April 8, 2014 meeting - Alexandra Dawley on Refugees in the Middle East

President Peter introduced the meeting, reminding us that "Action" taken is a correlate of how the world occurs for you - and that through our Rotary committees, there are lots of opportunities for taking Action. After a Karaoke-style "O Canada", Sandy Currie said Grace. Lunch was good comfort food: Meatloaf and More.

Neil Rawnsley introduced the visitors: Rotarians: Trevor Grey-Dreaper (Penticton); Barbara Cameron (Saanich), District Scholarship Chair.

Guests: Mark Grey-Dreaper, Guest of Trevor Grey-Dreaper; Aquiles Casana, guest of Pablo Diemecke; Alexandra Dawley, Global Grant Scholar, guest of the club and today's speaker.

Neil Rawnsley recognized Tom Croft (above) as a major donor to Rotary by presenting him with a Major Donor crystal and diamond pin.

Mary sent best wishes/love from Barbara Bristol-Price, a former club member, who has sold her house on Royal Oak Drive.

Neil Rawnsley is looking for drivers for the Car Raffle. It means you have to have had a licence for ten years, and that you will be called upon to move the raffle car (a Nissan Rogue) occasionally.

Pablo's DieMahler Chamber Concert Series presents Back to Bach, at St. Mary’s, 1701 Elgin Road (off Oak Bay Avenue) on April 12 and 13. For every ticket that is bought/sold by a club member, $5 comes back to the club. You can buy them at the McPherson Box Office and Ivy's Book Store, or at the door.  

Peter Sou took the floor as Celebrations Master, doling out fines to John Edgell for being away, to Peter Johannknect for not mentioning Rotary when his name was in lights in the local rag, to David Philip for leaving early, and to anyone who didn't know the name of the RI President, Ron Burton; also, anyone who hadn't engaged with a red-ribbon (i.e. new member) wearer, had to cough up. Birthdays were celebrated by Will, Tav, Claire, Phil and Leslie. Joan Firkins is celebrating 37 years as a Rotary club member. Happy/Sad dollars were paid by Jack, who was getting his kicks from expanding and contracting a bright red Viagra umbrella, whose owner shall remain unnamed (it's a long story). Heather is off to Hawaii, and Mary had a sad dollar for the millions of refugees in the world. Jim Laing is happy to be back after a few months stuck in the desert. He returned with a bag full of Canadian quarters ($200+ worth in fact) given to him by a buddy who owns washers and dryers in the Portland area. Those darned Canucks, always trying to get away with using el cheapo Canadian coins! The Flag project committee accepted them with gratitude. Joan Peggs won the draw - again. Eugen had a great story about an encounter he had with Mickey Rooney (who died this week) back in the nineties.

Michelle Le Sage introduced the guest speaker, Alexandra Dawley. Alexandra is an alumnus of Vancouver Island University, a former District 5020 Rotary Youth Exchange student (Hungary), and the 2013-14 District 5020 Rotary Foundation Global Scholar. She is using the $30,000 scholarship to take her Masters in Social Development and Forced Migration Studies at the University of Sussex in England. She recently returned from Amman, Jordan where she volunteered with organizations implementing life-skills training for Syrian, Palestinian and Iraqi refugees. In May she will return to the Middle East to continue her research with Iraqi refugee youth in Jordan, and will be launching a children's art-based development program for refugee youth in collaboration with Collateral Repair Project (CRP). CRP was founded in 2006 to assist Iraqi refugees fleeing to Jordan, and has since grown to assist those from Syria, Sudan and Palestine.

Alexandra spoke passionately about how the Global Scholarship (previously the Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship) has significantly expanded her world view. She gave a short description of the scholarship - 38,000 recipients from 100 nations since 1947, making it the world's largest privately funded international scholarship program - and went on to tell of her particular area of interest, Basic Education and Literacy. She showed a short video on refugee children, bringing into focus the reality that is Amman in Jordan. She described the Collateral Repair Project's participatory approach, where they are hiring refugees to participate in their own support. Jordan has the highest ratio of refugees to indigenous persons in the world. One of 11 in Jordan is a Syrian refugee (577,790). As well, there are 200,000 Iraqi refugees and 1.9 million Palestinian refugees. Many, especially those living outside settlements such as Za'atri, are facing a mounting struggle to survive. Sixty-one percent of Iraqi and Syrian youth in Jordan are not regularly attending school. When Alexandra returns to Jordan she will be co-facilitating a 2-month art-based life-skill development program. In July, she will return to Vancouver Island to hold an art show fundraiser featuring selected works from the youth she has been working with. Please send your email address to Alexandra (Alexandra.Dawley@gmail.com) if you would like to receive more information about the fundraiser.

Phil Neroutsos (right) thanked Alexandra, mentioning the pride we as Rotarians feel to be associated with people like her, even if only in a small way. He also noted that Governor General David Johnston was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and that maybe some day we may see Governor General Alexandra in Ottawa! A quick pass-around of the Rotary Mug, which was presented to Alexandra, raised over $200. This will go towards purchasing art supplies for Iraqi and Syrian refugee children. The meeting ended with God Save the Queen.

Report and photos: Tricia Timmermans