The Periclean Scholars Class of 2015 had a busy day today!
Lauren Conrad, an ex Peace Corps member and ex Haiti resident, came to talk to us at the beginning of class. Her talk revolved mostly around how Haiti is different from other countries she has worked in, including Niger and India. Her impression was that the infrastructure and service organization of the country was backwards, as she saw women walk ten miles down a mountain to sell meager vegetables every day. A very interesting observation. Mrs. Conrad has had immeasurable experience with large humanitarian organization such as CARE International and may serve as an invaluable resource for our class in the future. We thank her very much for visiting today and for Woody Pelton for bringing us together!
Courtney Dunkerton of Alamance County for Freedom also came to speak for us. The organization is a new coalition that just began this summer. They aim to bring human trafficking organizations together as well as law enforcement and other governmental agencies – basically to fill the gaps in services regarding human trafficking in Alamance County. Species emphases are placed on community education/outreach; networking; research; Compassion in Action; and volunteer opportunities. Ms. Dunkerton has made it clear that the organization would welcome a partnership with us and already offered venues of partnership such as offering response training for the community, bringing in speakers, screening human trafficking documentaries, etc. We also thank her very much for speaking with us – especially at such an early stage of the organization’s development – and Stephanie Carroll for soliciting the visit.
Our other focus for the day was on partner organizations. Our Haitian partner organization is drawing to a close, and after just a bit more communication with our organization of interest, we will be able to reveal our partnership! Local partnerships have been a bit more challenging as the organizations with which we were in communication last semester have seemed to become less responsive. More research and networking efforts will be performed in the immediate future – and Alamance County for Freedom provides and exciting option for the class.
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