NEWSLETTER January 15, 2011

Inside this Issue

Facilitator Corner 2

Stand Up Events 3

Other Projects 4

Conferences 5

Regional Updates:

Africa

6

Asia 9

Europe 12

North America 13

South America 14

Photos of Our Team 15

Collaborating

Knowledge Partners

16

Advisory Board 17

Member

Organizations

18

Directory 19

Get Involved 20

UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

FOR SOCIAL ACTION RESEARCH

UCP-SARnet is a growing global social network

that was created at Arizona State University in 2008.

It is governed by students and young community activists.

Its mission is to empower new generations of community leaders to become

actively involved in the realization of the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Utilizing the recent advances of Information and Communication Technologies,

UCP-SARnet offers a platform for the multicultural exchange of visions, ideas and

best practices aimed at achieving MDGs.

We engage university faculty and students in partnerships with community

organizations, local governments and socially responsible corporations.

Creating a powerful educational environment for students preparing themselves to

become leaders, we also bring about a sustainable social change

in their communities. Newsletter Editors:

Christine Williams

Marianne Shively

John Mabey

Dorav Kumar

Marek Wosinski Our Sponsors

UCP-SARnet Members and Friends,

This issue of the Newsletter is released at a

moment when our Network is at another turning point of its development.

We are closing the year 2010 proud of the many accomplishments about which you

can read in this issue. We‟ve strengthened

our partnerships with numerous organiza-tions worldwide and increased the numbers

of individual and organizational members.

We‟ve created an ICT Team and new Lead-ership Team whose members represent all

regions of the world. We organized STAND UP AGAINST POVERTY events in Arizo-

na, China, India and The Gambia, reor-ganized our Advisory Board and organized

two “Bridging the World” conferences.

We‟ve also registered the first NGO created by the team of Regional Coordinators in

The Gambia.

We are even more excited by the plans we

have for the year 2011. We will be present at the CU Expo in Canada as one of the co-

organizers of the event.

UCP-SARnet committed to organize STAND UP events in all countries where we have our members.

Our vision of support for the implementation of MDG eNabler was accepted by the Global Alliance

for ICT and Development and presented to the par-

ticipants of the GAID Global Forum in Abu Dhabi.

We plan to organize new virtual conferences

“Bridging the World” and co-organize the Global Leadership Summit in China. We expanded collabo-

ration with the UN Foundation, our mission in Afri-ca and South America, and we plan to involve our

Regional Coordinator Teams in the realization of all

these tasks.

Finally, we have completed upgrade of our portal.

Thanks to the new features provided by the new IGLOO software, we have made our website more

user friendly, interactive and alive. We hope that the new portal will inspire our members to become more

active. We also hope that it will attract both individ-

uals and organizations to collaborate with us on educating the new generation of community leaders.

On behalf of more than 900 members in our net-work, I kindly invite you to spread the world about

our mission and projects and invite members of your communities to join us in our efforts.

M.W.

Page 2

Facilitator

Corner

Our Sponsors Creating a better future for communities through research Founded in 1982, CCBR believes in the power of knowledge to impact positive social change. They are passionate about bringing people together to use knowledge

to provide real and innovative solutions to community needs. Their approach to research is participatory and action-oriented in a way that mobilizes people to par-

ticipate as full and equal members of society.

www.communitybasedresearch.ca

IGLOO's social software solutions help organizations create vital connections

between people, processes and information through the creation of online business communities. Companies use online communities to improve collaboration,

knowledge sharing and drive employee engagement across geographically dispersed project teams, departments and business units inside and out.

http://www.igloosoftware.com/

Turning theory into practice Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities/SWPS was founded in 1996 by former professors of the Institute of Psychology and the Polish Academy of Scienc-

es. Ever since its foundation, the University has been continually growing and de-veloping and now consists of 8 faculties located in five academic centers in Poland (Warsaw, Wrocław, Sopot, Poznań and Katowice). SWPS is committed to the

highest academic standards as well as to the transfer of practical knowledge and

skills. http://www.swps.pl/english/index.php

Dr. Marek Wosinski

Page 3

UCP-SARnet, the ASU Department of Psychology, and members of WHEAT (World Hunger Education, Advocacy and Training) took action at the Memorial

Union at ASU in Tempe, Arizona. Capoeira Brazil Arizona and Samba Dancers performed on stage to help stand up for the MDGs. ASU students came to support

the event by participating in Samba dancing and pledged to take a stand against pov-

erty. The whole event was streamed live worldwide by Positive Spin, an award win-ning monthly news and public affairs television program.

Sias University, Zhengzhou (China)

World Academy for the Future of Women at Sias Campus orga-nized the Stand Up Event in Zhengzhou, China. Over 500 individ-

uals, groups and faculty participated. Sias students and the out-standing staff of interns at the World Academy arranged an even-

ing performance of collective talent that were eager share in song

from the WAFW Freshmen, the Sias English Choir, Hip Hop groups, Ballroom Dance Club, Salsa dancers, traditional Kung Fu,

Tai Chi, videos and speakers.

After the successful STAND UP events described below, UCP-SARnet has decided to organize in the year 2011 STAND UP

events in all countries where it has its members. Please follow this link for details:

http://ucpsarnet.iglooprojects.org/su

In The Gambia members signed a petition, the "STAND-UP" PLEDGE, stating their commitment to the achievement of the Mil-lennium Development Goals. The event was held at Daddy Jobe Comprehensive School Campus, MDI Road. It brought together

the government represented by the Executive Secretary (National Youth Council, Ministry of Youth and Sport), UN Representa-tive, youths from diverse organizations country wide, journalists, leadership representatives and social workers. They united their

voices to support leaders gathering at the United Nations for the MDGs Review Summit.

Youth Alliance, United Planet, NAYD

(Gambia & Cameroon)

Amity University, Delhi (India)

Organized in collaboration with AASRA Charitable Trust (ACT), the Stand Up event

was held on the Amity University Campus. Round table meetings with local youth

groups and NGOs were held. Strategies for

their year long campaign were discussed and

they already started preparations for Beyond

MDG 2015, a conference which will be held

on September 2012 in Delhi.

Arizona State University, Tempe (USA)

OTHER

PROJECTS

Page 4

Charity Golf Event– Tonto Verde

UCP-SARnet Based Courses

We invite instructors teaching community related courses to include UCP-SARnet into their educational offer as one of the re-

sources for students, as well as the place where they can publish their community related semester projects, honors thesis and other student assignments. Faculty members who are involved in community based research are invited to post on our site infor-

mation about their projects. Thus far, the following UCP-SARnet courses have been offered at the Arizona State University: Multicultural Perspective on Community Leadership, Community Psychology, Introduction to Community Research and Ac-

tion, as well as courses based on individualized instruction. For details please visit:

http://ucpsarnet.iglooprojects.org/guide/communityr

Global Leadership Tours

In year 2011 we plan to organize bus tours for students and community activists from different countries to visit universities,

community organizations, and local governments to learn more about the impact of social, economic, and cultural context on

realization of community projects. This will allow for meaningful and diversified discussions about the UN Millennium Goals

and challenges being encountered in their achievement. The first tour is to be organized in China in Fall 2011.

We encourage your collaboration on these projects!

Please contact us if you would like to get involved!

MDG eNabler

For the last year the Global Alliance for ICT and Development has been working on the MDG eNabler, intended to be a one-stop shop with a pool of informational plus decision-support tools which could be useful for all individuals (ICT and non-ICT)

involved in development of countries. When fully operational (early 2011), the eNabler could also enhance transparency and provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge/experiences among different players. It will also help governments in the stra-

tegic integration of all policy matters related to the use of ICT in national development strategies.

MDG eNabler was presented at the Preparatory Meeting of GAID in New York and later at the UN Summit in September 2010

where it received full support both from members of GAID and from the United Nations. It has been further discussed at the Global Forum of GAID at Abu Dhabi in December 2010.

UCP-SARnet has a unique capacity to reach out with MDG eNabler to universities, local governments and community organi-

zations worldwide. In addition, interactive features recently provided to our portal by IGLOO make it a perfect tool for educat-ing future community leaders about how to implement MDG eNabler. Recently, UCP-SARnet created an ICT Team with the

task to enhance the impact of our network through efficient use of ICT.

UCP-SARnet has prepared a proposal of its support for the process of implementation of MDG eNabler. The proposal was dis-

cussed both with the GAID Secretariat, and with participants of the Global Forum in Abu Dhabi, and it was very well received. We will continue working on the details of this project in collaboration with Prof. Umar, coordinator of the team developing the

software, as well as with other stakeholders. For details please visit:

http://www.un-gaid.org/Home/tabid/1335/Default.aspx

Virtual Meetings “Bridging the World”

The events bring together community activists and community leaders from various

countries to talk online about their community projects and to discuss these projects with the audience attending the meeting at the hosting institution. So far we have

organized two such conferences in China, and next year we plan to organize more of

them in Cameroon, Canada and Poland. For details please visit:

http://ucpsarnet.iglooprojects.org/ve

This is a Canadian-led Conference, inspired by the MDGs, that will

platform Community-University partnerships from all around the

world in order to bridge innovative

ideas and perspectives on strength-ening our local communities. CU

Expo 2011 will be held in Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada on May

10-14 2011.

The conference is expected to have

over 1,000 people worldwide: com-

munity leaders, researchers, stu-dents, funders, educators, policy

makers, and all others passionate about community-university partnerships.

The deadline of accepting proposals to attend the conference has passed, but

there are still opportunities to organize

networking meetings.

To learn more about the conference please

visit:

www.cuexpo2011.ca

or contact Bonnie McCutcheon (Conference Facilitator) at 519-741-1318 ext. 226 or by e-

mail;

bonnie@communitybasedresearch.ca

GAID Global Forum 2010 Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

CONFERENCES

2012 Conference on MDG in Henan Province (China)

This conference is to be organized by the SIAS International University in Zhengzhou in collaboration with the Municipal Gov-

ernment of Zhengzhou, Government of Henan Province, University-Community Partnership for Social Action Research, Asso-

ciation of Universities of Asia and Pacific, and Global Interactions, Inc. The topic of the conference is “UN Millennium Devel-

opment Goals for Henan Province” and the focus is the implementation of information and communication technologies to

achieve environmental sustainability, gender equality, combating AIDS, and developing global networks and partnerships.

Community-University Expo 2011 Ontario, Canada

On December 5-6, 2010 in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) the Global Alliance for ICT and Development held a Global

Forum that brought together the ICT and development communities. The meeting provided an opportunity to perform a collec-tive "reality check" on the progress made thus far in using ICT to achieve the MDGs and what still needs to be done to ensure

that ICT fulfill their vast potential for accelerating achievement of the MDGs. The main goal of the Forum was to identify what needs to be done to move decisively and productively from advocacy to action. UCP-SARnet submitted the following recom-

mendations for GAID:

1. Regarding gender equality, GAID needs to work in two directions: (a) inspire educa-

tion of women in ICT and (b) promote gender equality using ICT.

2. While implementing ICT in gender equality education, we need to remember that

providing information is not enough to change people's behavior. We need to change atti-

tudes and shape values by using content and a format that will address not only cognitive spheres of the mind, but also emotions and value systems.

3. We should recognize that to implement MDG eNabler effectively we need to first dis-seminate knowledge about its existence, then convince people of the value of its use and

finally train them how to use it.

4. To include youth in the process of realization of MDGs, we need to involve young people into active participation in projects

implementing ICT to promote the content related to MDGs. Projects created in a particular country can be replicated in other

countries. We can also create such projects through international collaboration.

5. In the process of implementation the MDG eNabler, GAID should utilize potential offered by other local and global organi-

zations involved in the realization of MDGs.

6. GAID should actively invite local and international organizations involved in gender equality issues and in working with

youth to contribute relevant content for the MDG eNabler.

7. GAID should carefully listen to the grass-root level end-user's voice. The further developments of MDG eNabler should be

aimed toward REAL community needs and expectations regarding the particular MDGs. Based on these inputs, GAID should identify indicators that can be used as measures of the impact MDG eNabler has on the realization of particular MDGs.

Page 5

Page 6

Osée Roméo Tcheupgoum Njacheun

Assistant Facilitator for Africa

Africa Regional Updates

Osee is a lecturer of French and German and has more than ten years of experience in cultural, social, educational and humani-

tarian activities. Since 2005 he has been serving as the Presi-dent of United Planet of Cameroon. In 2007, Osee Romeo

founded a New Technology Learning Centre for Youth in

Cameroon. He also co-founded with Dan Golfier a youth asso-

ciation called La Communauté des Sceaux in France. Its pur-

pose is to promote the rights of the child, support

youth projects in Africa and Asia, as well as initiate needs as-sessments and new programs in Central/West Africa and

Asia.

Osée Roméo has been involved in various volunteering work

with international organizations such as UATD-quart Monde,

UN Volunteer Programme, and Compétences Sol-

idaires. Most recently, he served as an Assistant - Administra-

tive Officer of the Edinburgh's Award Organization in Gabon

under the supervision of the Ministry of Youth. In Central Afri-can Republic, he supervised the educational project and assisted

the Country Coordinator in the process of plan development and its implementation.

Since 2008, as a Regional Coordinator for Cameroon and Gambia, Osée Roméo has been implementing UCP-

SARnet‟s mission by familiarizing community activists, lead-

ers, government members, faculties and community-based organizations with the status of the MGDs.

He was able to coordinate actions with other Regional Coor-dinators and exchanged information, knowledge and best

practices focused on addressing local issues.

Recently, during his Internship with the UCP-SARnet Execu-

tive Team, he‟s held multiple workshops for ASU students and local community conferences. He has been working with

members of the Team on plans for the year 2011.

In Cameroon, UCP-SARnet is promoting the social, cultural, and economic development of

the country by initiating a diverse range of educational activities and offering support to local government and all the partners involved in the realization of the Millennium Devel-

opment Goals (MDGs). UCP-SARnet has recently initiated a project with Gilbert Highlands School in

Chandler (AZ, USA) to help young people from schools and orphanages in Cameroon access infor-

mation through communication technology .

In February 2011, in collaboration with United

Planet Ambassador Club of Cameroon and La Communaute des Sceaux from France, UCP-

SARnet will organize Cultural Awareness Project

(CAP). The activities will include painting, theatre

performance, dance, percussion and fundraising planning aimed at supporting a community farm project in Batoum. Educational work-

shops on child exploitation, environmental protection, and girl‟s education will be orga-

nized in three schools and two orphanages. The key point of the project will be a one day

virtual conference "Bridging the World” (February 15.)

Cameroon UCP-SARnet has been present in Cameroon since 2008, and has made great strides. The Regional Coordinator of UCP-SARnet has been involved in many socio-educational and cultural celebrations and has actively participated in many community projects

in order to create points of access for people of all backgrounds, nationalities, ages, and socio-economic classes.

Ghana

The UCP-SARnet in Ghana organized, in close collaboration with UNDP-Ghana and the Achievers Foundation of the Univer-

sity of Ghana- Legon, a round table discussion on achieving the MDGs in Ghana. It was attended by members of UCP-SARnet

Ghana team, students of the University of Ghana and representative of UNDP-Ghana. The program was aimed at involving

University students in the debate so as to get them to take action in favor of achieving the MDGs in Ghana. At the end of the

day students present at the meeting resolved to go back to their

communities with initiatives that promote sustainable develop-

ment in their areas. The program was facilitated by Mad. Sim-

ran Singh, Head of MDGs at UNDP-Ghana, Tsonam Cleanse

Akpeloo Regional Co-ordinator for Ghana-UCP-SARnet and

Kofi-Ako Owiredu, The President Achievers Foundation and

University of Ghana-Legon.

FROM LEFT: Tsonam Cleanse Akpeloo Regional Coordina-

tor for Ghana, Kofi-Ako Owiredu-The President Achievers

Foundation-University of Ghana-Legon. (Middle) and Mad.

Simran Singh, Head of MDGs at United Nations Development

Programme – Ghana

Progress with Millennium Development Goals

In 2000 Ghana joined 189 countries in adopting the UN Millennium Declaration, which lays out eight time-bound development goals that have come to be known as the Millennium Development goals. Ghana showed a great deal of commitment by anchor-

ing and mainstreaming the MDGs into the Ghana Poverty Reduction strategy (GPRS) I and II, and recently, into the draft for Ghana shared Growth and Development in 2010-2013. It is no wonder then, that at the 2010 UN General Assembly in Septem-

ber, Ghana was selected among few countries to gather evidence for international analysis on the MDG progress, good practices and experiences, as well as the challenges and opportunities for acceleration.

Progress on achieving the MDGs in Ghana has been slow but hopeful. While the country seems to be on the course toward

achieving some goals, in other areas progress has been slow. There have been disparities among geographical areas and genders.

For instance, Northern Ghana seems to be lagging behind regarding many of the goals compared to the southern parts of the

country. These issues have heightened anxiety that the country may miss out some important goals and human development

indicators by 2015, or backslide on some of the goals that have already been achieved.

International organizations like the UNDP have been active in creating the platform for MDG promotion in Ghana. They have

been working in selected districts to promote the localization of the MDGs at the community level. To assist in monitoring Gha-

na‟s progress towards the MDGs, UNDP supports the preparation and circulation of national MDG Reports. Hopefully, all

these efforts will give Ghana a further push toward achieving most of the MDGs and ensure a better life for all Ghanaians by the

year 2015.

Introducing Regional Coordinator for Ghana

Tsonam Cleanse Akpeloo graduated from University of Ghana, Legon with a BA (Hons) degree in Economics and Political

Science. He also holds an international certificate in Jungian Psychology from the institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Gavle University (Sweden) and a Diploma in Financial Management from CIM (UK.) Tsonam is the co-founder of Vision In-

stitute-Ghana. He was the Vice President of Achievers Foundation and General Secretary of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), Legon Chapter. He is the CEO of Golden Investment Group and he serves as a Director of Eagles Founda-

tion and collaborates with the Project Consultant for Focus Youth Development Foundation (FYDF).

Page 7

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Gambia

Training of leaders

In March 2009, Osée Roméo (Assistant Facilitator for Africa)

was invited to the Gambia in order to undertake consultancy

work that will assist in building

the new Gambia branch of the United Planet Ambassador

program. Osée helped to or-ganize regular meetings, com-

munity services, fundraising events and especially training of

the leadership team and execu-

tive board of the United Planet Ambassador Club Program at

the University of the Gambia.

Participants of the trainings and their awards (certificates of attendance)

At the public health centre of Serrekunda, he assisted with the process of implementation of community health programs by delivering advocacy lectures aimed at eradication of poverty and reduction of the current trend of Malaria, Tuberculosis and

HIV/AIDS.

“UCP-SARnet The Gambia” registered as a local non-profit and charitable organization

UCP-SARnet The Gambia was successfully adopted by the Gambia Government and registered as a local NGO, a non-profit

and charitable organization in accordance with the Company Act of 1955 in the Gambia.

The purpose of registering UCP-SARnet in the Gambia as a local NGO was to engage community activists in finding simple

solutions for the complex health, social and economic problems in the country. The new organization, with the assistance of UCP-SARnet, will search for appropriate answers to social issues from the perspective of local communities. We believe that

with the tools and opportunities provided by the UCP-SARnet platform, the new organization will provide many practical sug-gestions of how to carry out activities and projects related to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and will be able

to effectively secure relevant funding for community projects. To learn more,

please visit:

http://ucpsarnet.iglooprojects.org/ pageunderc/organizationalmembers/ ucpsarnetthegambia

AFRICA Regional Updates Continued

Page 9

China

Asia Regional Updates

Moderators will facilitate the following

training modules this year:

Creating Possibilities

Passion and Purpose

Community Building

Capacity Building

Project Development

Project Implementation

Powerful Presentations for Community Engagement

Legacy of Leadership

Birendra Kumar, Assistant Facilitator for Asia

Birendra Kumar is an Assistant Facilitator of UCP-SARnet,

coordinating and supervising the work of Regional Coordinators

in Asia and the Pacific Region.

Till the end of November 2009 he was working as a State Pro-

gramme Manager with PRAT-HAM Council for Vulnerable

Children. He is the founder of AASRA Charitable Trust (AASRA means hope and shelter) that advocates Universal Human Rights, the Rights of the Child, the UN Millennium De-

velopment Goals and focuses on equality, fraternity and tolerance. It combats sectarianism

and discrimination because of caste, color, health status or gender.

Since 2001 he has been coordinating International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day

(Global Health Council Initiative) . At present he is working towards MDG and Vision 2020 . He is also a Regional Representative for Student World Assembly and National

Leader of Student Global AIDS Campaign.

"If you're crazy enough to

come up with an idea, make

sure you're crazy enough to

act on it". Birendra Kumar

The WAFW is a bold and rigorous leadership training program for

women committed to acquiring the skills and confidence to develop as campus, community, national and global leaders. The Academy is

coordinated by Kim Eagles (member of the Advisory Board for UCP-SARnet).

The purpose is to promote and accelerate the advancement of women worldwide. The year-long certification program engages female uni-

versity students in discovering their purpose and passion in life and

inspiring, informing and instructing them to find their individual paths to success.

The Academy has successfully completed the first year in association with UCP-SARnet and is looking to expand. The members took part

in a Bridging the World from SIAS Virtual event May 25-26, 2010 and organized a Stand UP event in October, 2010.

Two local members of UCP-SARnet (Zhu Yunlong and Abner Yu) and one member of the Executive Team (Quihong Li) are assigned to

assist participants of the Academy in utilizing UCP-SARnet in their

projects. In addition, interns from the ASU English Department will assist students in editing their projects before publishing them on the

UCP-SARnet portal.

The training modules will be facilitated by Ann Grim, Lisa Thonack,

Danita Rios, Lynda Bishop, Kumi Ritchey, Laurie Westley, Liz An-derson, Joanie Freeman, Shirley Osborn, Kelly Ryan , Cyd West ,

Kathie Duff Wilson, Joan Michelson, Alanna Levenson and Angie

Wong.

India

Page 10

New Member Organizations

Dr. Marek Wosinski and Birendra Kumar met Dr. Kiran Bedi on October 2, 2010 to discuss collaboration between UCP-SARnet and two organizations

founded and led by Dr. Bedi: India Vision Foundation and Navjyoti India

Foundation.

These Non-Government Organizations reach out daily to over 10,000 recipi-

ents involving health care, education, counseling, drug abuse treatment, train-

ing, and schooling for children of prisoners.

ASIA Regional Updates Continued

India Vision Foundation was created in 1994 focusing on prisons. They aim toward

development in woman empowerment, prison improvement, occupational training,

education, rural development and sports promotion.

One project they have worked on is Crime Home Children which helps educate and reconnect children with parents in prison. Another project involves rural development

and empowerment through poor villages. Support and counseling services are made

available for men addicted to drugs and their families. Working together with Navjyoti Foundation, they have created 55 education centers in the slums of Delhi, India.

In 1988, Dr. Kiran Bedi created Navjyoti India Foundation (NIF) which has a main focus

of endorsing welfare policing. Working with over 12,000 people, NIF has also made con-

siderable contributions to women empowerment, education, family counseling, rural and urban development, HIV/AIDS, health and environment.

http://www.navjyoti.org.in/

Kiran Bedi, Ph.D., is India's first and highest ranking (retired in 2007) woman police officer. Her expe-

rience and expertise include more than 35 years of tough, innovative and welfare policing.

She has worked with the United Nations as the Police Advisor to the Secretary General in the Depart-

ment of Peace Keeping Operations. She has represented India at the United Nations and in Internation-al forums on crime prevention, drug abuse, police and prison reforms and women's issues. Her initiative

Safer India became a model for promotion of community policing.

Dr. Bedi will have an opening keynote speech at the C-U Expo in Canada in May 2011 (see p. 5)

Page 11

The Gandhi College of Social Work will be located at Bhitiarwa Ashram,

Gaunaha, Narkatiaganj, West Cham-paran, Bihar, India. The Dream Rain-

bow Project was implemented with

the goal of providing theoretical train-ing for social workers and develop-

ment professionals; a working plan for the development of the college has

been created and the vision is for the first students to begin their studies at

the IGNOU Learning Centre in 2011.

The following organizations have committed to collaborating with the

Gandhi College of Social Work:

The Vishwa Manav Seva Aash-

ram will assist with the development of

a community school model and looms with charkha (spinning wheel) for poor

women, which will allow them to gen-erate an income and livelihood.

All India Regional Rural Bank

Employee Association will participate in creating self-help groups and net-

working with NABARD AND CA-

PART

Solar India Online has agreed to

provide solar energy-related assistance

and project management; this includes training and collaboration for solar

mission implementation at village level.

Cooperative Pacs has agreed to work

with farmers and villages to provide and promote cooperative marketing, industry,

and banking.

At this point we envision the following units [a] Community College [b] Health

centre [c] Communication Centre [d]

Community bank [e] Community School [e] Grain Bank [f] Knowledge Centre

If you are interested in becoming a part of

this project please contact: Birendra Ku-mar at gandhicsw@gmail.com

The three major events involved a sign-up campaign for people to

pledge to go green and more than 400 people signed up. A painting

and photography competition for

college students with the theme of „going green‟ was a success, along

with an Adopt-a-Park program where students committed to main-

tain the community parks.

From October 10-15, 2010 Beam Founda-

tion along with Jaipuria Institute of

Management in Lucknow organized the

first annual Ecofest that aimed to increase

awareness of the community about envi-ronmental issues.

They focused on how going green could

significantly change the world for the future generations. Through three major

events during the five day event, Beam

Foundation made a vast difference.

Eco-Fest 2010

Collaboration with Amity University

As a result of arrangements made by Birendra Kumar (Assistant Fa-cilitator of UCP-SARnet) and Karunesh Rai (President of Beam

Foundation and student of this university), Dr. P.C. Sabharwal, Di-rector of Amity School of Rural Management, invited Dr. Marek

Wosinski to present a workshop on "Partnerships and Networking

for the UN Millennium Development Goals."

The purpose of the workshop was to introduce UCP-SARnet to Amity University and initiate a discussion on creating a part-nership between the two organizations. The audience was composed of graduate and post graduate students from MBA for

Rural Management, Urban Management, Natural Resource Management programs, as well as Social Sciences and Psycholo-gy. In addition to Dr. Sabhrawal, the following Amity faculty members participated in the panel discussion: Maj. Gen.R.K.

Dhavan (Senior Vice President and Director of International Affairs Division), Mr. H.A. Arfi, (Ritnand Balved Education Foundation) , Er. A.K. Srivastava (Director of Amity School of Urban Management) and Dr. S, K. Pachauri (Director of Ami-

ty School of Good Governance and Social Sciences).

Dream Rainbow Project: Gandhi College of Social Work

.

Europe Regional Updates

Gansewar Sahoo, Assistant Facilitator for Europe

Ganeswar Sahoo is an Assistant Facilitator of UCP-

SARnet and is in charge of coordinating and supervis-ing the work of Regional Coordinators in Europe and

representing UCP-SARnet and expanding its presence in this region. He is in touch with organizations that

focus on UN Millennium Goals and social action re-search as their main agenda and anticipates receiving

positive responses from a number of organizations in

Italy, Germany, Spain and France. His next plan is to find sponsors who can sponsor community projects in

Europe,

Mr. Sahoo is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Economics at the University of Trento, Italy. Before coming to Italy he had over five years of work experiences in the Indian corporate sector. He is pursuing an International master diploma in devel-

opment, Innovation and Change at University of Bologna (the oldest university in the world).

Gansewar‟s personal motto is to “Dream big to get big results.''

Italy

Our New Knowledge Partner

World for World Organi-z a t i o n c r e a t e d a

knowledge partnership

wi th UCP-SARnet . WFWO‟s mission is to

overcome poverty by enabling the world‟s

poorest people to gain the hope for a better future

and improve their quality

of life through access to food, security, drinking

water, health, education and overcoming

poverty.

The Netherlands

John Mabey, Assistant Facilitator for Volunteering John Mabey is in charge of consulting strategic activities, coordinating volunteering matches, and editing

proposals of collaboration and other documents. Currently, he is coordinating the Global Volunteer Match, a feature on UCP-SARnet‟s website that connects community organizations with potential volun-

teers worldwide. The Volunteer Match is a great opportunity to get involved and provides links to de-

tailed information about volunteer opportunities all around the world (this includes South America, North America, Europe, Australia and Oceania, Asia and Africa). We encourage community organizations to

become an organizational member of UCP-SARnet and post on our website their volunteering needs. If you are interested in opportunities or promoting your organization, please follow this link:

http://ucpsarnet.iglooprojects.org/contact/registercommunityorganization

Page 12

Page 13

The Mission of WHEAT is to educate, advocate, motivate and empower

individuals to action in the fight against hunger. In 1979, starting off with

19 different faith communities, WHEAT (World Hunger, Education, Ad-vocacy & Training) grew into a productive organization focused on moti-

vating, advocating, empowering, and educating individuals to fight against

hunger.

WHEAT provides and spreads information on the cause of hunger and the available resources that can be used to end hunger. They also supported

and joined UCP-SARnet for the Stand Up event this year at ASU.

USA

Randi Burggraff is the Assistant Facilitator for the USA. She is in

charge of coordinating work of the Executive Team: strategic plan-ning, fund raising, search for sponsors, supervising the process of pre-

paring and signing MOUs with new knowledge partners, and develop-ing a system of documentation for UCP-SARnet activities. She is cur-

rently finishing her undergraduate work with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Family and Human Dynamics. She graduates Spring 2011.

North America Regional Updates

http://www.hungerhurts.org

Randi Burggraff, Assistant Facilitator

for North America

Canada

Adam Euerby is the Assistant Facilitator for Can-

ada and has been a coordinator of the ICT Team

since late October. Working with the ICT Teams, he has developed plans for major improvements

to the UCP-SARnet Homepage.

This is all a part of his Master‟s Thesis that he is

completing at the University of Waterloo. So far,

he presented a proposal which includes two

main objectives:

The first objective of his thesis is to describe how

the ICT Team impacts and progresses the UCP-SARnet community as a social networking plat-

form. The second objective is to provide guide-lines that can support the ICT Team in develop-

ing and successfully achieving short and long term goals for UCP-SARnet.

To accomplish these two objectives, Adam

together with the ICT Team will check and observe site statistics, analyze social network-

ing, gather key members‟ views on the UCP-SARnet site, and finally write a result of the

analyses in his thesis.

With UCP-SARnet, he hopes to uncover how

emerging leadership networks can use online

social networking tools to grow their commu-

nities. Soon, he will be asking the UCP-

SARnet leadership team to complete a survey

that will help him to determine if ICT team

was successful in upgrade of the UCP-SARnet website.

Page 14

South America Regional Updates

much of the Israeli territory is extremely safe; the people are hap-py active citizens who certainly do not live in fear, as the news

would have us believe. Also, this year we have seen the advance-ment of other projects.

One project created by TESA is called, "EMERGENCY! Evacu-ate the School!" This is a didactic game which teaches children

how to safely evacuate a school-building during an emergency; nobody wins until everyone is safely out of the building. This

endeavor has been recognized by and shared with the United Nations.

We are also working on projects to increase governmental trans-parency in Argentina, to make citizens aware of their water con-

sumption, and to make environmentally friendly choices in con-sumption of goods and services; the list goes on and on. We will

be in Canada in May at the CUExpo to give presentations on three of these projects.

We appreciate the opportunity to share our work on this platform and look forward to advancing the work of UCP-SARnet as

well.”

http://www.fundaciontesa.org/

TESA (Argentina)

“TESA is currently conducting its yearly trip to the Israel/

Palestinian Territories. This will be the 6th trip in 6 years

made by the foundation, each time with a different delega-tion of professionals, politicians and opinion-makers. Each

time we advance, each time we make new contacts, and each

time we reach higher in the political strata of the area.

This year, we were able to sit and talk with the President and Nobel Prize-Winner Simon Peres (pictured above). We are

personally invited to the city of Ramallah by Mahmoud Ab-

bas, the President of the National Authority of Palestine.

We have met with more than 10 politicians in varying areas of government with different opinions and views being ex-

pressed on all sides. It is our goal to spread a message of peace and ultimately of understanding.

This area of the world is given bad press, almost daily. What the world is largely unaware of, though, is that Tel Aviv and

“Spread a Message of

Peace and Ultimately

Understanding”

Susana Pesis, Assistant Facilitator for South America

Susana Pesis is in charge of coordinating and supervising the work

of Regional Coordinators in South America, representing UCP-SARnet and expanding its presence in this region. As at this point,

UCP-SARnet‟s presence in South America is minimal, and we hope that Susana and her colleagues will help to create a strong

network there, as well as to develop a part of our portal in Spanish.

Susana is the President and founder of TESA Foundation, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. TESA Foundation is extremely eager

to enhance their collaboration efforts as well.

Page 15

Photos of Our Team

Featured Images:

STAND UP Event at ASU

September 17, 2010

Bi-Annual Team Social Event at

Wosinski‟s Residence

October 29, 2010

Collaborating Partners

Page 16

Amity University (India) is one of the best private universities in India with over 50000 students. http://

www.amity.edu/

Community Based Research brings people together to share knowledge in order to impact positive social change.

http://www.communitybasedresearch.ca/

Comunitaria provides technical support and tools for community and psychosocial intervention programs. Four

professional psychologists run this organization. http://www.comunitaria.cl/

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health promotes health through service-learning, community-based partici-

patory research, broad-based coalitions, and other partnership strategies. http://www.ccph.info/

Community Toolbox provides resources for community leaders.

http://ctb.ku.edu/en/default.aspx?404;http://ctb.ku.edu:80/en/default.aspx

Global Interactions, Inc works with professionals to interact with domestic and global counterparts to increase

exchange of practices, technologies, and research. www.globalinteractions.org/

Indira Gandhi National Open University (India) offers 338 programs of study through over 3,500 courses to a cu-

mulative student strength of over 30 million students. http://www.ignou.ac.in/

Jagiellonian University (Poland) is the second oldest university in Europe located in Krakow. http://

www.uj.edu.pl/en_GB/

Leadership Learning Community identifies, evaluates, and applies ideas and practices in leadership development

in order to make leadership more effective. http://leadershiplearning.org/community-connections

Orbis Institute develops global leaders through programs that advance awareness, critical thinking, and action.

http://www.orbisinstitute.org/index.php?id=141&no_cache=1

SIAS International University combines Chinese educational philosophies with Western educational models to

develop professionals who are prepared to meet the demands of trans-national corporations and enterprises. http://

www.sias.edu.cn/en/

SoReCom conducts and disperses research that focuses on social issues relevant to Europe and its policies.

http://www.europhd.eu/html/_onda03/01/00.00.00.00.shtml

United Nations Foundation advocates for the UN and a platform for connecting people, ideas and resources to

help the United Nations solve global problems. http://www.unfoundation.org/

Video Voice Collective: brings academic researchers, filmmakers, technology mavens, social justice champions,

and community leaders together to improve the health conditions of underserved communities. http://video-

voice.org/

Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities is a private university that educates students in psychology,

philosophy, humanities, and social sciences. http://www.swps.pl/english/

World for World Organization (Italy) is an Italian-based non-profit organization, operating in Italy and interna-

tionally.

Page 17

The following distinguished colleagues agreed to serve on our Advisory Board: Robert Cialdini, Arizona State University (USA)

Liz Cunningham, University of Brighton (England), Kim Eagles, Grassroots Activist (USA), William A. Foster, Foster and Brahm

Management Consulting (USA), Grazyna Prawelska-Skrzypek, Jagiellonian University (Poland), Rajesh Jangareddy, Vitesse

Semiconductor (India), Joanna Ochocka, Centre for Community Engaged Research (Canada), Jan Sadlak, Warsaw School of so-

cial Sciences and Humanities (Poland), Jerrie Ueberle, Global Interactions, Inc (USA), Christopher Zambakari, Student Repre-

sentative (USA).

Robert Cialdini, Ph.D.

Dr. Robert Cialdini has spent his entire career researching the science of influence, earning him an interna-

tional reputation as an expert in the fields of persuasion, compliance, and negotiation.

His books, including Influence: Science & Practice, are the results of years of study into the reasons why people

comply with requests in business settings. Worldwide, Influence has sold over 2 million copies and been pub-

lished in twenty-five languages. His most recent co-authored book, Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be

Persuasive, has been on the New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal Best Seller Lists. In the

field of influence and persuasion, Dr. Cialdini is the most cited living social psychologist in the world today.

Dr. Cialdini received his Ph.D from the University of North Carolina and post doctoral training from Co-

lumbia University. He has held Visiting Scholar Appointments at Ohio State University, the University of

California, the Annenberg School of Communications, and the Graduate School of Business of Stanford

University. Currently, Dr Cialdini is Regents‟ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona

State University.

Dr. Cialdini is President of INFLUENCE AT WORK, an international consulting, strategic planning and

training organization based on the Six Principles of Influence. Dr. Cialdini‟s clients include such organiza-

tions as Google, Microsoft, Washington Mutual Group of Funds, Bayer, Coca Cola, KPMG, AstraZeneca,

Ericsson, Kodak, Merrill Lynch, Nationwide Insurance, Pfizer, AAA, Northern Trust, IBM, Prudential,

The Mayo Clinic, GlaxoSmithKline, Harvard University - Kennedy School, The Weather Channel, the

United States Department of Justice, and NATO.

Jerrie Ueberle

Jerrie Ueberle is Founder and President of Global Interactions, Inc., a 501(c)(3),

non-profit organization whose purpose is to connect U.S. professionals with their

international counterparts to share best practices, research, and technologies that will develop sustainable partnerships to further worldwide communication and

understanding. For over two decades, Global Interactions has worked with profes-sionals from over 40 countries, developed and convened over 100 conferences,

symposiums, and forums in 5 countries. The major focus of this work has previ-ously been in China engaging thousands of professionals and youth. Since 1984,

Jerrie Ueberle has been to China over 95 times and has brought thousands of

Americans to learn from Chinese experts.

Jerrie Ueberle is also Board Member and Trustee of Sias International University

Foundation Board of Directors (University is located in Xinzheng, Henan Prov-

ince, China.). She is a Vice President of the Phoenix Parks and Conservation Board, whose purpose is to create and maintain parks and environmentally nurtur-

ing areas for the city of Phoenix, Arizona, residents and visitors. She also serves as a Board Member of the Institute on Environmental and Social Responsibility, the

first institute of its kind in China, housed on SIAS University Campus.

Introducing Members of Our Advisory Board

Member Organizations

Page 18

Global Thinking Women empowers women of all ages throughout the various stages in their lives. Phone: 86-

15837143756 E-mail: kim_eagles@msn.com,

website: http://www.odatsglobaltrainingandrecruitmentservice.com/index.html

ACT is a non-profit advocating for universal human rights and children‟s rights.

Phone: 0612-3290987 Mobile : 09560509688 E-mail: aasra@aasraindia.org, website: http://www.aasraindia.org/

Ann Foundation empowers people who live with the daily challenges of vision impairment, hearing loss and

other disabilities in some of the world‟s most impoverished places. Phone: 516-570-0088,

website: http://www.AnnFoundation.org

Beam Foundation provides needy children in the developing world with school uniforms and necessary school sup-

plies. E-mail: info@beamedia.org ,website: http://www.beamindia.org/

The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice works towards a civil justice system that is accessible, effective, fair and

efficient. Phone: 780-492-2513 Fax: 780-492-6181 E-mail: cjforum@law.ualberta.ca,

The Community University Research Alliance explores new ways of providing community mental health sup-

port. Phone: 519-741-1318 Fax: 519-741-8262 E-mail: general@communitybasedresearch.ca

website: http://www.communitybasedresearch.ca/takingcultureseriouslyCURA/

The Centre for Community Research and Action, Laurier works to advance community

knowledge, social policy, and practice for community wellness and social equity. Phone: 519.884.0710 x 3494 Fax: 519.884.1020 E-mail: tmitchell@wlu.ca, website: http://www.wlu.ca/

Ecuador Volunteer Foundation volunteers for social, community, educational, healthcare, and ecological

projects throughout Ecuador. Phone: (593-2) 2557749 - 2226544 E-mail; info@ecuadorvolunteer.org; website: http://www.ecuadorvolunteer.org/

Helping Lives International: a non-profit focusing on eradicating poverty. Help youth gain employment and to

work as Ambassadors and leaders. Phone: +220-7719958, +220-6554080 E-mail: helpinglifesinternation-al@yahoo.com, website: http://www.helpinglives.7p.com/

LUKMEF helps Cameroon to embrace peace, non-violence, social justice, and sustainable development in order to

alleviate poverty. Phone: +237-33.33.28.60 E-mail: info@lukmefcameroon.org,

website: http://www.lukmefcameroon.org/

Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition (NYCC) is focusing on climate change and collaborates with collaborating

with youth, policy makers, and other stakeholders. Phone: +2347062199449 E-mail: oyelakintaiwo@gmail.com, website: http://nigerianyouthclimatecoalition.blogspot.com/

Students Travel and Exposure South Africa (STAESA) is a non-profit organization promoting and enhancing

cultural exchange and development in Africa. Phone: (+27) 119 104 095 Cell: (+27) 737 292 944 Fax: (+27) 119 10-4095 E-mail: info@staesa.org, website: http://www.staesa.org/

TESAis a nonprofit organization aimed at researching, training researchers, outlining an implementing pro-

jects for the promotion of sustainable economy. Email: rachel.lysak@fundaciontesa.org

website: http://www.fundaciontesa.org/

Unreasonable Institute: supports globally-minded social entrepreneurs who are developing solu-

tions to pressing issues Email: wisdom@unreasonableinstitue.org,

website: . http://unreasonableinstitute.org/

UCP-SARnet The Gambia undertakes a diverse and creative range of educational, humanitarian, and peace

-building initiatives in to help achieve MDGs.. Phone: (00220) 6548963/7953521/3438 808 /6717761

E-mail: oseeromeo@yahoo.ca , joebongay@hotmail.com , mmendy01@hotmail.com

Page 19

ADVISORY BOARD

Robert Cialdini, Arizona State Universi-

ty (USA)

Liz Cunningham, University of Brighton

(England)

Kim Eagles, Grassroots Activist (USA)

William A. Foster, Foster and Brahm

Management Consulting (USA)

Grazyna Prawelska-Skrzypek, Jagiello-

nian University (Poland)

Rajesh Jangareddy, Vitesse Semiconduc-

tor (India)

Joanna Ochocka, Centre for Community

Engaged Research (Canada)

Jan Sadlak, Warsaw School of social

Sciences and Humanities (Poland)

Jerrie Ueberle, Global Interactions, Inc

(USA)

Christopher Zambakari, Student Repre-

sentative (USA)

HEAD OFFICE

Arizona State University

Department of Psychology

P.O. Box 871104, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA Tel. 480-965-6253

Email: ucpsarnet@gmail.com

FACILITATOR

Executive Officer

Dr. Marek Wosinski

Email: dr.marek@asu.edu

ASSISTANT FACILITATOR FOR

AFRICA

Osee Romeo Tcheupgoum

Email: oseeromeo@yahoo.ca

ASSISTANT FACILITATOR FOR ASIA

& PACIFIC

Birendra Soni

Email: birsoni@gmail.com

ASSISTANT FACILITATOR FOR EU-

ROPE

Ganeswar Sahoo

Email: gs.oneworld@gmail.com

ASSISTANT FACILITATORS FOR

NORTH AMERICA

Randi Burggraff Email: burggraffrandi@gmail.com

Joshua Watson

E-mail: reconesan@gmail.com

ASSISTANT FACILITATOR – SOUTH

AMERICA

Susana Pesis

Email: susanapesis@gmail.com

ASSISTANT FACILITATOR

John Mabey Email: johnmabeyadvisor@hotmail.com

ASSISTANT FACILITATOR

Robby Uppal Email: ROBBY.UPPAL@gmail.com

COORDINATOR OF

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

Andy Chen

Email: guohuiandy@163.com

ICT COORDINATOR

Adam Euerby

Email: aeuerby@engmail.uwaterloo.ca

ICT ASSISTANT COORDINATOR

Dorav Kumar

Email: dkumar6@asu.edu

ICT TEAM

Adam Euerby

Uttam Bhat Rajesh Jangareddy

Smitha Kamath

Dorav Kumar

Nikhil Sridhar Robby Uppal

EXECUTIVE TEAM

Dr. Wayne Goulet

Dr. Eric Hartman

Dr. Eva Szeli Marianne Shively

Mohamed Camara

Zoe Cavanar-Levandowski

Talitha Collins

PolyAnna Crum-Queen Joanna Dalotto

Danielle Finochiaro

Charlene Hertenstein

Kamana Khadka Michelle Knag

Thomas Lane

Quihong Li

Francesca Mercurio Shannon Monn

Maria Navarro

Eean Patterson

Jennifer Planck Monica Penna

Christine Williams

Josjua Wyrick

Shelby Vick .

REGIONAL OFFICES

AFRICA

Contact person: Osee Romeo Tcheupgoum

No. 1 Ansumana Ceesay Street, Dippakun-

da UCP-SARnet -The Gambia

(Non-Profit & Charitable organization) P.O.BOX 2192, serekunda, KMSD. The

Gambia

Tel. (00 220) 6548963/7953521/3438

808 /6717761 Email: joebongay@hotmail.com ,

mmendy01@hotmail.com,

oseeromeo@yahoo.ca

ASIA & THE PACIFIC

Contact Person: Birendra Kumar

University Community Partnership for So-

cial Action Research Network. UN Commission on Sustainable Develop-

ment (Youth and Children Major Group )

Tel. +91-9910711112

Email: birsoni@gmail.com

CANADA

Contact Person: Adam Euerby

Candidate M.ASc. Systems Design Engi-

neering B.ASc. Systems Design Engineering

University of Waterloo

Advanced Interface Design Lab

1.519.888.4567 x34904

aeuerby@engmail.uwaterloo.ca

EUROPE

Contact Person: Ganeswar Sahoo via s cosma e damiano 103

trento, tn 38122, italy

Tel. +39 3319782685

Email: gs.oneworld@gmail.com

USA

Contact Person: Randi Burggraff

Department of Psychology P.O. Box 871104, Tempe, AZ 85287,

USA

Tel. 480-965-6253

Email: ucpsarnet@gmail.com

SOUTH AMERICA

Contact Person: Susana Pesis

Email: susanapesis@gmail.com

Directory

For more information about our worldwide network

of educators, researchers, students and community leaders,

please visit our website:

http://ucpsarnet.asu.edu

If you want to get involved, please click CONTACT US

and fill in the relevant application form.

Educating, Empowering and Engaging Communities

Page 20