Denison University is announcing a call for students to participate in a program that supports grassroots projects for peace all over the world. Proposals for the Davis Projects for Peace initiative are limited to undergraduate students, including graduating seniors, at Davis United World College Scholar institutions, of which Denison is one, and must be submitted to Joyce Meredith (meredithj@denison.edu) in the President’s Office.

Davis Projects for Peace is the vision of Kathryn Wasserman Davis, a lifelong internationalist and philanthropist. Upon turning 100 two years ago, Davis created and provided funding for the program “to help young people launch some immediate initiatives that could bring new thinking to the prospects for peace in the world.” By intentionally offering no clear definition of “projects for peace,” the program aims to encourage creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship as students come up with their own definitions.

In all, 100 projects will be funded at $10,000 each, with a goal of funding at least one project at each of the more than 90 eligible schools. Projects may be implemented anywhere in the world, and the process is open to individuals as well as groups of students from the same campus.

Winners from Denison in 2008 were Ian Darrow ’10 and Kara Lemarie ’11, and last year's winner was Dana Meyer ’09. Darrow’s and Lemarie’s project, “Ten Years of Recovery: Healing Processes in Post-Conflict Ireland,” took them to Northern Ireland for eight weeks during the summer. As “student journalists” there, they conducted a study of Irish culture with a specific focus on life in Northern Ireland since the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which was a major development in that country’s peace process. For Meyer’s project, “Access to Healthcare in Bolivia,” she worked during the summer with Movimiento Sonrisa, a Bolivian non-governmental organization, to conduct health and hygiene workshops. Movimiento Sonrisa is a program established to provide economic and emotional support to hospitalized children. Meyer helped to bridge the social gap between urban and rural populations to provide a more reasonable quality of life.

To be considered, a student or group of students, must prepare a written statement which describes the project (who, what, where, how) including expected outcomes and prospects for future impact, not to exceed two pages, as well as a separate page for the budget. The draft proposal should be submitted electronically to Meredith no later that Nov. 16, 2009. Students with queries may direct them to their campus-designated official as communication between students writing proposals and the Davis UWC Scholars office is prohibited.

All final proposals submitted to Meredith by Jan. 20, 2009 will be reviewed by a college committee. University President Dale Knobel and other senior administrators then will select one lead proposal and an alternate proposal for submission to the Davis United World College Scholars program, which will make the final selections of projects to be funded.

For more information, visit Denison’s Davis Projects for Peace Web site.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575