Faith and International Development Conference

December 8, 2007 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Summary: Calvin College will welcome 400 young people from around the country
next month for the third annual Faith and International Development
conference.

Full story see
http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2007-08/international-development.htm

The third annual Faith and International Development conference will be held
at Calvin College from January 31-February 2, 2008. The conference is expected
to draw some 400 students from all over the continent eager to learn more about
international development and to meet one another.

The theme for this year’s conference is “Sustainability: Fruit that
Lasts,” based on John 15:5: “If you remain in me and I in you, you will
bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.”

“Doing work that lasts for generations is central to the idea of
development,” said junior Morgan Briggs, the public relations coordinator for
the conference. “We have decided to apply that theme to four key development
areas: community, ecology, healthcare and economics.”

Each of the plenary speakers for the conference will zero in on one of these
development targets.

A fifth plenary session will feature a panel discussion between the four
speakers and the audience. Because speakers often have varying approaches to
development, the conference organizers wanted to create a dialogue between
them, Briggs said.

Breakout sessions will feature field workers from the various organizations
sponsoring the conference. One session will focus on organizational models for
development. Other breakouts will be skills workshops that teach students how
to do grant writing, give community surveys, identify community resources,
handle donor relations, and create evaluation plans. Yet another breakout
session will cover vocational training for development, featuring volunteer
opportunities, internships and career opportunities.

The key sponsors for this year’s Faith and International Development
Conference are the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, International
Aid, the Mennonite Central Committee, Partners Worldwide and World Vision.

Every conference, since its inception in 2005, has been completely student
conceived, organized and led. Faculty mentor Roland Hoksbergen, the director of
Calvin’s International Development Program, notes how inspiring it is to work
with these students. “The fact that these young people learn, grow, and
become better servant leaders to all God’s people around the world is an
inspiration to us all,” he said.

Based on the feedback they’ve received from the past two Faith and
International Development Conferences, the organizers know that this event is a
vital time of re-envisioning for up-and-coming development leaders: “What
makes the conference so beneficial is that it’s a refreshing and motivating
time,” Briggs said. “When you’re doing your day-to-day studies, you
forget the end goal of your studies. This conference reminds you of all the
opportunities there are to apply that knowledge on the field one day.”

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Received on Sat Dec 8 22:25:17 2007