Exco Materials
From SI Exco News
Contents |
EXCO meeting minutes
Interim expenses report Nov 10 - 16 2010
EXCO status reports
2011 Status Report - Gary Sealey
2011 Status Report - Penny Pattison
EXCO Status Report December 2010
Biographies
Servas International Executive Committee, elected in September 2009. From Left to Right: Pablo Colangelo, Pramod Kumar, Gary Sealey, Penny Pattison, Mirek Wasilewski, Kim Jong-Soo
Gary Sealey
Gary Sealey, SI President This is my second (and last) term as President. I have been serving Servas International since 2001 when I was made Main Representative of Servas to the UN in New York. At the General Assembly in 2004, I was elected as Peace Secretary and helped organize the General Assembly of 2006 where I was first elected President. My emphasis as a Servas executive officer has been on helping Servas become a modern civil society peace-building organization, with improved teamwork, outreach and consultation and better information for decision-making on SI priorities and programmes, as well as cost-recovery of General Assembly expenses. In Ottawa, Canada's national capital, my personal activities include environmental advocacy, and politicking for human development and human rights. I enjoy playing with my dog in the garden, canoeing and boating, motorcycling, skiing and world literature.
Penny Pattison
I have been a member of Servas for over 25 years. My first Servas travel experience was in India in early 1984. It was much more difficult to communicate with hosts in those days! I moved to Victoria, British Columbia on the west coast of Canada and became a Servas host in 1985. I live here with my husband, Chris Jones. I enjoy singing in a choir, outdoor activities, gardening and theatre, and I am involved in several other activities in Victoria, including mentoring a little girl in elementary school, and volunteering with our Community Social Planning Council. For work, I have been in the Information Technology area for many years, and I am currently working as a Project Manager and Business Analyst.
I love travel! Servas gives me the opportunity to experience a country from the inside, and I treasure these experiences. I feel very fortunate to have friends all over the world because of Servas, who have taught me so much about their lives. While I enjoy the fact that we have so many things in common, I also really like to experience the differences in our different cultures!
I was National Secretary for Servas Canada for 7 years. That ended at the end of 2009, but I will continue to be a Servas Canada interviewer. I wanted to become SI General Secretary because I really believe in Servas, and I thought that I could contribute at the international level.
In peace, Penny Pattison General Secretary Servas International
Pablo H Colangelo
I have been active with Servas since I visited several wonderful families in many European Countries. it was after my graduation as an Architect in 2002 when I become a member. It was an extraordinary experience and after coming back I felt very encouraged and enthusiastic to help in Servas, this is something it is worth helping to grow.
So first as a Day Host and after as a Host I started collaborating by updating the Servas Argentina host list for some years and after this I had the chance to become a Deputy. It was there when I learned a lot about how Servas works and the officers duties and responsibilities. We hold many locals and regional meetings and I hosted many travelers and helped also neighboring countries in their development. So, 3 years later I was elected as a NS.
Now after more the 10 months working very hard to make the 2009 GA dream come true in my country, I'm very happy to had been elected as a SI Host List Coordinator. I feel comfortable helping Servas in this position, and I´m committed to perform a good job. That’s because all of you to give me this amazing opportunity!
Thank you so much I appreciate it and I´ll do my best!
Miroslaw Wasilewski
The short form of my name is Mirek and it is much more popular among friends. My first contacts with Servas date back to 1984. I became Servas host in 1987. Later on, when Servas Poland became a registered association in Poland, I became an interview and I was elected to be a member of our Internal Audit Committee. I attended several Servas meetings abroad, like Servas Summer University in Askov or Baerenthal. Later on I was on the organizational committee of Servas Summer University in Olsztynek, Poland. In 2006 I was elected to Internal Audit Committee of Servas International and after SI General Assembly in Mar del Plata in September 2009 I became Treasurer of Servas International. I have very nice memories from my Servas travels in Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and France where I met lots of nice and interesting Servas hosts. I work in a bank and I do some freelance financial journalism and lecturing as wel
I ride a motorcycle from time to time and I like sailing and horse riding. Travelling and meeting people and their cultures are my interests, too.
Danielle Serres
Born in 1948 in Toulouse, a beautiful city in the South West of France, I started travelling at an early age and discovered I wanted to be a citizen of one peaceful world. Raised in a community-involved family, I have been familiar with the principles of justice, democraty, tolerance and solidarity. I lived abroad in different countries for several years, and I speak French, Spanish and English, plus some Portuguese. When my children were young, we hosted several students from different countries. I am a volunteer with several organizations, advocating for human rights –particularly women rights- peace and non violence. For the last 15 years, I have been working as a translator specialized in human rights. I believe that misery, poverty, unemployment, inequity, illiteracy, ignorance and lack of democracy are a menace to peace and to people's safety.
In 2007, when I heard about Servas, I thought it was such a great way to meet many people from all over the planet and share our experience and our dreams. I started hosting many people from different countries, then became a Servas traveller. I attended all 4 Servas France General Assemblies so far and helped organizing last year regional meeting in Toulouse. In 2008, I became involved as an interviewer and since 2009 I am one of the 3 people handling hostlists and Letters of introduction in Servas France. All this helped me realize how unique Servas was, not only as a traveller network, but most of all as an important way to build real sharing and understanding among all human beings. In 2010, Servas France Peace Committee was created in Strasbourg General Assembly, and I became the Peace Committee Coordinator. With this committee, we work as a group at peace mainstreaming within Servas. In September 2011, I had the opportunity to participate as a Servas delegate to the UN DPI NGO Conference in Bonn, Germany. As such, I was able to make contacts with many groups accredited to the United Nations, among them Peace Women Across the Globe, a women initiative for peace.
I look forward to raise peace awareness within Servas, building upon the very foundations of Servas to find ways to serve peace. Through a better understanding of others, we can make a better world. I believe in strengthening our local networks as well as developing partnerships with other organizations. This is why I have welcomed the EXCO invitation to fulfill the SI Peace Secretary position until the next election. Let’s all be ambassadors for peace!
Pramod Kumar
I discovered Servas while on a hitch hiking tour of Europe in 1978 and got my first Letter of Introduction from Servas Britain. Immediately after returning home, I became a Servas Host in India. I have been actively involved with Servas work and have served as Youth Coordinator and Host List Coordinator of Servas India besides being the the General Secretary of Servas International from 2006 to 2009. I consider my visit to a country incomplete, unless I can make some friends in that country. Servas gives me the opportunity to do so. I am an engineer by profession, am married (to an economist) and have a daughter (who is a lawyer).
Historic Exco
EXCO Meeting in Bangalore April-May 2007
EXCO materials and information
