Recruiting Applicants for the Rotary Peace Fellowship

This training guide will assist you in recruiting future Rotary Peace Fellows to represent your district and promote national and international cooperation, peace, and the successful resolution of conflict throughout their lives, in their careers, and through service activities. Rotary Peace Fellows do not require an allocation of District Designated Funds.

Table of Contents

Background Information

• History• Six Peace

Centers• Past Peace

Fellows

Two Options for Study

• Master’s Program

• Certificate Program

Qualifications for Fellows

• Master’s Program

• Certificate Program

• Selected Fellow Statistics from 2013

How to Find Applicants

• Send out a Press Release

• Meet with Community Partners

• Promote on Social Media

This chapter will give you some background on the program so that you can talk to potential applicants about the Rotary Peace Fellowship.

Background Information on Rotary Peace Fellowship

History Six Peace Centers

Past Peace Fellows

History of the Rotary Peace Fellowship• 1996: Trustee Chair Rajendra Saboo with committee investigate possibility of an

educational center dedicated to peace• 1997-1999: Committee appointed by the Trustees creates conceptual plan and

visits universities interested in hosting centers• 2000: Host Area Seminars held; Pioneer Districts recognition• 2001: First Class selected and start their studies in 2002• 2002: Launch of program at United Nations event; Peacebuilder District

recognition• 2004: First class of fellows graduate• 2006: Launch short-term peace studies pilot program at Chulalongkorn University

in Thailand• 2007: First Rotary World Peace Symposium• 2008: Professional development certificate becomes a second option• 2009: Second Rotary World Peace Symposium; professional development

certificate integrates into program with master’s degree option• 2011: Uppsala University becomes a Rotary Peace Center

Past Peace FellowsNosisa Ncube (Chulalongkorn University, July 2007) protects orphaned children from abuse in the rural communities around Bulawayo in Zimbabwe with the Child and Guardian Foundation. She is also part of the Mediators Beyond Borders team for Zimbabwe and has been trained as a facilitator as part of the Alternatives to Violence Program in Zimbabwe.

Nani Mahanta (Berkeley, 2002-04) spearheaded an initiative to open a two-year post graduate peace and conflict studies program at Gauhati University in Assam, India where he is an associate professor of political science.

Bautista Logioco (Duke/UNC 2002-04) received The Young Outstanding Persons award in his native Argentina in the contributions to world peace and human rights category. The award recognized his work as a program specialist with the United Nations Interagency Framework Team for Preventive Action, United Nations Department of Peace Keeping Operations, and the Organization of American States Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia.

Two Options for Study

Master’s Program

Certificate Program

Master’s Programs• Five centers at six universities• 15 to 24 month course with eight to twelve weeks of

applied field experience during the summer break

Professional Development CertificateChulalongkorn University

• Geared toward mid- to upper-level professionals with at least five years of relevant work experience

• Fellows gain theoretical foundational knowledge during eight weeks in the classroom plus two weeks on-site field work

• Held twice per year, January-April and June-August

• Shorter program allows alumni to return to their jobs with a professional development certificate in peace and conflict studies

• http://www.rotarychula.org/

Peace Fellow Amanda Martin with Nepalese women during the on-site

field work trip

Necessary Qualifications for Rotary Peace Fellowship

This will help you to understand the requirements to apply for a Rotary Peace Fellowship.

Master’s Program

Certificate Program

Master’s Program Qualifications• A commitment to international understanding and peace, demonstrated

through their professional and academic achievements and personal and community service activities

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field, with strong grades at the time of application

• Minimum three years combined paid or unpaid full-time relevant work experience

• Proficiency in English and a second language• Excellent leadership skills

Certificate Program Qualifications• A commitment to international understanding and peace, demonstrated

through their professional and academic achievements and personal and community service activities

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field• Minimum five years relevant work experience with current full-time

employment in a mid- to upper-level position• Proficiency in English• Excellent leadership skills

Selected Fellow Statistics from 2013

Three ways your club or district can find applicants:

Send out a press releaseMeet with community partnersPromote on social media

How to send out a press release

1. Create a localized press release• Templates are available in all Rotary languages.

Email Niki Fritz, Rotary Peace Centers Coordinator, at niki.fritz@rotary.org for the template.

• Feel free to customize your press release by adding your club or district’s specific deadlines, contact information, and information about past Peace Fellow alumni from your district.

2. Send the press release to local news sources

How to send the press release to local news sources• Find your community newspaper’s website.

Usually on the top or bottom of most websites is a “Contact Us” link or the newspaper will have a general email for submission of community news.

• If needed, search for the staff member responsible for community news– the community news editor, the lifestyles editor or in small papers the managing or associate editor.

• Send the press release to a direct email address and include your accurate contact information in the press release.

• You can also send your press release to local community blogs or TV stations by searching online for the correct email address.

Meet with Community Partners

Local Universities

International VolunteersRotary

AlumniNon-governmental Organizations

International Corporations

Governmental Agencies

Local Universities

• Reach out to the connections you already have at the university

• Look for alumni associations, career offices, study abroad offices, and academic departments of international studies, political sciences or peace studies

• Scour the university’s website to find potential staff/professors/clubs that might be interested

• Key words to search: international, community, peace, government, diplomacy, study abroad

• Post the informational brochure on community boards

• Connect with the university’s online or print newspaper and submit a press release

Other international volunteer organizations

• Find people and organizations that are interested in volunteer service, peace and world affairs

• Find local Returned Peace Corps Volunteers by searching for local member groups on the web

• Plan an event or service project between Rotary and returned volunteers

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

Rotary Alumni

Ambassadorial Scholars and other Rotary alumni are eligible for the Rotary Peace Fellowship after a three year waiting period.

Contact alumni@rotary.org for help finding alumni in your area.

Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs)

• Find local NGOs and regional branches of larger NGOs• Contact employees and volunteers

Governmental Agencies

International Corporations

• Local police and military offices• Diplomatic corps working in an embassy or consulate• Local government offices

• Reach out to people you know who work at international corporations • Find international corporations in your area and contact someone in human resources to

discover who you need to talk to about spreading the word about Rotary Peace Centers

Tips on how to meet with community partners

Face-to-Face Meetings

Short Promotional Pitch

Informational Sessions

Face-to-Face Meetings• Formal meetings• Informal meetings at any gathering: a sporting event, a cocktail party, a

work event, etc.• Talk to everyone; they might not be a good candidate but they might know

someone else who is a great candidate!• Think outside the box: chat up your waitress, mention the fellowship to

your child’s favorite teacher or coach, talk to people in your office, etc.• Remember, the more connections you make the better odds you’ll meet

someone who knows a potential candidate!

Short Promotional PitchThink about the information you want to convey about the fellowship so that when you meet someone you think would be a good candidate you can give them the most important information clearly and concisely. Try to keep your “promotional pitch” under 30 seconds. Here’s an example:

The Rotary Peace Fellowship is a great opportunity for people with a passion for peace to take their education to the next level. Fellows study at one of six Rotary Peace Centers around the world and can either earn a professional development certificate in peace and conflict resolution or a master’s degree in international relations, public administration, sustainable development, peace studies, or a related field. The fellowship covers tuition and fees, room and board, round-trip transportation, and internship or field study expenses. Do you know anyone who might be a good candidate?

Hold an Informational Session• Hold a club meeting to educate Rotarians in your club about the Rotary

Peace Fellowship. If they don’t know about/ understand the fellowship then they can’t find applicants.

• Hold a lecture or discussion about peace and other international events at various locations in your community. Invite all of the new community partner contacts you’ve made.

• Consider inviting a current or former Rotary Peace Fellow to speak.

The Rotary Peace Centers Department has relevant PowerPoint presentations that you can adapt for your needs. Email Niki Fritz, Rotary Peace Centers Coordinator, at niki.fritz@rotary.org to get copies of the PowerPoints.

Promote on Social Media

• Use your personal LinkedIn account to advertise the Rotary Peace Fellowship by sharing an update on your homepage.

• Either share a link to www.rotary.org/rotarycenters or post a more comprehensive explanation of the fellowship.

• Target specific connections who you think would be interested in the fellowship by sending them a direct message.

• Consider announcing the fellowship on your club or district LinkedIn profiles if they are available.

Two ways:1. If you only have a few seconds to promote: friend Rotary Peace Centers and share our posts with your network.2. If you have more time to dedicate to promotion: Take it a step further and create your own content. Tell the story or post photos of one of your local alumni in the field or show how your district is working to create peace.

Post on your personal or your district’s Twitter account in 140 characters or less to share your excitement about the Rotary Peace Fellowship. Be creative!

Here’s a sample tweet:

Rotary is looking for peace builders to apply for the Rotary Peace Fellowship! Hurry! The deadline is 1 July! www.rotary.org/rotarycenters.

Questions???

• Can you think of anyone who would make a good Rotary Peace Fellow?• Who can you partner with in your community to promote the Rotary

Peace Fellowship?• How many Rotary Peace applicants did you submit last year?• Have you ever used social media to promote for Rotary Peace Centers?

You have an applicant, now what?

If you need help understanding the application process please read the Rotary Peace Centers Program Guide for Rotarians.