Rotary UK Foundation Peace Seminar

How glad I was to attend the Peace Seminar on Saturday Night. There were awe inspiring speakers and many new projects to explore. There were about 85 online

 

Professor Erinma Bell, MBE, DL. - First Woman, in 150 years, to have a statue of herself unveiled in Manchester Town Hall; Deputy Lieutenant for County of Greater Manchester; Recognised as one of the 100 Inspiring Women in Manchester; Listed as one of the 250 Most Influential People in Greater Manchester; Recognised as one of the Top 100 Nigerians in UK; Ambassador for Moss Side, Manchester; Rotary Peace Fellow to Chulalonghorn University, Bangkok in 2010, sponsored by, and now an honorary member of, the RC of Manchester Breakfast (My DG Classmate, Margaret Blowey, who often attends our meetings, is a member of RC of Manchester Breakfast which sponsored Professor Bell when Margaret was District Governor in 2010-11.)
Erinma spoke so well however what will always stay in my mind  is the following. Her sculpture is the first, of a woman, in Manchester Town Hall

More than 50 of the guns, handed in during a police amnesty, were melted down to make a sculpture of a Manchester peace activist, Dr Erinma Bell, who has campaigned to rid the streets of Moss Side of guns. More than 800 firearms were handed in during a two-week surrender in the North West in April following a spate of shootings in Salford. The sculpture was produced by Guns to Goods, an arts-based initiative converting firearms into works of art.

 

Sara Bellway, Project Manager, addressed the Seminar on Peace Jam UK’s new project, “Reclaiming Generation Covid” as generation change. Peace Jam is a series of events held for a number of years when young people 14-18 years To date they have run 14 interactive youth conferences, with around 300 young people who can converse with and be mentored by Nobel Peace prize winners, university mentors and volunteers.

More details on www.peacejam.org.uk

 

Jean Best, who established the Rotary Peace Project, and has addressed the United Nations on this topic. You can find more details on www.peoplewhoinspire.co.uk  

Alison Sutherland, who is Chair of the Rotary Action Group for Peace which works globally providing support and advice to clubs. Details on www.ragfp.org

All participants were sent to a Chat Room where we discussed what had excited each of us most from what we had heard.

Finally, Jannine Birtwistle, presently End Polio Now coordinator who is also passionate about our peace message presented her vision for coordinating our efforts to spread the word in future