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HI-USA Peace Building Conference Agenda

Friday, March 7, 2008

5:30-6:00 p.m. - Registration
6:00-6:30 p.m. - Welcome
6:30-7:30 p.m. - Introductions and group activities
7:30-9:00 p.m. - Networking dinner

Saturday, March 8, 2008

09:00-09:30 a.m. - Breakfast
09:45-11:00 a.m. - Breakout Session #1
11:15-12:30 p.m. - Breakout Session #2
12:30-01:30 p.m. - LUNCH
01:45-03:00 p.m. - Breakout Session #3
03:15-05:00 p.m. - Panel Discussion: Leadership in local peace building efforts. Featuring Anne Hoiberg, Steve Bouscaren, Ph.D., and Joanne Tawfilis.
06:00-09:00 p.m. - Dinner featuring keynote address by Joyce Neu, Ph.D.- Executive Director of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice:

Building Peace: A Job for Idealists or Pragmatists?
Peace is in rare supply today. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe to the streets of San Diego, there is conflict, violence, and injustice. No longer does the solution to these problems rest only in the hands of diplomats- more and more citizens are making a difference. Come hear what you can do to create a more peaceful and just world drawing on optimism, idealism, and practical realities.

Sunday, March 9th, 2008

09:00-11:30 a.m. - Opportunities Fair: Learn about ways to get involved in peace building efforts with local non-profit organizations, and help create a "Community Wall" mural though the UN Association Art Miles project.
11:30-12:00 p.m. - Conference Wrap-up

**Participants are invited to stay and enjoy the weekly programs at the International Cottages from noon-4pm.

Breakout Sessions:

"Heart Listening": Vanessa A. Puniak, M.A.

Why is communication with others or across cultures often frustrating? Identify what it takes to be an effective and culturally sensitive communicator. This interactive and fun session will explore what it really means to be a good listener. Increase your understanding of Heart Listening, and the value of silence and reflection. Learn practical and simple strategies to improve the quality of communication at work or home and while traveling!
Copyright 2008 Vanessa A. Puniak, M.A.

Conflict Resolution in the Day-to-Day: Arielle Semmel, M.A.

Mediation has helped alleviate conflict around the world. Closer to home, mediation skills can improve and strengthen relationships at school, work, in coalitions and travel and more. Learn about the framework of community restorative justice and gain skills that can help you mitigate the effects of conflict, and have more effective and enjoyable working and traveling experiences.

Creating Intercultural Understanding in Your World - Farzana Nayani, M.A.

Do you find yourself in frequent contact with different cultures? Have you ever had a misunderstanding with someone from another culture, and wondered what happened? Would you like to learn more about common elements across cultures? If so, then - this workshop is for you!

In this session, participants will be exposed to the concepts of cultural value orientations, intercultural communication, and perspective-taking. Through experiential activities, simulations, and discussion, this interactive session will allow participants to explore how to achieve intercultural understanding in a range of situations, and in the world. Participants are encouraged to bring and share examples of cultural incidents from their own travels and experiences to add to the discussion.

Speakers and Facilitators:

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Joyce Neu Ph.D.

Joyce Neu is the executive director of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice. She is a conflict resolution specialist with a background in scholarship and practice in international mediation and negotiation. Neu has conducted conflict assessments in around the world and has helped facilitate discussions between parties in conflict in Bosnia, Congo-Brazzaville, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Mali, Sudan and Uganda. During her years at The Carter Center, Neu accompanied the former President to Bosnia where they obtained a four-month ceasefire in December 1994. She led a Carter Center team working on restoring Sudan - Uganda bilateral relations that culminated in a summit with the two heads of state, with President Carter serving as mediator, and the 1999 Nairobi Peace Agreement.

During the 2006-2007 academic year, Neu was a Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace where her research focused on the impact of International Criminal Court interventions on peace processes.

She sits on the boards of Global Majority, the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research and the Western Behavioral Sciences Leadership Council.

In 2006, she received the University of Manitoba's Distinguished Visitor Award and in 2000 she was recognized for her work in Africa by the National Peace Foundation with the Peacemaker/Peacebuilder Award. Neu is Professor of Practice in the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego.

Neu holds a Ph.D. and MA in linguistics from the University of Southern California, as well as a BA in English and French from the University of Colorado. Neu was a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal and a Fulbright professor in Poland.

PANELISTS

Steve Bouscaren, Ph.D.

Professor of Anthropology and founder of the Peace Studies program at San Diego City College.

Sharon Kennedy Darrough

Long-time member of SDPCA and currently the Board Secretary, Sharon served in the Peace Corps in Thailand. She is currently the Development Director for The International Rescue Committee in San Diego, a critical global network of first responders, humanitarian relief workers, healthcare providers, educators, community leaders, activists, and volunteers who provide access to safety, sanctuary, and sustainable change for millions of people whose lives have been shattered by violence and oppression.

Ann Hoiberg

During her 25-year career, Anne Hoiberg has been actively involved in community volunteerism and currently serves as President of the International Museum of Human Rights at San Diego; Director of the Women’s Equity Council, United Nations Association, San Diego chapter; and President of the National League of American Pen Women, California South. She also is a member of numerous Board of Directors of nonprofit organizations and has been the recipient of many community-service awards and honors.

As an International Election Observer, Anne has been assigned to Bosnia and Herzegovina (four missions), Kosovo (two missions), Belarus, and Ukraine. She has led delegations to numerous United Nations conferences (e.g., the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, 1995) and brings a group of women to the United Nations in New York City for the annual meetings in March of the U.N.’s Commission on the Status of Women.

She writes and speaks about the United Nations, world peace, status of women worldwide, and such specific issues as trafficking in women and children as well as her experiences and interviews with women in the Middle East, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Cuba, Iraq, Nepal, Tunisia, and East Africa.

Rachel Lajoie

Originally from Canada, Rachel has volunteered and traveled through Southeast Asia, India and Nepal, and South America. Currently a student at City College since Fall of 2005, she works in the Honors Program, helping students transfer into four-year institutions across the country. In the fall of 2006, she founded Amnesty International at City College. The club is growing every year, and will be holding the second annual Human Rights Fair in April.

Joanne Tawfilis

Joanne Tawfilis is a retired UN Diplomatic Level Executive and former Director of Human Resources for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya and Head of Management Services, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Austria. She is the currently the Founding Executive Director of an international NGO; the Art Miles Mural Project and Art Miles Shoes of Hope and works on a consultative basis with the World Federation of United Nations Association in New York City. Joanne was honored by the International Committee of Artists for Peace, an organization headed by Herbie Hancock and Carlos Santana. Mrs. Tawfilis also known for her activities as a peace activist, environmentalist and a member of the Board of Directors for the Endangered Planet Foundation located in Laguna Beach, California. Joanne tells us her involvement in Peace activities has always a constant factor in her life, but was ignited in her soul while working as the Director of the Women of Srebrenica Project in the Balkans, her life changed and most of her activities are directed toward creating global harmony through the arts.

FACILITATORS

Farzana Nayani, M.A.

A trainer and educator for the past 7 years, Farzana Nayani is an established specialist in Intercultural Communication, Diversity Training, Curriculum Design, and Group Facilitation. She creates, implemes, and evaluates instructional programs for public and private institutions across North America. Farzana is an alumna of the University of British Columbia (B.A., B.Ed), the University of Hawai'i at Manoa (M.A.), and the East-West Center. Her original research has been published in the domains of cross-cultural training (Sage, 2008), Filipino American curriculum (Smithsonian, 2006), and communication patterns in Hawai'i (University of Hawai'i Press, in press) and has been presented at various conferences throughout the nation. Of Filipino and South Asian heritage, Farzana actively serves on the board of directors for multiracial community organizations in the Pacific Northwest and California. Farzana's unique combination of expertise in the areas of Asian and Pacific Islander values, cultural intelligence, and English as a Second Language contribute to her creative approach to workshop topics.

Vanessa A. Puniak, M.A.

As an independent traveler, Vanessa has lived/worked/traveled in over 70 countries on all seven continents. She has great stories to share about her globe trotting adventures! As a management consultant, Ms. Puniak has conducted leadership development, team building, diversity awareness, and global business programs with over 15,000 participants in academic institutions, health organizations, international corporations, government and non-profit groups during the past 15 years in the United States, Costa Rica, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Arielle Semmel

Holds an MA in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, with a focus on peace education. She has served as a Youth Worker for seven years and in her current role as Educational Programs Coordinator for Hostelling International USA she works with youth on a variety of intercultural education programs and helps develop program delivery capacity organization-wide.


Registration

Click here to Register!

Local Partners:

Coming from out of town?
Accommodations are available for an additional cost at our two HI-San Diego hostels, located in Downtown's Gaslamp Quarter and Point Loma. Please reserve your room by Feb. 7 to guarantee availability. To make a reservation, please email Iain Baker at ibaker@sandiegohostels.org and mention that you are attending the Peace Building Conference:

Questions? Please contact Laura at (619) 338-9981, ext. 14.

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