Fostering Peace and Conflict Resolution

      At the break-out learning session that was part of Saturday's program for the Tri-District Conference on April 30, May 1, and 2nd which was hosted in part by our District 7430, three Rotarians focused on peacebuilding spoke.
 

Past District Governor Pamela Akins: Moderator

     Pamela Akins announced the establishment of another site for a Peace Center in the Middle East/North Africa region. It will be named after the generous benefactors whose giving is second only to the Gates Foundation support to eradicate polio: 
Otto and Fran Walter Rotary Peace Center. 
     She also spoke about the history of Rotary in peace efforts. She noted the 8 Pillars of Peace which should be addressed simultaneously, as much as possible: a well-functioning government, a sound business environment, an equitable distribution of resources, an acceptance of the rights of others, good relations with neighbors, free flow of information, a high level of human capital, and low level of corruption. 
 
     She introduced Ana Patel whole is currently working at the United Nations and establishing Peace Outbound programs for young adults. Patel said she remains in daily contact with the other Peace scholars with whom she studied.  This is the cutting edge of bringing peace-making skills to Rotary and Interact. There is an online circulumm being launched on 9/21/2021.  For updates-- http://youthpeaceaction.org 
 
     Scrambling to speak against the clock, Captain Nicholas Millard is a current Peace scholar who anticipates finishing his studies at Queensland University in 2023.  He is currently stationed in Japan.
 
 
     Read more about these three Rotarians....
 
 
     

Past District Governor Pamela Akins: Moderator

One of the first women inducted into the New London, CT, Rotary Club, in 1987, Pamela Akins served as District 7980’s Centennial Governor in 2004-05. As District 7980’s Foundation Chair, she signed off on The Rotary Foundation’s first Global Grant in 2010 and participated in a Polio Eradication National Immunization Day in India in 2011. An ardent supporter of The Foundation, Pam is a Major Donor, Paul Harris Society, Bequest Society, and Arch Klumph Society member. She is currently District 6960’s Council on Legislation Rep and Paul Harris Society Chair and serves on TRF’s Major Gifts Initiative for Peace. Her professional background is in publishing, marketing and advertising.

Peace Fellow Ana Patel

Ana Patel received the Peace & Conflict Resolution Professional Certificate from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2016. She is a founder and serves as a senior consultant for Outward Bound Peacebuilding, which uses experiential learning in the outdoors to challenge and inspire leaders from divided communities to work together. In addition to being Rotary’s Representative to U.N. Women, she is a key organizer of the Rotary Peace Fellows’ Global Peace Conference held annually with Mediators Beyond Borders. She is currently working on the Youth & Peace in Action Initiative to train 100,000 young peacebuilders among high school and university students in the Southeastern U.S.

Peace Fellow Captain Nick Millward

Captain Nicholas H. Millward, United States Marine Corps, currently serves as the Executive Officer for Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Pacific. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 2014, with a degree in International Studies. After his USMC Commissioning, he was stationed at 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion in Camp Lejeune, NC. He deployed with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and assumed Company Command upon his return. Stationed in Japan, Nick seeks to increase his understanding of the INDOPACOM area of operations and of Asia’s unique diplomatic relationships. He will be earning his Masters in Conflict Resolution and Peacetime Studies from the University of Queensland in 2022-23.