On Saving the World

I kind of came to university to learn about how to save the world. My program is “International Development Studies” which, in my mind, translated into “the study of how to save the world”…After about the first month of study, I quickly sobered up, and was humbled by the fact that saving the world really had little to do with just ME.

As a result of my optimism (and pride), I signed up for a tonne of mailing lists for a bunch of large scale international NGOs, most of which I have yet to get off the mailing lists of, so my inbox is filled with outdated emails giving me facts about recent world events and economic statistics and how ‘my small gift of ____$’ or my electronic signature can change all of that.

Today I got a message from one that I happened to read entitled “We know how to end world hunger”. In it was a story of a woman somewhere in Africa (I wasn't told where) who had been living in a crappy little hut until she got a micro-credit loan which changed her whole life, and now she has livestock, a proper roof over her head and children that go to school. I was told that this story was "a testament to the fact that U.S. foreign aid can make a huge difference in people’s lives".

I thought: 'This is how we end hunger? By giving people micro credit loans and enabling them to get out of poverty by participating in small scale international capitalism? Isn’t the structural inequalities caused by international capitalism what made them hungry in the first place? So we are setting people free by asking them to participate in the forging of the chains that bind them...'

The fact that this kind of ‘change’ is fueled by “Churches and businesses from the US” and people like me ‘playing my part’ in the ‘fight against poverty’ kind of makes me shudder.

I’ve been thinking this week a lot about what it means to for things to really change. Can you change things without sacrifice? I don't know. Sometimes I wonder if I would rather just be comfortable, then see things change. If things changing meant sacrificing my own comfort, would I really ask for things to change?

I am a person of faith, I believe that Jesus really does and is saving the world, setting people free from poverty and the chains that bind them. Sometimes when I am praying for this world or for my city, that His justice and mercy will pour out through these streets, that His love will come down and He will set the captives free, I think, do I really want this? Do I really care if God sets people free? Does it effect me?

Sometimes I even think that it affects me in a negative way. If every poverty-stricken person in the world owned a micro-credit enterprise, it would defeat the functionings of the global market place that undermines the poor and allows us to get our stuff so cheap. I like getting my stuff so cheap! So it benefits me to keep people living in poverty across the world poor, and yet I pray for them to be lifted out of poverty, to be set free. Is this not a contradiction to the very core of my humanity? So when I pray for change, do I really mean change?

I want to. And truthfully it is very humbling, to think that if God does have his plans to save the world, that he is doing it, either through me or in spite of me, whether or not I pray for it, and this includes what he is doing to me. For are we not as much, if not even more, a captive to our wealth and our money, our pride and our vanity, as others are in chains because of their poverty?

Let me end this with a sweet quote..

"If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."

--Ms. Lilla Watson,an Aboriginal Austrailian woman addressing a missionary serving in her country

CBC Book Club on "Nikolski"

Canadian author Nicolas Dickner will be in residence in Champlain as the 2011 Jack Matthews Fellow on Jan 26 and 27. Check out this interview from the CBC Book Club.

Author Nicolas Dickner will be the Jack Matthews Fellow in Residence January 26 and 27.

Nicolas Dickner's novel "Nikolski" was the Canada Reads selection for 2010. I loved the novel's vision of a post-modern Canadian geography. Its central characters are very much products of the wired generation of Canadians. Depicting the lives of three young Canadians, "Nikolski" maps those lives across the vast and wayward geography of this country, the Arctic, the Carribean, and the world. A generation like no other, their paths cross as pirates, lovers, nomads and wayfarers on the waters and shores of urban and ex-urban Canadian landscapes. I hope you'll love reading the book, too, and you'll provide a warm Champlain welcome to Nicolas on January 26 and 27.

Chocosol: Food of the Gods

I thought you might enjoy this latest clip featuring Champlain Fellow, Michael Sacco, on the Corporate Knights webpage.

Jill Battson, Empress of Poetry, World AIDS Day Reading at Champlain Living Learning Commons

I met Jill Battson in a bar in Buffalo, New York in 1989. Great opening line to an introduction, eh? In truth, Jill was there with Adeena Karasick, performing in a reading series for the University at Buffalo Poetics Program. Jill and I connected immediately, as we were both doing poems exploring the intersection of language, desire, pornography and performance. She blessed me by inviting me to perform in Toronto in a Weird Sisters reading along with Adeena and the inimitable Sky Gilbert. She also produced my opus, "The Porno Boy Speaks" for the Toronto Queer Culture Festival in the early '90s.

Since then Jill has achieved remarkable things as a performance poet. She's currently the poet Laureate of Cobourg, Ontario, and the opera based on her latest book, "Dark Star Requiem" opened the Luminato Festival 2010 at the Royal Conservatory of Music. She'll be reading from that book at the Champlain Living Learning Commons for World AIDS Day on Dec 1 at 3 p.m.

Over the past few years, Jill has explored in depth the relationship between spoken word performance, dance, theatre, and opera. She's done remarkable work. Here's a sample of her work with the remarkable choreoghrapher and dancer, D. A. Hoskins. (Jill, D.A., and I produced a work for Peterborough New Dance's Emergency series a few years ago entitled, "Ecce Homo").




CBC Radio 2 will broadcast a recording of the world premiere of "Dark Star Requiem" later in the evening of World AIDS Day. The dramatic oratorio by Jill Battson and composer Andrew Staniland, was co-produced by Tapestry and Luminato, Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity, for the opening weekend of the 2010 Festival.

The Toronto Star called the oratorio “Artistically adventurous and intellectually provocative” and “exactly the kind of project that the Luminato festival wants to be about.” Classical Music Guide called it, “a ‘tapestry’ quite consistently mesmerizing to the collective senses and conscience of the rapt audience” and “a work of vital . . . lasting, thought-provoking power.” Listeners will be able to follow the text and view production images online at http://www.tapestrynewopera.com/.

Broadcast Details:
December 1, 2010
on The Signal with Laurie Brown
CBC Radio 2
Between 10 pm and midnight EST.

In Memoriam: former Master of Champlain, Jim MacAdam

As many Champlain students know, Noranne and I were very saddened to learn last week of the death of Professor Jim MacAdam, who served as Master of Champlain from 1987 to 1995. Noranne knew him very well, and I was fortunate to have met him during my first term as Head of the college. In fact, he was a part of Champlain life recently, and attended the gala opening of the Champlain Living Learning Commons early in November.

Another previous Master of Champlain, Professor Emeritus John Burbidge, gave remarks at a memorial for Professor MacAdam that was held in the former Champlain Master's Lodge yesterday, November 24, 2010. His remarks included memories shared by Professor Emeritus David Gallop, another colleague from Trent's Philosophy Department. I thought that current Champlain students and readers of this blog would appreciate reading these remarks, not only as a remembrance of an extraordinary leader of our community, but also as a window into the deep history and character of Champlain College. Many thanks to Professors Burbidge and Gallop for sharing this text with us.

JAMES MacADAM 1930-2010

A number of years ago, a young Jim MacAdam enrolled in the MA program in philosophy at Queen's University. In those glorious days, every incoming student was interviewed by the registrar, and so Jim found himself in front of the formidable Jeannie Royce. She looked at his file: “I see that you have been teaching physical education. What made you decide to take up philosophy?” “Well,” Jim replied, “I've had th-th-th-three c-c-c-concussions!”

That little story sums up a number of key features of Jim. In the first place, the fact that he was the butt of his own stories reveals how comfortable he was in his own skin. He was never overwhelmed by adversity, but always faced life with a positive and enthusiastic interest, seeing “the funny side of any situation.” As David Gallop writes: “This extended even to his own severe injury from the car accident in 1988. In recovering from that trauma, and in completing his term as Master of Champlain College, he showed the utmost fortitude and nobility of spirit.”

Second, he was a jock, playing rugby and baseball when he was young; later on, golf in the summer and curling in the winter. When his blunted left hand prevented him from holding the broom to maintain his balance on the curling rink, he would just reach out that arm as far as possible, making an interesting spectacle as he slid down the ice.

Third, he loved philosophy, even more than athletics and, quoting David Gallop again, “was unswerving in his dedication to it and inventive in its teaching. His many bold academic initiatives included the international conference on Jean-Jacques Rousseau at Trent in 1978 which initiated the North American Rousseau Society, the use of 'moots', or 'mock-trials', in philosophy-of-law courses, with collaboration from the legal profession, and two series of lectures on Great Philosophers in the Peterborough Public Library.” After he retired he discovered some unpublished writings of H.A. Prichard, an eminent Oxford philosopher, and edited them into a fine volume, published by Oxford University Press and dedicated “For the Love of my Wife, Elizabeth, and our Children”.

But there are other features that are only implicit in that little story of Jeannie Royce. Jim was committed to undergraduate teaching, maintaining a continual guerilla war against the moves made to establish graduate programs in the humanities. David Gallop: “He probably fitted, better than anyone else at Trent, the image that many people have of 'the true philosopher', a role that he filled in the most endearing fashion. [David} still remember[s] an occasion when Jim was lecturing on Thomas Hobbes, and a pneumatic drill started up right outside the lecture-theatre. He remained quite unfazed, and doggedly plunged ahead with his lecture, despite being completely inaudible for about ten minutes.” Students recall the time when, in a tutorial, he leaned back in his chair to expound on a point and, as the chair continued its arc towards the floor, Jim went on, equally unfazed, with his exposition.

Jim was committed to Champlain College. He had the only office in the university which gives directly on to the river and once, in the middle of a class, he wandered over to the window, where a bell on a fishing rod was jangling, and calmly reeled in a small bass. His interest in all aspects of college life reached its culmination when he was appointed Master in 1987, and Jim and Betty became involved closely with the many and diverse students who made up the college community welcoming them into the warmth of this room.

Finally, and most important, Jim was a friend. I don't mean simply that he was my valued friend, though that is true enough. But he was a friend to the very core of his being. As David says: “He was an ideal mentor for someone new to Trent, because he personified all that the University and its college system stood for.” The young Harry and Caroline Kitchen, uncertain as, for the first time, they approached the Master's Lodge and an initial encounter with the redoubtable William and Peg Morton, were greeted by Jim and Betty and made to feel at home. The two of them, Jim and Betty, were genial and kindly hosts, regularly entertaining supervisees and students over a meal in their home. Jim continued to follow the careers of former students and towards the end was contemplating a visit to Tony Arthur, High Commissioner from the Barbados to the Court of St. James.

Let me conclude with, once again, the words of David Gallop: “When the next history of Trent comes to be written, Jim will surely deserve to be chronicled as one of its most courageous early pioneers. For now, he will be remembered with affection by everyone who was warmed by his friendship and by his generosity of heart.”

--John Burbidge

From Trent University to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC

A shout out to Nomadic Massive who loved their stay at Champlain and the great students who helped them launch their tour this fall at Trent.

The climax of their tour (and the band's life thus far!) was this concert at the prestigious Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. Champlain knows what's good, eh?

http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/videos/?id=M4455

VOLUNTEERING IS A PART OF LEARNING

My experience in Canada, especially in Peterborough has been a great opportunity for me and volunteering is something I have particularly enjoyed. There is a big difference when I compare my country. I see and hear but still all of the news about weather is difficult to me to adapt because my home country is not cold like here. I have learned a lot of things I want to share some of them with you:

Environment. I really like all the surrounding areas at Trent University as well as Recycling. I saw some organization which deals with the issue of environment by plating trees as well as vegetables. These kinds of things that students do by volunteering are part of learning that make students to participate in various activities which they like. One of the organizations is called the Sustainable Trent garden. So through that explanation that is a good things which I learn although we have at home, but also this is good chance to explain in my community as well as school how to protect our environment by keeping it clean as well as recycling.

Education is most the most important thing. Trent University provides the opportunity for students to study as much as you can. Everything around you is a part of learning. I would like to say that education is not a way to escape poverty. Study hard my fellow friends, this is the key of success that is in your hand.

Share ideas and meet with different people. This has allowed me to better know myself and also to know each other, and also through their events, because when we meet we share ideas with some ESL students as well as some volunteer who come to the TIP office and that make me to learn through the sharing of ideas.

People are so kind,they are so helpful and they help me in all ways and now I am aware because of the people who are working with me together at the TIP office as well as my work placement counterpart (IVAN) who always try to teach me how to do some work which I don't know, and through that make my work to be a part of learning to me I would like to say I improve my knowledge although is a short time which I spend there.

The way we cooperate in my office shows how people work together. This makes me feel good always when I am here.

Also another one is meeting i like the way we made the decision or the way we do things together by sitting and talking what is going on,do you are busy enough,planning about up coming event this a some of thing which we took when we meet at the Meeting and that make a person to fill good because we got opportunity to talk their ideas.

I believe through TIP office people they can learn different things through crossing culture because people from different parts of the world they meet and cross culture and make to feel you have right to go different country and people they can aspect you with you culture,and that make to fill every where is your home and that build good partnership among the country.

I would like to say that i real like my work placement as well as host community because all things which i saw and learning are good this means no culture shock to me.
Thanks very much Champlain College,Trent international program (TIP),DR.Mike,Kate,Kllye,Julia,Cath and Elena


I LEAVE MESSAGE:
Life must be measured by thought and action,not by time.No one can do everything,but everyone can do something.What you do,depends on you.
FROM: ADOLPHINA J. MWAKILAMBO
COUNTRY:TANZANIA 2010
CANADA WORLD YOUTH (CWY)

What is Remembrance Day all about?

I was honoured to be a part of a Remembrance Day ceremony in the Great Hall of Champlain on Thursday morning. It was a privilege to share the podium with a Trent student, Ethan Mcdonald, who is an officer Cadet in the Canadian armed forces. I was very moved by the depth of thought, reflection, feeling, and commitment in the words that he shared that day. I'm grateful that he shared that text with me so that you might read it here.

What is Remembrance Day all about?

When I was young, it was about wearing a little red flower in November. Growing up, it took on a human side; a wrinkly face with white thinning hair and bright eyes despite failing health with age.

Today as I wear this uniform, it means much more and I would like to share this with you.

After taking several history courses in high school and university, I discovered that often, war was waged for political or religious reasons and very often unknown to those whom it consumed. Rarely did it bring what was promised: freedom and a better life for those it affected; and war rarely brought peace.

I was taught that long ago, men went overseas and fought for their home country in the Great War, to bring back peace and victory for the commonwealth. In 1917 our great nation was born under fire in France. Young Canadians took the untakeable at Vimy Ridge and endured the unendurable at Passchendaele, many never leaving Flanders Fields. The armistice took place one year later--the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month 1918. Never again!

In 1939, the nations of the world mobilized once again for another round, this time the Allies were off to fight amongst others, a man named Adolf Hitler and his armies who in a short time, controlled most of Europe. Once again, young Canadians answered the call and scaled the cliffs of Assoro, suffered in Hong Kong and took Juno Beach. Six years later they returned with victory and an uneasy peace. The world learned of the horrors of the holocaust and wept from the devastation. Never again!

For the next 45 years, the world held its breath while Western and Communist armies sparred in remote regions of the world. Canadians held the unholdable at Kapyong and in the 90’s when United Nations peace keeping became the political focus, Canadians in sky blue berets of hope, sat out of a politically incorrect war and watched as millions were murdered in Rwanda. Never again!

I suppose it would sound rather cynical for me to say this and suggest that war has never accomplished anything worth its cost; that by this perhaps, the deeds of veterans are meaningless. If you only focus on the big picture and not what’s in an individual’s heart, this may be all that you believe. However, I do not come to you today to preach on the politics or history of international conflict. My query is much simpler; not why we have war, but why we have warriors?

The truth is, regardless of politics, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or anything else that separates and divides humans or causes war; veterans and soldiers of conflicts past and present serve because they feel a duty. A duty to do all that is in their power to bring peace, freedom and a higher quality of life, to those who are without it. For any individual to take action on their beliefs especially with goals such as these is truly remarkable.

The truth is, even today within this great nation of Canada, there are still thousands who take up this cause. They are deployed to the Middle East, in Afghanistan and other troubled areas around the world. Regardless of their job, they all make a sacrifice, the same as those before them. Leaving their families, their daily lives and country behind and donning the uniform of a Canadian Soldier. All gave some; some 152 of my brothers and sisters gave all, giving their lives for what they believe in.

I can tell you this with absolute certainty today as I don the uniform of a Canadian Soldier as many nineteen year olds have done before me. My profession is that of arms, my job is to fight. Yet my mission is to preserve peace, to ensure freedom and quality of life for all. My mind says “Never again!” but my heart says, “I must do something!”

So today on the eleventh of November, many may ponder the question “What does Remembrance Day mean?” To me, it is a day to remember the conflicts of the past and present, but focusing on the men and women who serve instead of dwelling on politics or the outcome. Remembrance Day is about people, who became soldiers, who went off to war and fought for what they believe in.

Remembrance Day is about those who never made it home. We will remember them.

- A Canadian Soldier.

What do you think about Respecting the viewpoints of others?

I'd like to hear people's thoughts about this. It happens here at Trent all the time (yes, it happens all over the world all the time, but we're primarily responsible for our own community) We often assume that we are a community in agreement about certain things--and that assumed agreement lets us silence people, usually inadvertently, and it means we lose opportunities to learn from each other.

"I was screaming on the inside but no one could hear. My thoughts racing through my head unable to focus, slow my ideas down and put them into words. I was mute in a class of 23 people. Shut down for being different, going against the grain but following ideas I thought were ‘normal’. My experience was not in a high school class room with naive and immature teens but in a university seminar with an experienced professor of more than ten years and mature students.

Losing your voice in a crowd is easy, but to be singled out in a crowd, made to feel inadequate, different, and alone is terrifying. You have a choice: stand up to the crowd accepting your differences and standing alone or be silenced, hide from the crowd in hopes that you can assimilate back into the hole you ‘rudely’ jumped out of.

I hid.

Having never been alienated in this way before, the feeling was surreal, as if I had only imagined it. Had it really just happened to me? How to react or what to expect, I wasn’t prepared. A series of umm’s and ahh’s managed to break through my lips until I just gave up. I sunk back into my chair and tried to piece together what had taken place.

I never understood what it felt like to be different or unaccepted, but knowing that now is hard. The fear of being outcast is horrible, and unexplainable. This fear has stopped me from returning to class, as I was unaccepted and belittled by both my peers and professors."

I'd like to hear people's thoughts about this. It happens here at Trent all the time: we often assume that we are a community in agreement about certain things--and that lets us silence people, usually inadvertently, and it means we lose opportunities to learn from each other."

Has something like the above incident happened to you? It's important that it didn't happen to a person who was "visibly different"; it happened to a person who just happened to be different from the assumed norm of the classroom she was in. It happened to a person because she expressed her values and beliefs on a serious topic.

I'd love to hear from you if you've had experiences like this. I'd love for us to learn from each other by discussing how we manage these circumstances.

Tim Miller, Internationally Acclaimed Performance Artist

Champlain is honoured to host Tim Miller, whose work as a performer and writer explores the artistic, spiritual and political topography of his identity as a gay man. Hailed for his humor and passion, Miller's performances have been presented all over North America, Australia, and Europe in such prestigious venues as Yale Repertory Theatre, the Institute of Contemporary Art (London), the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. For more information, visit: www.timmillerperformer.com

Tim has been my friend for many years. I taught his book, "Shirts and Skins" as well as excerpts of his work in the book "O Solo Homo" when I taught a class in Queer Performance Art for the University of Utah (at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center in Salt Lake City). His performance works embody so much of the history of gay culture over the past 2 decades. And his commitment to continuing to fight, through artistic expression, for the rights and well-being of queer-identified people everywhere is an inspiration.

I'm thrilled that our Champlain community will be able to welcome him and learn with him in residence at the college for the next few days.

If you want to learn more about his schedule here, check out these links, and pick up tickets to see his show on Wednesday night at the First People's Performance Space.
http://www.facebook.com/TimMillerPerformer#!/event.php?eid=122410101153528
http://www.facebook.com/TimMillerPerformer#!/event.php?eid=101084199965203

Living Learning Communities at UT Dallas

Living learning communities are continuing to take off in North American universities. Indeed, McGill University created two new LLCs this past summer. The University of Waterloo, Brock University and Ryerson U are continuing to expand their living learning communities as they recognize the many benefits of bringing students together with common interests.

In the United States, the University of Texas at Dallas has been incredibly successful with their LLCs, check out the article here. Dr. Cynthia Jenkins of UT Dallas says:

"academic and social opportunities, along with a strong sense of community offered by the Living Learning program, has a positive impact on students and contributes to their connection to UT Dallas".

Read more about the LLCs here.

Tools to help young people who are victims of bullying

As October 20 is a Spirit Day to help support young people dealing with bullying because of their difference or sexual identity, I thought people might be interested in knowing about this project. Likewise, the TCSA Queer Issues Commissioner has a toolkit with other advice and activities that can help to ensure well-being. At left is a photo of Dan Savage, the writer who started the "It gets better" YouTube channel, reaching out to kids in junior high or high school who may be feeling alone and isolated because of bullying.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/us/19video.html

World Affairs Colloquium October 15 with Michael Sacco

-“It is not about how much you get in your meal. It’s about everyone gets something”

October 16 is the World Food Day when many parts of the world have the time to reflect on the importance of food and critical issues related to food that we human beings are facing today. This year, Trent World Affairs Colloquium (WAC) once again organized a guest-speaker/discussion event to celebrate the World Food Day. Michael Sacco- an outstanding horizontal trader of chocolate and now a PhD student at Trent- has shared with WAC many inspiring stories about how chocolate matters, and more importantly how communities matter. He recounted his past experience in Mexico with great enthusiasm, while explaining the concept of learning community social entrepreneur and the structure of ChocoSol- his collaborative business with a dedicated team. Participants not only enjoyed listening to his stories but also had the opportunity to try real chocolate- both to eat and to drink.

WAC would like to sincerely thanks Michael Sacco for his time, effort and exquisite chocolate; TISA and TIP for co-sponsoring the event; Kawartha World Issues Center, Champlain College and Professor Ray Dart for letting people know about our event.

Click here to see videos from the event.

*** Note: We have been approached by many keen students with questions such as where they can find more information about upcoming WAC. WAC committee is in the process of creating a database which will soon be publicized on Champlain College Blog and TISA Website. Stay tuned!

September 23rd with Nomadic Massive

Nomadic Massive kicked off the WAC year with an incredibly profound and meaningful story sharing. It’s about the band’s life. It’s about music. It’s about social justice. Each band member has something to tell, and to show how beautiful life can be when they find a direction and hope. Many of them were landed immigrants from countries such as Jamaica and Nigeria. One of them thinks that he might be the most unemployable person in Canada for his attitude problem. But they come together for the sake of music and use music to express themselves. And eventually you realize how much solidarity matters! (Meduza’s words).

Below are some photos from the event:

Here are comments from Jack- a committee member from Russia:

"Hello everyone! As you all know a great event took place on previous friday! Nomadic Massive has visited our university. You may ask a question what is it? Well, let's explain for those who did not have a chance to come. So it is a concert with participation of different Hip-Hop singers who gather together and perform songs in an improvisation format. There was also an opportunity for everybody to talk to them personally and ask any questions. How? There was a workshop organized by The World Affairs Coloqium group(and the concert was also organized by this organization)anyway, we had a great conversation with these interesting, unusual and creative singers(performers, artists). One of the most important aspects of the nomadic Massive is that singers who are involved in this project propagandize justice and explain that their Hip-Hop helps people. They travel around Canada and abroad and inspire youths and even kids for peaceful and friendly life.!!!"

TIP Scholars Inspire Leadership

It was a remarkably inspiring dinner chez moi October 13, bringing together the power of these Trent leaders. Many thanks for all your commitment to Trent University!

Canoeing and Cultural Learning

ESL Canoeing Program with Canoe Museum from Fusionriver Photography on Vimeo.

A great photo essay of a Trent ESL Class's adventure-learning with the Canadian Canoe Museum.

ESL students: post a comment about your experience in the box below!
All the best, Dr. Mike

Michael Sacco: Chocosol Actionist and Champlain Fellow

Michael will be facilitating a World Affairs Colloquium for World Food Day in October.

Peterborough, city of colors!

As fast as the colors of the autumn leaves change, the time seems to fly in our new hosting community: Peterborough. For some of us everything is new: the food, the people, the transit, the mores, the fall (what a beautiful season!), the cold!...
But we are more than grateful to be part of this awarding international experience.

We arrived three weeks ago, from places all across Canada and Tanzania, and we are here willing to help as much as we can the community. Actually we are now volunteering for different social/environmental based organizations all around the city and TRENT with the international program Canada World Youth.

What Canada World Youth is all about?
Well, for a fast introduction, CWY was founded by Jacques Hébert in 1971, since then the organization have been a world leader in the development of international educational programs and now we are part of that amazing experience which make me really excited about what’s going to be next, I know we’re going to stay here for two more months and after for three more months in Tanzania, but what makes everything extraordinary and unexpected is the new people, the new encounters of everyday. I have learned a lot, not only about Peterborough, or TRENT, or the culture but also I have learned how small the world is and how much power we have to make significant changes.

Now I’m working at the TIP office, I love it!!... And there’s one thing I realized, Peterborough is full of colors, not only because of the autumn leaves…

Well, I will be here for a bit, so don’t be shy to come to the TIP office if you are interested about the CWY program or you just want to talk or know about another culture or practice your french or your Spanish, or even if you have some crazy ideas to share!!

Nawatakia siku njema!!

TANZANIA AND PETERBOROUGH

My experience in Canada especial in Peterborough I learn,see a lot of things here all the things is good and interesting,we know Canada is among of the country which are developed in the world,am Tanzanian and i leave in a small city which called Peterborough this is among of the good city in Canada i real like it and there are some things which i sow here some of them are; local food here in Peterborough there is organisation which deals with agriculture one of them is Trent sustainable garden which grow different type of also this is good things in Peterborough.

Also transportation is the improntant sector and this is a public transportation as you know the improntance of transportation here there is a good ways as well as timetable they arrange in a proper ways which is easy for everyone also this is good for every one in Peterborough.

The environment they keep well their environment by plant the trees and to keep clean all their surrounding area ls and that make Peterborough to look good and clean all the time.

Helpful that is most people of Canada especial Peterborough they are so kind and helpful i say that because i sow the organisation which deals with the foreign people this organisation help foreign to get job or work and the name is New Canadian centre and show how much they care foreign.

Building planning all the building is improper ways which make good looking for the people who coming to visit Peterborough.and in my host family every things is good they take,they respect you,there is cooperation as well as goodlife and heaving fun.And that explanation above is all about Peterborough.

My name is Adolphina Josephat i come from Tanzania and among of volunteer of Canada world youth (CWY) and my organisation in Tanzania is Uvikiuta,and this is a short story about Uvikiuta.

UVIKIUTA BACKGROUND the organization based in Chamazi Msufini Temeke district,24km south from Dar es salaam city center.
Background: UVIKIUTA is a youth development organization established in 1983 with assistance of the father of nation, the late Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere, first president of the United Republic of Tanzania.UVIKIUTA came to its existence as a respond to the Government policy call for unemployed youth to form economic groups. This policy was famous as "Nguvu kazi"with the purpose of responding to the young people's needs to raise their living standards. This desire could be achieved through establishments of youth settlements and self help project, which will provide employment,income and permanent shelters.

In the year 1986 a group of youths moved from the city to Chamazi to establish a new settlement. To date, various economic and social activities are taking place. These include vegetable and fruits growing,daily cow,landscaping environment conservation activities and construction of community volunteer services-Work camp, which links Tanzania youths,communities and others across the world with the aim of promoting peace,understanding and sustainable development.

This is a short explanation about my organization in Tanzania, and your most well come to learn,cross culture etc.Thank and enjoy yourself all we are one but we come from different parts, welcome to Tanzania and be interest in volunteer like me becouse you help your community,nation as well as country.Thank you for more suggestion information,question, please use the adress above.

From: ADOLPHINA J. MWAKILAMBO
contact:adolphinajosephat@yahoo.co.uk

Habitat for community

Well! You are approaching your third and fourth weeks of classes. That is very exciting, I hope that many of you are adjusting to the seminar and lecture settings at Trent. I know for myself personally, my favourite courses in first year were History 150 (1500): Ten days that shook the world, Women's Studies 100 (1000): Introduction to Women's Studies, and of course, Canadian Studies 100 (1000): Introduction to Canadian Studies. I loved these courses because of the small class settings, and the fact that my T.A's and even some Professors knew my name. All of this would have never been possible without our community. According to my trusty Oxford Dictionary, "community" is defined as a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

My mother always explained community through one of her favourite songs, Joan Szymko's "It takes a whole village".
The opening line is: "It takes a whole village to raise our children, it takes a whole village to raise one child." For my mother, it takes a community of people to help raise our children. That is one example of what community could mean to one specific person. There are several personal meanings to community. For my classmates and I, we were apart of a learning community at the University of Ottawa. Champlain is another community. I lived in C/D, thus making me apart of the C/D tower community.

Now as I study education in preparation of becoming a teacher, I also have learned the importance of community from an educator's perspective. In all of my classes we discuss the importance of community. It allows people to have a sense of belonging, but most importantly, it gives people the opportunity to belong in a safe community. It should be a place where you can go and feel and especially be yourself. Whether your community is in a classroom, a club or sports team, a religious group, your tower and "pod" (floor-mates), or even the entire college, it's a place where you can feel at home and share your commonalities with others.

So the next time you are walking around that beautiful college, ask yourself: what makes this place my community? If you feel you can't find the answer, ask yourself this: HOW can I make this MY community? As students who have now begun the new journey, you need to make it your own. One of the most unique qualities of Trent are the colleges. Each college has its own personality and... their own COMMUNITIES. That is what makes it so different from everywhere else.

So I leave you with the words of Mark Twain (those of you in English 1000 will meet him soon I am sure), " The universal brotherhood of man is our most precious possession." Good luck with your studies! Today is Saturday, what a perfect opportunity to go out and belong to the community!

Guest post from Ecuador

Shirin Nuesslin is a Trent leadership student who is on the Year Abroad program Trent in Ecuador. I thought you'd enjoy sharing in her experience through this guest blog.

Dearest friends,

The best way to start this e-mail is by saying “Que lindo” (How beautiful)! As most of you know, my academic journey as well as my curiosity about the world have led me to come to Ecuador; a beautiful country embedded between mountains, jungle and the sea, as well as couched in traces of Indigenous culture and influences of Western culture. It is a country of beautiful diversity, ecologically, culturally, gastronomically, and all the other categories that you could think of.

I commenced on this trip roughly month ago and I can happily announce that I feel very comfortable here! My heart has various compartments, and now there is one for Ecuador, too. I feel a step closer to global citizenship!

My classes started on Monday and am now fully immersed in Spanish vocabulary and syntax as well as buried under stack of interesting articles about Ecuador; but this is not how my journey begun. Disclaimer: I have tried to capture some of my experience in words; it will seem elaborate, but yet won’t do justice to my real experience.

It started out in Otavalo, a city in the ‘sierra’, the mountainous part of the country with a high presence of Indigenous people, where I participated in a seminar called “Contributing to the Prevalent Discourse of Society” offered by the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity (for more detailed information, please see the PS note below this e-mail). We talked about education and development from a perspective that sees science and religion as two complementary systems of knowledge that have to be explored for civilization to be ever-advancing. It was a lot of food for thought and I have to say, that I can’t think of a better way to have started my journey here! Now I know youth from all around the country.

Besides the mental exercise, I was enchanted by waking up with the sunrise, to the sound of rooster, to the sight of mountains rising up against the horizon every direction in I would look. We conversed under fig, lemon and avocado trees, as well as played soccer and volleyball, but only as much as the altitude would allow me to (10 minutes for me, haha!).

Before my academic program started in Quito, I also headed up the coastal region with some friends – there I had a peek at the ocean, the chance to try seafood, go on an adventure to a river in the countryside, go on some rides in a public amusement park (with VERY low security measures!), but more so enjoyed interacting with neighbours and friends of the family I was staying with.

On my journey I have slept under a mosquito net at the coast, as well as in my fleece jacket, scarf, hat and under 5 wool blankets in the mountains. I have met many people, young and old, native to the country and from other places in the world, of simple lifestyle and affluent lifestyle, of a narrow worldview and one that is open-minded, of people conscious about the environment and others who are not. The diversity is great, just like in any other country!

AND, in addition, there is a greater sense of a quality of life that I have noticed and enjoyed truly so far. The sun sets at 6pm and gives another reason to spend time with friends and family conversing around the dinner table. And, sitting down for breakfast for 40 minutes with my Ecuadorian siblings on a regular school day is another nice custom.

Everyday on the way to my bus stop I am blessed by the view of mountains – an impressive contour of peaks and gorges as far as the eye can see – and houses of all sorts that have snuggled themselves up against the mountain slopes; small, big, pointy roofs or flat roofs with laundry hanging on the top, bright colours or fading colours. Most impressing, however, is the sight of volcano ‘Cotopaxi’ – the highest summit in the country, reaching almost 6000m – and once in a while, just like today, it’s a ‘three peak’ day: Clear sky and clean air allow me to see three white mountain tops in the distance, rising up like delicious ice cream against the horizon!

My host family has been very helpful in introducing me to Ecuadorian foods of all sorts, but my most favourite experience with them so far has been the trip to their farm in the countryside 3 hours out of the city. I spent the weekend surrounded by the peaceful sound of forest, birds and water. The property is filled with fruits and vegetables of all sorts, a clear river in which we swam, and animals, including horses, dogs, cows, and fish. I woke up to the sound of the rooster, the singing of birds and the hugging warmth of the coastal climate that does not exist in the mountains. I even had the chance to go on a quick horseback ride through the mountainous terrain and rocky river as well as viewed tucans and owls while walking through the thickets of the property.

However, the pace of countryside life is much different from that in the city: Here I learned how to cross multi-laned streets in the rush hour of Quito, how to get on and off passing busses, and have been amazed by people’s creativity in finding means of earning money.

On a more funny note, my attempt to play soccer (a very important activity in this country!) ended up in my first sport injury and my attempt to go on a bike ride in Quito was an adventure, too: It takes much concentration and good observation skills when trying to manoeuvre around pieces of glass on the streets, and changing the side of the road strategically whenever I see a ‘seemingly’ sleeping dog following my movements with his eyes; and, all of this while struggling to bike up-hill on a one gear bike in approximately 2,800m altitute. I have also noticed that as my skin is getting more tanned from the potent mountain sun (despite sun screen), my teeth are also getting stained due to the delicious coffee here.

Speaking of food, I can only say that my stomach has been spoiled in many ways here, especially by the fresh fruit juices I have 3 times daily. I love going to the market in my neighbourhood and seeing all the various fruits and vegetables that I have never seen before. I came expecting that I might get sick from the change in food and the water, but I am proud to say that I have not had any problems. But before I put all eggs in one basket, I was also told that parasites take a while to get settle-in in the stomach...

Things seem quite idyllic, you might think, and they are. It’s is beautiful but I should add that this impression is one that springs from an attitude of positivism and learning. What I have described in this e-mail is just my attempt to capture my first impressions here, and of course, these are the things I chose to see and chose to hear.

I study International Development Studies here and we, my Canadian classmates, are researchers here, we are told. We are trying to understand the happening – both from the past and the presence – in Ecuador. In my daily interactions, I try to be a conscious observer, like a sponge trying to soak in what meets the retina of my eye and the ear drum of my ears. There is the saying by St. Augustine “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. I have definitely followed this saying, out of curiosity and respect to the culture, but can’t avoid using my discerning eye to look out for ways in which the lifestyle could be more sustainable. I understand I am analysing life here through a particular lens that has its own biases, but also remind myself that positive social change will never occur if noone was to constructively deconstruct the patterns of life. And in the same way, I try to reflect on my own actions: What is the impact of my words and actions here? How do they contribute to positive change or just reinforce unsustainable patterns of life?

And language-wise? My Spanish learning curve is progressing but clearly my comprehension curve has overtaken my ability to express my thoughts. My host family is very patient and corrects me, too. However, my brain is slightly confused because I am reading heavy academic articles in English as I am trying to acquire Spanish skills, while trying not to forget my German either. The result of this can look something like this: A confused Shirin that spoke all three languages at her 5 minute visit to the German consulate in Quito. Luckily the consulate is fluent in all three languages and had no problem understanding what I was trying to express.

Well, overall, I joined the program with the hope to embark on this journey with and an open mind, with discerning eyes, with friendly thoughts, and helping hands. I remind myself of a quotation I like by Baha’u’llah: “Let your vision be world embracing, rather than confined to your own self.”

It’s is all very exciting and would like to keep you all updated on my impressions and learning here, in the same way I will enjoy hearing from all of you about the happenings on your ends!

Saludos & a kiss on the cheek, a custom that I have gotten used to now!

- Shirin


PS: Offered by the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity, this seminar opens a space in which to engage in a conversation about meaningful education and development, based on the understanding that science and religion are two complementary systems of knowledge that give a holistic view of human reality. It is beautiful!

In order to construct an ever-advancing civilization we need to develop both spiritually and materially, and we need to realize our dual purpose - we need to develop both as individuals as well as make sure to contribute to society. It is our responsibility to create equal access to knowledge, be part of generating knowledge and helping to apply the knowledge. We engaged in discussion on concepts that will be helpful when contributing to the prevalent discourse of society; for example, the concept and importance of family, community, society, moral standards, attraction to real beauty, investigation of truth, our dual purpose, real service, and real learning. As I mentioned before, it was food for thought; something I can nibble on as I am studying IDS here!

Building Community

With this blog I am hoping to draw the attention of those wanting to make TGLC a really engaged, unified, active community within Trent. I'm writing this because I have a love for this community because of my experiences in it, the people it draws and the great ideas, conversations, relationships and actions that come out of it.

TGLC has great potential because of the rich diversity of experiences, life stories and ideas that are present. When I was part of this community, I could feel the potential for planning events, activities, workshops, get togethers, etc. and really wanted to bring this out of the people I was living with. But alas, we are all students and lead very busy lives. It is a really big responsibility to be an active member of a community and often things do not work out as you envision them, but great things can happen with not too much time or effort if everyone is taking part in making them happen.

What I am trying to encourage here is that whoever becomes part of this community, try to take on that responsibility to be an active member because if each member is engaged, participating, and working to make this community a place where things happen, then your experience at Trent, and in TGLC will be so rich. It just makes living there so much more fun and meaningful if everyone takes some time to really think about what they want for their community and works to make that happen.

Ok so this kind of sounds a bit like a lecture haha but I just really believe in what TGLC does to open people's eyes to other cultures, ideas and ways of living. I hope that this community grows to be a cohesive, active group at Trent and that you have alot of fun this year! So don't be afraid to go out on a limb, try something new and get creative with the different initiatives TGLC could do this year! I look forward to hearing about it.

Emma

Nomadic Massive Live in the Great Hall, Sep 24 7 p.m.

More from Nomadic Massive:

Nomadic Massive Live in the Great Hall, Sep 24 7 p.m.

Why Nomadic Massive as a kick off event to bring Trent together for a Champlain event?

When Tim Shah (Champlain/Trent alumn, leader of the Trent Global Living Community, and now at UBC doing a Master's in Urban Planning) first contacted Nomadic Massive to see if they would do a performance in the Great Hall on their way to a gig in Toronto, they responded immediately and said that they love to do performances at universities--but . . ."

We might have been worried about the "but" until it was followed by, "we'd also like to do a workshop for social justice". Tim and I were both thrilled because, well, how Trent is that? A cutting edge eleven piece band making the great hall rumble with a multicultural sound--and a message with meaning to make a world of difference? That's a college life I want to be a part of!

When I came to Champlain 7 years ago, I heard many stories about "the old days" of concerts and sweaty dance parties in the Great Hall that brought together the community in ways no other college could. That's one tradition I'd like to sustain--if it gives us opportunities to learn together as this concert will!

Nomadic Massive, live in the Great Hall, with opening band The Resolutionaries, Friday, September 24, 2010, 7 p.m. Get tickets at the Champlain College Office, LEC Office, TIP, The Central or student affairs. Tickets are free with a donation for Pakistan Flood Relief (UNICEF).

Workshop: "Social Justice Through Hip Hop" World Affairs Colloquium in the Champlain Council Chambers (CC M2) at 3 p.m.

A warm-hearted welcome to the World Affairs Colloquium

(Photo: WAC committee 2008-09)

The Trent Clubs and Groups day on September 8th, 2010 was the most wonderful event so far in my academic year. As I had the opportunity to meet with my fellow students who are organizers, co-chairs or founders of clubs and groups at Trent, I could not help but being inspired by their commitment and enthusiasm in running their activities and contributing to Trent's rich student life. The event was a warm welcome back, even more intimate than a tight hug, especially for an international student who returned to Canada after a year-abroad. It's now my turn to pass on the torch of inspiration to other students, international and domestic, new and returning. I want to warmly welcome all of you to the Trent World Affairs Colloquium!

A lecture series sponsored by Trent International Program and Trent International Student Association, WAC seeks to create an engaging environment where participants can learn and share knowledge about global issues. Guest-speakers come from different fields: from Peterborough social worker to Trent professor, from a Canadian famous politician to a Botswana woman leader. In the last few years, WAC topics cover theme such as the global food crisis, HIV-AIDS, the world as mirror of ourselves, etc. The next theme can be developed from your idea!

This year WAC will be taking place on Friday, bi-weekly or monthly, in Champlain Council Chamber (CCM2). Stay tuned for our exciting events by following the Champlain College blog or watch out for our email notice! WAC is yours to participate, yours to create.

*If you would like to subscribe to WAC emails or have a suggestion for a potential topic, please email us: worldaffairscollq@gmail.com

College Head Welcome and Tree Planting

On September 7, 2010, Dr. Mike Allcott, Champlain College Head welcomed all new students of Champlain by planting a tree in their honour. If you weren't able to attend, below is the talk he shared with the new students!

Welcome to Trent and welcome to Champlain College.

My academic background is in English Literature and my professional experience has led me to travel and live in more than 20 countries around the world. Both of these things mean that I look for and see meaning in all the different aspects of life. And I think you do, too. Meaning is the value of the things we do, of the friendships we make of the things we learn. The absence of meaning, is well, it’s simply boring. Like going through the motions of a dance that you don’t understand or don’t want to do.

So I wanted to spend this moment of meaning with you, in the hope that we can share a value, not just for this moment, but for the lifespan of this little oak tree. As many of you know, my partner and I were married 6 years ago in this little courtyard of Champlain College, so it has great meaning for me. There was a great willow tree, a love willow, with two trunks entwined in each other right at this spot. Sadly, that tree passed on a few years ago. And that’s one reason I wanted to plant this tree in your honour this week.

This tree was planted for the Trent University and Champlain College class of 2010. That’s you.

And as members of this very special community of learning, we’ll be able to watch the tree grow over the next year or two or three or four (or maybe more). It will be a way for us to measure each other’s growth, witness each other’s progress, and celebrate each other as we grow and become what we’re only brave enough to dream at this point.

Those of us who have a social and environmental consciousness know that planting a tree is an essential act of life and hope. Trees and reforestation not only help to digest the overabundance of Carbon Dioxide produced by our abuse of the earth, they also provide a natural habitat and a healthy diverse ecosystem that helps to sustain other life. Moreover, trees are beautiful: recent studies have showed that people who are able to see trees and their natural environment experience a more peaceful and stress-free life; people who study within sight of trees have higher level of concentration and the ability to focus. As you may know ancient druids found spiritual force in the very existence of trees. And whether you are a spiritual person or a scientific person, maybe there is some actuality in that belief that we have yet to discover.

What do they say about your generation? The first generation to come of age after September 11, 2001. That was a moment that changed the way Americans, but also north Americans thought about our security and being in the world. Your parents may have paid more careful attention to you, to your well-being and to your safety than previous generations.

The researchers call you “Generation Net”, because you have grown up in a world where the internet was not a new phenomenon, but as normal a part of life as milk, maple syrup and MTV.

Researchers say that you have high expectations of University:

That is will truly prepare you for the Future. You trust that university will provide you a safe and supportive environment, in which you will be able to take risks and rise to meaningful challenges. And in which you’ll be able to have a second chance when that risk does not result in success.

You expect university to provide you Mentors. People whose experience you can look up to, and people who can not only help guide you to success, but help connect you to the networks that lead to success.

But you expect those mentors to arise from authentic circumstances—from your real life, not from a competition or one-upsmanship over your peers.

You expect university to challenge you—but not in an environment of merely formulaic tests and exams, but in meaningful challenges. Projects, assignments, opportunities inside and outside the classroom that add to your sense of meaning in life.

Oh, and the researchers say that you expect to have fun. I hope that you will find that Champlain College, the friends you will make here, the mentors you will meet in the authentic day to day life of the college, will meet these lofty expectations of your generation.

There’s another thing that people believe about your generation: They call you Generation O. That’s O for Obama. Social networking, genuine belief that the institutions created by your seniors can be an effective tool for changing the world into the world that you want. That you not only have a social consciousness, but you have the will to participate and the savoir-faire to make things work for you.

We’re planting this tree tonight as a sign of our commitment to each other, to Champlain College. It’s a sign that we will guard and value each other’s expectations, and support each other’s dreams as we grow together over the next years. And we’ll look forward to the moment we can look back with your children when they come to Trent, or that this tree will look back on us from its hundreds of years of life, and appreciate the moment we were at Champlain.

Noranne has a guest book for each of you to sign either tonight, or in the Great Hall throughout the week. I’d like you to put your name there—and if you would, record some word that indicates your dreams or desires for yourself as a member of this community of learning.

Who will you be? Who will you form friendships with? What will you learn? What will you teach? And what will you give to this community? I and the fellows of Champlain look forward to watching you become whomever you will be. Thank you for coming tonight, enjoy your ISW, and welcome the class of 2010 to Champlain College.

The Seasoned Spoon is.....

an incredible alternative café located in Champlain College.

Attention first-years! Please take note, this is a café that you must check out as soon as you have the chance. As Dr. Mike alluded to in an earlier post, the Seasoned Spoon is not only a very pleasant eating space (with tasty food), but it helps ensure that the dynamism of Trent’s diversity is at the heart of college life.

Over my four years I indulged in delicious soups including my favourite ground nut stew and corn chowder. The wraps are equally as scrumptious - tofu, hummus and roasted vegetables just to name a few. There are so many great options and it is an excellent alternative to cafeteria food. Take it from me, other Champlain blog authors and alumni, the Seasoned Spoon really adds a unique element to the college. If the appetizing smell of baking cookies does not entice you to check out the café, in some way or another, you'll notice the vibrant community that the Spoon creates and the wonderful staff who prepare your food.

If you are participating and/or organizing an event or special talk in Champlain, be sure to check out their menu for catering the event.

While I am pleased with the restaurants and cafés here at UBC, I will certainly miss the Seasoned Spoon. Give it a shot, and see if you like it.