More Reflections on the 2011 - 12 Sauvé Experience | A Wish for the 2012 - 13 Sauvé Scholars

As the first scholars of the 2012 - 13 year arrive at Sauvé House, I can’t help but reflect on what made the Sauvé experience so unique this past year. Before arriving at the House, I had traveled, lived abroad, made friends with people from around the world. For most of the Scholars, they had similar experiences and exposure to the world that they brought to the Sauvé community. So, what made living and learning during the Sauvé Scholarship such a unique experience?

Sauvé House and especially the kitchen is an ideal place to bring people together from the Sauvé community, Montreal and beyond. For me, this was more apparent than ever when I hosted the Pakistan National Dinner. That one night represented so much of what I loved about the Sauvé experience. Forty of my dearest friends and family from different parts of my life in Montreal (and beyond) were under the same roof. When I took a moment to look around the kitchen during dinner, I realized that the beauty of Sauvé House is that it brings people together. They come from Quebec, Montreal, partner organizations, communities, host families, alumni, McGill, Concordia and mentors among many more.

For the dinner, my mom came from Toronto for the weekend to meet the people who I had been talking about the whole year. She told stories of her life growing up in Pakistan and the struggles and challenges of transitioning and creating a new home in Canada. Not only did I want my housemates and friends to have a chance to meet the person who influenced me the most (and taste her cooking) but I also wanted her to know this part of my life by experiencing a little bit of the joy I felt living with these people.

Sauvé House was a truly special place for me. Unlike any other environment, it was a place where I explored different parts of my identity—my Pakistani birth, Canadian upbringing and international experiences that connected me to my peers. I felt completely at home, more comfortable with who I am and my varied life experiences in a house full of people from around the world.

As the 2012 - 13 Sauvé Scholars filter into Montreal, I wish you the greatest, most inspiring year yet. I hope you are able to have moments that make you wonder, get lost in a deep conversation, random dancing in the kitchen, walks, runs or bike rides on the mountain, successful projects and great joy as you live and learn from each other. I hope that you meet new people and bring those you love—your friends and families (if possible) to the house.  It will not be perfect. The kitchen will get messy. Winter might be really cold. There will be difficult moments that will make you question as you challenge each other to be better people. But I can say that it will be unlike any other experience in your life. I hope that it will open your mind and heart in ways you didn’t expect and give you memories with your housemates you will never forget. I know it did that for me.

Photos of the Pakistan National Evening 

Josh, Kyle, Valérie and Charlotte

Simangele with Kate Reed, a host mother to many Scholars

Steph with Maria

All the guests enjoying a delicious meal

Deep in conversation

Charlotte, Maria, Simangele, Steph and Dechen in Pakistani outfits 

Beautiful Charlotte dressed up in her Pakistani outfit

Reflections from the 2011-12 Sauve year

Last August, fourteen young people hailing from countries as different from Canada as the Palestinian Territories, Kenya and Paraguay, embarked on a journey  to learn about leadership and how to contribute to effective responses to the major global challenges of our time. We did so by exchanging ideas with each other and educating ourselves at two world class Montreal universities.  As Sauvé Scholars for ten months, we lived in a house just up the street from our host academic institutions McGill and Concordia.

The first experience to form a bond between us was a camping trip in the Laurentians which we coordinated amongst ourselves. The Canadian lakes gave us a sense of the boundless opportunities in this country. We were deeply touched by the eerie call of the loon, though perhaps that emotion was simply the relief of finding out that it wasn’t the call of hungry wolves.  Canada makes up seven percent of the world’s landmass and is blessed with an abundance of natural resources and beautiful wildlife. Please continue to treasure them for the rest of the world.

We met and exchanged ideas with Canadian leaders renowned in this country and across the world for their visions. The Sauvé fellow from China noted that in his country, it is unheard of for anyone but the central bureau to interact with ministers, let alone former presidents. During our ten months in Canada, we had lengthy discussions with ministers, members of parliament and two former prime ministers. In Canada, unlike many parts of the world, if you write a letter to your MP or a minister, you do eventually get a response.

Canadian and non-Canadian Sauvé Scholars alike realized the rich leadership potential of this country. Talented people from all parts of the earth make Canada their home and this  human capital could broker closer ties with other nations.

In the past, Canada has been an important leader on international issues including the environment. According to the UN, the 1989 Montreal Protocol continues to be the most successful international environmental agreement. Many of our countries have now developed unique ways of ensuring sustainability and low carbon development. In Bhutan, the holistic vision of development focuses both on tangible and intangible aspects of wealth and equally supports the interdependent pillars of human, social, cultural, natural and economic capital. Meanwhile, the Chinese approach to the green economy has been to decouple emissions growth from the economy by increasing financial spending and subsidies on lower carbon energy and leading in the development of renewable energies. We hope that Canada’s commitment to a more sustainable and prosperous world soon returns and we look forward to learning about this strategy.

In one month, twelve new Scholars from countries including Senegal and Cuba will take up residency at the Jeanne Sauvé House. This kind of leadership program thrives in Canada and is a great reflection of Canadian values. 

To our friends in Montreal and across Canada, thank you for an unforgettable experience and for enriching our understanding of the world. We hope that you continue to be proactive in developing good leadership and in ensuring a sustainable environment for your country. 

Bhutan in Vermont: A Shufti

When I made a trip to Vermont with the scholars in February 2012, I never expected to meet Christie Bond, the ever enthusiastic  Coordinator and Educator at Shelburne farms. But most surprising of all I never expected to meet Bhutan in the United States. We were having a quiet dinner at the home of Madame Melissa Burroughs of the prestigious St. Johnsbury Academy.  She had invited some of the teachers to join us for the evening. Among those who turned up was teacher Hellen. She came along with her friend from graduate school at the University of Vermont. Christie happened to be visiting St. Johnsbury at the same time as the scholars.

The two brought with them some cookies for desert, scholars loved it. During chit-chat and warm conversation over food and drinks I got to know her better. Usually, informally (Mohammed sometimes did it formally), scholars introduce themselves and where they come from, ask whether the individuals have been to either of their countries, heard of them or even knew where they were on the map. With baited breaths, we waited for Christie to confirm whether she had ever heard of Bhutan. Surprisingly, she knew more about Bhutan second only to Dechen. Having worked with a group from Bhutan until recently, she talked about her work with the federal refugee resettlement program in Vermont before getting busy at the Shelburne Farms. And that there were a lot of Bhutanese refugees in Vermont!  This came as a shock to me and the other five scholars on the trip. Mohamed was not with us but at that point, I vividly remembered his jokes about the population of Bhutan comprising of four people; the King, his two wives and Dechen.  And now that Dechen was out of the country, there were three people left in the beautiful and hilly Kingdom.

Christie appeared to be telling us that there was a civil war in Bhutan and refugees were in plenty!

Bhutan, as Dechen described it, was this exotic, serene paradise where the kings’ wedding was a ‘national holiday’ and everybody attended arrayed in the national dress. Even the comely Dechen spent the whole night watching a halting live stream of the nuptials on her laptop despite my suggestion that the internet connection was not particularly good that evening. From the different colours or shades of them, adorned for the day, she was able to pick out, for me, the royal family, the priests, the elders, the government officials, the judges, the common man and the monks among others.

After recovering from the blow of Bhutanese refugees dominating Vermont resettlement program, clearly, Dechen had some explaining to do! She explained that the refugees were actually Nepalese who entered Bhutan as migrant workers when the country started paving its first roads.  They stayed back and settled in the south of Bhutan and were given citizenship by the Bhutanese government and were officially called Lhotsampas meaning the people of south just as the people of the east are called Sharchops.   They have inter-married with the local Bhutanese population and have overtime swelled in numbers and even have political representation in the government. Later in the early 1990s, tensions broke out between the Lhotshampas and the Bhutanese government. The Bhutanese government’s side of the story is that the tension was ignited by a group of Nepalese who revolted against the government to gain supremacy and autonomy. They were said to have denounced the numerous integration programs initiated by the Bhutanese government.  In the ensuing clashes, the group left the country proclaiming ethnic cleansing by the Bhutanese government. The group also brainwashed others in the community and as a result a few thousand of Lhotasampas left the country with the group.  They landed up in Nepal where the UNHCR set up camps for them. And they are being resettled in five countries including the US, Canada and Australia. And that explains the presence of Bhutanese in Vermont.

Dechen, however, admitted that her account of the story may not be hundred percent clear or true because it is something that happened when she was 6 or 7 years old. And the subject is hardly discussed in formal public forums or the media not because the Bhutanese government is trying to sweep the issue under the carpet but because the government always kept the issue low profile.  This very attitude of the Bhutanese government helped stain Bhutan’s image.  When the group claimed persecution and ethnic cleansing, the Bhutanese government never clarified its stance.  International media did numerous stories many of which were one sided but the Bhutanese government ignored it. Silence on the Bhutanese government part was like confirming the claims and the accusations made by the group and the international media.  

This Bhutanese connection with Nepal, their Neighbor from west, was something no one had discussed at the Sauve house prior to the US trip. Not beyond the fact that they were just neighbours. Similarly, me and Yimin always discussed Canada-US ties, mostly on the pipeline, and never once discussed Sino-Bhutanese relations, yet China borders Bhutan to the North!

According to Dechen, Bhutans’ relation with India has always been that of love and hate.  The King’s stunning bride was actually schooled in India and so are many young Bhutanese. During the royal wedding spell, for instance, Some Indian Tabloids even claimed that the Bhutanese King was getting married to an Indian girl, much to the Chagrin of Dechen and the Bhutanese people. Such is the pride of a nation. And such is their love for the Charismatic King.  But they also appreciate that India offers a variety of essential goods and services that maybe beyond this Happiest Kingdom on earth.

During a tour of St. Johnsbury, the always reliable Melissa drove us across the bridge and onto the elevated part of the township where she first lived when she arrived in Vermont. Enroute, Dechen, occasionally and excitedly, pointed at the landscape through the chilly winter windows saying “this looks exactly like Bhutan”. .and we all looked outside the windows, instinctively, to see how Bhutan looked like..for the first time!

And of course by the end of the program, every scholar vowed to visit Bhutan in their lifetimes. But first, Instead of changing flights three times to get to Bhutan, maybe we all need to go to Vermont instead, to see ‘Bhutan’ and the ‘Bhutanese’ people. And despite Mohammed’s concerted teasing throughout the year, I think Dechen did a good job of Marketing Bhutan at the house and beyond. The King would definitely approve.  

Lest you forget, Dechen is a reporter, and no one can ever market a country better than a seasoned Journalist with a cool, delicate, measured and deliberate approach to life. 

And for the first time in my life, and without setting a foot, this little far eastern kingdom of 700,000 people became an integral part of my life at the Sauve House, just like Canada did in my nine Months in Montreal!

 

Running Around the Sauvé House

The Sauvé Year can be quite intense.  A key part of staying healthy and balanced during the year is fitness.   Some Scholars attend daily spinning classes at the gym; many participate in weekly yoga led by Simone, a fabulous instructor; others take up the latest workout regimens P-90x and TRX; and others yet participate in pickup matches of Sauvé Soccer (dominated by the Kenyans Paul and Esmael, as well as by Mohammed and Josh).  Yet this post will describe the sport this year’s Scholars have taken to a new level of adventure and competition: running (i.e., the second most boring sport after curling).

Early in the Sauvé Year, Steph and Ethan, along with Steph’s boyfriend Fred, participated with thousands and thousands of runners in the Montreal Half Marathon.   Conditions weren’t perfect: their training regimen was pathetic; the race day weather was scorching; Ethan didn’t sleep the night before.

Yet it was a blast.

Ethan achieved his goal of breaking Sarah Palin’s Half Marathon time.  He also avoided humiliation by beating, in a photo finish, a guy pushing a child in a stroller.  He did, however, lose to a man in a full Batman suit.  Which was okay, since Batman is a superhero.

Steph was on track for winning the Half Marathon, had her boyfriend Fred not held her back. 

The runners had a great Sauvé cheering section, in Esmael, Simangele, Dechen, and Yimin.

Steph then, despite taking the winter off from training, ran another half marathon in April, narrowly missing her two-hour goal by just 16 seconds.  In recounting her performance, Steph noted, “At one point the course was so windy that I could see all of the runners literally being blown over to one side. It was hilarious to watch until I also got pushed in the same direction.” 

Other Sauvé Scholars have also taken up the cause of running.

Mohammed, a smoker, is not one of them.  He does, however, occasionally cycle.  So in order to explore the city together, on several occasions Mohammed hopped on his bicycle to join Ethan on his training jogs.  It didn’t work out well.  As Mohammed said, “I got tired despite biking while Ethan wasn’t tired and he was running.”

Josh, hands down, wins the Adventurous Runner prize.   He doesn’t run on streets, or even paths.  He just points his body at Mont Royal’s thick forests, closes his eyes, and runs straight through the trees, ponds, mud, etc.  He also doesn’t run on flat surfaces - only straight up the side of the mountain.  Inevitably, he returns from his runs full of thorn pricks, mud, and sometimes gashes. 

A few months ago, Josh was out with a friend on one of his crazy wilderness jaunts, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a giant white ball, deep in the forest.  He screamed, “PUFFBALLLLLLL!” Leaving his jogging companion bewildered and unaccompanied, he ran straight through the woods to collect his lunch.  A puffball, as we all later learned, is a gigantic mushroom – the size of a soccer ball.   When he brought it home to the Sauvé kitchen, we were convinced that eating it would kill us.  Josh sautéed it with butter, garlic, salt, and pepper, took the first bite, didn’t die, and it turned out to be one of the yummiest snacks prepared in the Sauvé House all year.

Oh, and one last thing.  Desiree McGraw, Executive Director of the Sauvé Scholars Program, and a former competitive runner and coach, is planning a comeback during the 2012 - 3 Sauvé Year, including potentially leading weekly Sauvé Scholar runs.  To next year's Scholars: take her up on it!  And look out for those puffballs.

Tim Brodhead Visits Sauvé House For Tea Talk

On March 15, the Sauvé Scholars had the distinct pleasure of welcoming Mr. Tim Brodhead as a Special Guest for a Tea Talk.  Mr. Brodhead has had a long and distinguished career, including serving the last 15 years as President and CEO of The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, Canada’s largest private foundation.  He also recently joined the Sauvé Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Brodhead is an incredibly warm, sincere, and brilliant man.  He understands, with immense depth and breadth, the relationship between various dimensions of our world – e.g., the environment, economics, military, politics, culture.  He is also a social innovator nonpareil.  Through his career, he has tackled in Canada and abroad, many of the challenges our world has had to confront.  This was a wonderful Tea Talk.

Mr. Brodhead began his remarks by asking each of us what we thought was the biggest challenge facing our generation.  Our answers included: AIDS, extreme poverty, climate change, genocide, lack of empathy, and ‘passive activism’.  

Mr. Brodhead impressed upon us the urgency to make our societies more resilient, by which he meant one that is more inclusive to its most marginalized elements, and that uses social innovation as a way of tackling critical challenges.

In the context of developing solutions to these challenges, he drew an interesting distinction between charity and philanthropy.  He described charity as instinctive, not calculated.  He said the impulse for charity is rooted in two of our most natural emotions - empathy and compassion. He explained that there would always be a need for charity.  However, he viewed philanthropy as a more deliberate and strategic development of solutions and deployment of resources to social problems.  In this context, he explained that money is only a facilitator – not a cause – of social change.

Mr. Brodhead also noted that we are now less engaged in, and less willing to trust, institutions (e.g., government universities, churches, foundations). Instead, we want more responsibility and independence. And our political system is sclerotic -- unable to adapt or compromise.   As an American, I could relate.

Despite all these challenges our world is facing, Mr. Brodhead concluded by presenting a positive way forward.  He defined citizenship as contributing and belonging to the collective.  He said that participation gives us an identity as part of the community.  While government has traditionally occupied much of this space, it is pulling back, and does not have to do all of the things we expected in the past.  Therefore, he said, we need to rethink government because people need to be more engaged.  We need to develop a different value system, we need to be more engaged citizens, and we need to drive social innovation through creative problem solving.  How we shape this value system, and its related institutions, is critical to meeting our future challenges.

LOVE YOUTH SHARE STORIES WITH SCHOLARS AT SAUVE HOUSE

Sauve Scholars hosted LOVE youth for a story sharing session at the Sauve House. It was an amazing honor to hear from such inspiring and resilient youth who have undergone so much struggle but have overcome and are still healing from their experiences. LOVE (Leave Out Violence) is an award-winning youth violence prevention organization. LOVE was founded on the belief that youth challenged by violence can be agents of change, capable of transforming their own lives, investing themselves in their communities, and making the world a safer place. We had a privilege of having with us the Founder of Love, Twinkle and Satoko Ingram who is a fundraiser for LOVE. One of the Staff also joined the youth.

LOVE programs benefit both the individual and the community. LOVE youth have experienced many forms of violence including: gangs, domestic violence, racism, bullying, drugs, physical, verbal and sexual abuse, weapons and self-harm. They have been witnesses, victims and/or perpetrators. Working together in a safe supportive environment, they share their stories and develop the skills, confidence and passion to become part of LOVE’s violence prevention teams in the community. Because LOVE youth combine their experiences with their newly gained knowledge, they are uniquely effective in promoting awareness, influencing attitudes and effecting positive social change in their communities.Since LOVE began in 1993, LOVE youth leaders have reached hundreds of thousands of children, youth and adults, reducing violence in schools, homes and neighbourhoods.

The youth shared a lot about their stories and some of them were so emotional and deeply touching. Scholars also shared their stories and inspiration. Twinkle asked scholars to share their goals, motivation  and aspirations even in coming to the Sauve program. The Scholars talked from the heart and the youth felt moved and touched by scholars stories. I would really recommend next cohort of scholars to partner with LOVE youth since this young people are not only courageous and resilient but also exceptional. They all have achieved so much in their own ways especially in personal growth and development.They have tremendous support from fellow youth, staff and the Montreal community.

Using LOVE’s educational programs in photography, video, broadcasting and journalism combined with leadership training, youth analyze and document the causes and impact of violence and propose reality-based solutions. LOVE youth use the media tools they create and the life skills they learn to promote non-violence youth-to-youth across cultural, political, racial, religious, socio-economic and geographical boundaries.

The LOVE organization was founded by Twinkle (Sheila) Rudberg, whose husband Daniel was killed by a fourteen-year-old gang member on the streets of downtown Montreal.  Daniel had gone to the aid of an elderly woman who was being assaulted when the teen stabbed him to death. During the youth’s trial Twinkle learned that the young perpetrator’s life had consisted of being in gangs, taking drugs and spending hours watching violent movies.  She began to see him as a victim of violence as well. In 1993, as  statistics on youth violence became alarming, Twinkle founded LOVE, a community-based organization dedicated at first to reducing the amount of violence in entertainment and the media and raising awareness about its effect on the psyche of young people. Twinkle then sought a way to reach marginalized youth to help them reject violence.

 In 1994, a McGill faculty committee introduced Twinkle to journalist and teacher Brenda Zosky Proulx who was planning a journalism-based violence prevention program for youth who had been challenged by violence. Brenda was joined by Stan Chase of Dawson College’s Department of Professional Photography and a teacher of at risk youth.  Together they created the LOVE photography and journalism program in 1995, followed by LOVE’s leadership and school outreach programs in 1996 and 1997.  Video, broadcasting and spoken word were later added.Today thousands of LOVE youth have become leaders in their communities. Like Twinkle they set an example, showing how they can overcome the tragedy of violence by investing themselves in their communities.

LOVE has several Programs:

Media Arts Program (MAP)

Through the Media Arts Program (MAP) youth who have been witnesses, victims and/or perpetrators of violence, learn how to identify, analyze and document the issues surrounding the violence in their lives and develop reality-based solutions to end violence.  Ideas are formulated and stories shared in “editorial meetings” at the beginning of each media training session. As part of the process, essential life skills such as critical thinking, verbal communication, listening, social awareness, problem solving, take hold.

LOVE’s instructive programming in Media Arts includes photography, journalism, videography and broadcasting. Through the lens of a camera, the written word and their voices, these young people articulate the impact of violence on their lives and explore positive alternatives. Programs are led by media and social service professionals and are offered at local community colleges or universities or in LOVE offices.

Leadership Training

Youth who have completed MAP, graduate into Leadership Training, where they develop the skills, confidence and passion to become part of LOVE’s community violence prevention team. Based on the principles of youth engagement, the training includes public speaking, producing and performing spoken word, producing videos and public service announcements, and group facilitation. These young leaders work in schools and the communities to promote and encourage youth participation in violence prevention by establishing Violence Prevention Committees. Their unique combination of knowledge, experience and opportunity, enables them to be effective in promoting awareness, influencing attitudes and effecting change. To complement this program, each year, a 5-day intensive Leadership Training Camp is held in Haliburton, Ontario. Youth Leaders from across the country come together to further enhance their leadership skills which they can then take back to their schools, neighbourhoods and communities.

School and Community Violence Prevention Outreach Program

LOVE Youth Leaders educate their peers, professionals, and concerned community members about violence and violence-prevention. Youth Leaders use their presentation and group facilitation skills, as well as educational tools they have created, to examine the impact of violence and share violence-prevention strategies. Each year Leaders educate more than 40,000 youth and community members.

Violence Prevention Committees

Violence Prevention Committees are established in elementary, middle and high schools in priority communities. Youth Leaders and LOVE Staff co-facilitate the committees which meet regularly throughout the school year, to create projects that communicate a message of non-violence to the entire student body. The projects might include photojournalism exhibits, school newsletters, zines, comic strips or public service announcements about violence and its prevention. The goal of the committees is to facilitate students’ ownership of the violence prevention initiative in their schools and neighbourhoods.

LOVE Youth have continued to sparkle light of Hope and Resilience in communities all over the world.  It was an honor hosting them at Sauve House and I hope the partnership and collaboration will last and continue with future scholars. I bet there is so much to learn from this youth.

Sauvé Scholars at the Garnet Key’s Leadership Symposium

The run-up to the leadership symposium event at Concordia University was mixed with excitement and tension. Excitement because this was the first time both the Garnet Key and the scholars were organising an event of this nature. Tension because for the Garnet Key, the spring season heavily coincides with university exam season, and for the Sauvé scholars the spring season signals the end of the Sauvé program hence less time and room for other engagements. However, what began as tentative dates finally gave way to actual dates and room 760 of the Henry F. Hall Building at Concordia was soon booked. The Keys in their Maroon blazers were resplendent in leading the event on the 26th of April which was graced by Sauvé Friend and fellow Kenyan, Lady Flora Terah.

The Symposium started with presentations and discussions on Youth leadership and the environment, led by me, then followed by the role of peace education in creating a value based society that can help in prevent violence, by Mohammed Shabaan. Stephanie Jensen-Cormier then talked about the role of China in leading the green energy movement. A call for other societies’ including the Canadian society to understand and learn from China. I must admit I never knew the Chinese have clear climate change policies before I met Stephanie.