63rd Annual Assembly - Weekend in Review
This past November, hundreds gathered from across Canada to attend WUSC’s 63rd Annual General Assembly. The theme for this year was Peace and Conflict: Effective Development in Fragile Places. The event welcomed over 400 delegates, all sharing a common interest in international development. The assembly took place Friday November 13th to Sunday November 15th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ottawa.  The first session of the weekend kicked off Friday afternoon, Local Committee’s gathered for the Student Refugee Program National Training Workshop. For many Local Committee members, this was their first time attending the Annual Assembly and they were unsure about what to expect at first. However, they soon began socializing with other committee members, exchanging stories and advice. That evening, the Opening Night Reception and Awards Ceremony officially kicked off the Assembly. Guests eagerly packed the grand ballroom of the hotel to eat and engage in lively conversations with other guests.  WUSC awards recipients were Maxim Jean Louis for the Alumni Award and Brandon University for the Local Committee of the Year Award. Christine Gervais received the Lewis Perinbam Award while Gladson Makowa accepted the Farm Radio International’s George Atkins Communications Award. A high-energy performance by Cobra du Mandingue rounded out the evening as guests took the dance floor and moved along to the infectious rhythmic beats. The enthusiasm carried over Saturday as the National Research Forum took place that morning. Dr. W. Andy Knight, Director of the Peace and Post Conflict Studies Certificate Programme in the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies (OIS) at the University of Alberta, was the official convener for the NRF. Four new and emerging scholars presented at the forum. Each one of the presenters commented on how lively the participants were – many of the sessions ran overtime because there were so many questions being asked from the attendees. Participants re-assembled to hear the keynote address by guest speaker, Ms. Carolyn McAskie. Ms. McAskie was the former United Nations Assistant Secretary General for Peacebuilding Support, and former Head of the UN Peacekeeping Operation in Burundi and Special Representative of the Secretary General. She spoke of the needs of people living in conflict countries, and what WUSC can to do build on its extensive networks and experience of working in fragile conflict and post-conflict areas.  On Saturday afternoon, the session Beyond the Annual Assembly: From Ideas to Action was met with an enthusiastic response from the crowd as the panel discussed ways to further take action in our community and in our day-to-day lives. This session reaffirmed that international development work really does start at the grassroots level, and it is the individual actions that make the biggest impact.
The last session of the weekend was one of the most popular. Peace and Conflict: Effective Development in Sri Lanka discussed results from Sir Lanka’s Project for Rehabilitation through Education and Training (PRET) and addressed the challenges and strategies of working in volatile areas of the country.The weekend came to an end with reports from the Nominations Committee, the Chair, Treasurer, and Executive Director. The 63rd Annual General Assembly was a huge success thanks to the hard work and commitment of WUSC staff members and the generosity of this year’s sponsors. Thank you to all the Local Committees, alumni and community members who made it out. We hope to see you all again next year! |
