Julia Smith
Posted by Bill Bourlet
Julia Smith was our Rotary World Peace Scholar. This started two years ago with our Rotary club putting forward her name to the district as our candidate and she was chosen.
Julia comes from Squamish and had her first introduction to Rotary many years ago as a youth Exchange student. She went to South Africa for her year at age 16.
When she came back she got her B A at Victoria university then spent 2 years in Kenya working and living with the AIDS society.
Now with a newly minted Peace Scholarship under her belt she is looking forward to putting it to use.
It was a 15 month course at Bradford university in Northern England.
There is much racial tension in that part of the world as the economic boom of the last few years has left that region behind and there has been significant immigration to the area from Pakistan and other countries.
These new migrants take jobs and housing leaving the locals behind.
So there was a chance to practice the peace initiative straight away or at least see what could be done.
Julia comes from Squamish and had her first introduction to Rotary many years ago as a youth Exchange student. She went to South Africa for her year at age 16.
When she came back she got her B A at Victoria university then spent 2 years in Kenya working and living with the AIDS society.
Now with a newly minted Peace Scholarship under her belt she is looking forward to putting it to use.
It was a 15 month course at Bradford university in Northern England.
There is much racial tension in that part of the world as the economic boom of the last few years has left that region behind and there has been significant immigration to the area from Pakistan and other countries.
These new migrants take jobs and housing leaving the locals behind.
So there was a chance to practice the peace initiative straight away or at least see what could be done.
Julie had two Rotary Counselors to help settle in Yorkshire and get her studies done.
They were very good and helped every time I needed them.
At the end of her year she got to spend three months abroad and chose to go back to South Africa to look at and work with the Aids epidemic.
She got to stay with her old host families which was wonderful.
UN Aids bank was her host here and she got to work with them and the aids ill sufferers.
She worked in an aboriginal housing home so that these people weren't on the street.
There were people there working with her from Iraqi and Afghanistan.
She took 8 courses in all at Bradford University mostly on Africa and Human Rights cases.
She met Desmond Tutu and has had an article published.
There was some squatting going on in Bradford so they formed a work party and set about cleaning up an area for the benefit of all.
There is much need for Peace keeping in the world.
Global health and spreading AIDS epidemic with rampant Tuberculosis etc to keep the health care people busy.
It was a terrific 2 years and she now looks forward to putting her degree to work.
Julie was thanked by Boris.
They were very good and helped every time I needed them.
At the end of her year she got to spend three months abroad and chose to go back to South Africa to look at and work with the Aids epidemic.
She got to stay with her old host families which was wonderful.
UN Aids bank was her host here and she got to work with them and the aids ill sufferers.
She worked in an aboriginal housing home so that these people weren't on the street.
There were people there working with her from Iraqi and Afghanistan.
She took 8 courses in all at Bradford University mostly on Africa and Human Rights cases.
She met Desmond Tutu and has had an article published.
There was some squatting going on in Bradford so they formed a work party and set about cleaning up an area for the benefit of all.
There is much need for Peace keeping in the world.
Global health and spreading AIDS epidemic with rampant Tuberculosis etc to keep the health care people busy.
It was a terrific 2 years and she now looks forward to putting her degree to work.
Julie was thanked by Boris.