'Please chicken my doorknob' this week

a news release from Waterloo International

A tostonera, or plantain press (left), was just one of the international items in a game of “Guess what it is” played at Renison University College during International Education Week (IEW) in 2007. If you missed last year’s display, you’ll have a chance to play this game, learn what “Please chicken my doorknob” means, and much more during International Education Week 2008, November 17-21.

Observance of the week began in the U.S. in 2000 and has now spread to more than 100 countries. The week is packed with events to celebrate and draw attention to the many dimensions of international education and its importance for UW and Canada. Whether you are a student, staff member or faculty member, International Education Week provides information about the many ways in which you can get involved in global education and is an opportunity to discover how international education can enrich your life.

Today at noon, a panel of faculty members and graduate students involved in international research projects in various countries will discuss how to undertake an international research project. This session in the Tatham Centre, room 2218, will be of special interest to students and faculty who would like to hear about international research projects and/or participate in international research activities.

Tuesday, learn about qualifications needed to teach English in Canada and internationally, and get tips on looking for quality teaching placements abroad in a “Teaching English Abroad Information Session”. You can also take in a film screening of "The Kite" and "Let the Wind Blow" in the evening at the Student Life Centre.

On Wednesday, Engineers Without Borders UW Chapter will present on their overseas programs and what they do to create impact in Africa and here at home in Canada. Junior Fellows who have worked in Africa on co-op terms will be present to tell you about their experiences. In another session, you can learn about the Students for Development Program funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. Funding allows students to work as interns with development projects overseas. A 2008 intern will share her experiences working in Barbados for the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency.

If you have ever considered learning another language, try attending “Please chicken my doorknob”, a multi-language lesson offered by Renison University College on Thursday. Some of the new words you learn might be of use at the evening film screenings of "The Bet Collector" and "Kept and Dreamless" at the Student Life Centre.

Friday showcases the talents of one of our own from the Office of Research, novelist Emmanuel Acheta as he reads from his novel, “Duel with a Dictator: An African Woman's Political Struggle” at noon in Needles Hall room 1101.

In addition, throughout the week St. Paul’s College will be serving international cuisine for lunch and information sessions for students who are interested in going on exchange will be hosted by the faculties. These are just a few highlights of the week’s activities. Check out the full schedule of events online.

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Most sustainable nation? Not Canada

from a news release by Alternatives Journal

"What nation is the most sustainable in the world?" asks Laurie Guevara-Stone in the latest issue of the UW-based Alternatives Journal. "If you guessed Sweden, Denmark or maybe Norway, you would be wrong," she continues.

It turns out that Cuba is the only nation on the planet that is approaching sustainable development. This communist country and home of Fidel Castro scores high enough on the United Nations Human Development Index (0.383), and has an ecological footprint (1,53 hectares per person) low enough for it to rate as the most sustainable nation in the world.

in "Viva La Revolución Energética," Guevara-Stone explains that the U.S. embargo and back-to-back hurricanes prompted the Cuban government to embark on an energy revolution in 2006 that has transformed this island nation of 11 million people. In two years, Cuba has reduced its consumption of gasoline by 80 per cent, its kerosene use by 34 per cent, and its LPG (liquified petroleum gas) intake by 34 per cent. Cubans have replaced almost two million inefficient refrigerators, over one million fans, 182,000 air conditioners and 260,000 water pumps with more efficient models, while substituting an astounding nine million compact fluorescent light bulbs for incandescents.

While Cuba compares favourably with Canada in terms of life expectancy, literacy and infant mortality, its ecological footprint is less than a quarter of ours. . . .

"Ideas Worth Stealing," Alternatives' latest double issue (above right), offers readers lessons from around the world on how to achieve environmental gains. From carbon trading in the European Union to wind energy in Germany and congestion fees in Britain, it looks at what our neighbours across the Atlantic have done to make their futures more sustainable.

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Award encourages women in theology

Susan Fish for Conrad Grebel University College

Vicky Roeder Martin and Lisa Carr Pries, Master of Theological Studies students at Conrad Grebel University College, were recently presented with the 2008 Women of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada Theological Studies Award. The award, funded by Women of MCEC and Grace Mennonite Church of St. Catharines, is given annually to female Mennonite students interested in a church-related vocation and “is an important way for the church and the academy to encourage women to prepare for leadership in the Mennonite church,” says Jim Pankratz, director of Graduate Theological Studies at Conrad Grebel University College.

Vicky Roeder Martin had recently started serving as a youth worker at Floradale Mennonite Church in September 2000 when she enrolled in the MTS program “to give me theological grounding for my work and to test this call to ministry.” Her studies in the ministry option have been part-time, alongside being licensed as a youth pastor at Floradale, serving as interim pastor while the pastor was on sabbatical, serving a two-year MCC term in Labrador, and having three children.

At this halfway point in her studies, Roeder Martin says, “For me, it has been wonderful to balance ministry work with studying. It has allowed me to test what I am learning and to bring 'relevant' questions to the classroom. I am grateful to be able to complete this degree in a way that fits my family life and I have genuinely appreciated my studies at Grebel — professors, staff and other students. The program is well worth it for anyone, not just those looking at ministry. It is a great way to deepen and challenge one's faith, which can ultimately be a gift to the broader Christian community.”

Roeder Martin says she had always felt drawn to ministry, but it wasn’t until several women identified gifts and encouraged her to explore them that she took the call to ministry more seriously. “I think this is how it should be: a person’s gifts of ministry need to be recognized and supported by a community.” She considers the Women of MCEC Award as a “huge encouragement” of support and recognition that her gifts are important to the church.

Lisa Carr Pries grew up in St. Jacobs, Ontario, attended Canadian Mennonite Bible College and worked for the Mennonite Church Manitoba (in the Camps with Meaning office) before serving as associate pastor of Charleswood Mennonite. After moving back to Ontario, she served her home congregation as a lay leader and interim pastor before beginning to serve as associate minister of spiritual formation at Waterloo North Mennonite.

After the birth of her third child, Carr Pries had a deep desire to renew her studies. She was particularly drawn to the new applied studies stream of Grebel’s MTS program where she could pursue her interest in Christian spiritual formation and how church leaders can help those “we walk alongside form a ‘thick faith’ — one that is grounded as they walk through life.” She says, “My studies at Grebel have proven to be of very practical help in my ministry with the people in the congregations. Probably most significant has been the passion that the professors exude as they teach their various subjects.”

Carr Pries says of the MTS program at Grebel. “It’s a wonderful place to bring your passions into open, lively conversations with others who are just as passionate about church, calling and having a vibrant, active relationship with the living Christ.”

The Master of Theological Studies program at Grebel is a two-year degree program of graduate study of Christianity from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective in an interdisciplinary, ecumenical and inter-religious setting, preparing students for advanced graduate studies, for careers in ministry, and for a deeper understanding of theology. About half of MTS graduates work in pastoral ministry; one-quarter have gone on to doctoral studies, and one-quarter are engaged in a variety of professions. MTS students choose one of three program options: applied studies, coursework, or thesis. Fulltime MTS students are eligible for full tuition scholarships.

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