Rotary is saying “Give Peace a Chance”

The Rotary theme for 2012-13 is “Peace through Service” – as advocated by Rotary International President Sakuji Tanaka.

On 17 September 2012 the Harbourside club hosted a Peace forum lecture at the Auckland University to mark the significance of the theme and initiative. The key note speaker was Professor Kevin Clements Founding Chair of the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies from Otago University. Kevin provided some great insights on his experience of conflict resolution, observations of the embroiled countries in the Middle East and how peace keeping troops are important in maintaining an element of calm. He ended with a quote from Martin Luther King which highlighted a poverty of spirit: Mankind needs to live with each other creatively and non violently.

In attendance was the Rotary District 9920 Governor Ron Seeto who acknowledged the influential studies and work that Professor Clement’s department were undertaking. The forum was attended by over forty Rotarians and younger Rotoract members who were keen to hear the professor’s views especially as New Zealand deploys troops in key areas like Afghanistan.

Each year Rotary promotes and funds World Peace Fellowships for Master’s level degree studies in international affairs, peace studies and conflict resolution in five countries worldwide including Sweden and Argentina.

Diverse student speakers make an impact

The Rotary Club of Auckland Harbourside recently sponsored and judged the annual speech competition at Southern Cross Campus in Mangere, NZ. This is a great opportunity for college students from years 9 to 13 to gain confidence and express their views across a variety of interesting topics.

The young group presented speeches ranging from “Social media - does it destroy human connection?” and “Bucket list - the three things you must do before you leave school” to “The Rugby World Cup - was it worth it?”.

To judge such a talented and diverse group of speakers was challenging, but Past President David Wong said: “It was inspiring to see young kids from South Auckland passionate about their subjects. Obviously they spent a lot of quality time researching their topics and rehearsing in front of the mirror. It’s great to support a good college in this way.”