Rotary Peace Fellow Social Change Initiative Internship 2022- 2023

Common Core in collaboration with the Rotary Peace Centre at Chulalongkorn University offers HKU undergraduates structured internships, working with international Rotary Peace Fellows on projects related to real-world peace and conflict situations. Rotary Peace Fellows will supervise and mentor students working in teams to conduct research, advocacy activities, and other tasks with real-world impact. Students will also need to create a video reflecting on the issue and their contributions and learnings.

Internships are non-paid, part-time, and virtual. 

Students are expected to invest at least 50 hours of total work. After the completion of this project, students can claim two (2) out-of-classroom non-graduating academic credit from HKU Horizons.

Brief Description of Social Change Initiative (SCI) Projects:

Incorporating Peace and Conflict Studies into Pakistani University Curricula (Dr Naheed Shabbir): The project explores the role of universities in addressing political, ethnic, religious, sectarian, and environmental issues in Pakistan through peace and conflict studies. In order to bring about a societal shift by altering individuals’ perspectives, attitudes, and social interaction habits, the project proposes introducing a curriculum on peace and conflict studies into foundational courses.

Breaking the Culture of Examination Malpractice in Nigerian Higher Institutions (Dr Ibrahim Suberu): The project aims to address the issue of examination malpractice in Nigeria, which has resulted in a decline in the quality of education and an increase in unemployable graduates. The project will target students at the University of Port Harcourt, with a focus on the Faculty of Humanities, and provide advocacy for personal moral development and exam regulation to prevent malpractice. The program aims to promote academic integrity, build trust, and decrease corruption in the educational system. 

Social Cohesion and Awareness between Host and Refugee Communities in Turkey (Ms Iclal Karabey): The project aims to build social cohesion between vulnerable communities in Turkey, including both the host community and the Syrian refugee population. The goal is to create stable living standards for each group and prevent conflicts that arise due to tension between them. The project will rely on role model activities and the delivery of accurate information to raise awareness on the topic. The SCI aims to address these issues by promoting social services, education services, health services, and other activities that can bring communities together.

Enhancing the Capacity of Local Judicial Committees for Sustainable Peace (Mr Purushottam Gnawali): This project focuses on the local judicial committees in Nepal, which were mandated by the country’s new constitution to provide more access to justice at the local level. While these committees have already been established, they lack proper training in dispute resolution and awareness of their jurisdiction. The project aims to enhance the capacity of these committees in the Rukum West District of Nepal, through training and orientation, promote peace and harmony through effective dispute resolution, and facilitate dialogues among stakeholders working in the justice sector. The intern would be asked to provide support in designing the concept note, identifying priorities, and sharing experiences and challenges in project implementation.

Strengthening Interfaith Leadership for Peace and Tolerance in Nigeria (Mr Samuel Edet): This project addresses interfaith violence in Nigeria by strengthening the resilience, social cohesion, and tolerance among stakeholders of interfaith leaders. Focusing on creating a platform for dialogue and identifying best practices, and collaborating with various partners, including the United State Institute of Peace, On Earth Peace, and Rotary International, the project fosters peace through mutual understanding and tolerance, and increasing the capacity of leaders to prevent, reduce and build tolerance for peace. The program will target religious leaders and adolescents in six geopolitical zones in Nigeria, with a focus on equity, capacity development, sustainability, gender sensitivity, participation, and education’s potential to build a culture of peace and tolerance.