Y International Newsletter Fall '07

YMCA World Peace Week

Peace has many dimensions. It is not only a state of relationships amongst nations. We cannot expect to live in a world of peace if we are unable to live in peace with those close to us - even those who differ from us... The responsibility for peace begins with each person, in relationships with family and friends and extends to community life and national activities. There are no simple recipes. It is we ourselves who must seek - act - pray for ways to be peacemakers.

Taken from the YMCA Statement of Peace - World Council of YMCAs 1981

Each year, many YMCAs and YMCAYWCAs across Canada celebrate YMCA Peace Week by dedicating a full week to exploring peace from a personal, community and international perspective. This year’s Peace Week will take place from November 17 - 24, 2007 and the theme is “The Power of Peace. The Power of People”.

This theme and image emphasize how actions for peace connect people to each other while recognizing, in this 20th anniversary year of the YMCA Peace Medallion, the important role of the catalyst, the one who inspires us all to join the journey towards a more peaceful world.

Each one of us carries peace inside of us, yet we don’t always tap into it. To create peace, we need to live peace, through our continuous everyday acts. Peace comes from the heart and is reflected in how we view ourselves, our family, our neighbours, colleagues and friends. If we become more peaceful, we will radiate peace around us effortlessly. By showing respect, compassion, courage, a sense of justice, determination or global responsibility, we can inspire others to do the same.

Let’s make peace our personal cause and encourage our family and friends to join us. We have the power to bring change, now it’s time to do it. Another world is possible. Together, we can make it happen.

YMCA Peace Medal Award 2007

The YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg will be awarding the YMCA Peace Medal and the Youth Peace Medal to individuals or groups who demonstrate and promote peace on a daily basis at home, nationally or around the world. Peace Medal recipients make the world a better place. The International Committee at the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg extends an invitation to the community to nominate a worthy individual or group. Nomination forms are inserted into this newsletter. Additional packages are available from any branch of the Y or by calling 204 831.2974. Further information about the award can also be found on our website at www.ywinnipeg.ca. Closing date for nominations is October 10, 2007.

International Development

International Development is dedicated to the growth of all persons in body, mind and spirit and in a sense of responsibility to each other and to the global community.

International Development works to support partnerships between the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg and YMCAs overseas. All projects are initiated by our partners to fill the needs of their communities by using local resources and expertise. The principles of equal partners, mutual respect, including respect for our differences, mutual trust and mutual benefit are paramount.

The Role of the International Committee

The International Committee is made up of volunteers who act as Ambassadors for the Y International Development Community. To this end, committee members promote awareness and build support for the international component of the work of the Y. This includes creating an awareness both within the Y itself (to staff, Board, volunteers and members), as well as to the wider community. Committee members do this by attending committee meetings in order to receive updates on the projects and by telling others about these projects both informally, and, on occasions, through formal presentations.

In addition, the Committee plays a key role in the Peace Medal process as they read all nominations and make their recommendations to the Board of Directors. The Committee also helps to find and confirm resources for the projects proposed by our overseas partners

Meet one of our International Committee members

Helena Haberman is a former board member of the St James Y and joined the International Development Committee in the early 1990s. “Most people think of the Y as a physical fitness facility, unaware of the social and development programs it supports throughout the world”.

When asked why she continues to volunteer so enthusiastically, Helena says that she enjoys working with the International Committee. It is a constant learning process, which she finds both rewarding and informative.

Peace Week 2006

Last year, forty eight YMCA and YMCA-YWCA associations participated in YMCA World Peace Week, awarding 105 Peace Medallions across the country. More than 4,200 staff and volunteers were involved in celebrating Peace Week, including 188 schools and 298 community groups along the way. In total, more than 56,000 Canadians participated in the YMCA World Peace Week in 2006. The YMCAYWCA of Winnipeg, together with YMCA associations across Canada, urged people to make peace their personal cause and to tap into the collective power of people who want to make a positive impact in the world.

Why not take some time to reflect on how each of us can make the spirit of peace a part of our lives and the lives of others:

• Today, I will reflect on what peace means to me.
• Today, I will look at opportunities to be a peacemaker.
• Today, I will take time to admire and appreciate nature.
• Today, I will acknowledge every human being’s fundamental right to justice, equity and equality.
• Today, I will notice the peacefulness in the world around me.
• Today, I will work to understand and respect another culture.
• Today, I will speak with kindness, respect and patience to every person I talk to.
• Today, I will affirm my value and worth and refuse to put myself down. Today I will turn off anything that portrays or supports violence whether on television, in the movies or on the Internet.
• Today, I will choose to use my talents to serve others by volunteering a portion of my time
• Today I will drive with tolerance and patience.
• Today I will talk less and listen more.
• Today, I will practice praise rather than criticism.
• Today I will acknowledge and thank someone for acting kindly.
• Today, I will be open to other ways of thinking and acting that are different from my own.

Excerpted from “Ghandi & King: A Season for Nonviolence” - www.agrd.org/snv64ways.htm

International News

The YMCAs of Canada, Mexico and the United States will be holding a YMCA International Conference from October 18 - 21, 2007 in Mexico City. The theme is “Global Society - The YMCA Response” and the Conference will focus on the importance of building relationships in increasingly global communities. One of the aims of the Conference is to enhance YMCA knowledge, commitment and involvement in global issues. The Conference also aims to help YMCA staff and volunteers become better equipped to meet community needs world wide.

The YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg has been invited to host a seminar at the International Conference called “Hands Up! Promoting Children’s Rights in your YMCA”. The seminar will be presented by Tara Law, who has recently returned from an International Youth Exchange to the YMCA in Tijuana, Mexico. During her stay in Mexico, Tara spent time at the YMCA Community Development Centre (CDC) and ran a workshop on the “Hands Up” program (Manos Arriba! program in Spanish) for the teachers and administration of the CDC. The program is based around educating children on the Convention of the Rights of the Child, which was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1989. This program was created in partnership with the Montreal YMCA, and the ACJs (Asociación Cristiana de Jóvenes - Spanish for YMCA) of Ecuador, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua and is a complete curriculum of background, activities, projects, songs, and lessons for pre-school aged students. This collaboration has led to an internationally valid educational approach for children and youth which encourages self-expression, self-esteem, confidence, affection, solidarity and responsibility. The children learn their rights and their own roles in assuming these rights.

Dates to remember

October 14 - 21, 2007: YWCA Week without Violence
October 18 - 21, 2007: YMCA International Conference, Mexico City
November 16, 2007: UN International Day for Tolerance

For further information about volunteering at the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg, please contact your local branch or email info@ymcaywca.mb.ca

If you would like to make a donation to the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg International Fund, please call:

Valerie Slater,
General Manager,
Fundraising and Communications
204 831 2975
email

We gratefully acknowledge the support of CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) in the development and publication of this newsletter.