Rotary announces new class of World Peace Fellows

Amid daily headlines of war, suicide bombings, ethnic and religious violence and social unrest, signs of peace are especially welcome -- and not just during the holiday season.  

The Rotary Foundation has named a new class of World Peace Fellows to study peacemaking and conflict resolution at the six Rotary Centers for International Studies located at leading universities in England, Japan, Australia, Argentina, and the United States.

The Rotary World Peace Fellows are selected every year in a globally competitive process that begins when they apply through their local Rotary clubs. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to peace and international understanding through their personal, academic and professional achievements.

Like the members of the classes preceding them, the 60 students in the 2009-11 class are a diverse group, representing 34 countries and an array of professional and cultural backgrounds. Their interests and areas of expertise include public health, education, international law, economic development, journalism, and social justice. Here are some of the students:

• Nisreen Abdallah, West Bank, Palestine, age 26, is program director for youth leadership development for OneVoice Movement, which promotes a two-state solution for the Israeli and Palestinian conflict and trains Palestinian youth in conflict resolution.  Abdallah will attend the Rotary Center at the University of Bradford, England.
• Glenn Ian Raynor, Victoria, Canada, age 40, is the executive director for the Pacific People’s Partnership in British Columbia, where he has worked on sustainable development initiatives in the developing states of Polynesia, Melanesia and Micornesia.  He will attend the Rotary Center at International Christian University, Tokyo.
• Rosa Maria Martinez Bolivar, Bogota, Colombia, age 22, works in the Human Rights Observatory of the Vice Presidency of Colombia where she monitors human rights violations and Colombian armed conflict.  She will attend the Rotary Center at the University of California, Berkeley, USA.

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