Monday, May 10, 2010

Coming October 2010: Minister Manickchand travels to Cambridge as our guest and honored speaker

Our final activity for the year takes place in October when Minister Manickchand travels to Cambridge as our guest and honored speaker at Lesley during Domestic Violence recognition month. During her visit Minister Manickchand will have the opportunity to meet with students and faculty and share her efforts in preventing violence against women and children in Guyana. She will observe how the arts can be included in changing societal practices and in healing.

We are excited that our initiative has gained such great momentum and support at its infancy. Our vision that we can create a template to change societal behavior, specifically violence against women and children and gender inequality, has attracted significant attention across the Guyanese diaspora. While the arts are being used in over 70 countries by various organizations to treat a range of social ills, nowhere has a template been created to replicate successful results. By creating a model program we seek to contribute to more equitable, peaceable and sustainable communities for women, children and families .

Saturday, May 8, 2010

June 2010: 5 Guyanese social workers visit Cambridge

As part of its 2010 programming, MCF has invited 5 Guyanese social workers selected by the Ministry of Human Services and by Help & Shelter to participate in Lesley University’s Peaceable Schools & Communities Institute in Cambridge for 5 days in June. The Institute includes strategies to resolve conflicts and build peace. Director of the Peaceable Schools & Communities, Dr. Linda Brion-Miesels, will address the Guyanese group and their specific issues during their visit to Lesley. Additionally, the group will meet with faculty who teach integrated arts and expressive therapy to learn how the arts can contribute to learning and healing.