Calvin Student Team Plans International Development Conference

December 15, 2005 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Calvin College will be hosting a major conference on faith and international
development, thanks to the efforts of a Calvin junior and a volunteer committee
of students and faculty.

The Faith and International Development conference will be held February 9-11,
2006 and is sponsored by grants from World Vision, International Aid, the
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) and Calvin's Lilly Vocation
Project.

Thanks to the sponsors the event costs just $35 per student. But that low
pricetag belies the stellar lineup that awaits attendees. The conference
features plenary speakers from every area of international development,
including:

*David Beckman, president of Bread for the World
*Kent Hill, the assistant administrator for Europe and Eurasia of the U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID)
*Jacqui Patterson, a board member for Christian Connections for International
Health (CCIH)
*Jose (Pepe) Alcantara, a board member of the Mexican Association for Rural
and Urban Transformation (AMEXTRA)
*Jim Haveman, a 1966 graduate of Calvin and a former director of the Michigan
Department of Community Health who recently served as a senior advisor to the
Iraqi Ministry of Health.
 
In addition, Derek Webb, a founding member of Caedmon's Call, and his wife
Sandra McCracken, will perform at the event.

The conference will feature three days of speakers, music and other activities
designed to draw undergraduate students from all over the nation to explore
issues surrounding international development. The breakout sessions for the
weekend will highlight international health, global politics and advocacy,
theology, and careers in international development.

Overall, the conference will take a "multilateral" approach to international
development, says its creator.

"It's not just looking at health care or clean drinking water or HIV/AIDS,"
says Jackie Biltz, a religion and psychology major with an international
development studies (IDS) minor who is the driving force behind the conference.
"It's about the legal side, the political side, the science side, the economic
side, the healthcare side. And we want to focus on active faith and how that
pertains to international development."

Biltz, who hails from Lancaster, Pa., hopes the conference will serve as a
meeting ground for students interested in careers in missions or international
development.

Roland Hoksbergen, the director of Calvin's international development major
and a member of the conference committee, feels that this is a crucial time for
Calvin to host the event.

"Many of our most thoughtful leaders today are saying that poverty and hunger
continue to be the most urgent global issues we face. For a Christian college
community there is no greater task than to inspire and equip young people to
serve God by serving those in need," he says.

Contact Biltz at jmb26@calvin.edu
For the complete story see
http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2005_06/international_development.htm

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Received on Thu Dec 15 10:29:43 2005