Issue 11_September 15, 2011

NEWSLETTER September 15, 2011

Inside this Issue

Facilitator Corner 2

Our Projects 3

Conferences 4

Regional Updates:

Africa

5

Asia 6

Australia & Oceana 7

Europe 8

North America 9

Executive Team 10

Advisory Board 11

Member

Organizations

12

Collaborating

Knowledge Partners

14

Directory 15

Get Involved 16

Our Sponsors

UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

FOR SOCIAL ACTION RESEARCH

UCP-SARnet is a growing global social network

that was created at Arizona State University in 2008.

It is governed by students and young community activists.

Its mission is to empower new generations of community leaders to become

actively involved in the realization of the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Utilizing the recent advances of Information and Communication Technologies,

UCP-SARnet offers a platform for the multicultural exchange of visions, ideas and

best practices aimed at achieving MDGs.

We engage university faculty and students in partnerships with community

organizations, local governments and socially responsible corporations.

Creating a powerful educational environment for students preparing themselves to

become leaders, we also bring about a sustainable social change

in their communities.

Newsletter Team:

Fitzgerald Jerome

Abidah Khalife

Dorav Kumar

Osee Romeo

Dr. Marek Wosinski

Page 2

Facilitator Corner

Our Sponsors Creating a better future for communities through research Founded in 1982, CCBR believes in the power of knowledge to impact positive social change. They are passionate about bringing people together to use knowledge

to provide real and innovative solutions to community needs. Their approach to

research is participatory and action-oriented in a way that mobilizes people to par-ticipate as full and equal members of society.

www.communitybasedresearch.ca

IGLOO's social software solutions help organizations create vital connections

between people, processes and information through the creation of online business

communities. Companies use online communities to improve collaboration, knowledge sharing and drive employee engagement across geographically dispersed

project teams, departments and business units inside and out.

http://www.igloosoftware.com/

Turning theory into practice Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities/SWPS was founded in 1996 by former professors of the Institute of Psychology and the Polish Academy of Scienc-

es. Ever since its foundation, the University has been continually growing and de-

veloping and now consists of 8 faculties located in five academic centers in Poland (Warsaw, Wrocław, Sopot, Poznań and Katowice). SWPS is committed to the

highest academic standards as well as to the transfer of practical knowledge and

skills. http://www.swps.pl/english/index.php

Dear UCP-SARnet Collaborators, Members, and Followers,

As usual at the beginning of the semester we went through total reorganization of our Executive

Team. We have several new members, said goodbye to others, reassigned all administrative responsi-bilities, and we revised our plans for the upcoming semesters. Our new priorities till the end of 2011

and for 2012 are as follows:

1. In the next few months we would like to organize Stand-Up Events in all countries where we have

our members (or at least in as many as we can). Our newsletters will track the progress of this project.

2. We want to make our contribution to organizing the International Leadership Summit at SIAS In-

ternational University in China in the summer of 2012. As you already know we didn’t have enough time to make this event happen in 2011. We hope beginning all necessary work now will secure the

success of this project.

3. We have become partners in the ASU President’s Interfaith Campus Challenge project. As the first step of our contri-

bution to this project, Birendra Kumar graciously created the ASU Interfaith Campus Challenge Website, and we are

inviting all congregations and community organizations that are affiliated with this project to have their presence there.

4. Osee Romeo Tcheupgoum in collaboration with his African partners introduced the project of the Regional Leadership

Summit for Africa that we are also planning to organize in summer 2012.

5. Although our direct involvement in the development of the Gandhi College of Social Work in Bihar (India) has de-

creased we still plan to support this project by making publicity and helping to raise necessary funds.

6. Finally, we plan to reinstall the UCP-SARnet based course Multicultural Perspective on Community Leadership and

cross list it throughout Arizona State University.

This is a very ambitious plan but hopefully with full involvement of our Executive Team members and support from

members of the network we will be able to accomplish it. We look forward to your suggestions and declarations for ac-tive participation in any of these projects.

M.W.

Dr. Marek Wosinski

Page 3

We encourage your collaboration on these projects!

Please contact us if you would like to get involved! OUR PROJECTS

UCPSARnet Members STAND UP and TAKE ACTION!

Each year since 2006, millions of people in countries around the world have embraced the pledge made by United Nations’ Leaders to accomplish the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. These people have shown their solidarity by organizing

various types of events geared towards groups large or small; there have been service events focused on various MDGs, there have been educational activities planned, creative outlets to raise awareness such as concerts and art work presentations have

been staged, and of course groups have gathered and coordinated the symbolic ―Stand-Up‖ moment in unison both on land and

under-water. Typically planned around the UN International Day for Poverty Eradication, which is October 17th, these events call for a stand against extreme poverty because without eradicating this problem around the globe, the accomplishments of all

of the other development goals are in jeopardy. Stories, videos, ideas, and other information pertaining to Stand-Up events can be found on the STAND UP 2010 Webpage.

Year 2010 was a milestone year for MDG Progress and was also the year where we at UCP-SARnet unveiled our very own

stand up campaigns. Our groups and members organized events in China, India, Gambia, Australia, and at Arizona State Uni-

versity; visit the UCP-SARnet STAND UP Page to find out more on last year’s events. We hope that this year and in the up-coming years approaching the 2015 mark that all of our members and collaborators will initiate STAND UP events, raise aware-

ness in surrounding communities, and engage everyone around them to play a role in accomplishing the Millennium Develop-ment Goals by the year 2015.

Abidah Khalife

Forks For Change—UCPSARnet’s Club at ASU:

We started this semester with a new resolution and a new

name. The UCPSAR-net club at ASU is now called Forks for Change: MDG Awareness Group – MAG in short. The goal

of our group is to educate and involve ASU students with

issues concerning the United Nations MDGs. We want ASU students to Think Globally, and Act Locally. MAG meetings

are bimonthly on Tuesdays from 6-7pm. Members of the club board meet on a weekly basis to organize and plan activities.

So far the club has around 25 members that attend Board meetings and club meetings (meeting photos above). Besides

these meetings, each month the club is organizing large scale

events that can accommodate for participation of as many students as possible. For these events MAG will partner with

multiple ASU organizations such as OXFAM, Women as

Hero and all the students organization involved with the

White House Interfaith Campus Challenge. Also, in regards to the ASU Interfaith Campus Challenge group, we have

partnered with them and hope to participate in as many of the interfaith events as possible in the upcoming year. Final-

ly, during the semester MAG will be organizing several infor-mational meetings where the purpose will be to inform new

students and potential club members about the club activities

and opportunities to be involved on campus. MAG will also hold office hours in Changemaker Central in the Memorial

Union; Changemaker Central is a resource center for students interested in becoming entrepreneurs or serving the commu-

nity. This center will serve as a platform to catalyze change on campus, the club will have an opportunity to promote all

its events and recruit new members during these office hours.

Mohamed Camara

Page 4

CONFERENCES

Hopes to Participate in Ashoka 2011 Conference:

The Ashoka Changemakers initiative envisions universities

as places that go beyond educating to a level of creating experienced world leaders. The annual exchange is meant

to bring these leaders together with social entrepreneurs for

collaboration opportunities that bring about real change in communities. The 2012 Ashoka Exchange is going to take

place on February 10th and 11th, 2012 and will include events both at Arizona State University, the Memorial Un-

ion, as well as at the Tempe Mission Palms hotel, which is walking-distance from campus. Participants will include

social entrepreneurs and leaders of various types of organi-

zations as well as university administrators, faculty, staff and students. Applications for the 2012 Exchange opened

Regional Leadership Summit in Africa: NEW Project!

In 2012 UCP-SARnet will be facilitating a Regional MDG

Leadership Summit in 3 African countries: The Republic of Cameroon, Gambia, and Kenya. In each country, in collabo-

ration with the local governments, universities and community organizations, UCP-SARnet is planning to organize a summit

on the topic: ―Building Capacity and Empowerment for the

Millennium Development Goals‖, and the participants will comprise of governmental officials, university faculty and stu-

dents, high school students and teachers, community leaders and activists and representatives of international organiza-

tions. These summits will be part of our contribution to the Stand-Up Against Poverty action organized by the UN Millen-

nium Campaign and will empower participants to bring about

social change in their region.

Each of these summits intend to gather about 80 participants and will be composed of four sessions distributed over three

days and a closing "send-out" ceremony on the final day: DAY 1: MDG's Education

Recreational and Cultural Activities

DAY 2: Development of Entrepreneurship & Skills DAY 3: Community Service

Closing Ceremony

We are planning for the Regional MDG summit to be organized yearly beginning 2012 as we hope that it will build capacity and skills of participants so they may actively contribute to changing local conditions by becoming catalysts for social change.

All participants who successfully complete all sessions of their respective summits will have the opportunity to receive certifi-

cation indicating that they are prepared to continue the mission of the summit in their own communities. Each participant will have to take the knowledge and skills acquired during the workshops to their community and implement there a project ad-

dressing a specific community need. Project proposals will be assessed and monitored by professionals for technical support and then promoted at local governments, universities, international and local networks and on request may be recommended

to agencies, partners and sponsors for funding opportunities. Each participant who attended all five sessions and who will submit a good proposal of a community project will receive an International Certificate as a point of recognition at an interna-

tional level and to increase in their future opportunities.

Osee Romeo Tcheupgoum

Original Image from www.world-atlas. us

on August 1st and will remain open, however the process is

competitive and spaces are limited so the earlier the better for anyone interested in taking part in this opportunity. The

application, costs of attendance, timeline as well as other background information on the Ashoka-U Exchange can be

found by following the link: http://ashokau.org/exchange/attend/.

In the upcoming weeks Dr. Wosinsksi will be working on a

workshop proposal to submit to Ashoka and we will also apply to participate as a team of 5 UCP-SARnet members.

The deadline for proposing workshops is Sept. 30th and we will get a response back as to whether our proposal has been

accepted by Oct. 17th. More details to come.

Abidah Khalife

Page 5

Regional Updates: AFRICA

New Member Organization : FIRBEJC for the Well-Being of Congolese Youth

The Fondation Islamique de Recherches pour le Bien-Etre de la Jeunesse Congolaise

(FIRBEJC), translated Islamic foundation for research on the well-being of Congolese Youth, is

an NGO located in Kinshasa, the Republic of Congo. This organization, as the name suggests, serves the youth in the region so as to lift them from what is considered an all-encompassing

poverty—not just lack of monetary funds but also other types of economic poverty along with human, sociocultural, and political poverties respective examples of which are insufficient edu-

cation, lack of proper healthcare, lack of dignity and injustices. To accomplish their mission, FIRBEJC offers basic educational opportunities focusing on making the youth in need literate

and self-sufficient. They also emphasize the importance of primary healthcare and preventative

measures in helping the health conditions in the country improve. And finally, this group is de-voted to Agricultural development since Agriculture is vital to political, social, and economic

conditions in the region. FIRBEJC recently joined UCP-SARnet as an organizational member.

Abidah Khalife

New Member Organization: The Youth Alliance for Justice and Peace in Sierra Leone

The Youth Alliance for Justice and Peace is a relatively new non-governmental organization based in

Freetown, Sierra Leone. Established September of last year, its mission is to educate and promote posi-tive self-confidence, tolerance and unity among Sierra Leone's youth. This organization aims to help

eradicate poverty within Sierra Leone through rehabilitation services and public education, among other programs. These efforts are all in the hopes to provide for a better foundation in human rights and health

advocacy as well as peace and security in the region.

This program has the fundamental goal of promoting sustainable development within the country of

Sierra Leone as well as other African countries. Some of their projects include "ghetto-to-ghetto" cam-paigns to promote healthy drug-free habits among the youth of the country, creating job opportunities for

youth in the mechanized agriculture industry, and building and providing cheap, modernized housing for the poor.

The Youth Alliance for Justice and Peace, run by Mr. Mahmud Tim Kargbo, is a new member organiza-

tion of UCP-SARnet and we hope that their being a part of our network can open opportunities of ad-

vancement for them through collaboration with our other members and through participation in our various projects. Their aim - to eradicate poverty by building change for the youth of the region – is es-

sential to accomplishing various Millennium Development Goals and is a great step towards reaching these goals in Africa. More about this Sierra-Leone based NGO.

Olivia Friend

New Member Organization: International Youth Peace Tourism and Development

Initiative (Nigeria)

Since 2007, this NGO has been active in conferences around the world to spread their mission. The International Youth Peace Tourism and Development Initiative envisions accomplishment

of MDGs and sustainable development through a very simple task—mobilization of youth

around to world to volunteer together and bring about the change that communities need. The iYPTDI especially focuses on getting young tourists to volunteer in initiatives around the globe.

The iYPTDI, with CEO Princess Ella Tamufor, is organizing a Nigerian Youth Summit on Sustainable Development that will take place next month on October 14th and 15th. The summit

will focus on the importance of green economy for sustainable development, on the role of me-dia in social change, and of course on the value of volunteerism. UCP-SARnet is happy to have

such an active and ambitious organization as a collaborating member.

Abidah Khalife

Page 6

Regional Updates: ASIA New Member Organization: New Choice, Mongolian

Volunteer Organization Founded in 2004 by Bayarjargal D, who brings a decade of experi-

ence in Youth Development to his organization, New Choice has

recently joined UCP-SARnet as an organizational member. Their mission is to "improve the conditions of, and advance in life, im-

poverished and orphanaged children by promoting and protecting their physical and mental well-being, and furthering their educa-

tion through the provision of facilities and services, with a vision of their becoming active and valued members of society". This organi-

zation is managed exclusively through the work of volunteers.

Regional Updates: AFRICA (Continued)

New Member Organization: Social Care Youth Initiative (Rwanda)

The Social Care Youth Initiative, one of the newest UCP-SARnet organizational members,

is an especially notable organization because this non-profit was founded by high school and

university students who banded together in 2007 to create a way to serve disadvantaged com-munities in Rwanda. They are a perfect example of the success of their own mission because

the organization seeks to train and empower youth so that they may return to their commu-nities with the knowledge and skills to make a difference, and who better to show youth how

to bring about change than a group of educated young people who have proven to successful-ly work together and serve their community.

The SCYI takes an approach to development in Rwanda which transcends various disci-

plines through various programs that range from initiatives on Public Health, to Gender Em-powerment, to Human Rights and Peace. Volunteerism opportunities and more information

on this organization can be found at: http://scyi-rwanda.weebly.com/.

Abidah Khalife

New Choice enriches the lives of the Mongolia community by providing a number of vital programs. The first program fo-

cuses in providing the vulnerable children of Mongolia with an education system that liberates them from poverty and ex-ploitation. The second service that New Choice provides is health care. Doctors in the country are currently outnumbered by

about 700 patients to one health-care provider. New Choice seeks to address this problem, which affects children most since they are more prone to illnesses at their young age, by placing doctors, nurses, and medical school students in hospitals and

medical centers through-out the country. Due to the estimated 780,000 people in Mongolia who are currently living in ex-tremely poor conditions, the third project of New Choice focuses on improving homes and building new ones. Though the

first two projects may require specific skills in volunteers, anyone can help out in this third initiative. The fourth project

which is also the most successful and popular of the projects is the Summer Camp that New Choice organizes annually, the goal of which is to foster life-long applicable skills and abilities in the children. Not only has New Choice successfully estab-

lished the aforementioned projects, but they are constantly looking for new ways to help the community, especially children in Mongolia. Their 2011 project goals include establishing Day Care Centers as well as a Mobile Clinic Service to bring the

"hospital to home".

You can find more information about volunteerism programs from the ―Get Involved‖ section of the New Choice Website.

Information on food, accommodation, travel expenses, health insurance, and the program schedules are all accessible there as well. New Choice for Mongolia is proudly working towards the MDG's through constructive programs that give people

the opportunity to really make a meaningful and productive difference in other communities. This is just another, of many, organizations that are looking for people who want to combine their passion with action.

Nicole Hale

Page 7

Regional Updates: AUSTRALIA & OCEANA

New Organizational Member: The Department of Youth Development and Training in Vanuatu

UCP-SARnet welcomes yet another organizational member – The Department of Youth Devel-

opment and Training, in Vanuatu. Since 2003 when this government ministry was established, it has been striving to create more opportunities for youth (aged 15-24) with the overall purpose of

providing applicable skills to improve standard of living, and to accomplish national, communi-ty, and individual development goals.

The Ministry of Youth Development and Training (MYDT) accomplishes this through sports and recreation as well as

technical vocational education and training opportunities. The ministry officials are currently working on a number of ex-

citing and important projects including coordinating more with other organizations in Vanuatu such as the National Sports Council as well as NGOs that can help with areas of youth development and training. The ministry is also working on a

national sports Programme and Policy for Vanuatu as well as setting up a National Youth festival.

This Organization is a great example of a Government taking real steps to achieve what the Millennium Development Goals represent in its country. We are proud to have this new member and we are excited to collaborate with this depart-

ment. The current senior youth and planning officer for the ministry is Paul Nalau, click here to find his contact infor-

mation and more on the MYDT for Vanuatu.

Jonathan Oakes

STAND-UP for the Millennium Development Goals — AUSTRALIA:

Stand up! Sit Down and Relax...

This is an opportunity to honor the UN Millennium Goal of Eliminating Poverty (Stand Up Against Poverty Campaign), MEET PEERS COMMITTED TO SOCIAL JUSTICE AND THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS And

enjoy a meal at the beach as the sun sets.

When: September 29th 5.30 to 7.30 pm

Where: SALT on the Beach 42 Port Beach Road

North Fremantle

In the evening, there will be materials on display in support of the Millennium Development Goals and discussion of our

individual and common work as we build community together.

Dr. Katie Thomas

Regional Updates: NORTH AMERICA

Page 8

UNAOC Summer School in Lisbon

From August 28th to September 2nd I had the great opportunity to

represent UCP-SARnet at the United Nations Alliance of Civiliza-tions Summer School along with other 85 participants from 44

countries. All participants are part of non-profit and social organi-zations that work for the betterment of the civilizations and socie-

ty. During this week at the University of Lisbon Campus in Lis-bon, Portugal, I did a presentation about UCP-SARnet works and

activities and distributed leaflets to all participants.

Also a really exciting point during this trip, I met His Excellency

Dr. Jorge Sampiao - President of Portugal (1996-2006) and current-ly the United Nations High Representative to Alliance of Civiliza-

tions (Image Upper-Left).

I am visiting to Poland, Spain and France from 15th September

and will be back to Italy in October. I will try my best to spread UCP-SARnet in those regions.

Ganeswar Sahoo

Regional Updates: EUROPE

Inspirational Work: University of Brighton and Community Projects

The University of Brighton has setup a vast list of different projects to give back to communities. There are two projects that stand out to me because they relate with the

Millennium Development Goals we are working towards. The first event is the Bright-

on Cycle for Southern Africa, a leisure cycling event which hosts anywhere from 40 to 150 participants. The goal of this event is to help South Africa and its neighboring

countries by funding Southern African scholars. Brighton Cycle for Southern Africa aspires the second MDG goal; educating the leaders of tomorrow so that these leaders

in turn may pave the way to a brighter tomorrow.

The second event that grasped my attention while researching community projects in England was the Resources for Coastal

Communities agenda on the University of Brighton's website. The main goal of this project is to create an effective model to strengthen community partnerships by working with the Southeast Coastal Communities. The SECC is an organization fund-

ed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The aforementioned community partnership project is yet another MDG goal at work in England and hopefully UCP-SARnet will see to collaboration with these projects in the near future.

Fritzgerald Jerome

Page 9

New Member Organization: Greater Boghé Area

Association, INC

The Boghé region is located along the southern bor-

der of Mauritania, West Africa, and comprises of

about 27 villages. In 2006, Boghéans living in North

America came together and decided to begin an or-

ganization that would serve to raise awareness and

coordinate action in their native region.

One of the primary concerns is the health conditions

in the Boghé region since WHO statistics, studying

191 countries, show healthcare in Mauritania to be in

dire need of improvement. The Greater Boghé Area

Association (GBA), recognizing that poverty, envi-

ronmental, and social conditions are factors inter-

Regional Updates: NORTH AMERICA

New Member Organization: ASU Club Woman As

Hero

Moving to the Tempe Campus this year, Woman As He-ro—an ASU Student Organization dedicated to the em-

powerment of women—was started in 2009 at the Down-town Phoenix Campus. This club/student organization

holds the key to success of all of the MDGs in a sense be-

cause the underlying reasoning of their mission is that the education of women can catalyze the success of entire

communities since women are predominantly the driving force behind families, and in turn the communities that

their families are a part of.

Bringing together young women and men to actualize the

cause of gender equity and equal opportunities is a step in the right direction to breaking cycles of poverty, violence,

oppression, ignorance and conflict as Woman and Gender

Studies professionals at ASU can explain. Although the Woman As Hero group is especially interested in empow-

erment through educating women and encouraging female entrepreneurship, they also focus on other issues like ma-

ternal health and violence awareness.

This student organization holds fundraising activities, vol-

unteers in the community, and holds awareness campaigns

throughout the year, all to back their mission. They have also started an annual Female Contemporary Issues Sum-

Image from WAH Website

twined with the health predicaments, have been part-

nering with various specialized organizations, located

in Mauritania and the Boghé Area, to promote envi-

ronmental awareness, education, maternal and child

care, and of course to fight against poverty. A major

project that the GBA hopes to raise funds and pro-

mote for the Boghé Area is better infrastructure for

healthcare including hospitals and ambulances.

The GBA is one of the latest additions to our grow-

ing organizational member directory and under Presi-

dent Abdoulaye BA, it is headquartered in Cincin-

nati, Ohio. Visit their website to find out more:

http://www.boghe.org/.

Abidah Khalife

mit, you can read about the summit held earlier this year in

the Downtown Devil. Our Forks for Change UCP-SARnet club hopes to collaborate with this group in campus events.

Pictured above is the club co-director, and 2011-2012 club President, Nesima Aberra. Find out more on the WAH

Website.

Abidah Khalife

Page 10

Executive Team This Fall marks the formation of a New Executive Team.

Learn more about our members by checking out their profiles.

Social Event Friday Sept. 9, 2011:

As usual at the beginning of the semester, a social event was

held at my home in Mesa for the members of the Executive

Team. It was a great experience for everybody to meet on a pri-vate ground and talk not about UCP-SARnet but about personal

experiences and life. It seems that everybody enjoyed sharing their diverse experiences as well as openness and friendliness of

each member of the team.

Dr. Marek Wosinski

It was fun getting to know the team members better and I en-joyed expressing how and why I got involved with UCP-

SARnet. It is a valuable experience to make a difference, one step at a time.

Fritzgerald ―Fritz‖ Jerome

Images: Sharing a laugh while at the food table (Upper Left). Loc filming Fritz for his video profile while other members as-

sist with the equipment and set-up (Lower Left).

Our Month in Meetings:

This semester, it was decided that the UCP-SARnet executive

team would meet every Friday rather than biweekly as has been done before. The first executive team meeting of the semester took

place on August 19th, 2011. During this meeting we all had the

chance to get acquainted with each other and the new plans for UCP-SARnet were discussed. The 2 meetings following this were

devoted to divvying up the responsibilities as well as to mentoring the newest members on how to go about with each of the tasks.

By the fourth meeting, members have already been participating in the network at full throttle. The latest meeting, September 9th,

was focused on the importance of university involvement in the

community through instilling the proper skills in students. We briefly discussed the projects of immediate concern—the Interna-

tional Leadership Summit 2012 and the Stand-Up event at ASU. The entire executive team will work to promote both of these

events. Towards the end of this meeting Ben Sanders with the ASU Interfaith Campus Challenge Project dropped by to give us a

bit of background on the proposal ASU submitted for this project

and how we at UCP-SARnet can contribute to the initiative.

Abidah Khalife

Images: Some of our executive team and club members smiling

for the camera (Upper Right). Doing some serious thinking during a meeting (Lower Right).

Page 11

The following distinguished colleagues agreed to serve on our Advisory Board:

Robert Cialdini, Arizona State University (USA), Liz Cunningham, University of Brighton (England), Aecio

D’Silva, University of Arizona (USA), Kim Eagles, Grassroots Activist (USA), William A. Foster, Foster and

Brahm Management Consulting (USA), Rajesh Jangareddy, Vitesse Semiconductor (India), Joanna Ochocka,

Centre for Community Engaged Research (Canada), Daniel Schugurensky, Arizona State University (USA)

Grazyna Prawelska-Skrzypek, Jagillonian University (Poland), Jan Sadlak, Warsaw School of social Sciences

and Humanities (Poland), Jerrie Ueberle, Global Interactions Inc. (USA), Christopher Zambakari, Student

Representative (USA).

Introducing Members of Our Advisory Board

Newest Member to Join the Advisory Board: Dr. Daniel Schugurensky

Dr. Daniel Schugurensky is not only a new member to UCP-SARnet but he is also fairly new to the

ASU community having joined as a professor to both the School of Public Affairs and the School of Social Transformation in Fall 2010. His knowledge and expertise in the field of education and public

policy is remarkable. Argentinian-born, Dr. Schugurensky has travelled across the North and South

American continents where he has lived and completed his studies, as well as taken part in educational projects, community organizations, research, and teaching opportunities. He completed High School in

his home country, his Bachelor’s degree in Mexico at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and his Master’s and PhD in Canada at the University of Alberta. Over the course of his research pro-

jects and theses he has not only interacted and interviewed with many students, professors and univer-sity officials, but also business leaders and government policy makers. Dr. Schugurensky also quite

impressively serves (past and present) on the editorial board of both Spanish and English Scholarly

Journals, reviews manuscripts for various other journals, and is a founding co-editor of a journal of his own–the Interamerican Journal of Education of Democracy (which has English and Spanish counter-

parts). Outside of all of these professional accomplishments, Dr. Schugurensky also manages to volun-teer in the community, enjoy his hobbies of soccer (known as football outside of the US) and garden-

ing, and more importantly to spend time with his wife and two children. We warmly welcome him to the UCP-SARnet advisory board and look forward to his insights for the network.

Abidah Khalife

About the UCP-SARnet Advisory Board

All of the members that were invited to join the advisory board were reached

out to because they exhibit expertise in the area of community building and citizens’ involvement and therefore could serve to impact the development of

UCP-SARnet as educational tool for training of community leaders.

The role of the Advisory Board is to support Facilitators of the network by:

Setting directions for the future development of the network.

Consulting about strategic plans for international collaboration.

Assisting in creating new partnerships.

Helping to identify potential sponsors.

Microsoft Office Clip Art

Image from ASU School

of Public Affairs site.

These members function outside of the network and most of them are contacted regularly. There are no in person meetings planned for the advisory board and all consultations are conducted either by e-mail or through phone conversations. Twice a

year the Leadership Team sends the members of the Advisory Board a report from the network's activities with request for com-ments and suggestions. You can look to our website or to previous newsletter editions to find out more about each Advisory

Board member. Dr. Marek Wosinski

Member Organizations

Page 12

AASRA for Community Transformation (ACT) is a non-profit advocating for universal human rights and children’s

rights. Website: www.aasraindia.org/

African Woman and Child Features Service (AWC) ensures that the voices of the women and children in

Africa, and the issues they face, are better represented in mainstream media. Website: www.awcfs.org/

Ann Foundation empowers people who live with the daily challenges of vision impairment, hearing loss and other

disabilities in some of the world’s most impoverished places. Website: www.AnnFoundation.org

Anti-Poverty Project (TAPP) assists communities through job training, personal development training and provid-

ing technology to non-profit organizations and to the disadvantaged. Website: www.tapp.org.

Association for Welfare, Social Action, and Research—India (AWSAR) is an organization comprising of a group of

professional social development workers from diverse background. Website: www.awsarindia.org/.

Beam Foundation provides needy children in the developing world with school uniforms and necessary school supplies. Website: www.beamindia.org/

Cameroon Association for the Protection and Education of the Child (CAPEC) works with children, youth, par-

ents, and governmental bodies to identify the needs of underprivileged children in Cameroon. Website: www.capecam.org.

The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice works towards a civil justice system that is accessible, effective, fair and

efficient. Website: cfcj-fcjc.org/news/

The Centre for Community Research and Action, Laurier works to advance community knowledge, social poli-

cy, and practice for community wellness and social equity. Website: www.wlu.ca/homepage.php?grp_id=2615

Changes for New Hope supports the impoverished children from the Peruvian Andes region through educational pro-

grams, personal development, and building of social and emotional wellbeing. Website: www.changesfornewhope.org

The Community University Research Alliance explores new ways of providing community mental health support.

Website: www.communitybasedresearch.ca/takingcultureseriouslyCURA/

Department of Youth Development, Sport & Training (Vanuatu). A government ministry that oversees sports

and recreation along with technical vocational education and training which provides applicable life-skills to

Youth and forges national, community and individual development. No Official Website: More Info Here.

Ecuador Volunteer Foundation volunteers for social, community, educational, healthcare, and ecological pro-

jects throughout Ecuador. Website: www.ecuadorvolunteer.org/

FIRBEJC—Fondation Islamique de Recherches pour le Bien-Etre de La Jeunesse Congolaise—is an NGO dedi-

cated to helping youth in region fight economic, human, sociocultural, and political poverties. No Official Website.

More Info Here.

Global Thinking Women empowers women of all ages throughout the various stages in their lives. Website:

www.odatsglobaltrainingandrecruitmentservice.com/index.html

Greater Boghé Area Association, INC is a US based organization that partners with groups in the Boghé region of Mauritania to improve health conditions there and underlying factors affecting health. Website: www.boghe.org/

Helping Lives International is a non-profit focusing on eradicating poverty. Help youth gain employment and to work

as Ambassadors and leaders. Website: www.helpinglives.7p.com/

International Youth Peace Tourism & Development Initiative (Nigeria) is an NGO that envisions volunteerism,

especially of young tourists, as a key to accomplishing the MDGs and achieving sustainable development in regions

around the globe. Website: iyptding.wordpress.com.

Member Organizations (Continued)

Page 13

India Vision Foundation (IVF): founded in 1994 by Dr. Kiran Bedi to expand upon the work of

Navjyoti India Foundation. It strives to improve conditions in prisons, the lives of those incarcerated and that of their children. Website: www.indiaviosionfoundation.org/

LUKMEF helps Cameroon to embrace peace, non-violence, social justice, and sustainable development in order to

alleviate poverty. Website: www.lukmefcameroon.org/

Navjyoti India Foundation (NIF) was founded in 1988 by Dr. Kiran Bedi. NIF works in collaboration

with IVF for positive change, beginning with a flagship program for correction, drug-addiction and reha-

bilitation. Website: www.navjyoti.org.in/

Network of East West Women - Polska (NEWW-Polska) is a Poland-based women’s advocacy network that

provides knowledge and resources to empower and strengthen women while working towards social and economic equity. Website: www.neww.eu/en/about/neww/0.html

“New Choice” Children’s Charity (Mongolia) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization based in

Ulaanbaatar that seeks out volunteers to participate in their many projects based around helping the Mongoli-an community especially underserved children and orphans. Website: www.volunteer.org.mn/.

Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition (NYCC) is focusing on climate change and collaborates with collaborating with

youth, policy makers, and other stakeholders. Website: nigerianyouthclimatecoalition.blogspot.com/

Pluribus Europe is a consulting organization which coaches and trains their clients, comprised of

international companies, in diversity and inclusion techniques at all levels of corporate manage-

ment. Founded in 2006. Website: www.pluribus-europe.com/en/

Social Care Youth Initiative (Rwanda) is a youth-run organization that also incidentally works for the empower-

ment of youth in their region. They are devoted to accomplishing the MDGs as well as to addressing issues of Hu-

man Rights and Justice through various programs that they have developed. Website: scyi-rwanda.weebly.com.

Somali Family Services, established in 2003, envisions a peaceful and thriving Somalia. They promote the caus-

es of human rights, social justice, democracy, and sustainable living by empowering the marginalized groups

and communities in the country. Website: ussfs.org.

Students Travel and Exposure South Africa (STAESA) is a non-profit organization promoting and enhancing

cultural exchange and development in Africa. Website: www.staesa.org/

TESA is a nonprofit organization aimed at researching, training researchers, outlining an implementing

projects for the promotion of sustainable economy. Website: www.fundaciontesa.org/

Unreasonable Institute: supports globally-minded social entrepreneurs who are developing solutions to pressing issues. Website: unreasonableinstitute.org/

UCP-SARnet The Gambia is an officially registered NGO that undertakes a diverse and creative range

of educational, humanitarian, and peace-building initiatives in to help achieve MDGs in the Gambia. Website: ucpsarnet.iglooprojects.org/gambia.

Woman As Hero is an ASU Student Organization driven by the importance of the empowerment of women to

societies. Their main interests are education and entrepreneurship opportunities for women, and they hold aware-ness campaigns on gender-related issues such as violence against women to spread the message. Website:

womanashero.weebly.com

Youth Alliance for Justice & Peace (Sierra Leone), an NGO dedicated to the youth in the region fights the

evils of poverty by encouraging saying no to narcotics, by creating education and employment opportunities,

and by providing desperately needed housing and medical care. This NGO unites youth, gives stronger self-worth, and allows them to help their own country. No Official Website: More Info Here.

Collaborating Knowledge Partners

Page 14

Amity University (India) is one of the best private universities in India with over 50000 students. http://www.amity.edu/

Centre for Community Based Research brings people together to share knowledge in order to impact positive social change.

http://www.communitybasedresearch.ca/

Coaching the Global Village works with social changers to use coaching to create innovative solutions to pressing global challenges.

Website: http://coachingtheglobalvillage.org/

Comunitaria provides technical support and tools for community and psychosocial intervention programs. Four professional psy-

chologists run this organization. http://www.comunitaria.cl/

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health promotes health through service-learning, community-based participatory research,

broad-based coalitions, and other partnership strategies. http://www.ccph.info/

Community Toolbox provides resources for community leaders.

http://ctb.ku.edu/en/default.aspx?404;http://ctb.ku.edu:80/en/default.aspx

East Europe Foundation seeks to support successful community-driven development initiatives. http://www.eef.org.ua/

Global Alliance for ICT & Development creates an inclusive global forum and platform to promote discussion on using ICT for the

achievement of the Millenium Development Goals. http://www.un-gaid.org/

Global Alliance for Community Based Research promotes Community-Engaged Research as a fundamental means to contributing

to human betterment by the sharing of knowledge across the world. http://communityresearchcanada.ca/

Global Interactions, Inc works with professionals to interact with domestic and global counterparts to increase exchange of practices,

technologies, and research. www.globalinteractions.org/

Indira Gandhi National Open University (India) offers 338 programs of study through over 3,500 courses to a cumulative student

strength of over 30 million students. http://www.ignou.ac.in/

Jagiellonian University (Poland) is the second oldest university in Europe located in Krakow. http://www.uj.edu.pl/en_GB/

Leadership Learning Community identifies, evaluates, and applies ideas and practices in leadership development in order to make

leadership more effective. http://leadershiplearning.org/community-connections

Orbis Institute develops global leaders through programs that advance awareness, critical thinking, and action.

http://www.orbisinstitute.org/index.php?id=141&no_cache=1

SIAS International University combines Chinese educational philosophies with Western educational models to develop professionals

who are prepared to meet the demands of trans-national corporations and enterprises. http://www.sias.edu.cn/en/

SoReCom conducts and disperses research that focuses on social issues relevant to Europe and its policies.

http://www.europhd.eu/html/_onda03/01/00.00.00.00.shtml

Taking It Global uses the power of online community to facilitate global education, social entrepreneurship, and civic engagement for

millions of youth worldwide. http://www.tigweb.org/

UN Millennium Campaign supports and inspires people from around the world to take action towards the Millenium Development

Goals. http://www.endpoverty2015.org/

United Nations Foundation advocates for the UN and a platform for connecting people, ideas and resources to help the United Na-

tions solve global problems. http://www.unfoundation.org/

Video Voice Collective: brings academic researchers, filmmakers, technology mavens, social justice champions, and community

leaders together to improve the health conditions of underserved communities. http://video-voice.org/

Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities is a private university that educates students in psychology, philosophy, humani-

ties, and social sciences. http://www.swps.pl/english/

World for World Organization (Italy) is an Italian-based non-profit organization, operating in Italy and internationally. http://

www.worldforworld.org/

Page 15

Directory

HEAD OFFICE

Arizona State University

Department of Psychology

P.O. Box 871104, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA

Tel. 480-965-6253

Email: [email protected]

FACILITATOR

Executive Officer

Dr. Marek Wosinski

Email: [email protected]

ASSISTANT FACILITATOR FOR

AFRICA

Osee Romeo Tcheupgoum

Email: [email protected]

ASSISTANT FACILITATOR FOR

ASIA & PACIFIC

Birendra Kumar

Email: [email protected]

ASSISTANT FACILITATOR FOR

EUROPE

Ganeswar Sahoo

Email: [email protected]

ASSISTANT FACILITATORS FOR

NORTH AMERICA

Osee Romeo Tcheupgoum

Email: [email protected]

ASSISTANT FACILITATOR FOR

SOUTH AMERICA

Susana Pesis

Email: [email protected]

ASSISTANT FACILITATOR

John Mabey

Email: [email protected]

ASSISTANT FACILITATOR

Robby Uppal

Email: [email protected]

COORDINATOR OF

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

Andy Chen

Email: [email protected]

ICT COORDINATOR

Adam Euerby

Email: [email protected]

ICT ASSISTANT COORDINATOR

Dorav Kumar

Email: [email protected]

ICT TEAM

Uttam Bhat

Adam Euerby

Dorav Kumar

Loc Nguen

Karan Puttannaiah

EXECUTIVE TEAM

Dr. Wayne Goulet

Dr. Eva Szeli

Angela Abolhassani

Mohamed Camara

Kaitlyn Fitzgerald

Olivia Friend

Nicole Hale

Fritzgerald Jerome

Abidah Khalife

Shannon Monn

Jonathan Oakes

Sonal Patel

Eean Patterson

Omar Saleem

Humza Salim

Maureen Schirmer

Kaitlynn Wernsing

REGIONAL OFFICES

AFRICA

Contact Person: Osee Romeo Tcheupgoum No. 1 Ansumana Ceesay Street, Dippakunda UCP-SARnet -The Gambia

(Non-Profit & Charitable organization)

P.O.BOX 2192, serekunda, KMSD. The GAMBIA Tel. (00 220) 6548963/7953521/

3438 808 /6717761 Email: [email protected]

ASIA & THE PACIFIC

Contact Person: Birendra Kumar

University Community Partnership for Social Action Research Network. UN Commission on Sustainable Development (Youth and Children Major Group ) Tel. +91-9910711112

Email: [email protected]

EUROPE

Contact Person: Ganeswar Sahoo via s cosma e damiano 103

trento, tn 38122, ITALY Tel. +39 3319782685

Email: [email protected]

CANADA

Contact Person: Adam Euerby Candidate M.ASc. Systems Design Engineering, B.ASc. Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo

Advanced Interface Design Lab 1.519.888.4567 x34904

[email protected]

UNITED STATES

Contact Person: Fritzgerald Jerome

Department of Psychology P.O. Box 871104, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA Tel. 480-965-6253

Email: [email protected]

SOUTH AMERICA

Contact Person: Susana Pesis

Email: [email protected]

ADVISORY BOARD

Robert Cialdini, Arizona State University

(USA)

Liz Cunningham, University of Brighton

(England)

Aecio D’Silva, University of Arizona (USA)

Kim Eagles, Grassroots Activist (USA)

William A. Foster, Foster and Brahm

Management Consulting (USA)

Rajesh Jangareddy, Vitesse Semiconductor

(India)

Joanna Ochocka, Centre for Community

Engaged Research (Canada)

Grazyna Prawelska-Skrzypek, Jagillonian

University (Poland)

Jan Sadlak, Warsaw School of social Scienc-

es and Hummanities (Poland)

Daniel Schugurensky, Arizona State Uni-

versity (USA)

Jerrie Ueberle, Global Interactions, Inc

(USA)

Christopher Zambakari, Student Representa-

tive (USA)

For more information about our worldwide network

of educators, researchers, students and community leaders,

please visit our website:

http://ucpsarnet.asu.edu

If you want to get involved, please click CONTACT US

and fill in the relevant application form.

.

Educating, Empowering and Engaging Communities Page 16