visions ny conference program
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Visions NY Conference ProgramTRANSCRIPT
Visions Presents…
2008 SRI LANKA YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
CONFERENCE:Education, Health & Development in Sri
Lanka
A Conference to share ideas and projects, and to gain insight into how best to enact positive change for
those in need in Sri Lanka.
Featuring presentations by Visions, Operation USA, IMHO, PEARL, and Sarvodaya USA
Sunday, May 25, 20089:00am-3:00pm
Columbia UniversityNew York City, NY
TODAY’S PROGRAM9:00-9:10
Welcome—Greg Buie (Visions)
9:10-9:30Icebreakers & Introductions
9:30-9:55Introduction to Current Affairs in Sri Lanka—Mythri Jegathesan
9:55-10:20NGO Work & Relief/Development in Sri Lanka—Nimmi Gowrinathan
(Operation USA)10:20-10:35
Video Clips (“In the Hot Zone”)
10:35-10:45Morning Break10:45-11:15
Visions’ Efforts in Education—Greg Buie (Visions)11:15-11:30
Visions’ Efforts in Health Education—Anjana Pathmarajah (Visions)11:30-12:00
IMHO’s Efforts in Health— Dr. Sujanthy Rajaram (IMHO)12:00-1:00
Lunch 1:00-1:30
PEARL’s Efforts in Human Rights Advocacy—Tasha Manoranjan & Brintha Jeyalingam (PEARL)
1:30-1:55Service Project: Leadership & Ethics Activity
1:55-2:20Sarvodaya’s Efforts in Community Development—Michael Trainer (Sarvodaya
USA)2:20-2:40Jeopardy
2:40-3:00Question & Answer Session
Closing
MAP OF SRI LANKA
SOME IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN SRI LANKA TODAY:
It is estimated that 75,000+ persons have lost their lives in the conflict An estimated 10,000+ persons have been killed since the 2002
ceasefire (4,000 of which occurred since mid-2006 when the fighting was renewed)
There are roughly between 520,000 and 700,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs)/refugees within Sri Lanka at this moment
Millions of persons have been displaced by the conflict over the years, with an estimated 1-2 million that have migrated abroad
300,000+ youth have been displaced by the violence, with an estimated 1 million+ youth directly affected by war within the Northeast
Over 700,000 landmines are still unaccounted for, with new ones being laid all the time
Over 80% of persons in the Northeast live below the poverty line (survive on less than $1/day)
It is estimated that there are over 70,000 orphans in Sri Lanka, with the vast majority being from the North and East
Half a million people in Jaffna peninsula have been cut off from the rest of the island with insufficient food and medicine for more than one year
1,212 people either disappeared or were killed in the first eight months of 2007
43 aid workers killed in the past two years, including three Red Cross workers; 14 aid workers missing
Ongoing recruitment and abduction of children, direct attacks against civilians and impeded access to humanitarian actors
“As long as this situation remains, life will remain a nightmare for all civilians in the country”
**Information taken from the UN (UNHCR, UNICEF), Amnesty International, the PEARL website (www.pearlaction.org) and personal research
SERVICE PROJECT: Sharing Your Views with Visions Youth
Each year Visions works with youth from all over Sri Lanka and/or Kenya for the annual Visions Leadership & Empowerment Camps. This year we will be working with an additional 220 youth and a handful of local teachers across Sri Lanka and Kenya to help improve their leadership skills and personal confidence, give them greater direction in life, and provide
them with a rare opportunity to enjoy themselves and have fun interacting with foreign and local volunteers.
Since the emphasis of the camps is on developing personal leadership skills and showing youth how they can becoming a positive force in the world, we are asking you to share with them your personal views on leadership, ethics, and success. Please take a minute to reflect on the following questions and provide a written answer in just 1 or 2 sentences. We will then ask you to repeat your answers on camera. All responses will be taped and shown to youth in both Sri Lanka and Kenya this summer to help them develop their own ideas of what ‘leadership’, ‘ethics’, and ‘success’ are and how they can best embrace those ideas. This international perspective should serve to not only broaden their understanding or view of these concepts, but also might very well inspire them.
1. How do you define ‘leadership’? What makes for a good leader?
2. How do you define ‘ethics’? What are good ethics?
3. How do you define ‘success’? What makes for a successful person/life?
ABOUT VISIONS
Our Mission
Visions is a global nonprofit organization that seeks to educate, uplift, and empower disadvantaged youth and communities globally by providing academic and professional assistance through training in English, IT, and Leadership Skills. We work with underprivileged young people, teachers, and others in developing countries toward enabling them to become self-sufficient, leadership-oriented, and capable of participating in a global economy. We strive to uplift those who are less fortunate through education by creating opportunities and facilitating a worldwide exchange of
knowledge, experiences, and talents. Currently Visions has operations in Sri Lanka and Kenya.
Efforts
Over the last 5 years, Visions has successfully held 10 Visions Leadership Camps in Sri Lanka (8) and Kenya (2), put several young girls and boys on scholarship, supported schools and children’s homes across Sri Lanka, and provided general community and organizational support to those actively seeking to better their society. We are currently working on a number of larger efforts including:
The Kalagam Visions Learning Centre in Colombo Effective English Teaching Program Professional Assistance Initiative Scholarship Program St. John’s IT Institutes in Jaffna & Colombo
Contact
Visions1621 Barry Ave. #PH1Los Angeles, CA 90025
www.visionsforthefuture.orgwww.visionseducation.blogspot.com
ABOUT OPERATION USA
Mission
Operation USA helps communities alleviate the effects of disasters, disease and endemic poverty throughout the world by providing privately-funded relief, reconstruction and development aid. We provide material and financial assistance to grassroots organizations that promote sustainable development, leadership and capacity building, income generating activities, provide education and health services, and advocate on behalf of vulnerable people.
EffortsDomestic & International Emergency ReliefOperation USA has experienced that, instantaneously, a family, community and entire nation can be devastated and be faced with unprecedented challenges. To mitigate the immediate effects of such
tragedies, Operation USA rapidly and expertly provides on-the-ground aid by sending vital life-saving supplies and cash grants to assist communities in rebuilding. Partnering with grassroots organizations, Operation USA specializes in reaching vulnerable populations who are in the greatest need, yet who are often ignored by governments and larger aid organizations.
Rapid Relief Recovery & Rebuilding Long-Term Development
Domestic Community Building
In-Kind Donations & Shipments
Contact
3617 Hayden Avenue, Suite ACulver City, California 90232
www.opusa.orgEmail: [email protected]
Phone: 310.838.3455Toll free: 800.678.7255
ABOUT IMHO (International Medical Health Organization)
Mission
IMHO USA helps to develop and improve the health care infrastructure throughout the world by focusing on one community at a time and one nation at a time. We improve the health of those communities where help is most needed by:
Assessing the health needs Highlighting the state of health
Channeling resources to meet the identified needs
Facilitating the education and training of health care professionals
Partnering with grass roots organizations and international NGOs
Efforts
IMHO believes that an emphasis on Primary Health Care (PHC) is essential to improving the physical, mental and social wellbeing for individuals and community. It is the only viable alternative to the more costly traditional emphasis on acute care services.
The hallmark of PHC is community-based and community-supported health workers who provide essential health promotion, health education, disease prevention and curative services. IMHO programs are dedicated to enhancing PHC delivery in war-torn areas of Sri Lanka. Our organization has effectively addressed the essential health care needs of vulnerable persons and communities through the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the PHC infrastructure and systems. IMHO efforts have successfully enhanced the quality of health care service delivery through appropriate technological advancements and by encouraging community participation and capacity to promote self-reliance and encourage socioeconomic development.
Contact
International Medical Health OrganizationP.O. Box 901,Bel Air,MD 21014-0901 Phone: (718) 667-3535Fax: (718) 667-3536Email: [email protected]
ABOUT PEARL (People for Equality And Relief in Lanka)
About
People for Equality And Relief in Lanka (PEARL) is an advocacy group composed of over 1,800 Americans concerned about the crisis in Sri Lanka. PEARL was formed in 2005 after a handful of volunteers worked in Sri Lanka and was exposed firsthand to the egregious human rights violations there. PEARL is dedicated to promoting a fair and balanced perspective of the conflict in Sri Lanka, providing U.S. policymakers with the often-obscured truth of the situation there, organizing constituents to foster positive change, and inspiring political courage in the midst of human rights atrocities in Sri Lanka. PEARL members come from all corners of the United States, and have each been impelled to action both by personal experiences in Sri Lanka and by stories of bravery in the face of danger, persistence in the face of hardship, resolve in the face of deprivation, and determination in the face of brutal racism.
Efforts
PEARL's primary advocacy tool, the Action Alert, is an email message that is forwarded to thousands of Americans around the country. The recipients send these messages, usually concerning human rights violations, to their respective Congressional representatives. Action Alerts are issued roughly
every two weeks, and are a mechanism by which our elected officials are kept aware of the plight of civilians in Sri Lanka. Regularly forwarding Action Alerts to your representatives serves as a constant reminder for them to maintain a constructive stance towards Sri Lanka. PEARL also organizes biannual Lobby Days in which concerned activists from around the country converge upon Washington DC to inform their Congress Members about the situation in Sri Lanka.
Contact
P.O. Box 292Glenn Dale, Maryland 20769
www.pearlaction.org
ABOUT SARVODAYA USA
Mission
The mission of Sarvodaya USA is to learn from and support the work of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement of Sri Lanka and worldwide, and to facilitate the application of the Movement's holistic community development vision and philosophy in the United States. To do so, we:
Educate ourselves and others to more just and spiritual ways of being in the world;
Build participatory social and economic institutions based on joy, compassion, cooperation, nonviolence and respect for nature;
Facilitate the development of the human potential for the spiritual, mental and physical well-being of all;
Marshall resources in support of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement; and Replicate this model of individual and community empowerment both nationally and internationally.
Efforts
Tsunami Support Peace Initiatives Village to Village Community Tourism Social Services Nepal Programs Education & Outreach
Contact
122 State StreetSuite 510Madison, WI 53703
www.sarvodayausa.org
Have you found success?Would you like to help others achieve it too?
www.visionsforthefuture.org
Visions is a nonprofit charitable organization (501(c)(3) status pending) that aims to educate and empower orphaned and disadvantaged youth in Sri Lanka and Kenya.
Visions hopes to train these young people on how to become community leaders, while creating awareness, leadership and a sense of global citizenship. Our mission is to educate, uplift, and empower disadvantaged youth and communities globally by providing academic & professional assistance through training in English, IT, and
Leadership Skills.
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