eNewsletter September 2011 . future.org . future.edu
FutureGenerations and
FutureGenerations Graduate School
40th Anniversary of Man and Biosphere Program Held in Lhasa,Tibet
On September 8, 2011 Future Generations China joined more than 100 of China's conservation officials and scholars in Lhasa, Tibet for the 40th Anniversary of the Man and the Biosphere program and the 13th Conference for China's Biosphere Reserves Network (CBRN). The 40th anniversary was hosted in Lhasa to recognize the impact of climate change on biosphere reserves and highlight the community-based management experience of the Qomolangma (Everest) National Nature Preserve, which was recognized as a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2004.
> Read the Full Article.
Aljazeera features Peruvian Women's Action Groups and Soccer Leagues
A Woman Leader, Juana
Estrada, trained by Future Generations Peru in maternal and child health, created a women's soccer league in rural Cusco that has the added benefit of bringing together older and younger women from remote villages to gain health knowledge and discuss shared challenges.
Empowered with new knowledge and educational materials, Juana teaches the women each week about health skills while they have fun and share common concerns.
Preserving Wetlands in the Mt. Everest Region of Tibet, China
By: Tsering Norbu
Across the high, dry plateau of the Qomolangma (Everest) National Nature Preserve, wetlands are valuable to both people and wildlife. In the interest of preserving local livelihoods and protecting wetlands, the Pendeba Society partners with villagers to reduce damage from livestock.
> Read the Full Article.
Special Note: The July edition of Monday Developments Magazine (<Click here to view the article) featured the Pendeba Society’s work in balancing development with environmental sustainability in the QNNP.
Dean Mike Rechlin and Faculty Member Tom Boothe compete in the Adirondack Canoe Classic
On September 9-11, Dean Mike Rechlin, and Future Generations Graduate School faculty member, Tom Boothe raced in the 29th annual Adirondack Canoe Classic. Known as the "90-Miler," the three-day stage race follows the old guide route from Old Forge, NY to Saranac lake. Racing in the Veteran's Two-Man Stock Canoe class, they joined over 250 other boats in the race. Both Mike and Tom are avid racers having competed in the race 15 times.
The Adirondack Canoe Classic celebrates an historical mode of transportation in the region — human-powered boats. The event highlights the importance of community: the paddlers, volunteers, fans, and the people in the nearby towns that are connected by the waterways, and the businesses supported by visitors to the waterways. This community has even written a song in its honor. For the last three years, the New York Marathon Canoe Racing Association has dubbed the Classic as "Race of the Year."
West Virginia Executive Magazine features Guyana and Broadband Program
"Going Back to Guyana"
By: Jason Calder
It was great to be back in Guyana again. This was probably my 20th trip to this English-speaking country of under a million people located on the northeast shoulder of South America. I have been visiting Guyana since the early 1990s when I was sent by former President Jimmy Carter to help the country's new government organize a dialogue with business associations, civil society groups and, ultimately, international donors on the future of the country's economic reform program.
> See the Full Article (Copyright West Virginia Executive 2011).
"State's First Responders: Closing the Digital Divide"
First responders across West Virginia are learning new computer skills to meet state reporting and certification requirements. To help in this process, the Future Generations Graduate School, based in Pendleton County, received a federal broadband grant to equip 60 volunteer fire departments with broadband computer centers. On July 20th, the program was recognized by Senator John Rockefeller (WV-R) at a press conference in Washington, D.C. for its innovations in bridging the digital divide.
> See the Full Article (Copyright West Virginia Executive 2011).
Incoming Students (Class of 2013) Learn with Haitian Communities
On the outskirts of Port Au Prince, Master’s candidate Sabina
Carlson has discovered strong social cohesion in Cite Soleil.
While Cite Soleil is known as one of the most impoverished
and dangerous communities in the Western Hemisphere,
Sabina said when she first entered the city, she “did not see the
bullet-hole sheet metal and gangsters that everyone described,
but a thriving rural community.”
Delphine Bedu works in Port Au Prince for GrassRoots United
as the community development coordinator. Even though
she was born in France, her Haitian community habitually
greets her with a friendly, “Bonswa Delphine” (good evening),
making her feel at home.
> Click to view the full article on Sabina and Delphine.
October Nepal Residential
In October, the Class of 2011 will join faculty in Nepal for the Term IV residential. Following the presentation of their two-year community research projects, they will graduate at ceremonies in Kathmandu. During the residential, students will visit ANSAB - the Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources. ANSAB specializes in community-based, enterprised-oriented solutions for linking conservation with economic development. Students will learn techniques to conduct resource inventories, develop sustainable harvest plans, and devise strategies in micro-enterprise development. Other courses taught during the residential include Human Ecology and Applications of Non-Profit Management.
> View the students' profiles.
Recent Publications and Multimedia
> 201l Autumn Newsletter
> Guyana Community Scholars Blog From June-September, Guyanese students in the Class of 2011 blog weekly about topics relating to Guyana and what they are gaining from the M.A. program.
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