Recapping the week in Rotary for October 5, 2026!
Chair: Richelle Brown Redden
O'Canada led by Matt
Moment of Reflection
Happy $:
Cate: shared that her partner Nathan proposed over the weekend; the news was warmly celebrated by the room!
Matt: shared appreciation for a meaningful discussion on First Nations welcoming with staff at CORE.
Bill: shared a story of his recent “senior's moment”
Phil: shared congratulations to Cate! Then Phil explained CORE organization update: CORE (Kings Regional Rehabilitation Centre) became an independent non-profit as of last April, separating from municipal governance due to past funding arrangements. It Ccurrently houses 135 people and employs 650 people, making it one of the largest employers in the Valley. Provincial government mandate requires closure of all institutions serving people with disabilities; CORE's plan is to transition individuals to community-based settings. Executive Director Susan Kennedy may be invited to present to the club in the future.
He also shared other updates:
Cancun Leadership Training: He attended Rotary's international leadership training in Cancun (~30°C, felt like 40°C), representing a group of 42 district governor nominees from Canada and the Eastern Seaboard across 15 countries and approximately 600 attendees.
- Two days of sessions on the district governor role; key benefit was relationship-building with peers who can be called upon for future support.
- Met and spent time with the new President of Rotary International, who delivered a two-hour presentation.
District Leadership Team Meeting (Halifax): Held the prior weekend; covered upcoming goals, financial reporting from the district, and early planning for the next district governor term.
Mini District Conference Highlights:
- Report from a focus group on engaging people under 40 in community activities, with Rotary as one potential avenue.
- Presentation by a RYLA participant from Kentville (Kings NECAC student, graduating and university-bound) — described as an outstanding young leader and speaker.
- Short presentation on IA (Interact/Inneract, unspecified).
- Most impactful session: presentation by Jennifer on her daughter's experience with sex trafficking, followed by a representative from POSSE, a Windsor-based nonprofit supporting street-involved individuals who have been sexually abused.
- Several members were moved to plan future activities around the sex trafficking issue beyond the single meeting.
Elva: shared Louisa Horne was named as new Rotary International director for Zone 28 and 32, covering Canada and the Eastern Seaboard.
Committee Reports:
Phyllis: World Polio Day Walk (October 24): A public awareness walk will be held at Miner's Marsh, featuring a free-will-offering barbecue to raise awareness of polio; posters were distributed for members to post in public-facing locations.
Presentation: Kathleen Novelia, Rotary Peace Scholar
Pierre introduced Kathleen's Background & Qualifications
- Previously worked for Wren as an Immigration and Settlement Navigator, welcoming immigrants to the valley and connecting them with local services.
- Involved in the planning of the club's first Environment Day, establishing an early community connection.
- Conducted research in Tanzania in food security and community development prior to applying for the fellowship.
Her breadth of social-sector experience across immigration, food security, and community development was cited as the basis for her qualification as a Rotary Peace Scholar.
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Personal Experience in Australia
Life & Culture
Australians demonstrated a deeply ingrained work-life balance unlike anything Kathleen had previously experienced, even compared to the valley.
- Australian values were described as closely aligned with Canadian values — "very cheeky," humorous, and less inclined to take life seriously.
- No significant adjustment difficulties were reported; fresh produce and favorable weather year-round were noted as pleasant surprises.
- The most vivid image of Australia she retains is the people she met — she was the only Rotary Peace Fellow in her cohort to receive a going-away party, reflecting the depth of friendships formed.
Notable Foods - Ate kangaroo and crocodile as memorable culinary experiences.
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Academic Journey & Core Themes
Place in Peace: Power, Privilege & Lived Experience - Kathleen framed her academic work around the intersection of power, privilege, and lived experience, arguing that lack of access to knowledge — not just lack of resources — is itself a form of inequality.
- She reflected that not knowing the term "community development" earlier in her career delayed her professional trajectory; those with access to that knowledge could shape their paths much sooner.
- Her mother's reaction to hearing about her Tanzania work — "Oh, you mean the job that white people do?" — crystallized a key insight: privilege includes access to knowledge, language to articulate needs, and the ability to imagine possibility, not just material resources.
- The master's journey was described as "catching up — transforming lived experience into informed, ethical practice."
Development, Security & Structural Inequality - Challenged the dominant framing of "developing" vs. "developed" world, tracing it to Cold War-era geopolitics where the US and USSR competed to expand their ideological spheres of influence.
- Argued that the spread of US-style democracy was tied to financial extraction from poorer nations and preferential engagement with local elites, leaving populations in poverty structurally unchanged.
- Noted that social research funded by US institutions in lower-income countries was often linked to identifying natural resources rather than genuinely supporting democratic development.
- Applied this lens locally: invited members to consider how well-intentioned social programs in the valley may perpetuate the same inequalities they claim to address, due to unexamined bias.
- Key principle articulated: "To understand where someone else is at, you must first go deeper within yourself — we can only understand someone as much as we've understood ourselves."
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Applied Field Experience (Rotary-Funded Fieldwork)
Training — Restorative Justice, Melbourne - Completed restorative justice and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) practice training with the Syrian Association for Resource Justice in Melbourne.
- Developed skills in facilitating restorative circles (called "conferences" in Australia), describing it as falling "totally in love" with mediation practice.
Internship — Child Protection, Philippines (Netherlands-Based NGO) - Worked with an international NGO headquartered in the Netherlands, operating out of its Philippines office, focused on child trafficking, sexual exploitation of children, and online sexual exploitation.
- Contributed to advocacy and training of children's advocates, pushing governments to strengthen legal protections that lag behind those in Canada or Australia.
- Participated in a humanitarian action review following a typhoon that struck the Philippines prior to her arrival.
- Engaged with youth advocates working to stop the worst forms of child labor.
Defining the Line: Child Labor vs. Family Contribution - Raised a nuanced question relevant locally: children in the valley helping with apple picking may not constitute child labor, but the threshold is crossed when the child bears economic responsibility for the family.
- Cited a specific example: 12-year-olds working overnight shifts at a pork-processing facility, salting pigs until their hands were damaged, then attending school with minimal sleep — a clear case of exploitative child labor.
- Broader principle: work — including NGO and everyday work — must not "unintentionally reproduce the very inequalities it claims to address."
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Rotary Peace Fellowship — Program Details
What It Is - A fully funded fellowship through Rotary International covering flights, living costs, contingency funding, and a separate applied field experience budget.
- Fellows complete a master's degree at one of a select group of partner universities; Kathleen's choices were the University of Queensland and a UK institution.
- Includes a mandatory applied field experience component (training or internship anywhere in the world, also funded) that is exclusive to Peace Fellows — not available to regular master's students in the same programs.
Eligibility & Key Features - No age limit — described as the only fully funded scholarship Kathleen is aware of with this feature; the oldest fellow she knew was in their 40s.
- Applicants cannot have parents or grandparents who are Rotarians, as the program is designed to reach people outside the Rotary network.
- Must have prior work experience — fresh graduates are not eligible; the majority of accepted applicants are second-time applicants (approximately one-third of each cohort).
- Applicants do not need sponsorship from a local club to apply — one of Kathleen's US contacts applied successfully without club affiliation after being unable to gain access to a local club.
Post-Fellowship Obligations - No ongoing requirements from Rotary International after the fellowship concludes.
- Expectations were set and fulfilled during the fellowship: presenting at Rotary Clubs in Brisbane and assisting with club events.
Ideal Candidate Profile - Someone with grit, a commitment to social justice, and a willingness to go above and beyond — the program is described as very demanding.
Not an underachiever — Kathleen noted that none of the Peace Fellows she knew fit that description.
How Kathleen Learned About It - Met a woman in Tanzania while working in food security who recommended the fellowship; Kathleen initially dismissed it as unrelated to her field.
- The woman reframed it: food security intersects directly with peace (negative peace, positive peacebuilding, peacekeeping), and the application is about framing your experience effectively.
50/50: Garth won the draw! Congratulations!