SI MONTHLY NEWS JANUARY 2006 Peace Building
From SI Exco News
Servas' Peace building
Here follow a few comments on Servas' Peace building which I wish to share with you. They come from my 40+ years of peace building as Servas Host, Traveler, National Secretary, Area Representative in the Pacific, Servas International Representative to the United Nations & EXCO Servas International Peace Secretary.
All united in Servas, hosts and travelers, together make the difference and do indeed bring humankind closer to Peace. I wish to take this opportunity to commend Servas and its global membership for its unique and exemplary global Peace Building !!!
Servas gave the example and many organizations followed our example, and they all contribute towards peace building. As a former AFS scholar, I'm happy to note that the best among them, and the one that works closest to Servas, is the Hospitality Club, which was born from the AFS Intercultural Programs' experience and network of its founders.
1970-73 I was in very close contact with Reva King, and, following her wise guidance in her very many letters from her home in lower Manhattan/NYC, she had guided me in developing Servas in Africa through which I was then traveling and where I was fortunate to visit and update about Servas also so many of her contacts and their many friends through Servas information meetings in hundreds of places. Reva King is the individual to whose great vision and initiative Servas International owes its consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN).
Reva was our first Representative to the UN and for so many years she participated proactively in its peace building-related committees and activities to which Servas International has since been invited as a Non Governmental Organization (NGO).
Our consultative status to the UN offers to Servas: 1. the opportunity to participate in the UN's peace building, share the point of view of Servas through our statements that become official United Nations' documents; but also, most importantly,
2. to meet personally, discuss and share Servas' Peace Vision with all the nations' leaders !
Yes, besides globally proactively facilitating, developing and simplifying our hosts and travelers' exchanges, let's make sure to develop Servas in all regions, and make the most of the so very many constant opportunities which our consultative status with the United Nations offers us !!!
With best wishes for 2006,
Marco Kappenberger, NS Servas Samoa kappenberger[at]samoa.ws
From Servasnet after comments about lack of
activity on the site:
Imagine the possibilities!
We have a saying in french: 'Pas de nouvelles, bonnes nouvelles!' (No news, good news!). I too noticed the lack of activity...whatever happened to that 'Christmas traditions around the world' report that someone had volunteered to put together?...I recall that many took offense at the suggestion when it was proposed, implying that other religions were being 'discriminated' against. I for one would have loved to hear about various cultural traditions specific to one country or another ...Oh well... Whether one is christian or not, the story of the birth of Christ (what Christmas is supposed to be about - not santa claus, north pole and reindeers and often excessive useless gifts) is still a beautiful and fascinating one.
Anyway, I want to take the opportunity while I'm here online to wish you all a new year filled with good news and good opportunities, good work and good adventures, good health, good love, good friends and lots of happiness.
I also take the opportunity to wish everyone in Servas many wonderful moments in 2006 filled with inspiration and creativity, magnificent travels, meetings with remarkable people and much laughter.
May this year bring peace to the world and a better understanding among the people of the earth.
May those who suffer find the courage to overcome their grief and those who have much find the generosity to share.
I leave you with one of my favorite new year's quote:
Now let us welcome the new year, full of things that have never been... allow me to edit that:
'full of GOOD things that have never been...'
Magali
