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Learning by doing > Fran Noonan 26 Learning by doing A collaborative effort Since 2008, AVI’s collaboration with Macquarie University and the Participation and Community Engagement (PACE) International initiative, has allowed Macquarie students the opportunity to broaden their academic and personal horizons, through international placements with partner organisations around the globe. AVI’s Fran Noonan writes about the latest achievements of the program. » Initially a pilot program with 40 students contributing to six short-term international development projects, PACE International has since grown considerably. This year it boasts 85 students taking part in community development projects in Peru, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and India. Overall, 205 students have now successfully participated in PACE International to date. Since the conclusion of the pilot phase earlier in the year, AVI and Macquarie University have signed another agreement, endorsing an additional three-year partnership. Complementing existing operations, AVI will also work with Macquarie University to provide strategic advice to further develop and embed PACE International across other sections of the university, allowing opportunities for more students and staff to engage with community development projects. A learning experience in Peru In 2011 students from Macquarie University spent fi ve weeks at Peru’s Challenge, a Peruvian based NGO in Cusco, working with local counterparts to develop resources and strategies for rural Indigenous communities to manage and address livelihood issues. Students worked alongside community members on a school and community construction project; delivered school lessons in art, English, sport, dance and music; contributed to community health initiatives and promoted healthy hygiene practices to school children; and assisted local social workers in undertaking home visits to improve general household well-being. Erin Smith Macquarie University Student Above > Farryn Gaddin assisting Quilla Huata students with their English classes. Below Left > PACE participants making adobe bricks in Quilla Huata, Peru. Below Right > PACE participants assisting the children learning healthy hygiene practises. Photos > Courtesy PACE International “I cannot put into words how phenomenal and life-changing this experience has been. It feels like we have gained so much more from this experience than we could ever give back. Working with the community; with the mothers, fathers, teachers and students has been so humbling, and has taught me more about humility than I can express. On our farewell, we could see the impact that we had made on the community; from the kids with shining faces and smiles, to the women of the village who as a result have a place to make a sustainable income. It was just amazing.” Jane Gavel Founder of Peru’s Challenge “The appropriateness of PACE participants refl ects the collaborative work of PACE stakeholders – Macquarie University, AVI and partner organisations – in defi ning what makes an effective participant. The students came well prepared and are extremely motivated. They complete work that would otherwise cost us a lot of time and money and enable us to keep our commitments to local communities. In the past 12 months 90 percent of projects achieved their project objectives and partner organisations reported a high level of satisfaction with student contributions.”
Book Review By Helen Dwan Sufficient for the Day: Towards a Sustainable Culture by Geoff Lacey Dr Geoff Lacey’s recently published book, Suffi cient for the Day: Towards a Sustainable Culture explores possible causes and responses to current environmental issues such as global warming. Lacey was a member of the founding committee of the Overseas Service Bureau (which later became Australian Volunteers International) and was also involved in establishing credit unions and grassroots educational projects in Chittagong, Bangladesh in a volunteering capacity. It was here that he observed the importance of local self-reliance and sustainability, which he believes goes hand-in-hand with equity and ecological sustainability. He explains how the sustainable agricultural practices of the home gardens in lowland Mexico, subsistence farming in Ethiopia and the Nayakrishi Andolon (New Farming Movement) in Bangladesh are highly productive and produce nutritious foods which are protective of biodiversity and environmentally sustainable. Within the book he also gives examples of Victorian initiatives like the Friends of CERES urban farm in Brunswick, Victoria, and the Mount Alexander Sustainability Group. Lacey also analyses the historical and the current day relationship between technology and nature, and the shifting attitudes towards the interconnectedness of the two. You can purchase Suffi cient for the Day: Towards a Sustainable Culture by mail to the Yarra Institute, PO Box 505 Box Hill VIC 3128, or ordered via admin@yarrainstitute.org.au. (RRP $20) add $5 for postage and handling. Published by Yarra Institute Press www.yarrainstitute.org.au Making people internationally effective Access 60 years of Australian Volunteers International briefi ng, cultural and re-entry training expertise through AVI Worldwide. AVI Worldwide training and briefi ng programs provide professionals and organisations working overseas with: > Improved cross-cultural understandings > Detailed socio-political insights > Strategies to improve business outcomes > Perspectives on life as an expat AVI Worldwide services maximise the potential of professionals and their families living and working overseas. Contact the AVI Worldwide team for more information: Phone: 1800 331 292 Email: worldwide@australianvolunteers.com www.aviworldwide.com Book Review ‘ Suffi cient for the Day’ > Helen Dwan 27
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