By Natalia Kunzer, Published in Rotary International

Rotarians from Parker, Colorado, recently participated in the Open World Program by hosting six delegates from Ukraine. Ukrainian visitors explored the Fire Department, EMT Management and Volunteerism hosting theme during their 8-day stay in Parker. Rotarian Alvaro Pizoni, a long-time supporter of the Open World Program, lead the preparations for the program itself.  Alvaro’s meticulous planning lead to a highly successful program.

Published in WorldPeaceForum.org

The World Peace Forum is a platform for dialogue and exchange, established by the Schengen Peace Foundation in 2007. The World Peace Forum strives to be a global platform for people from different horizons to exchange ideas and find ways to promote peace efforts undertaken by peace activist, small and large organizations.

By Vanessa Vegas, Published in Rotary International 

Throughout March, we celebrated women in many countries around the globe. It is a month when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It’s also an opportunity to remind ourselves that more efforts are needed in developing and emerging countries to create equal economic opportunities for all.

Published in Recovery Village

Peacebuilding begins with inner peace. The Recovery Village is dedicated to maintaining exceptional service while providing unique opportunities for education and personal development. As part of this commitment, The Recovery Village is offering a $1,000 scholarship to students pursuing a medical-related course of study. To enter to win a $1,000 scholarship, simply submit a short essay (no more than 500 words) describing why you are passionate about substance use disorder and mental health treatment. Essays can be in the form of a personal narrative with a medical perspective or focus specifically on clinical experience. Click here to learn more.

Published in Ashland Culture of Peace Commission 

On September 21, 2018, the International Day of Peace, the World Peace Flame will be lit in the Thalden Pavilion, Sustainability Center on the Southern Oregon University (SOU) campus. A delegation from the World Peace Flame Foundation will come to Ashland for the lighting ceremony, together with our State and City dignitaries. This symbol of peace, unity, freedom and celebration aims to inspire people everywhere that the individual plays a crucial role in creating peace at every level.

April 2018, Published in Rotary International

At the Rotary Presidential Peace Conference in Atlanta last June, Bernice King gave a rousing speech about the hard work of fostering peace. She challenged her audience – both those in the auditorium and Rotarians worldwide – to think anew about how they define peace and how they interact with the people they disagree with. “Every member of our world society, even our adversaries and opponents, is worthy of being looked upon with dignity,” she said. Addressing the current political moment in the United States, King noted how troubling it is that people are increasingly divided, with Republicans refusing to engage with Democrats and Democrats refusing to engage with Republicans. She called on people everywhere to reach across political divides.