Rotary scholarships provide foundation for building peace

Humanitarian service organisation to name the next class of Peace Fellows in October

Following the United Nations International Day of Peace on September 21, Rotary clubs around the world are waiting for the results of a global competition to choose the next class of Rotary World Peace Fellows who will begin their studies in 2010.
“You only have to pick up a newspaper to realize how vitally important it is that our world leaders be skilled in the arts of conflict resolution and peaceful negotiation,” Australia’s Rotary International Director John Lawrence, said.

Through a worldwide, competitive process, this program awards full scholarships to up to 100 Rotary World Peace Fellows each year. Members of the 2010-11 class will be announced in October. The fellows study at the six Rotary Centers based at leading universities in five countries. Qualified applicants must possess an undergraduate degree, have a minimum three years of professional experience at international agencies such as the United Nations, governments, non-governmental organizations, businesses or academic institutions; and demonstrate a commitment to peace and international understanding through their volunteer, academic, and professional achievements.

The Rotary Centers for International Studies are located at: the University of Queensland, Australia; Universidad del Salvador, Argentina; University of Bradford, the United Kingdom (UK); International Christian University, Japan; and - in a shared arrangement - Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to the two-year program, the Rotary Center at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, offers an intensive, three-month course aimed at mid-level professionals in governments, non-governmental organizations, and international industry.

Those interested in the program can apply through local Rotary clubs. The 2011 applications will be available for download from the Rotary website in January, 2010. Applications are due to The Rotary Foundation by July 1 each year.

Launched in 2002, the Rotary Centers for International Studies program is already showing results. Currently, at least 400 Rotary World Peace Fellow alumni are making a difference in jobs within United Nations agencies, the World Bank, and leading non-governmental organisations.

“I was working in conflict situations for over 10 years but never had the technical know-how of dealing with conflict until now,” said Abdulai Jalloh, Peace Fellow graduate from the Chulalongkorn University - Thailand, Logistics Officer, United Nations, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). “The innovations learnt have further widened my scope of the understanding of conflicts and how to deal with them to achieve a peaceful goal. My challenge now will be focused on how to render the DRC a conflict-free zone.”

Australian Rotary Peace Fellow alumni include:

David Chick (Duke University/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2005-07) is director of Pacific programs, strategy, and review for AusAID, based in Port Moseby, Papua New Guinea.
Christina DeAngelis (University of Bradford, 2006-08) is the international coordinator for Initiatives of Change in Sydney, Australia. She mainly works on a peacebuilding program for women called Creators of Peace, which aims to empower women at the grassroots to become peacebuilders in their own communities.
Trent Newman (University of California, Berkeley, 2006-08) works for the Sydney Peace Foundation as coordinator of the Schools Peace Initiative, which is aimed at promoting peace education in high schools and encouraging young Australians to develop and implement projects and activities related to peace and social justice.

.Rotary is an organisation of business and professional leaders united worldwide in humanitarian service. It has more than 1.2 million members in more than 33,000 clubs in over 200 countries and geographic regions. In Australia there are more than 35,000 Rotarians in more than 1200 clubs in 23 Districts. For more information, visit www.rotary.org.