Jeff Pugh (Alumnus of the Latin American Student Symposium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Monterrey, Mexico, 2003) is wasting no time in applying the skills he learned at the Symposium this summer. A mere four months after the end of the program, he is living in Quito, Ecuador, starting up an NGO called The Center for Mediation, Peace, and the Resolution of Conflict (CEMPREC), dedicated to the creation of a “dialogue-prone” society in that country by promoting peaceful conflict resolution and offering training in these skills to community leaders. Jeff is partnering with a local community development organization called SIFAT and just recently conducted his first training workshop for representatives of a barrio on the outskirts of Quito. Of the workshop, he comments: “It was a two-hour seminar, given entirely in Spanish, and I felt quite positive about it, and was encouraged when they requested advanced training and asked me to help mediate a power dispute within their leadership.” Jeff is also looking into gaining official mediation certification in Ecuador, as well as incorporating his CEMPREC as a non-profit in both Ecuador and Georgia, USA.

If you’re interested in finding out more about his project, or would like to help in some way, he can be reached at jpugh00@hotmail.com.

Natalia Antelava (Alumna of the International Student Symposium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in The Hague, The Netherlands, 2000) may have a more familiar voice than you think. She is a freelance journalist for BBC and NPR and was recently heard on NPR’s “All Things Considered” program covering the electoral protests in Tbilisi, Georgia. On assignment, she’s also had the chance to drive along the Caspian pipeline from Baku to Ceyhan, as well as to interview Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour during her several-month-long stay in Dakar. A highlight of her professional life was the month she served as a volunteer staff member at IIMCR’s 2003 International Symposium this past summer. Links to a few of her recent news stories are below:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3259855.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3254335.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3249675.stm