Menasha Nikhanji /RCMP/GRC) captivated members with her factual report on her three-month Rotary Peace Fellowship studies in Thailand. One of twenty-one applicants, Menasha, learned about international conflicts, the global impacts, media’s role in the world, trauma and trauma informed approaches. She also learned about toxic stress, impact on the brain, child soldiers of war as well as those who had been trafficked, restorative and retributive justice, truth and reconciliation.
Menasha noted that Media creates an “us/them”, political players then leverage this to gain power by keeping people in their own ‘tribes’ leading to a rise in tribalism. She encouraged Rotary to continue Peace education, pointing out a need for dialogue leading to achieve ‘positive peace’. Creating peace is something we can do in our own backyards, take care of our neighbours, take care of the vulnerable, build bridges with communities that have been disenfranchised. No matter what your station in life, its everyone’s responsibility.