Michael Ogunnusi
January 21, 2010
Nationality: British
GYV Participant: 1996 (staff)
Education: PhD research student at the Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK. The research aims to get a fresh look at the mind of State governance and deepen the moral debate about the provision of targeted and support services for young people in the UK.
Most Interesting Countries Visited: Japan, Basque Country and the US.
Favorite GYV Memory: My memories of GYV include cultural sharing nights, (very) early morning Ti Chi, playing football in the hot sun, reciting poetry, slap stick comedy with custard pies, drumming, and the wonders of tofu (before and after consumption!) GYV introduced me to a type of education that values individual worth and builds inclusive relationships rather than generate resistance or rejection. My experiences at GYV still influence my passion for youth work as I remember the stories that the young people brought with them and the optimism and joy of the potential futures they took away – transcending culture, language, opportunity, and the even the politics of war. It left my spirit with a global footprint and the knowledge that changing beliefs can change behaviour.
Biography: My background includes youth work, social work, research, civil rights & police monitoring. I remain particularly interested in helping young people in times of challenge, often based in settings that are characterised by conflict. From the Caen Peace Museum to integenerational projects in Funibashi my work has taken me to the Netherlands, Basque Country, Japan and France to meet with cabinet ministers, colleagues, and young people.
In 2006 I published an article entitled ‘Keep It Together, Keep It Safe: Violence, Peace and Young People’ (Development Education Journal, October 2006) and the following year I set up ‘Peace Techniques’ a self-founded company that offers training and projects to promote youth perspectives and actively challenge the acceptance of aggression and violence.
I now also lecture part-time at De Montfort University at the Faculty of Health & Life Sciences and the Youth affairs Unit, where I am studying for my PhD. This year I am really excited about the potential of a new project called ‘XL’ that plans to create safe communal spaces as part of an international network to holistically integrate age, culture and ability.
For all my friends of 1996 Alumni, please get in touch and send me pics and your memories at my email mikeo_2007@yahoo.co.uk. Peace.
Shayn McCallum
December 9, 2009
Nationality: Australian (permanent resident of Turkey)
Attended GYV: as a Global Issues Workshop Instructor in 2003 and as a prep cook in 2006.
Education: MA in European Studies (Bogazici Univ, Istanbul), BA (hons) in Political Science & International Relations (Univ. of Tasmania, Australia)
Current Work & Volunteer Projects: Instructor in Academic English at Bogazici Univ. and freelance academic proofreader/translator. I’m marginally involved in civil society projects on democratization, ethnic conflicts, environmentalism/agriculture and workers’ rights in Turkey but I’m not as active as I’d like to be! (I’m busy raising my baby daughter at the moment!)
Biography: I was born in 1972 in Tasmania, Australia and spent the first 20 years of my life there. From my earliest years, I was aware that there was a much larger world and endlessly dreamed of travelling. As soon as I graduated, I moved to Israel where I lived for several years as a yeshivah (rabbinical school) student, then a Kibbutznik in the Golan Heights & near the Judean desert. I was active in the Israeli peace movement and was deeply affected by my witnessing, as a naive Australian Jew, of the Palestinian experience. Although I left Israel in 1995, my time there has profoundly shaped my attitudes to issues of identity, nationalism, peace and basic love for humanity.
After leaving Israel, I decided to become an English teacher. After two wonderful years in Prague and Gyor, Hungary, I made the fateful decision in 2000, to come to Turkey where I met my wife Ebru and, subsequently, have ended up an ‘honorary Turk’. Turkey is a rich, dynamic society with many echoes of the issues I faced in Israel. I love living at the nexus of European, Asian and Middle-Eastern culture. Living in Turkey also helped me to consolidate my long engagement with Islam. I finally took the step of embracing Islam, allowing me to explore the profundities and inner dimensions of this extraordinary religion as a participant rather than sympathetic observer. Since then, the teachings of Sufic Islam have subtly but profoundly reshaped my understanding of life and the world.
In 2008, on December 14, the greatest happiness I have ever known came into my life in the form of my little daughter Ela Nur, and I have since discovered the indescribable joys (and trials) of being a Dad. Between my work on Bogazici University’s breathtakingly gorgeous campus and my much-treasured ‘Daddy-Daughter Time’, I try to follow and engage with the struggles of life in this amazing, chaotic, beautiful city in this breath-taking, mad, delirious country.
My Memories of GYV: My wife first took me to GYV, having previously been a cabin counselor, and convinced me I would find the place inspiring. Actually, ‘inspirational’ seems a weak word for what seems to transpire, each time in its own unique way, as people from impossibly different backgrounds become drawn into such powerful, lasting friendships. It is astonishing to me to see how, even now, years after the GYV experience, so many people remain in close contact with each other. The life-changing power of GYV cannot be overestimated. I have been actively involved in GYV only twice, yet, whether we have an active position or not, my wife and I come back to visit almost every summer. GYV above all, inspires so deeply, because it shows us, in microcosm, a living example of how the whole world should and could be, if only we collectively dared to dream it. GYV is living proof that diverse people can live together in more than just tolerance, but mutual love, respect and friendship. At its best, GYV opens a window in the heart to what it is to be truly human in the sense of embracing the best of the potential in all of us. As an experience, it is unforgettable and transformational.
Mohamed Eid P’87 Publishes Book
November 12, 2009
Nationality: Egyptian
GYV Participant : 1987
Education: PhD in Sustainable Development & Project Management, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland UK (1999-2004)
Most Interesting Countries Visited: Scotland, France and the US
Favorite GYV Memory: I have so many unforgettable memories at the GYV, it has been 22 years since I was there, yet the memories are so vivid in my mind and I owe a lot of my personality to what I experienced there and then. I left and took away with me my memories of learning sign language and singing with it, I took with me the memories of when I was selected as one of the team to run the camp for a day, driving the golf cart for the first time in my life. I took with me the memories of the nights at the Bubble Theatre, the workshops and the team building exercises. I took with me the memories of great friends and wonderful mentors.
Biography: After my PhD in 2004 from Edinburgh University, I went back to Cairo and started my teaching for undergraduates and postgraduates, I was only 30 yrs old and in some case had students who were older than me. The experience was wonderful, the challenge in undergraduate teaching is very different than the one for postgraduate, I cherished both experiences and I love my students. I just attended in October 2009, the graduation of the first class of my students who I taught back in 2006, it was wonderfully rewarding.
I also worked as an independent consultant for sustainable development for several international organizations, the field work is also very rewarding and meeting the people in need makes all worthwhile. Feeling that I am contributing to positive change is a feeling that cannot be compared to anything else.
I have now moved to the US and aiming to join international organizations as a full timer such as World Bank or the UN. I have just published my PhD thesis in a book entitled “ Sustainable Development (SD) & Project Management (PM); Rethinking relationships in the construction industry, integrating SD into PM processes”, it can be accessed online on through Amazon , click the following link
or
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=978-3-8383-1578-2&x=0&y=0
For all my friends of 1987 Alumni, please get in touch and send me pics and your memories at my email Mohamed Eid
Kelly Family Receives Service to Humanity Award
July 30, 2009
Legacy honors The Kelly family – Susan V, Kelly. Founder and Executive Director of Kelly Foundation, her mother Nancy and father Dan who have for the past 30 + years sponsored more than 200 young people to Global Youth Village as part of a larger support strategy for teens at risk from refugee and Native American backgrounds.
In the early 1980’s there was an influx of Vietnamese and Cambodian children arriving in the US with heir families. The youths were moving into an affluent culture form the day-to-day survival mode as “boat people” or escaping the “Killing Fields” of Cambodia. The Kelly family took interest in several families and supported young people to attend GYV as a way to help them acclimate and see themselves as global citizens with the potential to change the legacy of hate they escaped from.
In the early 1990s their focus shifted to Native American reservations where young people were isolated and their futures corrupted by hopelessness that comes form poverty. The young people they sent to GYV came form more than 30 tribes across the US. This first exposure off the reservation gave them confidence to enter and stay in institutions of higher learning. The Kelly Family has been very comprehensive in their approach to young people, providing counseling to the entire family when needed.
Dan a retired lawyer, businessman and CIA employee became instrumental in the financial and fundraising areas of the foundations. All of Susie’s drive came form Nancy’s models of generosity.
In addition to the Kelly Foundation Susie, Dan and Nancy also have been instrumental in establishing the Center Pole at Wellknown Buffalo.
The Center Pole is a community-based organization whose mission is to empower Native American reservation youth through knowledge, experience and global awareness and train them as agents of change, to promote the exchange of information, ideas and understanding between Indian reservations and the mainstream, and to conduct projects to promote a just future for Native communities.
An important component developed by Susie and Peggy White Wellknown Buffalo, Executive Director of the Center Pole is a cross-cultural service learning component. Individuals and organizations from across the country partner with volunteers from within the community on a variety of service projects and experience Crow culture firsthand.
Native American youth volunteers learn valuable leadership skills and earn volunteer hours, making them eligible for national and international education programs.
“Ninety two per cent of Native American college students who enter college drop out.”
The Kelly Foundation is the educational arm of the partnership, where Native American reservation student prepare for college and receive the type of support and guidance necessary for success.
The Center Pole has distributed more than $1 million worth of basic necessities to people living in poverty on the Crow, Northern Cheyenne and Ft. Belknap Indian Reservations using local volunteers. It has assisted more than 500 Native American youth in attending mainstream educational programs, colleges and universities. It contributes to the preservation of Crow Indian art, culture, history and language and supports increased awareness of living Native American culture. The Center Pole was recently honored nationally with the Res 2009 Youth Entrepreneurship Advocate of the Year Award and an award from the Petra Foundation.
Nguyenvu Nguyen Recieves Legacy’s Service To Humanity Award
July 28, 2009
Nguyen Vu Nguyen M.D.
Nationality: Vietnamese American
Attended GYV: Participant 84-’88
Education: Harvard University 1990-1994 AB in Biology . Emory University School of Medicine 1995-1999. Training in pediatrics at Oakland Children’s Hospital. Training in pediatric cardiology at Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON. Training in pediatric cardiac intensive care at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Current work: Pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. I also volunteer with Operation Smile, Children as the Peacemaker Foundation, and Project Vietnam.
Biography: I was born and raised in Viet Nam, and immigrated to the USA in 1982 as part of the Boat People Movement. I currently live in Chicago, IL. My most treasured memories of Legacy were being able to have experiential learnings through one-on-one meetings with young people from other cultures and walks of life. It was at Legacy that I experienced the safety of living without threat of wars, conflicts, violence, and poverty. What I have done with my life since those summers, has been to accrue education and skills to empower others, particularly, children of our planet. In addition to being a pediatric cardiologist, I hope to return to school for a master of public health and spend more time in Africa and Asia.
Charlotte-Anne Malischewski
February 12, 2009
Nationality: Canadian
GYV Participant during: 2007
Education: I received my high school diploma from St. Bonaventure’s College in St. John’s, NL, Canada. I am currently studying at Earlham College in Richmond, IN, USA. I hope to graduate in 2012 with a Bachelors of Arts in Peace and Global Studies with a music minor.
Most Interesting Country Visited: How can one compare the textiles of Guatemala to the music of Ireland or the castles of England to the architecture in Japan? Every place I have visited has been interesting in its own ways and I cannot think of one I enjoyed distinctly more than an other.
Favorite GYV Memory: There were so many wonderful moments at GYV. I will always remember with fondness the cultural nights, the arabic music lessons, the day with we took over the kitchen and attempted to cook, the day we ventured off to a roller skating rink, etc. With all of those great memories in mind, however, the last evening we spent together in a large circle holding candles and speaking to each other about our experiences is my favourite GYV memory..
Biography: Born and raised in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, Charlotte-Anne Malischewski participated in GYV as a musician in the Arabic music program. The experience she had at GYV with students all over the world led her to choose a small liberal arts college quite far from her home, because of its large international population and it’s focus on peace. Charlotte-Anne is heavily involved in music (orchestra, choirs, chamber music, folk bands, etc.) and is currently the convener of her college’s Progressive Union. Charlotte-Anne has received many awards for her music, public speaking, and academics. Whether it be through music, theatre, public speaking, volunteering, or academics, Charlotte-Anne seeks to develop a sense of community wherever she is. To her, an ideal community is one in which people live with peace, justice, equality, and tolerance and in which culture is respected and generated. Though she has goals and dreams for her future, Charlotte-Anne is focusing on completing her undergraduate degree for now. She hopes to discover the world through academic thought and, in four years, be able to describe herself as a thinking citizen.
