UPEI celebrates tenth annual International Development Week
From Monday, February 7 to Friday, February 11, the University of Prince Edward Island will celebrate International Development Week (IDW), a national event held annually to increase Canadians' awareness of their country's role in international development and to educate them about life in developing countries.
For its tenth year, UPEI's IDW Planning Committee has chosen the theme of ‘Human Security: the Role of Global Citizenry to Achieve Collective Security, Peace, and Development'.
'We selected this theme because we'd like to communicate the message that individuals can play an essential role in the culture of peace,' says Dr. Christian Lacroix, Chair of the IDW Planning Committee. "By bringing attention to this issue, we hope to contribute to the progression of peace. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, ‘We must become the change we want to see.''
The Honourable Roméo Dallaire will speak to this year's theme at an on-campus public presentation and book signing on Friday, February 11 at 10:30 am in McDougall Hall, Room 242. He will also be the guest speaker for the annual International Development Week Luncheon taking place at the Rodd Royalty Inn at noon on the same day.
Senator Dallaire has had a distinguished career in the Canadian military, and since his retirement, has worked to bring an understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder to the general public. His current areas of interest lie in conflict resolution and the use of children as soldiers.
In his presentation, Dallaire will explore three provocative questions: 'In this new era of global communications and awareness, can the youth of leading developed nations influence policy and public opinion? Should having a pair of dirtied boots on the soil in an impoverished developing nation not be a rite of passage for Canadians into the adult world? Your peers are out there screaming in the dark for your support, why aren't you answering their call?'
Other events during the week include a photo exhibit, ‘Kandahar Through Afghan Eyes, 2010', with a guest speaker from Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. There will be a student symposium around the theme of conflict minerals, an ethical booth display, as well as a talk from the Director of the Canadian Bureau for International Education and a student presentation examining the intersection between education and international development.
As a 'warm up' to International Development Week, there will be a free showing of ‘Shake Hands with the Devil', starring Roy Dupuis as Roméo Dallaire on Thursday, February 3 at 4:30 pm in AVC Lecture Theatre A.
For a complete schedule of events, and to purchase tickets for the IDW Luncheon, click here or contact Suna Houghton at (902) 894-2842, shoughton@upei.ca.
