Tag: Face2Face

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Face2Face: On Campus – Community in Conversation

On Being Good Neighbours: Urban Reserves in Winnipeg with Prof. Jarem Sawatzky

“On Being Good Neighbours: Urban Reserves in Winnipeg” is the last of six Face2Face events hosted by CMU during the 2013-14 school year.

Joining CMU faculty member Jarem Sawatsky on the panel are: Terry Nelson, Grand Chief of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization; Dennis Meeches, Chief of Long Plain First Nation; Deanna Zantingh, a student from CMU’s Graduate School of Theology with an interest in indigenous relations; Kenton Lobe, Instructor in International Development Studies at CMU; and Jeffrey Ansloos, a Canadian born Cree PhD student of Clinical Psychology at Fuller School of Psychology in Pasadena, CA.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO82llX6QgI[/youtube]

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Events Lectures News Releases

Urban reserves subject of next Face2Face community discussion at CMU

‘This is an opportunity to think about how we can go forward in a more respectful way,’ professor says

A First Nations leader who has promised to set up five urban reserves in Winnipeg within the next two years will speak at Canadian Mennonite University during a discussion about urban reserves.

Terry Nelson, Grand Chief of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization, is one of the panelists at Canadian Mennonite University’s next Face2Face discussion. Hosted by Dr. Jarem Sawatsky, Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at CMU, the event is titled, “On Being Good Neighbours: Urban Reserves in Winnipeg.”

The event happens Thursday, March 27 at 7:00 PM in CMU’s Great Hall (500 Shaftesbury Blvd.). Admission is free, and everyone is welcome to attend. Face2Face is a series of conversations with CMU faculty designed to engage the community on a wide variety of current events and issues at the intersection of faith and life.

Dr. Jarem Sawatsky, Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies at CMU
Dr. Jarem Sawatsky, Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies at CMU

Sawatsky says he likes Nelson’s idea to develop urban reserves because he sees it as an opportunity for non-First Nations Canadians to be good neighbours to First Nations Canadians.

“This is an opportunity to think about how we can go forward in a more respectful way,” Sawatsky says. “So much of the land in and around Winnipeg has been promised as treaty land at some point. First Nations people have been waiting around a long time to get their land. For us to figure out how to extend friendship to the First Nations people who were here before us seems to be a good plan.”

Joining Sawatsky and Nelson on the panel are: Dennis Meeches, Chief of Long Plain First Nation; Deanna Zantingh, a student from CMU’s Graduate School of Theology with an interest in indigenous relations; Kenton Lobe, Instructor in International Development Studies at CMU; and Jeffrey Ansloos, a Canadian born Cree PhD student of Clinical Psychology at Fuller School of Psychology in Pasadena, CA.

Sawatsky hopes that the event will build confidence in the idea of creating urban reserves.

“I think some people have questions and concerns about an urban reserve in their backyard, and some of them have nobody to ask those questions—First Nations people are not people they have a relationship with, so they don’t know how to pursue those questions,” Sawatsky says. “We’re trying to build a space where people can pursue the questions they have.”

“On Being Good Neighbours: Urban Reserves in Winnipeg” is the last of six Face2Face events CMU will host during the 2013-14 school year. For details, please visit www.cmu.ca/face2face.

About CMU

A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences, and social sciences, and graduate degrees in Theology and Ministry.

CMU has over 1,600 students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury Campus and in its Menno Simons College and Outtatown programs.

For information about CMU, visit:
www.cmu.ca

For additional information, please contact:
Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2

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Face2Face: On Campus – Community in Conversation Uncategorized Video

The European Debt Crisis and Other Wonders Hiding in the Global Economy with Jeff Huebner

As the fifth feature in the 2013/14 Face2Face conversation series, CMU’s Redekop School of Business Professor Jeff Huebner leads an interactive discussion exploring everything from the financial crisis in the United States to the Eurozone debt crisis. Discussion panelists will include a value investor from Niverville and an international student from Germany who speaks about the Eurozone crisis from a citizen’s perspective.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUHZMzln7Os[/youtube]

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Economic crisis, debt and trust key issues for discussion at next Face2Face event

Global economic crises throughout the world over the past few years, what they mean for society and what the future holds are some of the topics that Jeff Huebner will explore at Canadian Mennonite University’s next Face2Face event.

Jeff Huebner, Associate Professor of International Business
Jeff Huebner, Associate Professor of International Business

Huebner, Associate Professor of International Business at CMU, will lead a discussion titled, “The European Debt Crisis and Other Wonders Hiding in the Global Economy,” on Thursday, February 27 at 7:00 PM in CMU’s Great Hall (500 Shaftesbury Blvd.). Admission is free, and everyone is welcome to attend. Face2Face is a series of conversations with CMU faculty designed to engage the community on a wide variety of current events and issues at the intersection of faith and life.

The discussion will explore everything from the financial crisis in the United States to the Eurozone debt crisis. Discussion panelists will include two participants from a course Huebner is currently teaching, “Business in the European Union”: Norm Klippenstein, a value investor from Niverville, Man. who is taking the course for personal interest; and Wil Bohlender, an international student from Germany who will speak about the Eurozone crisis from a citizen’s perspective.

In addition to rising debt rates in Canada and what that means for society, Huebner says that one of the aspects he is interested in exploring is the issue of trust, which is a core facet of Christian faith and of Mennonite communities.

“A lot of our financial system is based on trust – not only for citizens who are investing privately, but for countries like those in the European Union who are working together to use the Euro,” he says. “When something like the Eurozone debt crisis happens, trust can be shaken to the core and the question is: What happens if that trust is going to evaporate?”

Huebner, who is leading CMU Redekop School of Business students on a two-week study tour focusing on business and politics in Europe this coming April, is looking forward to the event.

“This is going to be an interesting panel discussion,” he says. “I’m excited to hear what people have to say.”

“The European Debt Crisis and Other Wonders Hiding in the Global Economy” is the fifth of six Face2Face events CMU will host during the 2013-14 school year. For the complete Face2Face schedule, please visit www.cmu.ca/face2face.

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Face2Face: On Campus – Community in Conversation Video

It’s Not Only About Atoms: Embracing the Science of Complexity with Prof. Candice Viddal

How does current thinking in physics and chemistry affect how we experience and understand other areas of life?

That is the question Candice Viddal, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Physics at Canadian Mennonite University, explores in the fourth installment of the 2013/14 Face2Face conversation series.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV6k1Eeg170[/youtube]

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Next event in conversation series to explore ‘the science of complexity’

How we think about matter impacts on understanding of the world, professor says

How does current thinking in physics and chemistry affect how we experience and understand other areas of life?

Candice Viddal, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Physics
Candice Viddal,
Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Physics

That is the question Candice Viddal, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Physics at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), will discuss during the university’s next Face2Face event. Face2Face is a series of conversations with CMU faculty designed to engage the community on a wide variety of current events and issues at the intersection of faith and life.

Titled “It’s Not Only About Atoms: Embracing the Science of Complexity,” this Face2Face conversation will take place on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7:00 PM in CMU’s Great Hall (500 Shaftesbury Blvd.). Admission is free, and everyone is welcome to attend.

“Since the ancient Greeks, the dominant conception of matter is that it consists of simple building blocks – that the whole can be described as the sum of the parts,” Viddal says.

She adds that scientists have come a long way in revealing exquisite detail about matter at many different length scales, from the incredibly small, like quarks and leptons; to atoms; to larger conglomerations of atoms such as proteins that perform a wide variety of tasks in living organisms; to genes that are the molecular units of heredity.

“Using examples from physics to chemistry, I’ll show that putting the parts back together again to describe complex systems as a whole – whether they be magnetic materials, neural networks, or even social behaviours – is proving to require new ways of thinking,” Viddal says.

“This is leading modern scientists to slowly embrace the idea that the whole may indeed be more than the sum of parts.”

Both ways of thinking about matter have had an impact on our understanding of the world around us, and ourselves.

“No one doubts that we are composed of atoms, but some say that we are ‘merely’ a collection of atoms, while others believe we are more than that – using descriptors such as mind, spirit, and heart,” Viddal says.

“I’m looking forward to exploring this dichotomy.”

“It’s Not Only About Atoms: Embracing the Science of Complexity” is the fourth of seven Face2Face events CMU is hosting during the 2013-14 school year. For the complete Face2Face schedule, please visit www.cmu.ca/face2face.

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Face2Face: On Campus – Community in Conversation Video

When Cheap is Costly: Sweatshops and the Clothes I Wear with Dr. Ray Vander Zaag

In this, the third of 2013/4’s Face2Face series, Dr. Ray Vander Zaag is joined by alumni, students, and special guest Bob Silver. The global clothing industry, working conditions in places like Bangladesh, and the impact of Western governments and markets have had in developing countries form the discussion.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-k2_2jX9To[/youtube]

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Face2Face: On Campus – Community in Conversation Video

Germinating Seeds: Eating Together at the Table with Kenton Lobe

Featuring CMU’s Kenton Lobe, Instructor of International Development Studies, this is part 2 of the 6-part Face2Face Conversation Series.

Eating is one thing that all people have in common, but what do we eat when we are together? Who grows it? How did it get to our table? What was the impact on the land? Does it nourish? Is there enough? Does it taste good? Does any of this matter? How might these questions be informed by our faith?

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GPaVVeYrDM[/youtube]

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Events Lectures News Releases

Discussion Led by IDS Professor to Explore Sweatshops and North American Clothing

“When Cheap Is Costly” is the third of seven Face2Face events hosted by CMU

The April collapse of the Bangladeshi clothing factory, which produced for Loblaw’s Joe Fresh label, and which killed more than 1,100 workers, raises important questions about where our clothes come from, and what conditions they are produced in.

JF1With the publicity given to garment factories, like the Loblaw contract-location in Bangladesh, how can North Americans show concern in their consumer behaviours for workers overseas?

Are we too concerned with fast fashion? Do constantly changing fashions trends encourage us to buy too many ‘cheap’ clothes that only need to last for a fashion season?

What is the ethical responsibility of business people in how they source the goods they produce, as well as how they market and advertise them

And how does social change happen for complex, diffuse problems like this?

Ray Vander Zaag, Assistant Professor of International Development Studies at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), will discuss those questions and more during CMU’s next Face2Face event exploring the intersection of faith and life.

Vander Zaag will host a conversation, titled “When Cheap Is Costly: Sweatshops and the Clothes I Buy,” on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 7:00 PM in CMU’s Great Hall (500 Shaftesbury Blvd.). Admission is free, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Vander Zaag says he is interested in the topic because it links to Haiti, where he worked with his church’s development agency  from 1985 to 1993. Garment factories, some with poor working conditions, are common in the Caribbean country, and are still  being promoted as a key development strategy for Haiti.

“The topic of sweatshops affects my day-to-day life here in Winnipeg, because I do think about things like how many shirts I need to have in my closet,” Vander Zaag says. “It’s also interesting linking this topic to places I’ve lived in and care about, like Haiti.”

Vander Zaag hopes his talk will lead to a nuanced discussion about the topic, because it is a complex issue with no easy answers.

“At the same time, it’s pretty clear that there are people being hurt,” he says.

A lot can be, and is being done, to work toward solutions.

“There are fair trade clothing shops in Winnipeg, there are advocacy groups working in solidarity with labourers in the global south, and Loblaw is concerned about this,” Vander Zaag says. “There are many pieces to the puzzle of a fairer global garment industry, and all these initiatives can slowly make that ocean liner move in a new direction.”

“When Cheap Is Costly: Sweatshops and the Clothes I Buy” is the third of seven Face2Face events CMU will host during the 2013-14 school year.

Face2Face events are a series of conversations with CMU faculty designed to engage the community on a wide variety of current events and issues at the intersection of faith and life. For the complete Face2Face schedule, please visit www.cmu.ca/face2face.

 

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Events News Releases

Farmers, Hunters, and Urban Eaters to Gather for Conversation About Food and Faith

Germinating Conversations: Eating Together at the Table takes place on World Food Day

Eating is one thing that all people have in common, but what do we eat when we are together? Who grows it? How did it get to our table? What was the impact on the land? Does the food nourish us? Is there enough? Does it taste good? How might these questions be informed by our faith?

These questions will be part of a roundtable conversation at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) with food growers and eaters who think hard about these questions.

Titled “Germinating Conversations: Eating Together at the Table,” the conversation takes place on Wednesday, Oct. 16 in CMU’s Great Hall (500 Shaftesbury Blvd.). The event starts at 7:00 PM and all are welcome. Admission is free.

It’s the fifth in the Germinating Conversations series on food, faith, eating, and the land presented by a partnership of CMU, the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Manitoba Peace Program, A Rocha Prairie Canada, and Food Matters Manitoba.

1237099_10151862489501866_1361437829_nThe conversations invite growers and eaters to the table to listen to one another, and are intended to help bridge divides among people of faith.

Kenton Lobe, instructor in International Development Studies at CMU and one of the event’s organizers, says that Germinating Conversations aims to promote an understanding of how land stewardship and food ethics are understood in both urban and rural contexts.

“As farmers markets expand and the interest in ‘eating local’ surges, there remains a tension between those who grow food and those who eat it,” Lobe says. “Germinating Conversations explores what it means for people of faith to eat. How does one’s understanding of food as a gift from God impact daily decisions in the supermarket and in our kitchens?”

Lobe will facilitate the Oct. 16 conversation along with Deanna Zantingh, a student from CMU’s Graduate School of Theology. The panel will include Ron Krahn, a third-generation grain farmer from Rivers, MB; Terry Mierau, an opera singer-turned-chicken farmer from Neubergthal, MB; Tina Hildebrand, a cattle farmer from the Pembina Valley; Aaron Epp, an urban eater who has lost 100 pounds over the past two years through diet and exercise; Melanie Unger, Spiritual Life Facilitator from CMU; and Matthew Dueck, a CMU student, urban farmer, and avid hunter.

“Germinating Conversations: Eating at the Table Together” is the second of seven Face2Face events CMU will host during the 2013-14 school year. The Face2Face series of conversations with CMU faculty designed to engage the community on a wide variety of current events and issues at the intersection of faith and life. For the complete Face2Face schedule, please visit cmu.ca/face2face.

“Germinating Conversations: Eating at the Table Together” falls on World Food Day, an annual event meant to encourage attention to agricultural food production, and strengthen international and national solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty.