NEWSLETTER |

NOVEMBER 2005

1. Opportunities for Servas Leadership
REGISTER NOW for the December 11, 2005 Leadership Conference in San Francisco, California

This Leadership Conference is for Servas Key People (Interviewers, area coordinators, regional coordinators, committee members, active participants in Servas activities and members of the Servas Board of Directors) and individuals who want to be more engaged in setting the direction Servas will take. Attending will give you the opportunity to discuss the future of Servas; how to increase local participation; regionalization and how to have more regional independence with less reliance on the New York office.
Registration: $ 40.00
Schedule:
December 10, 2005 - 7:00pm
Meet & Greet Social - Hosts included
December 11, 2005 9:00am - 5:00pm
Workshops and Discussions

For registration, more information or to address eligibility questions please contact :
Mary Jane Mikuriya (415) 285-3427 mikuriya@aol.com

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2. Chair’s Corner Gilbert Sherr, Board Chair

Do you know someone who needs Servas?

Bethene Trexel, former Administrator and Past Treasurer, says "Servas changes people's lives." I cannot think of a more accurate statement.

Think about what Servas means to you and what the organization has done for your life. Do you know of someone who could benefit from Servas the same way that you have? Have you told them about Servas? Have you asked them to join?

Which of your work colleagues do you think would make good hosts? Which of your friends could become great travel ambassadors? Who do you know who would be willing to visit our hosts within the US and around the world with the message of peace and social justice? And you probably have other friends who may not wish to be hosts or travelers, but who would gladly support the goals of Servas.

We enthusiastically welcome all of them into our Servas family.

Donation of $40 suggested:
Hosts put up travelers overnight
Day Hosts show travelers around
Contributor supports our mission.

Costs for Travelers

International: $85
Domestic: $50

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3. SERVAS Provides Safety From Hurricane Rita by Celia Pechak

At 12:30 am on September 23, I was awakened by a phone call from a Servas Peru traveler, Roxana Suarez. As Hurricane Rita approached, she was fleeing Houston, Texas with her brother and friend. She asked if my husband Jeff and I might be able to shelter them and their two dogs. Our weary travelers arrived at 2:30 am after a long, hot, 22-hour trip that should have taken 4 hours on a “normal” day.

While our guests spent most of that first day at our home sleeping and recovering from their stressful journey, we went to work. A cynical co-worker exclaimed that he would never leave strangers alone in his house, where they could “wipe me out.” I knew that I could never adequately explain how much the mutual trust inherent in the Servas host-traveler relationship has enriched our lives over the years. The next day I told my co-worker what greeted me when I returned home: our kitchen was overflowing with the groceries they purchased, other thoughtful gifts awaited us, and more importantly, our refreshed and grateful guests greeted us with warm hugs.

We enjoyed a weekend sharing food and wonderful conversations. Roxana cooked us a traditional Peruvian meal, and she and her brother talked about their culture. My husband, Roxana, and I shared information about Servas and its philosophy with her brother and friend who were not members. Under these emergency conditions, we did not worry that they were not “official” Servas travelers. However, we explained to them that the best “thank you” that they could give us would be to join Servas themselves, which they promised to do. On our last evening, we gave them “WAGE PEACE” bracelets as a memento of our weekend and reminder of the mission of Servas. Finally, we toasted our new friendships and the positive impact of Servas on all of our lives. Our Hurricane Rita evacuees arrived as strangers, and left as family. Our dogs, on the other hand, are just glad that their dogs left, period.

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4. A Window Reopens… by Mirielle Perrott

Editor’s Note: Servas traveler Mirielle was born in the French region of Brittany. A writer and a teacher of French, she lives in Florida. She sent the following to Servas and also as a Christmas letter to friends.

This was my first trip to Turkey. With great joy I received an invitation from a Servas member. Dorothea Schelch had answered my email: "Sure you can stay with me." She would be there at the airport. That was a comforting thought because I was traveling alone.

For two days I toured Istanbul following the advice of my host who was busy with her teaching job. She told me that she would invite Servas members for a party on the third night. They came with guitar and singing. What a wonderful evening that was in a living room with a view! What a view! The Bosphorus with all the boats traveling the world.

"What brings you to Turkey?" asked Omer Ozkan, the Servas coordinator in Turkey – he is now Treasurer of Servas International. "I have always wanted to visit Turkey. When I was 16 years old I had a Turkish pen pal. He sent me postcards and I dreamed of visiting all these places. We corresponded for 15 years. Then something happened we lost track of each other".

"Give me his name, I will find him on the Internet." "Erol Karatekin worked in Ankara for the Agriculture ministry". I had tried so many times to find Erol in vain…

I had no definite plans for my travel in Turkey. The next day I left for Bursa. I knew the name of the city; Erol and his family had lived there for a while. I visited a Servas couple in an old house on the hill overlooking the city. We were having a wonderful visit. On the second day when I came back from sightseeing they announced that I had a phone message: Erol had been found!

I looked at the phone number completely amazed. I was shaking with emotions when I called: "Erol?" the voice said "Mireille?" It was a voice calling me from so long ago, from 1961. He invited me to visit his family. My journey was taking shape. I was on the road to Ankara to meet that young man of long ago.

The road from Bursa to Ankara was a journey of reverie back to my school days in Dol de Bretagne when I was a prisoner in the boarding school. Having a pen pal in Turkey was a window to the world. We shared ideas and stories. Later I married and he did also; we both had children. We shared more stories, and then one day we lost contact. "I will meet you at the bus" he said on the phone. It was hard for me to believe this was really going to happen. I was reconnecting with myself, the sixteen-year old girl waiting to open a letter from Erol. This friend had been resurrected in my life.

There he was, standing at the bus stop. "Hello Mireille!" –"Hello Erol!" People watching never could guess the story behind the reunion of the gray-haired friends. He took out a picture from his pocket and showed me the picture I received long ago. Yes! He really was the lost friend! We laughed…

Then, I met his family, his wife Muzeyyen, his daughter, his grandson, his son and his wife and friends. It was like meeting a family I knew long ago.

"Do you remember the gift you sent me from Brittany? I still have it." I looked at the antique bookends with the carved wooden shoes. I never dreamed I would see them again! "We must have a picture. This is a memorable event!" I held the precious gift and sat between Muzeyyen and Erol who had always signed his letters: "Your friend in Turkey ever…"

That evening there was music in the garden across the street. People were dancing the dances to music so similar to the Breton music I knew. I was home…

When I heard of the bombing attacks in Istanbul I feared for the friends I met at that party that night. It was more than a tragedy out there for I knew people. I sent an email to Dorothea, she and the Servas friends who worked at the British bank were safe also.

Much later I found more meaning reflecting on this event. I had gone to Turkey in time and space and I reclaimed the bookends; my wooden shoes from Brittany carried me and I was holding the book of my life…the journey.

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5. OUR CHALLENGE: VOICES FOR PEACE, PARTNERSHIPS AND RENEWAL
The 58th Annual DPI/NGO Conference, entitled Our Challenge: Voices for Peace, Partnerships and Renewal, provided the forum for a dynamic and diverse gathering of civil society representatives one week before the September Summit of World Leaders. More than 2,000 NGO representatives and other civil society partners came to New York on 7 – 9 September to underscore their support for the work of the Organization in its 60th year, especially its efforts to eradicate poverty, promote human rights and enhance collective human security through deeper partnerships with civil society.

The agenda revolves around three inextricable goals: the promotion of peace and security, development and human rights. The agenda calls for action through renewal and reforms.

At the Millennium Summit in September 2000, the largest gathering of World Leaders in history adopted the UN Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a global partnership to reduce poverty, improve health, promote peace, human rights, gender equality and environmental sustainability.

The Millennium Development Goals are :

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

2. Achieve universal primary education

3. Promote gender equality and empower women

4. Reduce child mortality

5. Improve maternal health

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

7. Ensure environmental sustainability

8. Develop a global partnership for development

There are also basic human rights – the rights of each person to health, education, shelter and security as pledged in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Throughout the three-day Conference, participants had multiple opportunities to dialogue to voice their views, expand their networks and interact with Member States. In addition to seven plenary sessions there were 30 Midday NGO Interactive Workshops.

During the conference “US Servas” and “Servas International” members actively participated in all Plenary sessions and workshops, like : “Peace building and Community Well-Being: The Importance of Media Collaboration and strategies”; “Dialogue on Human Rights Council”; “Voices for Peace: Violence against Women – A Violation of Human Rights and Dignity” etc.

Mary Jane Mikurija, Noema Chaplin, Patrice Samara and Gary Sealey discussed how our positive experience and practices of “Peace through cross-cultural understanding” provides opportunities among people of diverse cultures in the cause of world peace, goodwill and understanding. Together we create effective partnerships for development best values of humanity and promote the triumph of the human spirit today and tomorrow for the future generations.

Noema Chaplin
Member of the Planning Committee

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6. Thank You, Phyllis Cole by Mary Jane Mikuriya, US Servas Board

I first met Phyllis when the Board recruited telephone volunteers. We wanted to find out what Servas activities were taking place on a local level. Phyllis and her husband interviewed 43 members in their geographic area and learned that Servas members did not meet together. Further, we learned that members were not getting together in any area of the county. This resulted in the Board calling for more Servas gatherings to invigorate the organization and supported the need for regionalization.

When we learned Phyllis had just finished her term as editor of a newsletter for mushroom enthusiasts, she was recruited! She became the Newsletter Editor and soon afterwards joined the Board. She helped us clarify our discussion of regionalization with maps, organizational charts and newsletter articles on how to hold a regional meeting. Active on the Membership Committee, she helped us more clearly see Servas as a membership organization.

Though Phyllis is moving on from her Newsletter Editor and Board roles, she continues to be active. She is a volunteer with the Red Cross Disaster Team and a mushroom aficionado who will be initiating me into the secret life of mushroom hunting, classifying and savoring.

Thank you Phyllis Cole for your many wonderful contributions to US Servas. Be well. We will miss you.

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Thank you!