Two Menno Simons College (MSC) students have been recognized for their part in making the world a better place. During International Development Week, which had as its theme “I am Making a Difference,” the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation (MCIC) named eight youth as Young Global Citizens, including MSC’s Tyler Morden of Morden, MB and Zoe Gross from Barisford, MB.
“We’re very pleased to see these students being recognized for their efforts by MCIC for giving their time and energy in ways that promote international cooperation,” says MSC Dean Richard McCutcheon.
In recognizing these students, MCIC conducted video interviews in which Morden and Gross reflected on how they are contributing in positive ways in their communities and abroad.
Morden, who works for the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba (IRCOM), believes that international work is important, even if it is in one’s own city and country.
“I am making a difference through the work I do supporting newcomer children and youth with their settlement in Winnipeg,” says Morden in his video interview. “There are a lot of challenges and barriers that face [the children and youth that I work with]; anything from language barriers to learning our laws and customs, and the work that I do is to help children and youth learn these things so they can be active members of our community.”
For Gross, spending eight months in Kenya working with a national women’s organization helped her learn that women’s concerns in Kenya are similar to concerns of women in Canada.
“We need to work together and support one another in these endeavours,” says Gross.
Gross believes that international development is important because the world is so interconnected, and many don’t recognize this.
“One of the things that people don’t realize about international development… is that the issues are really intimately connected. Just because you are working in the inner city of Winnipeg doesn’t mean those issues are any different than the slums or ghettos of Nairobi, for example,” Gross says.
Along with Morden and Gross, MCIV recognized six other Manitobans for the work that they are doing, helping to demonstrate how everyone has the potential to contribute.
To view MCIC videos of MSC students, visit:
http://mcic.ca/makingadifference/video/tyler-morden
http://mcic.ca/makingadifference/video/zoe-gross/
MSC provides education flowing from Anabaptist Mennonite understandings of faith, peace, and justice while engaging other religious traditions and intellectual perspectives. A College of CMU, and affiliated with UWinnipeg, MSC fosters a learning community that prepares students from diverse backgrounds for participation and leadership in local and global communities. Considered a pioneer in International Development Studies and Conflict Resolution Studies, MSC offers a wide range of courses and experienced faculty in these areas that are unparalleled in Canada. Programs at MSC also include practicum opportunities and supporting scholarships.
CMU is a Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, offering undergraduate degrees as well as two graduate degree programs. CMU has over 1,700 students at its Shaftesbury campus, MSC campus, and in the Outtatown program. A member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), CMU operates a number of schools and institutes, including The School of Writing at CMU and the Canadian School of Peacebuilding.
For MSC information, contact:
Ruth Taronno: r.taronno@uwinnipeg.ca; tel. 204.953.3846
www.cmu.ca www.mscollege.ca
For CMU information, contact:
Nadine Kampen CMU Communications & Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB R3P 2N2
www.cmu.ca