Day 1 Working at the United Nations-Tips and Tricks Our annual Washington DC trip began Sunday evening with a panel discussion pertaining to Working at the United Nations. Class I Rotary Peace Center alumni spoke with current peace fellows and other MIDP students attending the annual DC trip. Bautista Logioco, Richard Gee and Derran Moss, all Class I Rotary Peace Fellows, are currently working with the United Nations. This was a wonderful opportunity for students to gather academic and professional advice from those who have been in their shoes. Lessons learned from this panel discussion: acquire and hone peacebuilding skills, use network connections, know what your area of focus is and be persistent when applying for positions. Richard Carson - Rotary Club of Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Harvey Newcomb - Director of Principal Gifts with Rotary International attended the evening panel discussion with Class I Rotary Peace Fellows. Newsletter Spotlight From Left: Richard Gee - Electoral Assistance Division, Department of Political Affairs Bautista Logioco - Program Officer, Financing for Peacebuilding Branch Derran Moss - Political Affairs Officer, Department of Political Affairs Read Bios for Class I Each year, we take our first-year Duke-UNC Rotary fellows up to Washington DC for two days of meetings and panels with organizations in the area. It s an introduction to some of the organizations there who are working in the field of peace and conflict resolution as well as international development, as a first step in their search for summer internships.
Panel Discussions On the morning of January 5th, students were given the opportunity to attend two sessions of panel discussions. The first session offered students the choice between Social Policy and Economic & Finance Panels. Development Management Panel Social Policy Panel The second session focused on Development Management and Peace & Conflict. Students were able to hear from many organizations, including FINCA, the US State Department, Alliance for Peacebuilding and Search for Common Ground. Site visit to the United States Institute of Peace, USIP Susan Stigant, Class II Rotary Peace Fellow and UNC alum, hosted the organizational visit to the USIP. The takeaway on this visit; make connections and build relationships, this is one of the best investments one can make. Jean Lambert & Jae Ryul Daniela Tort Elohim Monard Aya Ovezova & Osborn Kwena
Site Visits In the afternoon, students attended two organizational visits. The first round of visits included Inter- American Development Bank, Oxfam, PLAN International, the United States Agency for International Development and the United States Institute of Peace. The second round of visits offered students the opportunity to learn more about ACDI/VOCA, Chemonics, European Parliament Liaison Office with US Congress, Eurasia Foundation and the United Nations Development Program. Will Davis, Director of Regional Programs hosts the UNDP visit Caty Garcia - Class X Rotary Peace Fellow, hosts the IADB visit Luiz Pinto - Visiting the IADB Several Rotary Peace Fellow alumni are currently working within these organizations and hosted the discussions for our current students. Harvey Newcomb - Director of Principal Gifts with Rotary International joined fellows during the panel discussion and site visits to both the USIP and UNDP.
Reception The Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center joined a reception on the evening of January 5th, hosted by Duke s Sanford School of Public Policy. In addition to their students and alumni, all Rotary Center alumni, living in the Washington DC area, were invited to attend this reception. Evening reception held at Hogan Lovells Law Firm, following a day of panel discussions and site visits. In attendance, Peter Kyle - Rotary Club of Capitol Hill - Rotary Peace Symposium Chair, current Rotary Peace Fellows and many Rotary Peace Fellow alumni from Rotary Peace Centers around the world. Currently, there are almost 50 RPC Fellows living in the Washington DC area.
Day 3 Site Visits On our final day in DC, students were given the opportunity to choose between several organizational visits, depending on their area of interest. Two divisions of the World Bank held independent visits, as well as, two divisions of the International Finance Corporation. During these visits, students learned about current programs and were advised on what to expect when working for these organizations. World Bank We awoke to a blanket of snow that covered the streets of DC. Despite the wintry weather, we were still able to visit the World Bank and the IFC. We concluded our DC trip with a large group visit to the World Bank. Students were presented with an overview of recently published reports and were given the opportunity to hear more about internship and employment opportunities. Georgia Harley -Class IX Rotary Peace Fellow -Justice Reform Specialist at the World Bank