. Website:
www.odatsglobaltrainingandrecruitmentservice.com/index.html
Greater Boghé Area Association, INC is a US based organization that partners with groups in the Boghé region of Mauritania to improve health conditions there and underlying factors affecting health. Website: www.boghe.org/
Helping Lives International is a non-profit focusing on eradicating poverty. Help youth gain employment and to work
as Ambassadors and leaders. Website: www.helpinglives.7p.com/
International Youth Peace Tourism & Development Initiative (Nigeria) is an NGO that envisions volunteerism,
especially of young tourists, as a key to accomplishing the MDGs and achieving sustainable development in regions
around the globe. Website: iyptding.wordpress.com.
Member Organizations (Continued)
Page 13
India Vision Foundation (IVF): founded in 1994 by Dr. Kiran Bedi to expand upon the work of
Navjyoti India Foundation. It strives to improve conditions in prisons, the lives of those incarcerated and that of their children. Website: www.indiaviosionfoundation.org/
LUKMEF helps Cameroon to embrace peace, non-violence, social justice, and sustainable development in order to
alleviate poverty. Website: www.lukmefcameroon.org/
Navjyoti India Foundation (NIF) was founded in 1988 by Dr. Kiran Bedi. NIF works in collaboration
with IVF for positive change, beginning with a flagship program for correction, drug-addiction and reha-
bilitation. Website: www.navjyoti.org.in/
Network of East West Women - Polska (NEWW-Polska) is a Poland-based women’s advocacy network that
provides knowledge and resources to empower and strengthen women while working towards social and economic equity. Website: www.neww.eu/en/about/neww/0.html
“New Choice” Children’s Charity (Mongolia) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization based in
Ulaanbaatar that seeks out volunteers to participate in their many projects based around helping the Mongoli-an community especially underserved children and orphans. Website: www.volunteer.org.mn/.
Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition (NYCC) is focusing on climate change and collaborates with collaborating with
youth, policy makers, and other stakeholders. Website: nigerianyouthclimatecoalition.blogspot.com/
Pluribus Europe is a consulting organization which coaches and trains their clients, comprised of
international companies, in diversity and inclusion techniques at all levels of corporate manage-
ment. Founded in 2006. Website: www.pluribus-europe.com/en/
Social Care Youth Initiative (Rwanda) is a youth-run organization that also incidentally works for the empower-
ment of youth in their region. They are devoted to accomplishing the MDGs as well as to addressing issues of Hu-
man Rights and Justice through various programs that they have developed. Website: scyi-rwanda.weebly.com.
Somali Family Services, established in 2003, envisions a peaceful and thriving Somalia. They promote the caus-
es of human rights, social justice, democracy, and sustainable living by empowering the marginalized groups
and communities in the country. Website: ussfs.org.
Students Travel and Exposure South Africa (STAESA) is a non-profit organization promoting and enhancing
cultural exchange and development in Africa. Website: www.staesa.org/
TESA is a nonprofit organization aimed at researching, training researchers, outlining an implementing
projects for the promotion of sustainable economy. Website: www.fundaciontesa.org/eng
Unreasonable Institute supports globally-minded social entrepreneurs who are developing solutions to pressing issues. Website: unreasonableinstitute.org/
UCP-SARnet The Gambia is an officially registered NGO that undertakes a diverse and creative range
of educational, humanitarian, and peace-building initiatives in to help achieve MDGs in the Gambia. Website: ucpsarnet.iglooprojects.org/gambia.
Woman As Hero is an ASU Student Organization driven by the importance of the empowerment of women to
societies. Their main interests are education and entrepreneurship opportunities for women, and they hold aware-ness campaigns on gender-related issues such as violence against women to spread the message. Website:
womanashero.weebly.com
Youth Alliance for Justice & Peace (Sierra Leone), an NGO dedicated to the youth in the region fights the
evils of poverty by encouraging saying no to narcotics, by creating education and employment opportunities,
and by providing desperately needed housing and medical care. This NGO unites youth, gives stronger self-worth, and allows them to help their own country. No Official Website: More Info Here.
Collaborating Knowledge Partners
Page 14
Amity University (India) is one of the best private universities in India with over 50000 students. http://www.amity.edu/
Centre for Community Based Research brings people together to share knowledge in order to impact positive social change.
http://www.communitybasedresearch.ca/
Coaching the Global Village works with social changers to use coaching to create innovative solutions to pressing global challenges.
Website: http://coachingtheglobalvillage.org/
Comunitaria provides technical support and tools for community and psychosocial intervention programs. Four professional psy-
chologists run this organization. http://www.comunitaria.cl/
Community-Campus Partnerships for Health promotes health through service-learning, community-based participatory research,
broad-based coalitions, and other partnership strategies. http://www.ccph.info/
Community Toolbox provides resources for community leaders.
http://ctb.ku.edu/en/default.aspx?404;http://ctb.ku.edu:80/en/default.aspx
East Europe Foundation seeks to support successful community-driven development initiatives. http://www.eef.org.ua/
Global Alliance for ICT & Development creates an inclusive global forum and platform to promote discussion on using ICT for the
achievement of the Millenium Development Goals. http://www.un-gaid.org/
Global Alliance for Community Based Research promotes Community-Engaged Research as a fundamental means to contributing
to human betterment by the sharing of knowledge across the world. http://communityresearchcanada.ca/
Global Interactions, Inc works with professionals to interact with domestic and global counterparts to increase exchange of practices,
technologies, and research. www.globalinteractions.org/
Indira Gandhi National Open University (India) offers 338 programs of study through over 3,500 courses to a cumulative student
strength of over 30 million students. http://www.ignou.ac.in/
Jagiellonian University (Poland) is the second oldest university in Europe located in Krakow. http://www.uj.edu.pl/en_GB/
Leadership Learning Community identifies, evaluates, and applies ideas and practices in leadership development in order to make
leadership more effective. http://leadershiplearning.org/community-connections
Orbis Institute develops global leaders through programs that advance awareness, critical thinking, and action.
http://www.orbisinstitute.org/index.php?id=141&no_cache=1
SIAS International University combines Chinese educational philosophies with Western educational models to develop professionals
who are prepared to meet the demands of trans-national corporations and enterprises. http://www.sias.edu.cn/en/
SoReCom conducts and disperses research that focuses on social issues relevant to Europe and its policies.
http://www.europhd.eu/html/_onda03/01/00.00.00.00.shtml
Taking It Global uses the power of online community to facilitate global education, social entrepreneurship, and civic engagement for
millions of youth worldwide. http://www.tigweb.org/
UN Millennium Campaign supports and inspires people from around the world to take action towards the Millenium Development
Goals. http://www.endpoverty2015.org/
United Nations Foundation advocates for the UN and a platform for connecting people, ideas and resources to help the United Na-
tions solve global problems. http://www.unfoundation.org/
Video Voice Collective: brings academic researchers, filmmakers, technology mavens, social justice champions, and community
leaders together to improve the health conditions of underserved communities. http://video-voice.org/
Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities is a private university that educates students in psychology, philosophy, humani-
ties, and social sciences. http://www.swps.pl/english/
World for World Organization (Italy) is an Italian-based non-profit organization, operating in Italy and internationally. http://
www.worldforworld.org/
Page 15
Directory
HEAD OFFICE
Arizona State University
Department of Psychology
P.O. Box 871104, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
Tel. 480-965-6253
Email: [email protected]
FACILITATOR
Executive Officer
Dr. Marek Wosinski
Email: [email protected]
ASSISTANT FACILITATOR FOR
AFRICA
Osee Romeo Tcheupgoum
Email: [email protected]
ASSISTANT FACILITATOR FOR
ASIA & PACIFIC
Birendra Kumar
Email: [email protected]
ASSISTANT FACILITATOR FOR
EUROPE
Ganeswar Sahoo
Email: [email protected]
ASSISTANT FACILITATORS FOR
NORTH AMERICA
Osee Romeo Tcheupgoum
Email: [email protected]
ASSISTANT FACILITATOR FOR
SOUTH AMERICA
Susana Pesis
Email: [email protected]
ASSISTANT FACILITATOR
John Mabey
Email: [email protected]
ASSISTANT FACILITATOR
Robby Uppal
Email: [email protected]
COORDINATOR OF
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
Andy Chen
Email: [email protected]
ICT COORDINATOR
Adam Euerby
Email: [email protected]
ICT ASSISTANT COORDINATOR
Dorav Kumar
Email: [email protected]
ICT TEAM
Uttam Bhat
Adam Euerby
Dorav Kumar
Loc Nguen
Karan Puttannaiah
EXECUTIVE TEAM
Dr. Wayne Goulet
Dr. Eva Szeli
Angela Abolhassani
Mohamed Camara
Olivia Friend
Nicole Hale
Fritzgerald Jerome
Abidah Khalife
Shannon Monn
Jonathan Oakes
Sonal Patel
Eean Patterson
Omar Saleem
Humza Salim
Maureen Schirmer
Kaitlynn Wernsing
REGIONAL OFFICES
AFRICA
Contact Person: Osee Romeo Tcheupgoum
No. 1 Ansumana Ceesay Street, Dippakunda UCP-SARnet -The Gambia
(Non-Profit & Charitable organization) P.O.BOX 2192, serekunda, KMSD. The GAMBIA
Tel. (00 220) 6548963/7953521/ 3438 808 /6717761 Email: [email protected]
ASIA & THE PACIFIC
Contact Person: Birendra Kumar University Community Partnership for Social Action Research Network. UN Commission on Sustainable Development (Youth and Children Major Group )
Tel. +91-9910711112 Email: [email protected]
EUROPE
Contact Person: Ganeswar Sahoo
via s cosma e damiano 103 trento, tn 38122, ITALY
Tel. +39 3319782685
Email: [email protected]
CANADA
Contact Person: Adam Euerby Candidate M.ASc. Systems Design Engineering, B.ASc. Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo
Advanced Interface Design Lab 1.519.888.4567 x34904
UNITED STATES
Contact Person: Fritzgerald Jerome
Department of Psychology P.O. Box 871104, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA Tel. 480-965-6253
Email: [email protected]
SOUTH AMERICA
Contact Person: Susana Pesis
Email: [email protected]
ADVISORY BOARD
Robert Cialdini, Arizona State University
(USA)
Liz Cunningham, University of Brighton
(England)
Aecio D’Silva, University of Arizona (USA)
Kim Eagles, Grassroots Activist (USA)
William A. Foster, Foster and Brahm
Management Consulting (USA)
Rajesh Jangareddy, Vitesse Semiconductor
(India)
Solomon O. Kanu, Kanu and Associates (USA)
Joanna Ochocka, Centre for Community
Engaged Research (Canada)
Grazyna Prawelska-Skrzypek, Jagiellonian
University (Poland)
Jan Sadlak, Warsaw School of social Sciences
and Humanities (Poland)
Daniel Schugurensky, Arizona State
University (USA)
Jerrie Ueberle, Global Interactions, Inc. (USA)
Christopher Zambakari, Student Representative
(USA)
For more information about our worldwide network
of educators, researchers, students and community leaders,
please visit our website:
http://ucpsarnet.asu.edu
If you want to get involved, please click CONTACT US
and fill in the relevant application form.
.
Educating, Empowering and Engaging Communities Page 16