The University of Bradford is one of only six Rotary Peace Centres in the world
2002 saw the establishment of the Rotary International Studies Centre in Peace and Conflict Resolution in the Department of Peace Studies at Bradford University, with the arrival of the first 12 postgraduate students from eight countries. Class I members came from Argentina, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Mauritius, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and the United States, many of them with extensive experience of working in areas in conflict.
The Centre at Bradford is one of six that have been established by the Rotary Foundation, and the only one in Europe. Other centres are in Japan, Australia, Argentina, and the USA. Initially the scheme was for six years but the whole programme has recently become permanent . In all, some seventy students each year are being selected from hundreds of candidates world-wide.
Rotary's hope is that the programme will add substantially to the number of people qualifed in the areas of conflict resolution and peacebuilding , who may then go on to work for the UN, NGOs and governments, providing both expertise and experience in areas in conflict.
One of the major events for each Class is the annual Seminar at the beginning of November. This has become a major showcase for the programme for Rotarians and others from all over the UK, and some from further afield. The 2008 Seminar will be held on 1st November and is dedicated this year to the memory of Bill Huntley. To learn more, and to book, follow the links at the top of the page.
To find out more about Rotary Peace Centres, click the link in the column on the left.
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