Students organize Faith and International Development Conference

Calvin College students are finishing up preparations for the 2013 Faith and International Development Conference (FIDC). Organizers expect to welcome 300 students from across the United States and Canada to Calvin's campus for the eighth installment of the student-run conference.

The conference, which runs Thursday, January 31, through Saturday, February 2, is themed "From here to Shalom: Participating in God's Plan for Universal Flourishing."

"It's an acceptance of where we are as a community of believers and development workers," said Lauren Walker, a senior psychology major with minors in international development studies and Spanish, "but it's also about finding our place in the Kingdom of God and what he'd have for us to do." Walker, along with senior international development studies and education double major Derek Buursma are co-organizers for this year's conference.

As co-organizers, both Buursma and Walker are devoting countless hours toward finishing up details for the conference. They are also relying on help from a number of student volunteers. Buursma says the fact that Calvin students are able to host a conference of this size and breadth is something the entire Calvin student body can rally behind.
"When you attend the conference you are thankful for all the different parts, but you don't know how it all comes together," said Buursma. "Being in this position, makes one appreciate it."
The two chose a lineup of inspirational plenary speakers who will provide economic, social justice and public health perspectives on international development. Each of the 25 sponsoring organizations will also hold breakout sessions and have display tables where attendees can learn more about each organization and about future career opportunities.
See full list of speakers and sponsors: www.calvin.edu/academic/ids/conference
Roland Hoksbergen, a professor of international development studies at Calvin, is a major supporter of the event, annually serving as an advisor to the student organizers. This past fall, while teaching in Ghana, he fondly remembers talking with Buursma and Walker through skype, answering questions, lending advice.
But, he wasn't always sold on the idea of Calvin students taking on this conference. He said that when students seven years ago came to him with the idea of putting on a conference of this magnitude, he had significant doubts.
"I told them, 'This is a huge undertaking, and I don't think you really understand how much of a commitment this is,'" recalled Hoksbergen.
But, now seven years later, Hoksbergen is impressed with how students are able to pull this off.
"What has really been joyful for me is to watch them rise to the level of professionalism and mature behavior that goes along with managing something of this size and character and doing it with a sense of purpose and mission," said Hoksbergen.
Organizers are making worship a bigger component of this year's conference and they have asked organizations to think of ways to demonstrate the work they are doing rather than just talking about it. Participating organizations will be doing more role playing, mock meetings and will be offering a time for attendees to write letters to Congress.
And this year, Buursma and Walker have organized a panel of recent college grads to talk about their journey thus far in international development. One of those panelists is Elizabeth Ross '09, who in 2009 attended the FIDC just months before graduation. At that time she was unsure of what exactly she would do with her degree. But, after talking to a representative from Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO), a non-profit organization whose vision is 'Honoring God through Sustainable Hunger Solutions,' Ross saw things more clearly.
"I said, 'AHA,' that's what I want to do with my degree. I want to go into agricultural development," she said.
Today, Ross is working for World Hunger Relief in Waco, Texas.
"If I hadn't gone to that conference and I hadn't seen ECHO's presentation, I'm not sure if I would have made those connections so quickly," she said.
The cost for students is $50 and includes all meals and lodging on-campus ($20 for Calvin students with a meal plan). Registration is still available online at www.calvin.edu/academic/ids/conference/register.html
For more information, contact the FIDC office at 616-526-6534 or Derek Buursma at 616-490-2471.
-end-
Received on Thu Jan 24 11:37:36 2013