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Ambassadorial Scholar reports

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AMBASSADORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FIRST REPORT

 

Name:  Allyson P. Brundige

Mailing Address:  16 Brunswick Rd. Glenmore Durban 4001 South Africa

Telephone: 011 27 73 670 7141

Email:  206521089@ukzn.ac.za or abrundige@gmail.com

 

American Hip Hop and township jazz blares from the inkombi taxi, as I sit sandwiched between Zama, my coworker, and eleven strangers.  The bass reverberates seemingly from within my body.  I nod along to the beat as I stare out into the surrounding township, a mixture of urban and rural landscape, and I smile.  I am in South Africa.  Since arriving, I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of people, the richness of culture, and the potential for connection and learning. 

 

I spent my first days in South Africa living with Nothile, my friend from my short stay here in 2001, her husband Sihle and their eighteen-month-year-old son, Welile.  They provided me with a base and home away from home for which I am incredibly grateful.  They opened up their home, their lives, and their love to me as I began to build and understand my life here in Durban.  The whole family helped me to learn isiZulu.  Nothi taught me to cook traditional Zulu meals.  Sihle and I watched the World Cup.  Welile and I played, tickled and tumbled, and Welile even says, “Al – ee” (Ally) now!  Needless to say when I decided to move to a neighborhood closer to the university and where I could work without fear of child tantrums, I was sad to leave behind my family. 

 

Our Ambassadorial Scholarship Coordinator, Alethea Duncan-Brown, and my host counselor, John Ferguson, have also taken hospitality and that Rotary spirit to the next level.  When I arrived at the Durban International Airport, I recognized them right away because they both stood with warm smiles holding a big Rotary International sign.  Since then, they have acted as surrogate “mom” or “big sister” and “dad.”  Alethea keeps all of the inbound scholars abreast of the various Rotary activities happening in the area, connected to one another, and feeling loved, as she demonstrates caring for the well being of each one of us.  John spent much of his time during my first weeks helping me get settled.  He supported me in arranging logistical details at the bank, university and elsewhere and gave me a second home away from home always inviting me over for dinner, yoga, or morning coffee.  I treasure many of the conversations that passed between John and me, as we sat on his veranda sipping coffee joined only by a chorus of birds and his two dogs.  Even as I have settled in, our conversations, coffees, and dinners have continued, and I believe that John and I are forming a bond that will surpass the length and terms of the scholarship.

 

In describing my first two months in Durban South Africa to a friend, I realized that it felt a lot like learning to drive stick (which I have also been doing since arriving). There is a constant sense of freedom, newness, learning, and excitement:

 

I have attended several conferences including the discussion of the South African Communist Party’s white paper on its tri-part relationship with the trade union alliance COSATU and the dominant political party, ANC, a local grassroots activism seminar at the International Sociologist Association’s Annual World Conference, a student activism gathering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville Campus, and a discussion of student research on contemporary South African social movements.  At each, I have connected with fascinating local and international people and learned from their experiences and perspectives.  I am thrilled at how alive the dialogue here is concerning social and political realities of nation and world. 

 

As indicated in my proposal for study, I am here to learn from South Africa’s vibrant culture of youth activism and its current efforts to foster empowered youth citizens.  In promoting positive youth development, I believe it essential that we both understand youth perspectives on civic engagement and celebrate the ways they are connecting with one another and society.  I aim to answer the growing calls of alarm and critique of academics and analysts about the lack of youth participation in democratic South Africa by reviewing the ways in which youth are engaging and their attitudes about different means of participation.  Towards this end, I will be conducting a survey of local youth and conducting interviews of key informant youth workers and youth leaders. 

 

Since arrival, I have completed a fairly extensive literature review, met with my advisor on several occasions, developed my survey tool and interview questionnaire, and identified two organizations that will serve as case studies for my research:  Abahlali base Mjondolo, a local movement for social justice among shackdwellers, and Phakama, a youth development and gender empowerment organization.  I have made contact with both organizations and begun working alongside Phakama.  I also aim to support both organizations in fulfilling their mission.  With Phakama in particular, I will be helping to write a civics engagement supplementary curriculum and integrate it with their programming. 

 

In addition to abahlali and phakama, I will also seek to administer my survey to local Interact clubs and have already made contact with club leaders.  I am incredibly excited to link with Interact clubs during my stay because I was once an Interacter! I hope to present to each club about the Ambassadorial Scholarship.  I also will be facilitating a training and presentation (and administering my survey) to over seventy young people identified by their school as leaders to attend KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Education’s youth leadership conference. 

 

I have been privileged to visit several sites of cultural and historical import.  I arrived in Johannesburg just after the commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Soweto student uprising that helped reinvigorate the campaign to end apartheid and just before Nelson Mandela’s eighty-eighth birthday.  I took a tour of Soweto which included a stop at the Hector Peterson Museum (Hector Peterson was one of the first of many unarmed young people to be killed by police during the 1976 uprising.), Nelson Mandela’s home where he lived before being arrested and brought to Robben Island, the Apartheid Museum, and the Constitutional Court which is one of the most beautiful material testaments to freedom I have ever seen.  In Durban, I have visited the Natal Society for the Arts Gallery and the BAT center, home to local musicians and artists, even attending a Hip Hop Battle where an Indian young person won the battle as the mostly black African crowd cheered on his lyrical rhymes of non-racialism.  Walking downtown, smells, sounds, and crowds seem to carry you through the streets and buildings; Durban is alive with diversity, culture, and opportunities, and I cannot wait to explore it further. 

 

There are many hills in Durban and like driving a manual automobile, the buoyancy and flurry of action is sometimes, however, met with the need to balance the accelerator with the clutch, to take moments to weigh and recognize some of the realities of living in South Africa.  There is a common sense of fear that pervades.  Crime, death from diseases, and violence are real and consistent problems that affect everyone here at some point or another, albeit in varying degrees of seriousness.  To paraphrase Creina Alcock, a South African woman whose husband was killed, trusting is dangerous.  But without trust there can be no love and without love there can be no hopeand so we trust anyway.  I walk with the wariness that anyone should in a foreign city, but I decide each day to choose to live not in fear but with my fear and to trust anyway.  Those South Africans whom I most respect and who have seemed most happy here seem to do the same. 

 

Even in trusting, however, I believe it imperative that we recognize the growing global disparity that South Africa reflects.  South African society demonstrates the unjust divide between rich and poor nations and peoples that too often falls along lines of race.  That people go daily without water, food, or health care is unacceptable. That schools are falling down is unacceptable.  That there is still inadequate housing for so many people is unacceptable.  The disparity is not unfamiliar to me, having lived the last eight years in New Haven, CT where Yales ivory towers obscure the high levels of poverty and crime impacting New Havens youth, but the extremity of the disparate impact is shocking.  In face of such devastating circumstances, I am pleased to meet and know so many Rotarians putting their best effort forward to alleviate the effects of poverty and disease in so many South African communities.

 

I have been quite involved with Rotary since arrival and credit my sponsor district and club for having prepared me so well for my ambassadorial experience with Rotary.  Before leaving for South Africa, I became very close with my New Haven Rotary Club and its members.  I attended several lunchtime meetings, two holiday parties, a basketball excursion, the District Assembly, and joined a group of volunteers in reading to children from a local school.  I presented twice to New Haven, once at the Rotary Foundation Seminar, once to the AM Rotary Club of Ridgewood, NJ, and once at the district assembly of Interact Clubs.  I participated in the Northeast Link RI Foundation scholarship training and met so many wonderful inbound and outbound scholars.  My sponsor counselor, Walter Nester, and surrogate sponsor, Anita Silvestra, provided excellent guidance and warm support prior to departure. 

 

Since delivery into the hands of my host club, the Rotary Club of Durban, I have presented to the Rotary Club of Durban, Durban North, and Umgeni, and at the Foundation District Assembly.  I am scheduled to present at two other clubs, an Interact club, and the inbound scholar orientation next year, and look forward to the many other clubs and events that I will have the opportunity of attending.  I participated in one meeting of my host club’s Roteract club and look forward to becoming more involved with Roteract throughout my stay.  In addition, I will volunteer at my clubs annual Youth Day next month and the Durban North clubs holiday fair.  I have been touched by the generosity and devotion of individual Rotarians and incredibly impressed with all of the variety of important contributions Rotary clubs from throughout the area make each and every day.  I expect to become only increasingly involved as my experience continues.

 

As I pause at the top of the hill, looking back at what I have already accomplished and experienced and forward to the great adventures and learning that lies ahead, I feel so lucky to be here in Durban as a part of the vast organization that is Rotary International working to create a better Durban, a better South Africa, and a better world.

 

 

The Rotary Club of New Haven

                     

Rotary Club of New Haven

Board of Directors

Board Minutes

October 12, 2006

 

 

Attendance:  Tom Beirne, Joel Sachs, David Lubner, Betty Jane Schiller, Al May, President Carl Ek, Bernie Lipin, Doug Lisk, Virginia Zawoy, Kirk Baird, Walt Nester, Sharon Sudusky

 

The meeting was called to order by President Carl at 8:10, followed by a review of previous minutes, after a minor correction, the minutes were approved.

 

Treasurer, Joel reviewed our P/L statement (July through September 2006).  We are currently in a good cash position with many members (46 of 64 actives) sending in their dues.  Joel went on to present, with Carl’s assistance, the proposed 2006 -2007 Rotary Budget, which was approved by the Board.  There was some discussion around our club’s fund raising activities which basically include the Rotary Rose Sale and the Basketball Pool.  Joel (who also runs the pool) has ordered 325 dozen roses and hopes we can sell them all.  The discussion was around marketing the sale better and to outside the club.  It was felt that we should begin our marketing earlier and perhaps post card mailers could be used to generate more awareness and sales.  The group also talked about having strategically placed locations to purchase or at least pick up the roses similar to what the Guilford club does with Bishops’s orchard. 

 

In Colin’s absence, Carl mentioned the Rotary Leadership Institute and the continued lack of communication from our District.  He spoke with our DG Chip who indicated he would investigate.  Next up is the President’s meeting at the Graduate Club.  Virginia will attend as Carl has a previous commitment.  Jay LaVoie is on the District Assembly committee this year.  Sharon is also helping out on the District Assembly Committee and finally announced the upcoming Foundation dinner on Nov 10th (confirm date) with Art who is assisting with that event. 

 

Committees:  There was a brief discussion about membership with a questions re. Louis D’Antonio, who had expressed an interest prior to Tony Cortiglio’s departure and John Burturla who spoke to the club and expressed a similar interest.  A suggestion was made that we send new Chamber members or at least distribute at a Business After hours event, our Rotary information.  Carl will meet with John Bubello to follow up on membership development. 

 

Al May the chairman of the annual Police and Fire banquet reported that we have secured a major sponsor for this years’ event coming up on November 14th.  Blue Cross has signed on with more than 40 other sponsors totaling $12,250 to date.  The publicity will be going out to the awardees via Al.  Sharon mentioned that parking will be available across the street in the court house parking lot for the evening event.  The committee has decided to go with drink tickets instead of an open bar for this year’s banquet in an effort to trim some expenses. We are also offering a full 4 course dinner this year instead of the heavy hors d’ oeuvres menu of last year. 

 

 

There was a discussion on the status of our Charitable trust foundation and the lack of reports we have received.  Tom sits on the foundation board and mentioned that they have not had a report for quite sometime and he has inquired about this.  The assets have been switched to Stevens along with Charles Noble shift to that firm.  One suggestion was that the funds be moved to an independent firm not connected with any of our Rotarian.  The funds are around $140,000 but have not changed much since last reports.  Tom will convey the Boards opinions to the Trust.   

 

Holiday Party:  Sharon is chairing this event and is all set!  The party is scheduled for December 12th at the Q-Club.  She has secured the Hopkins singers once again to entertain the group.  The Board discussed the live auction concept and Tom agreed to serve as auctioneer again this year.  It was recommended that we make a donation to the Girl Scouts in Anita’s name in recognition of her 10 anniversary of service and dedication to Rotary and having served as our first woman President. 

 

Programs:  In Art’s absence the Board commented on the continued great programs secured through the first of next year.  Tom suggested that Chef Jack of the Q club would be happy to do another cooking demonstration or wine tasting program, around the holidays for us.   Carl questioned the status of our Rotary Readers project and Betty Jane reported that Andy has met with the new librarian and we should be working out the details soon. 

 

Old Business:  Walt handed out a printed report from Ambassadorial Scholar, Ally Brundidge. 

Carl spoke briefly about beginning efforts to do some strategic planning for the Club.

Carl, Colin and Tom have communicated with RI on the Guntermann article and they will be printing Carl’s letter and hopefully clear up the inconsistencies of his piece. 

Fantasy of Lights, Marybeth Marino will Chair the event, Carl will confirm date for our Clubs participation. 

 

 

The meeting was adjourned at 9:25.