| Team leaders Catherine McNamara and Owen Everitt (foreground) with (f... Team leaders Catherine McNamara and Owen Everitt (foreground) with (from left) team members Swati Dhamaraj, Jess Pratten, Houcine Chraibi, Amandine Girrad (red jumper) and Kiri Yapp (white top) along with other interested International House students |
International House students awarded funding for Davis Projects for Peace
9 Apr 2008 | Bernie Goldie
Students from International House, a student residence of the University of Wollongong, have been awarded US$10,000 as part of their proposal for the Davis Projects for Peace 2008.
The US project is in its second year and this is the first time Australian students have been awarded funding.
The project entitled “Proactivity and Peace through Art” was created by International House students:
Team Leaders: Catherine McNamara (Australia), Owen Everitt (Australia),
Team Members: Kiri Yapp (Australia), Swati Dhamaraj (India), Jess Pratten (Australia), Houcine Chraibi (Morocco) and Amandine Girrad (France)
The aim of the project is to provide Timorese artists with the opportunity to become intercultural leaders and realise their importance in shaping national identity and enlighten the Australian public of the situation in East Timor.
Two East Timorese artists and a collection of art from Arte Moris School will visit Wollongong local schools and community groups. An exhibition of East Timorese art is planned to be held in Wollongong.
“We knew we had to develop a grass-roots project to foster 'world peace,' and began to think about the power that art has in communicating a culture's history and tragedy," said team leader, Catherine McNamara.
“We believe that promoting the value of East Timorese art will be essential for the East Timorese identity. Something as simple as a peace mural can begin a process of promoting peace on a national, regional and global scale," according to Team leader Owen Everitt.
The Davis Projects for Peace is an invitation for undergraduates at the American colleges and universities in the Davis United World Scholarship Program. Students design projects at a grassroots level with the intention of implementing them during 2008.
The objective of the Davis Projects for Peace is to encourage and support today’s motivated youth to create their own ideas for building peace.
The Davis Projects for Peace is made possible by international philanthropist Kathryn Wasserman Davis, who chose to celebrate her 100th birthday in February 2007 by committing US$1 million for 100 Projects for Peace.
The project sits well with the UOW International House mission of “promoting global well-being by enabling UOW students living at International House to be intercultural leaders”, said Student Residence Manager of International House, Dr Lindsay Oades.
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