Are young people being trained to help with humanitarian relief efforts, global and domestic? | Press Releases

(JUHAN) Student Leadership Conference to prepare students to meet those needs

Where : Fairfield University campus, Fairfield, Connecticut

When : Tuesday, June 12-Friday, June 15, 2012

Why : The global need for expertise in humanitarian relief has never been greater as demonstrated by the ongoing food crisis in the Horn of Africa, the devastating Joplin, Missouri tornadoes, and the epic flooding in the Philippines and Pakistan - some of the many topics that will be examined as the Jesuit Universities Humanitarian Action Network (JUHAN) Student Leadership Conference unfolds. It will be a gathering of committed students, faculty and practitioners, bringing together participants from Santa Clara to Qatar, Beirut to Chennai, and beyond. JUHAN was founded after educators had come to the realization that there is relatively little going on in U.S. higher education to prepare undergraduates for humanitarian action.

Who : Participants will include humanitarian experts and seasoned practitioners, who have served throughout the globe, each bringing his or her rich expertise to bear on the conference and its proceedings. Speakers are from such organizations as Save the Children, the International Rescue Committee, and Catholic Relief Services. Fairfield's Center for Faith and Public Life anticipates students from India, Lebanon, Philippines, Nicaragua, Mexico, Australia, Qatar and the U.S. The expectation is that conference discussions will bring forth perspectives shaped by diverse cultures and religious perspectives. JUHAN students will present on repairing homes of American hurricane victims, their work with Sri Lankan child soldiers, emergency responses in the Philippines, and their role in educating refugees in camps in Africa, to name just a few.

What : The Fairfield conference has a goal of preparing students intellectually, morally and experientially to help communities in need, both domestic and abroad. For more information, visit the Conference website .