ACIC - Rendez-Vous - Summer 2011 Newsletter

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SUMMER 2011

Report from the Executive Director With summer upon us, ACIC staff and volunteers are taking the time to connect with members, develop our fall programming and fine-tune our communications work. The following activities are occurring soon in a location near to you! PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS

Move Your World Youth Conference The sixth annual Move Your World Youth Symposium will be a four-day, eye-opening event for Atlantic Canadians aged 15-18. The conference brings together a diverse group of youth to learn about global issues and develop skills in an interactive, exciting educational experience.

This year the conference will take place from October 20-23 in Nova Scotia. ACIC will work in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross for the sixth year. Our two organizations have solidified our processes and programming over the past six years, and hope that this year’s conference will continue to be exceptional. Through the excellent leadership of staff at both organizations, 10 youth leaders from across the region will be engaged as volunteers at the conference. In past years, many of the youth volunteers have been past participants of the conference, showing the longevity and sustainability of the impacts the conference has on youth. Again this year, up to 50 youth participants from 4 provinces will come together to increase their capacity to become active global citizens and strong

confident leaders with a solid understanding of global citizenship. This conference provides a key opportunity for ACIC member organizations to provide information about your programs and to connect with youth leaders from the region. Through a variety of workshops, information sessions and other activities, ACIC members will be encouraged to participate in this exciting event to encourage youth engagement and to promote your work. If you would like to showcase your work or highlight issues important to your organization, please contact Rena Kulczycki at [email protected] for more info.

International Aboriginal Youth Internship Program ACIC was thrilled to find out that we were successful in our proposal to CIDA’s International Aboriginal Youth Internship Program. ACIC’s proposal was submitted to CIDA on behalf of more than 5 southern and Atlantic Canadian partners and will result in six internship positions based in Charlottetown and Halifax with overseas work in Chile, Peru and Bhutan. For additional information, please contact Carolyn Whiteway via email at [email protected].

Staying Virtually Connected 4

International Youth Internships 5

Chalice Named #1 Charity 6

Becoming A Global Citizen 7

Shirely Case Award Presentation 8

New ACIC Members & Board 9-12

Join An ACIC Committee 13

Making Connections With ACIC 14

Move Your World Youth Symposium 15

Inside This Issue

mailto:[email protected]


Report from the Executive Director (cont’d)

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Regional Public Engagement As ACIC celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2010, we looked back at our historical role in the region. What stood out is that ACIC has been an innovator in terms of public engagement–we recognized the importance of working in solidarity with the Global South and the key to connecting the local with the global long before it became the norm. We continue to be leaders in pubic engagement and want to draw on the capacities of ACIC members as creative, forward thinking organizations that can collectively have a large impact on gaining support for international development in the Atlantic.

Over the coming months, ACIC will organize a consultation process to bring together ACIC members to better understand the overarching ‘voice’ of the region and to determine how ACIC members can further collaborate to engage more Atlantic Canadians in a meaningful way. This will result in a regional public engagement project that will enable ACIC members to work collectively to engage the Atlantic public.

MEMBERSHIP SERVICES

Membership Revitalization As ACIC continues to grow and change, we recognize the importance of continuing to assess and rethink how we can best serve our members as a coalition. To this end, over the next several months, ACIC staff will embark on a process that will enable us to find out more about what members desire and hope to gain from being involved in ACIC. A plan will then be developed that will enable us to re-engage members in a more meaningful way.

Inter-Council Network (ICN) The ICN is made up of the seven provincial and regional councils in Canada. It provides a forum in which the Councils collaborate for improved effectiveness, learn from each other’s specific skills, troubleshoot challenges, and identify common priorities for collective action.

The ICN will focus over the next year on extending peer-learning initiatives more broadly to Councils’ staff, Boards of Directors and member organizations. The ICN will also reach out to the international cooperation

sector through three webinars on the priority themes of CIDA’s new aid effectiveness strategy: increasing food security, securing the future of children and youth, and stimulating sustainable economic growth. Each webinar will highlight studies and key information, trends, work being done and good practices for effective development in the priority area.

Provincial Networking Meetings ACIC continues to host provincial networking meetings – breakfast, lunches and other networking events. This year, the provincial representatives continue to take responsibility for organizing these events. Please contact your provincial representative for more info.

PEI – Leo Cheverie ([email protected]) NF – Louise Webb ([email protected]) NS – Andrea MacDonald ([email protected]) NB – Silke Klenk ([email protected] )

Professional Development This summer, ACIC staff is working to assess the needs of member organizations and will develop a training plan based on the results of the assessment. Based on feedback from our membership, we are adjusting the way in which we collect information about training needs. It has been pointed out that the traditional survey we administer provides only a snapshot of needs and reflects the thinking of individuals at a certain point in time. We will spend time this summer and fall organizing provincial conference calls and meetings to brainstorm collectively about how to move forward with our training plan. It is anticipated that the year’s plan, which includes workshop topics, training dates and potential facilitators, will be ready by late fall. Check the website for additional information.



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CIDA Results-Based Management Capacity Building Training

In order to assist Canadian partners to develop a better understanding of the Partnership with Canadians Branch projects and programs application processes, ACIC continues to work with CIDA to administer the RBM training that is organized and delivered by the Centre for Inter-cultural Learning (CIL). This year, the CIL has tentatively scheduled the RBM training for November 23-25 in Halifax, NS and January 25-27 in Fredericton, NB. More details will be made available as we get them from the CIL.

ACIC’s Annual General Meeting & Symposium 2011 ACIC hosted its AGM & Symposium, “Navigating the Waters: International Cooperation in Challenging Times” from June 16-18th in St. John’s NL. The symposium focused on current trends in the field and explored how individuals and organizations working in the area of international cooperation in Atlantic Canada are navigating the challenges they face with innovative solutions.

Ian Smillie, our keynote speaker, gave a talk on “Development for Grown-Ups”, which kicked off the event with many interesting points that focused our discussions over the next two-and-a-half days. A series of workshops and a plenary gave delegates an opportunity to learn, network and debate the issues at hand. Despite the flight delays and the fog, ACIC members enjoyed the sights and hospitality of St. John’s. A big thank you to ACIC staff and board members, who worked extremely hard to bring the event to fruition. Please check the ACIC website (www.acic-caci.org) for a list of resources from the event. Shirley Case Global Citizenship Award A highlight of ACIC’s symposium was the presentation to the first recipient of the Shirley Case Leadership Award in Global Citizenship. We were extremely pleased to present the award to Marian White of Charlottetown, a Public Engagement Officer with CUSO-VSO. Marian has dedicated herself to the sector for more than 30 years and we are thrilled to be able to acknowledge her contribution in this way. More about the award and Marian can be found on page 8.

THE ACIC TEAM

ACIC Staff ACIC is working with two summer students this year. John Bowes is our communications coordinator, who is conducting an audit of our communications activities and helping us to develop a plan to increase our media efforts and better communicate with our membership. Ailish Morgan-Weldon is our membership assistant, and has been helping with our member revitalization and outreach strategy and also working with provincial representatives to organize networking events during the summer.

Carolyn Whiteway and Rena Kulczycki continue to support the work of ACIC. We have spent the last weeks delineating work and looking at personal strengths and passions to develop new leadership in program activities. It is anticipated that through a very thorough planning process we will be better able to be efficient and effective at our work. Board of Directors ACIC would like to welcome four new members to our Board of Directors. Louse Webb is the new NL Representative, Andrea MacDonald continues as the NS representative, and Ann Marie Lewis (NL), Della Webster (NB), Maryanne Nduati (NS) have joined us as new members-at-large.

We also wish to bid adieu to past board members Maureen MacLean (Chair, Member-at-large), Robin Vernest (Member-at-Large), Lesley Magee (Member-at-Large) and Wanda Wadman (NL Representative). Collectively, these women have brought strength and leadership to ACIC and have been a great support to staff. We thank you for your dedication and service to ACIC.

If you would like more information on any of these events or activities, please don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or at 902-431-2311.

Jennifer Sloot, Executive Director

http://www.acic-caci.org



In today’s digital age, audiences have decreased attention spans and tend to easily forget about your brand, organization and what you’re up to. Shift to the world of NGOs—we have reduced workforces, less time and more work. Although it seems that these two worlds can’t always stay well connected, I have some great tools to help you stay connected over the summer months. Internal Social Networking: Yammer.com Yammer is an internal social networking tool which can be used to keep your staff connected when everyone has disjointed vacation periods or is spread over a large geographic area. As much of your staff is probably familiar with Facebook (and check it multiple times per day), Yammer will feel familiar as soon as they get their hands on it. Creating a workplace which promotes social networking has been proven to create more productive employees.

“Yammer is revolutionizing internal corporate communications by bringing together all of a company’s employees inside a private and secure social network. Although Yammer is as easy to use as consumer products like Facebook or Twitter, it is enterprise-class software built from the ground up to drive business objectives,” says the company’s website. Yammer is free for your organization, enabling users to communicate, collaborate, and share more easily and efficiently than ever before. It reduces the need for meetings and increases communication across organizations.” www.yammer.com. Automated Updates: TweetDeck “TweetDeck is your personal real-time browser, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Google Buzz and more.” TweetDeck allows you to update your various social media channels, such as Facebook,

Twitter and LinkedIn, from the convenience of your desktop. You can schedule posts and monitor traffic all from the same place. For added convenience, the web edition would allow your staff to access these resources from anywhere with Internet access. In addition, the mobile edition for Smartphones allows on-the-go updates and monitoring. Flashy E-Mail Updates: MailChimp Sometimes we just aren’t able to set aside a lot of time to keep connected, especially if you have a reduced staff or small office. Consider sending out an update to your stakeholders-this is also good to do every quarter- using a flashy e-mail campaign. This is a great way to stay connected with your audiences without having to spend a lot of time doing it. MailChimp is an easy to use, free online e-mail marketing tool. If you can use Microsoft Word, then you can use MailChimp. The free service includes up to 2,000 subscribers and sending of up to 12,000 emails/month. Social Sharing – AddThis The first thing I do when I’m reading something online that I like is look for the social share button, so I can easily share content to my various social networks. Let your visitors do the work for you. If you have relevant content, especially blogs, news and announcements, users can easily share them with their networks. Anyone can simply grab the website code to add this social share button to any webpage. All you have to go is go to www.addthis.com and select the format you’d like and then add to your website!

John Bowes, Communications Coordinator

Staying Virtually Connected

http://www.addthis.com

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: International Youth Internship Program

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The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is expected to launch the next call for proposals for the International Youth Internship Program this fall. ACIC members interested in hosting an intern with their organization and a Southern partner must state their intentions by contacting Carolyn Whiteway via email at [email protected] in order to begin the process of proposal development. The DEADLINE for proposal submissions to ACIC is SEPTEMBER 30, 2011. ACIC will work with all interested and eligible members prior to this to complete the required information. These internships offer recent post-secondary graduates (ages 19-30 inclusive) the opportunity to gain valuable international experience and increase their employment skills while offering benefit to hosting organizations through their work. Through public engagement activities, interns also promote awareness and understanding of international development issues. Internships are approximately 8 months in duration, with a minimum of 5 months spent at hosting partner organizations in Latin America, Africa, or Asia. The interns will work in Canada with the ACIC member

organization both prior to their departure overseas and upon their return. CIDA provides funding to cover a variety of costs related to the internship, including travel, living allowance, insurance and language training costs. Hosting organizations in Canada and overseas help design, deliver and monitor internships with support and overall management from ACIC. “The Canadian placement greatly increased my professional skills, where the overseas placement greatly increased my personal and life skills. Both are interrelated and equally as valuable.” – Megan MacIntosh (CCNB, NB & ACUA, El Salvador)

The Atlantic Council for International Cooperation has been selected as one of eight organizations to offer CIDA-funded International Aboriginal Youth Internships. Aboriginal Youth aged 18-35 possessing a high school diploma or GED equivalent are invited to apply to internship opportunities hosted with ACIC member organizations in Atlantic Canada and Southern partners in Peru, Chile and Bhutan. Internships are 6 months in duration, with 4 months spent overseas. Selected interns work in Canada with an ACIC member organization both prior to their departure overseas and upon their return. Funding is provided for travel, a modest living

allowance, insurance, visas, vaccinations and language training where necessary. For information on how to apply, contact Carolyn Whiteway at [email protected] or call 902-431-2311. DEADLINE for applications is OCTOBER 15, 2011.

ABORIGINAL YOUTH 18-35 INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN NEW INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM



Chalice Named #1 Charity in Canada Second Year In A Row


For the second year in a row, Nova Scotia-based Chalice is rated as the number one charity in the ‘International Aid & Development’ category by MoneySense Magazine. Chalice sponsors over 45,000 children and elderly in 15 developing countries with 92.5% of spending going directly to programs. MoneySense created Canada’s first charity rating system to identify which Canadian charities use donors’ money most efficiently. Results were published recently with Chalice tying for the top spot with an overall ‘A’ rating. Findings were based on the Canada Revenue Agency charity information filings, MoneySense governance questionnaire and charity websites. The charity standards grade is based on how each charity performs in four categories; Overall Charity Efficiency, Fundraising Efficiency, Governance and Transparency and Reserve Fund Size.

“Chalice’s ‘A’ rating is a direct result of the hard work and dedication of all our staff, volunteers, Deacons, sponsors, donors and our partners in the developing world. This is an accomplishment of which we can all be very proud,” says Father Patrick Cosgrove, President & CEO of Chalice. “We give thanks to everyone who is part of the Chalice family. The ongoing support and generosity here in Nova Scotia and across Canada is what makes a positive change in the lives of those in need. This is a time to celebrate our past and present achievements, as Canadians discover the importance and value of sponsorship among the many other programs and initiatives unique to Chalice. Creating and nurturing caring relationships of life and love are

essential in giving more people hope for a brighter future.” With $15.8 million spent directly on programs Chalice provided nutrition, education and shelter to over 45,000 children and elderly; supported 3,100 families after the Haiti and Chile earthquakes; and supported 38 community projects. Partnerships overseas were also strengthened through the coordination of 68 workshops while $590,000 was distributed from gift catalogue sales for essential community needs. Chalice is a Nova Scotian charity that supports community initiatives in developing countries through the sponsorship of children and elderly in need.

"Chalice is the best charity going. Everyone should sponsor a child through Chalice! Of all the charities in Canada, it has the lowest overhead and administrative costs, which means the highest possible percentage of each donated dollar goes directly to those in need. Founded and based in Nova Scotia, Chalice has sponsorship sites all around the world,” says Carol Bruneau, Nova Scotian author and Chalice supporter. Submitted by: Kyle Turner Ph: (902) 252-3911 (ext. 234) C: (902) 221-0721 [email protected]

There is no shortage of youth that want to make a difference in life. The key is to give them the necessary tools to help them reach their potential. Fortunately, Canadians have access to a program that helps youth do just that. Since 1977, the Katimavik program has over 30 000 alumni from across the country. Their mission is to engage youth in volunteer service and foster sustainable communities through challenging national youth service programs. Jon Kinsley, a 2009 Katimavik volunteer from Fredericton NB, thinks back on his experience with Katimavik. “Katimavik prepared me for what was going happen next,” said Jon, “I always dreamed of travelling to different places around the world but felt uneasy about going out on my own for the first time in a foreign country. I got life experience that I would never have gotten in a class room and I gained the confidence I needed to prepare me for my future projects.” During his experience with the program, Jon volunteered full time with several not-for-profit organizations in Kamloops BC, Cochrane ON, and St-Boniface MB. He then went on to participate in the Canada World Youth program where he travelled to Gracias Lempira, Honduras and he worked for an organization that helped install stoves with chimneys so that the houses did not get engulfed with smoke. Jon is now one of 35 students accepted in Capilano University’s Global Stewardship Program which aims at training youth to make a difference as a global citizen. He thanks Katimavik for kick starting his career as a global citizen. “My volunteer work with Katimavik along with the experience I had with the learning program helped shape the person I am today”. Today, more than ever, the gap year is gaining popularity in many countries including Canada. It is a common thing to do for youth in Australia and certain countries in Europe. Katimavik offers a six month experience where your time is filled with volunteering, workshops within a structured learning program, group living, and community integration/sustainability projects which all aim at empowering youth. It is a “gap year” well spent. Daniel Lapointe, Chief Executive Officer of Katimavik, is proud to be heading a program that helps change lives of Canadian youth and set them on the right track. “As Canadians, we are lucky that we have a program that trains youth at becoming leaders in community development,” says Daniel, “The program is accessible to all Canadian youths and provides the skills and confidence needed for them to become active citizens locally, nationally, and globally”. In our 2011-2012 year, Katimavik will be in 53 Canadian communities, including ones in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Labrador where 1044 volunteers from across the country will be making a difference by giving their time to not-for-profit organizations while participating in Katimavik’s learning program. Katimavik recruits volunteers all year long. For more information, please visit www.katimavik.org. Submitted by: Mathieu Foran, Communications and Development Officer 1 888 525 1503 (2404) // 514-871-2043 (2404) // [email protected]

A Kick Start to Becoming an Active Global Citizen

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http://www.katimavik.org/

PEI resident Marian White of CUSO-VSO became the first recipient of the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation’s Shirley Case Leadership Award in recognition of White’s contribution as a global citizen. This award, which is to be presented annually, was created to honour the memory of Shirley Case, an international youth intern who worked with ACIC. In 2008, Shirley Case was later killed while working with the International Rescue Committee in Afghanistan. “It is an honour to have the faith of my colleagues at the Atlantic Council for International Development,” says White. “Thank you for the privilege of this award in memory of Shirley Case, which I dedicate to the thousands of civilians, like Shirley, who have been killed in the two wars that Canada now fights in Afghanistan and Libya.” White is the Public Engagement Officer at CUSO-VSO and has been active in Atlantic Canada’s international cooperation sector for more than 30 years. She has made large contributions to organizations such as CUSO-VSO, CUPE Global Justice Committee, El Salvador Information Group, the Island Peace Committee and ACIC. White was instrumental in recruiting and sending Atlantic Canadian volunteers on overseas trips. White’s dedication to these organizations and causes showcase why she is the perfect fit to receive the inaugural award. In 2008, the ACIC board of directors decided it was important to instill Shirley Case’s memory with this annual award. Jennifer Sloot, ACIC’s executive director, says, “Shirley was such a bright and enthusiastic intern, who gave a lot back to the Atlantic Canadian international cooperation sector. She had a passion for changing the world, which was evident in her dedication to be put in harm’s way. We’re glad we can honour Shirley and keep her legacy alive with this annual award.” The Atlantic Council for International Cooperation (ACIC) is a rich and vibrant coalition; made up of more than 70 members and organizations working in the

Atlantic region. We are committed to achieving global sustainability in a peaceful and healthy environment, with social justice, human dignity and participation for all. ACIC also takes a leadership role in engaging Atlantic Canadians around issues related to international development, global sustainability and social justice. Through our public engagement work, we strive to give Atlantic Canadians the knowledge, skills and tools to become active global citizens. Visit our website for more details: www.acic-caci.org.

CUSO-VSO’s Marian White Wins Global Leadership Award


Maureen MacLean presents Marian White with the Shirley Case Leadership Award in recognition

of White’s contribution as a global citizen

http://www.acic-caci.org

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ACIC Welcomes The Following New Members


Clare Levin from Halifax, NS Clare Levin is a Research Consultant with Research Power Inc. (RPI). In her role at RPI, Clare is involved in evaluation, policy and program development, research, and facilitation and training, primarily in areas related to health. Prior to working for RPI, Clare worked for several Halifax-based NGOs, including Genuine Progress Index Atlantic, Peaceful Schools International, and the Atlantic Canada Sustainability Initiative, as well as for the Bank of Canada. She is a past Chair of the Oxfam Maritimes Regional Steering Committee and she sat on the Sustainable Education in Nova Scotia for Everyone Steering Committee. Through her work experience in the non-profit, public and private sectors, Clare has participated in research, evaluation, project management, and program and policy development in a number of areas including health, economics, education, and sustainable development. Clare has an MA in International Affairs from Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and a BA (Double Honours) in History and Economics from the University of Manitoba. Robin Campbell from Kentville, NS Robin Campbell is an Assistant Development Officer with Paradigm Shift Project, a volunteer recruitment and management Board Member with Give a Heart to Africa, a Promotional Representative with Youth Challenge International and a member of Recreation Nova Scotia. She brings to ACIC her experience in grant researching and writing, and membership and volunteer recruitment; interest in art as a tool in development, developing community art projects for international and local community development; and leadership, teamwork, research and facilitation skills. Robin is beginning her Master’s at Acadia University with a concentration in International Community Development and would like to be involved with more organizations in this area that have a home office in the Atlantic Region.

Lisa Lachance from Halifax, NS Lisa Lachance completed two degrees at Dalhousie University (BA in International Development Studies and a Masters in Public Administration), and her partner is a Halifax native. Thus, in 2008, she returned

to a familiar Halifax after nearly a decade in Ottawa, where she worked for the federal government. Her areas of focus have included policy development and implementation; strategic and operational planning and implementation; Results Based Management; risk management; and budget development. At CIDA, she worked on child rights and child participation in the Americas region and also implemented corporate child protection policies; managed environmental projects in the Americas region, and worked on strategic policy issues. She has also spent time at the Privy Council Office. Upon her return to Halifax, she joined the Nova Scotia government as Director, Policy and Planning for the Nova Scotia Department of Finance. Over the past year and a half, she has balanced full time parenting during the day and work as a part time consultant at night. She is a member of the Just Governance Group (JGG), a network of consultants that is based in Ottawa and has an equal focus on knowledge building and sharing and consulting. To date, her consulting clients have included Canadian non-governmental organizations and the Global Health Office at Dalhousie University. She has developed proposals for neonatal, child and maternal health in West and East Africa; proposals for the Canadian Institute of Health Research and facilitated strategic planning. Lisa is currently researching how to build child protection systems in Sub-Saharan African fragile states for UNICEF, and working as part of a JGG team to provide gender advisory services in criminal justice to the Canadian Department of Justice in the implementation of the Sharaka project with the Public Prosecution Office in Palestine. The JGG project will support the development of a gender equality strategy and also monitor and report on gender-based violence and other issues facing Palestinian women in the criminal justice sector. In addition, Lisa sits on the Board of Bryony House, is on the fundraising committee of Supportive Housing for Young Mothers, and supports the work of Breaking the Silence. In the past, her other community work has included LGBT rights organizations as the President of Egale Canada and the Lambda foundation, and she served on the Board of the Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre. Her volunteer work, has focused on

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organizational development and capacity building in policy, Board governance, diversity management, and fundraising. Wheatley River Improvement Group of Hunter River, Prince Edward Island The goal of the Wheatley River Improvement Group (WRIG) is to restore the environmental quality of the watershed and to enhance the diversity of plants and animals contained within it, for the social and economic well-being of people who live and work in the area and for those who benefit from its natural resources. Protection of the environment will remain at the forefront of the activities of the organization. WRIG has, for the most part, focused on environmental issues locally, and in collaboration with other watershed groups, provincially. However, it has also in recent years become more aware of the need to place what is happening on a local level in the context of global environmental issues. To that end, the group has partnered with Farmers Helping Farmers on World Water Day in a public engagement event with local schools and has included activities and information about global issues in its public presentations and meetings. This would include film screenings about water conservation, discussions regarding sustainable

agriculture and Water Wizard presentations in local schools in partnership with the Sierra Club. New Brunswick Environmental Network of Waterford, NB NBEN’s mission is to encourage and facilitate networking and communication among member groups in order to advance their work, to protect the Earth, to promote ecologically sound ways of life and to strengthen the environmental movement in New Brunswick. A few of our members (e.g. Falls Brook Centre) are very active in international cooperation. Our role is one of networking and facilitating, helping these and other groups share information and work together on issues of common interest. NBEN will contribute to ACIC by assisting in disseminating information about internships or other opportunities through our network of 90+ environmental groups in New Brunswick, where feasible.

Meet The New Faces of ACIC’s Board of Directors

Louise Webb, MI International (St. John’s, NL) Newfoundland and Labrador Representative, Secretary Louise Webb obtained a Diploma in General Business and is presently completing her Bachelor of Arts in Russian Language and Literature. She has worked as an Administrative Secretary with Memorial University of Newfoundland since 1983. During this time she has worked in the following divisions: Extension Services (College of Fisheries campus), MI International (Marine Institute campus), Department of German and Russian (Main Campus) and President’s Office (Main Campus). Previously, Louise was employed as the Executive Administrator of COPE (Committee of Original People’s Entitlement) in Inuvik, NWT in 1976. COPE was a native organization working with the Berger Inquiry of the Western Arctic. Louise was a CUSO volunteer from 1968 – 1975. She worked in the following placements in Africa: Administrative Assistant, Juba, Sudan, Africa (1974-1975); Administrative Assistant Gaborone,

Botswana, Africa, (1973-1974); Teacher, Business Education, Ada Foah, Ghana, West Africa (1968-1970) Louise Webb travelled to St. Petersburg, Russia as a student with the Department of German and Russian. She attended summer school in the summers of 1998 and 2000. Louise has travelled to Malawi during March 2007; November 2009 and February 2011 with the MI International project – AUCC Malawi Project – Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security. Her professional development courses are as follows: Drug and Alcohol Counselling Course (1977); ACCC - Result Based Management Workshop (1998); Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Seminary (2002); Certificate of Workplace Communications for Administrative Professionals (2005); Auditor – ISO 9001 (2005 – 2011). Louise has also been Chair of Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Sexual Harassment Board from 2000-2010. She is new to the ACIC board this year.

Meet The New Faces of ACIC’s Board of Directors (cont’d)


Della Webster, CUSO-VSO (Glenwood, NB) - Member-at-Large Della Webster, a retired teacher and school administrator from Glenwood, New Brunswick. She has experience living and working in a number of jurisdictions in Canada and the UK. From January to mid July, 2010, Della was a CUSO-VSO volunteer in Choibalsan, Mongolia. Her placement involved working with supervisors, principals and teachers at the Dornod Education and Culture Centre. The main goal of the placement was to have a Skills-Based Curriculum implemented in the schools in Dornod Province. During her stay in Mongolia, Della became involved in a number of humanitarian initiatives. She was introduced to 10 severely disadvantaged families who were living in a derelict building 10 kms outside of Choibalsan. They had been given land by a local farmer but they did not have the money to buy seeds etc. to plant a garden. Through the help of friends, family, the NSCC (Kentville) and St. Thomas University, she was able to obtain enough Canadian seeds so that the 10 families, the local orphanage, the Disabled Children’s Parent group,and all 38 kindergartens in Dornod province were able to plant gardens. As well, she met a 12 year old boy by the name of Baasanjav who had lost his right leg to cancer when he was 5 years old. His family lived in the Ger district and was extremely poor. They could not afford to buy a prosthesis as Baasanjav’s father was disabled and his mother worked as a waitress at a local restaurant. Again with help from friends and using her own finances, Della was able to obtain a prosthesis for Bassanjav, who now walks easily. Della has been volunteering most of her life. Presently, she is doing advocacy work for CUSO-VSO in the Saint John area, as well as tutoring for READ Saint John. Being an outdoor enthusiast, Della loves to hike, swim, ski, snowshoe and garden. Her most favourite hobby that she can indulge in at any time of the day, month or year is reading-novels, magazines, poetry, the newspaper, or whatever she can get her hands on! Maryanne Nduati, SMU (Halifax, NS) - Member-at-Large Maryanne Nduati is a Project Manager with Saint Mary’s University International Activities office in

Halifax, NS. Maryanne joined SMU’s International Activities Office as a Project Manager in May 2010. Her role is to coordinate and manage the Students for Development (SFD) and CIDA’s IYIP internships programs. Maryanne is also responsible for managing the group training program and works in conjunction with various departments at Saint Mary’s. Prior to this position, Maryanne interned and worked with the Ecology Action Centre, an environmental organization in Halifax, as a Pace Car Program officer. Her role involved promoting the Pace Car program to communities and schools in Nova Scotia and assisting in launching and evaluating the program. Maryanne also worked with Saint Mary’s International Activities office on the Citizen Science: Towards Global Environmental Sustainability project as a Public Engagement Assistant. Maryanne is originally from Kenya and moved to Halifax, NS to pursue her studies. Maryanne has a BA in International Development Studies. Anne Marie Lewis, Centre for Nursing Studies, (St. John’s, NL) - Member-at-Large Anne Marie Lewis, an RN MN in St. John’s, NL. She has been a member of the ACIC Income Diversification Committee since 2009 and has attended several networking sessions and the AGM in 2010/11. Anne Marie has been in nursing for 27 years, working as a Nurse Educator at the Centre for Nursing Studies in St. John’s, NL for the past 11 years. She has a strong desire to make a contribution in the area of international development. She teaches in the area of Health Promotion with a strong emphasis on population health, primary health care, the determinants of health, international health promotion, and the Millennium Development Goals. On a personal level, she is a member of Oxfam and Make Poverty History, and has participated in various campaigns on both a personal and political level. Anne Marie frequents local businesses that support fair trade and the environment. As well, she has learned a lot from her daughter’s experience as an intern with CUSO-VSO in Peru in 2008. She is committed to the ACIC mission of achieving global sustainability in a peaceful and healthy environment.

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Join Our Committees—Have Your Say!

Finance Committee - Andrea MacDonald, Chair To review ACIC financial matters and make recommendations to the Board on revenues, expenditures, and accountability. To explain finances and expenditures to the Annual General Meeting and to the Board during conference calls or other meetings. To review and propose new budgets and budget changes. To advise on general administration and management questions which have a bearing on financial matters. To propose membership fee changes to the Board after consulting with other appropriate Committees. To foresee medium and long-term planning strategy in order to be less dependent on CIDA funding. To maintain relations with the auditor and serve as a link between the auditor and the Board.

Membership Committee - Louise Webb, Chair

To develop and implement strategies for bringing in new members. To review applications for membership and recommend new members to the Board. To report on these actions to the Board and the Annual General Meeting. To review current policies on membership types and examine potential policies to bring in individual members and other membership categories. To solicit nominations to the Board of Directors prior to the Annual General Meeting, and in the case of a Board Member retiring early.

Ethics Committee - Leo Cheverie and Della Webbster, Co-Chairs

To review ACIC's current Code of Ethics and recommend changes as required. To develop self-assessment processes for compliance with the Code of Ethics. To report annually on these actions to the Board and the Annual General Meeting. To report and make recommendations to the Board and the Annual General Meeting.

Evaluation Committee - Maryanne Nduati, Chair To develop and implement a monitoring and evaluation framework for measuring ACIC's work. To prioritize areas in which data will be collected. To work with members to gather data. To synthesize and analyse data and articulate results to members and other stakeholders. To develop a plan for furthering ACIC's work based on the results of the evaluation.

Income Diversification Committee - Anne Marie Lewis, Chair

To foresee mid- and long-term planning strategies in order to be less dependent on CIDA funding. To strengthen relationships between ACIC and the Provincial governments. To seek out diverse funding avenues for ACIC.

Program Committee - Silke Klanke, Chair

Solicit ideas from members for the development of potential programs and their implementation, which emphasize social justice, global education and community development. Screen program requests from members and outside individuals and agencies to ensure they meet the goals and objectives of ACIC. Write, in collaboration with the Executive Director of ACIC and the Board of Directors, proposals to support program implementation. Seek partners to work on program ideas and work cooperatively to find financial support to see the ideas implemented. Work with the Board of Directors and the Executive Director to determine program and education themes; prepare budgets for the cost of program implementation - within the guidelines of the Three-Year Strategic Plan. Recruit volunteers with expertise to assist the Program Committee in the development and implementation of new programs. Monitor and evaluate program/project results and impacts, to assess if desired outcomes are met and that they meet the objectives of ACIC. Results should be used toward program planning. To report and make recommendations to the Board and the Annual General Meeting.

ACIC Committees (cont’d)


Personnel and Policy Committee - Hugh Landry, Chair

To review the current ACIC’s current Policy Document and recommend changes as required. To report annually on these actions to the Board and the Annual General Meeting. To report and make recommendations to the Board and the Annual General Meeting. All issues and policies regarding the Atlantic Council for International Co-operation personnel are discussed at this committee. The hiring of any new personnel, staff or contract, is reviewed by the committee.

This committee discusses and establishes the salary of the Executive Director. The committee will set up in consultation with the Executive Director an annual review process prior to the contract anniversary date. The committee will review the work plan of the executive at least bi annually or more frequently if major changes occur. The committee will monitor the relations ship with FBC (our southern partner) as it relates to requirements on the Executive Director’s time. The committee each year reviews employee benefits.

ACIC – Making Connections, Learning and Growing Together

Summertime certainly hasn’t slowed us down when it comes to ACIC networking meetings. By the time this newsletter is published, ACIC will have held four networking events for ACIC members! With the diligent work of our summer intern Ailish, ACIC members and others working for global social justice will have met in Fredericton, NB for a “Development Drinks” event and in Saint John, NB and Halifax, NS for networking lunches. As well, the strong ACIC membership in PEI has continued with regular networking breakfasts – the most recent of which was held in Charlottetown in June. As we enter August, our planning has begun for fall opportunities to make connections and share ideas amongst ACIC members and others working in the sector across all four provinces. We anticipate a meeting will occur in St. John’s at the beginning of the university calendar year, to coincide with the work of many of our Newfoundland members’. Finally, as we move into the detailed planning for the rest of the year, we are seeking input from members regarding their professional development needs. To this end, we have been reaching out to members to participate in conference calls or meetings to discuss the topics, facilitators and dates that work best in each province. It is our hope that through a participatory

process, the timing and content of the training we provide will be as relevant and as accessible as possible to all of our members. As always, there are funds available to members to travel to any other provincial professional development workshops. If you would like more information about any of our networking opportunities or would like to be part of our participatory needs assessment, please contact Rena Kulczcyki at [email protected].

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This year marks the 6th annual MOVE YOUR WORLD – Global Issues Youth Symposium, hosted by the ACIC in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross. As this newsletter hits the press, the coordination team made up of two part-time paid coordinators (Rena Kulczycki on behalf of the ACIC and Kalina McCaul on behalf of the Canadian Red Cross) and six volunteers have just completed their training, planning and teambuilding weekend. As planning for our youth conference intensifies, and participant applications begin to roll in, we are reminded of the scope and reach of this event and what a wonderful opportunity this is to highlight the work of our ACIC member organizations. Over the past 5 years, over 200 youth have participated in the Move Your World phenomenon, learning about global issues and how they can be active global citizens in workshops using experiential education techniques and youth-friendly materials. These young people have left our conference better informed and equipped to make change for greater global social justice, within their home communities and beyond.

Youth participants come from all 4 Atlantic Provinces, and although we do our best to impart a wide scope of the issues we address in our sector, with only 4 days, 2 coordinators and 5 volunteers it is a challenge to satisfy the curiosity and energy these young people bring. In our hopes to bring the best we can offer to our conference attendees, we are looking to our membership to help! We sincerely hope you will see this opportunity as valuable and can work with us to share your ideas, work and passion with these youth. To that end we are offering two possible avenues for your participation: Join us at the conference to facilitate your youth- friendly workshops or presentations, or send us your youth-friendly workshops or materials and we’ll do our best to present the workshop ourselves or highlight your work in some way. If either of these options appeal to you, please contact Rena at [email protected] so we can work together to make it happen.

Move Your World – Call For Participation And Presentations!

Over the past 50 years over 15,000 Canadians have volunteered overseas with CUSO or VSO and almost 1000 of those volunteers were Maritimers. We are celebrating our 50th anniversary by honouring volunteers at events across the country. In P.E.I. we are hosting the "50th Golden Gala" fundraising dinner on Friday, September 23rd at Culinary Institute in Charlottetown. In New Brunswick we are celebrating the "50th Panel and Potluck" on Saturday, October 1st

at the Curling Club in Sackville, NB. In Nova Scotia there will be a the "50th Anniversary Celebration" on Saturday, November 5th at Unitarian Church on Inglis St. in Halifax. In Newfoundland- Labrador the "50th Anniversary Celebration" is on Saturday, December 3rd at The Kirk in downtown St. John's. If you would like to learn more about any of these events or know of any former CUSO-VSO volunteers please email [email protected] or call 1 800 676-8411.

Happy 50th Birthday CUSO-VSO!


Andrea MacDonald Andrea Papan Canada World Youth/

Jeunesse Canada Monde Canadian Co-operative Association Canadian Crossroads International Canadian Executive Service Organization Canadian Red Cross Catherine Ronahan CAUSE Canada Centre for Nursing Studies, International Chalice Canada Clare Levin Coady International Institute College of the North Atlantic,

International Programs Office Community Forests International Conservation Council of New Brunswick Convergence Consulting Solutions

Atlantic Cooper Institute Council of Canadians Cristian Suteanu Crystal Baird CUPE - GJC - NB CUPE - GJC - NL CUPE - GJC - NS CUPE - GJC - PEI CUPE Global Justice Committee CUSO-VSO David Cotton Development and Peace (CCODP) Donald Fraser Falls Brook Centre Farmers Helping Farmers GPI Atlantic

Heartwood Centre for Community Youth Development

Holly Langille Institute of Island Studies, UPEI International Health Office, Dalhousie Joanne Marshall-Forgie JustUs! Development & Education Society Katimavik Lisa Lachance Mary Rigby MI International, Marine Institute Mikinduri Children of Hope Mount Allison University New Brunswick Environmental Network Newfoundland-Labrador Federation

of Co-operatives Nova Scotia Agricultural College Nova Scotia Environmental Network Nova Scotia-Gambia Association NSPIRG Peaceful Schools International Research and Development International Robin Campbell Salutary Angels/Les Anges Bienfaisents Sarah Mills Shanta Neupane Sierra Club of Canada - Atlantic Canada SMU - International Activities Office Tatamagouche Centre The United Church of Canada Maritime UNB—Fredericton UNB— Saint John Wheatley River Improvement Group World University Service of Canada YMCA East - Management

Resource Centre

A T L A N T I C C O U N C I L F O R I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O O P E R A T I O N C O N S E I L A T L A N T I Q U E P O U R L A C O O P É R A T I O N

Ph/Tél: (902) 431-2311 // Fax/Téléc: (902) 431-2311 [email protected] // www.acic-caci.org

The views expressed by the publication are not

necessarily those of ACIC or its members. R

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SUMMER 2011

ACIC Members

If you’re a Member and would like to contribute to our next newsletter, please email [email protected].

ACIC - Rendez-Vous - Summer 2011 Newsletter

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Transcript of ACIC - Rendez-Vous - Summer 2011 Newsletter