Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Students set off for Sarajevo peace event
Fifteen students and staff in Politics and Applied Global Ethics at Leeds Met will be presenting workshops and panel discussions relating to their university research at the Sarajevo Peace Event 2014.
The Sarajevo Peace Event is a youth camp for students and academics all over the world, organised by some of the biggest peace organisations in Europe and taking place from 6-9 June. Its aim is to provide a meeting point for activists, practitioners and researchers to exchange thoughts on peace and active nonviolence.
The students will be holding workshops relating to their coursework, covering subjects including Buddhism and philosophical 'Ubuntu' poetry, and leading debates. Senior Lecturer in Peace Studies, Dr Rachel Julian, will be speaking on a panel on unarmed civilian peacekeeping and Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies, Dave Webb, will be speaking about nuclear weapons and military spending.
First year BSc (Hons) International Relations and Peace student, Dumi Senda, commented: "I took the opportunity to go to the Sarajevo Peace conference to learn more about peace work from various organisations represented there and to lead a 'Poetry for Peace' workshop based on Ubuntu. I am inspired by people like Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Martin Luther King and continue to learn from their examples to shape my own progression.
"On my trip to Sarajevo I will be passing through Serbia where I will be doing a poetry recital with local poets and a workshop on Ubuntu. I think this is an important opportunity to share my culture with people of this region who may not know a lot about Africans or African culture. I believe that knowledge about different groups of people and how they live is a facilitator for community cohesion and peace building."
Dr Julian added: "The students have been planning the trip for six months and the excitement about going is wonderful. We are looking forward to contributing and supporting such a diverse event. There will be inspiring people from across the world and we expect new ideas and projects to emerge. It is a great opportunity to put learning and research into practice as we struggle with trying to create a more just and peaceful world."