International Institute For Global Leadership
Issue #87 * March 2009
Asheville, NC. USA
Guest Editorial
My Peace
By Deb Silver (Israel)
My peace is within and without…in my home and in my relationships…in greeting each soul I meet with respect and dignity and even love…the basic heart to heart connection of a smile or a touch…in the laughter on my child’s face and the incredible humour of my grandchild …in the small meaningful moments and in the sheer exuberance of life that overtakes you when everything just flows and as e.e. cummings said…all’s right with the world…
My sphere of peace radiates out to all who come within it…even ex-Palestinian terrorists…now Combatants for Peace, have graced my garden and been greeted as friends…but my country has not known peace in all of the years of it’s existence…and while I prayed, as I gave birth to my first sabra, that he would not need to serve his country in battle…or at all if I could help it…he did have to serve, thankfully not in battle. ….But my nephew has come home from Gaza and I wonder at the effects, physical and emotional this war will have on him…a sensitive boy, raised in a very left wing home….as it affects all of our sons and nephews and husbands and fathers…whatever you may believe about Israelis…we are not a violent people and our traditions and teachings lead us more often to tikkun olam…fixing the world…using our education and brains to find solutions to help ourselves and others…not to mention the absolute sadness and disgust at the waste of it all…we do not celebrate loss…on any side.
Peace in Israel in 1993 was greeted with euphoria and a real hope that finally we could get on with building our nation and ironing out our own lumps while our neighbours finally began their own state building…and taught their people to accept us and our state as we began to teach our own children…tolerance, conflict resolution and to create dialogue groups that sprang up all over the country to bring young people together to find their similarities…not dwell on the issues that separate us…
I began a friendship with a Palestinian artist in Neve Shalom at one of Michael’s Light Links, and we had hoped to create a work together titled…the meeting place…but the last time I saw him was the day before the 2nd intifada began in October 2000, at the party my husband and I made to celebrate the long awaited birth of our child. I would drive sometimes to Nablus to visit him and his family and to view the wonderful progress in his city…including a new neighborhood in one of the refugee camps. When I asked…when do you stop calling it a refugee camp?…you have your own state now…your own TV, telephone system, car license, army and education system?!…I was told not to speak out loud…and my friend was later persecuted by the Palestinian powers that be for his peace activities and for not joining the crony network of Fatah
And the PA television, religious and education services began a regular schedule of incitement to hatred and demonization of Israel in programming for young children and youths and adults…with made for TV movies of “Israeli” soldiers committing atrocities and various ancient anti-semitic blood libels…refuted over the centuries, while extolling the virtues of suicide bombers and inculcating a culture of death…even 8 year olds wish to die…
and then began the terrorist suicide bombings…in pizza places and movie theatres and discos for teens near the beach…and we all began to fear again and to separate ourselves from the fantasy of peace that we had been fed…
and we began to listen to translations of our Arab neighbours’ speeches…the ones in Arabic differed greatly from those they spouted to any western ears…how many times must one hear Yitbach al yehud?…before you understand that they wish to slaughter you and your children and will not ask your politics or sympathies before pushing the button…
…and yet…I do know that there are innocents everywhere and that perhaps someday…saner heads will prevail…and that daily, we in Israel are saving children’s lives…Israeli children and children from Gaza, and the West bank , from Zanzibar and from Moldova and a hundred other places…with our medical knowledge and expertise and our hi-tech achievement…and our everlasting hope of a true peace on earth…for truly we are all one…
In The News
IIGL Student Elected President of JCI Ghana
IIGL Students Meet In Kenya
On February 15th, four of our students who live in Nairobi, Kenya, met for the first time to get to know each other and to begin to explore ways of cooperating to promote the IIGL leadership principles at a grassroots level in Kenya. Many ideas were considered, including developing a leadership training program that could be offered to organizations and schools. It was decided to meet monthly to continue exploring these ideas and creating strategies for implementation. For further information, contact Rose Mbugua at
What Our Students Are Saying
Olita Talent Nyathi (South Africa)
Americans have made history. They have challenged all our so called democracies. If I look at how in Africa we divide ourselves along tribal and clan lines, I think we do have a lesson to draw from what has happened in the US. The world will never be the same again. It is amazing how these elections results have impacted the whole world. I think there was so much despondency and the world was feeling empty and without hope. Thanks to all of you Americans. You have made us realise that another world is possible and the best of everything that is to follow.
Students In Action
Erick Omari (Nairobi, Kenya)
IIGL student, Erick Omari, is the founder of ALFA, a orphans, vulnerable disadvantaged children aged 3-17 years, and disadvantaged youth ages 18-24. To realize this goal, ALFA works in partnership with communities, churches, other NGOs. Community Based Organizations (CBOs), families and individuals to implement child-focused, community oriented programs and projects that benefit entire communities. If you would like to learn more about the specific projects ALFA is working on, or provide support, you can contact Erick at omari15ke@yahoo.com
What Our Students Are Reading
A Higher Standard Of Leadership:
Lessons From The Life Of Ghandi By Keshavan Nair
In the recent past we have been offered The Leadership Secrets of Attilla the Hun (1989), business tactics from ancient Chinese military strategist Sun-Tzu’s The Art of War, and assorted Machiavellian ploys for supposed success in management. But a new trend in management literature has authors taking a more enlightened approach advocating stewardship, empowerment, and social responsibility. This change is epitomized by Nair, who suggests that leaders emulate the spiritual philosophy and moral principles of Gandhi. Management consultant and author of Beyond Winning: The Handbook for the Leadership Revolution (1988), Nair uses the life and writings of Gandhi to provide examples of how values, responsibility, commitment, service, integrity, openness, and idealism can be applied to improve the process and the quality of leadership. David Rouse –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Meet Our New Students
We are very pleased to welcome three new students during the month of February. They are:
* Diby Nicaise (Cote d’Ivoire)
* Ouattara Yacouba Souhalio (Cote d’Ivoire/Cameroon)
* Francis Onuchukwu Okaformbah (Nigeria)
Francis Onuchukwu Okaformbah (Nigeria)
I am a 24 year old from Lagos, Nigeria. I was born with a passion to lead and am ambition of becoming the president of my country some day. I am a Christian by faith a catholic by denomination. I love reading, especially the word of God and praying. I also love writing. In fact it is a passion that I have turned into a business and I now have three books on the market, 2 fiction and 1 non-fiction (The Great Magician and Other Storeis, Savanna Adventure and How To Sell Anything On The Internet.) I also write feature columns for several newspapers and magazines. I love to travel, watch cartoons, and am presently preparing to gain admission to further my stuidies with an English literature. I am a member of various improvement organisations like Changemasters (a leadership and public speaking club), Success Digest Leaders Club – SDLC, (a business training and mentorship organization of Dr. Sunny Obazu-Ojeagbase, Publisher of Success digest magazine). Currently I live with my widowed mother and 4 siblings.
Diby Nicaise (Cote d’Ivoire)
I am Mr Diby Nicaise, I come from a family of 7 children. I am married and a father a boy. I studied at the University of Cocody in Abidjan where I obtained a degree in Management, Finance and Administration in 1997. Since 1999 I have worked as ab instructor of finance and management in a business school.
I plan to develop my aptitudes for leadership to be more effective in my teachings. With regard to films I prefer documentaries, investigation films and magazines. I have a desire to create an agro-industrial complex and to teach leadership.
Ouattara Yacouba Souhalio (Cote d’Ivoire)
My name is Ouattara Yacouba Souhalio. I am the first son of my parents with two brothers and three sisters. I am married. After obtaining the Bachelors degree at the municipal college of Bouaké, I attended the University of Cocody (Abidjan) where I obtained a degree in Public law. I have a deep commitment to peace, equality and justice. I attended an interdisciplinary training in Human rights and the Culture of Peace to the Center for Research and Action for Peace (CERAP) in Abidjan which resulted in a Certificate with honors.
I was foreman and interviewer for the operation of recording of the Liberian refugees in the west of Ivory Coast under the Office of the High Commission of the United Nations for the Refugees and the Service of Rescue and Assistance to the Refugees and Stateless As a team leader of a dozen people, my task, according to the law and the interview, to allow or refuse the status of refugees to the applicants. Those who met the criteria and followed the procedure qualified to obtain their chart and photograph of refugee. I am also the secretary general and Senior of an Evangelic Church. God is my guide, my light and my support and his book the Bible is my food.
I love culture, reading & swimming and I’m always in search of knowledge. I like Gospel, Jazz, classical music and the Christian music not to mention the good old French slow. For cinema, I prefer the movies based on actual facts, action films and comic, the documentaries and educational films.
I am perseverant and do not get discourage easily by any situation because if there is a problem, there is a solution; and one needs to seek where the solution is instead of despairing. Like one says in English: Never Give up! I like challenges.
I would like to take this training in leadership in order to improve my knowledge, know my capacities, to change and transform my mentality, to include/understand and know others, to have this mentality of a winner, to extend my limits in order to be useful for the society and my fellow human beings. I want to take part in the changes of mentalities while encrusting with the ethical values for a sustainable and equitable development. I await much from the International institute for the Global Leadership because I have to learn much and I place in you my whole confidence.
What Our Donors Are Saying
Mark Mazadu, (Nigeria)
We are basically how God loves this world. It is through the lifting of our consciousness that we experience love, peace, hope, life, joy, abundance, and greater good created for all people. I honor this healing process that brings forward peace on earth by contributing to IIGL, for this is our time, a moment within a never-ending continuum of time, which is also our time to contribute to the world and to make it better for the world to come.”
Thanks!
We extend a special thanks to the following 27 individuals and/or organizations who contributed to IIGL during February.
Deb Silver (Israel)
Edmee DiPauli (UK)
Lale Eterm (Turkey)
Lily Ann (USA/NC)
Julian Murphy (UK)
Elisabeth Owen (UK)
Ron Walker (USA/VA)
Deb Rosen (USA/WI)
Judith Royer (USA/SD)
Margie Tice (USA/NC)
Janis Thayer (USA/NC)
Dina Kushnir (ISA/NY)
Corine Wilson (USA/FL)
Lynne Murguia (USA/AZ)
Jesse Syverson (USA/WA)
Randa El Sharif (USA/WI)
Anneliese Weiss (USA/FL)
Julie Loosbrock (USA/WI)
John Hornecker (USA/NC)
Sr. Mary Julias (USA/MN)
Anderson Hewitt (USA/GA)
Elisabeth Tepper (Venezuela)
Rommy Banaszczyk (USA/AZ)
Omotayo Kehinde (UK/Nigeria)
Michael Lightweaver (USA/NC)
Wanda Gail Campbell (USA/AL)
Janae & Barry Weinhold (USA/NC)
Student Progress
We had 17 students from 12 countries complete a total of 31 books in February. These students were from Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, Togo, the USA, & Zimbabwe.
English Speaking Program
Theophilus Tawiah (Ghana)
· Keys To Success
· Success Through Positive Mental Attitude
Angie Gichimu (Kenya)
· Keys To Success
Diapah Ayo Quinisier (Liberia)
· What To Say When You Talk To Yourself
Kishor Bajracharya (Nepal)
· Development As Freedom
Obinna Ezeji (Nigeria)
· Real Magic
Francisco Okaformbah (Nigeria)
· Jonathan Livingston Seagull
· As A Man Thinketh
Olita Talent Nyathi (South Africa)
· Silence Of The Heart
· What God Wants
Lisa Kiebzak (USA)
· Giant Steps
· Keys To Success
· How to Win Friends & Influence People
Tendai Chakupa (Zimbabwe)
· Psycho Cybernetics
Adelaide Katsika (Zimbabwe)
· The New Dynamics Of Winning
French Speaking Program
Bertrand Kabore (Burkina Faso)
· L’Homme est le Reflet de ses Pensées
Yacouba Ouattara S. (Cote d’Ivoire)
· Jonathan Livingstone le Goéland
· L’Homme est le Reflet de ses Pensées
Diby Nicaise (Cote d’Ivoire)
· Jonathan Livingstone le Goéland
· L’Homme est le Reflet de ses Pensées
Musambi Kimasa G. (DRC/ Cote d’Ivoire)
· Sagesse africaine
Jean Marie Kalonji (DR Congo)
· Jonathan Livingstone le Goéland
· L’Homme est le Reflet de ses Pensées
Paul Mbwebwe K. (DR Congo)
· Les Rêves de Mon Père
· Napoléon Bonaparte
· Mort de la Globalisation
· Le Guide des Relations Sociales dans l’entreprise
· Les Relations Humaines – Secret de la réussite
· Historique des Relations Internationales 1945
· Théories des Relations Internationales
Koffi Gbadji-Atsu (Togo)
· Jonathan Livingstone le Goéland
Spanish Speaking Program
Carlos Leiton (Costa Rica)
* As a Man Thninketh
Orpha Aleman (Venezuela)
* Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Statistics
New Enrollments
15 enrolled in February
18 enrolled in 2009
Book Assessments
33 in February
69 in 2009
Books Shipped
12 in February
32 in 2009
Cost of books
$264.58 in February
$596.23 in 2009
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