The East-West Center Association Blog

By APLP Fellows Loan T. Le from Vietnam and Amir Ramin from Afghanistan

(EWC Alumna Tin Myaing Thein, Executive Director of the Pacific Gateway Center, speaks about the problem of human trafficking. Immigration attorney Grace Michiko Nowicki (R) addressed the related legal issues.)

HONOLULU – On November 14, six fellows from the East-West Center’s Asia-Pacific Leadership Program (APLP), collaborated with the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council (PAAC) and the Pacific Gateway Center (PGC) in hosting the event, “Human Trafficking in Asia and the Pacific: Current Challenges and Future Prospects.” It was held at the Pacific Gateway Center’s headquarters in the Lemongrass Café in downtown Honolulu.
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EWC international fellows take home lessons from the storm

Christina Monroe, EWC Education Project Specialist & Asia Pacific Leadership Program alumna

(APLP fellows in NYC during Hurricane Sandy witness resilience of the American people.)

It seemed the worst place to be on Oct 29^th, but for fellows trying to understand America, New York City was the perfect spot.
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Pre-authorized Debit Program for Your Donation

Would you like to see more students come to the East-West Center to take advantage of opportunities such as those you had?

Here is a simple, painless way to make that happen.  You can now have your donations to the East-West Center Foundation automatically debited or deducted from your checking or savings accounts each quarter.  This option is only available for U.S. bank accounts.

If you decide to have $90 taken from your bank account (savings or checking) every quarter (that’s $1 a day), you will have given $360 in a year, and in less than three years, you will have given $1,000!  Your name will go on a donor plaque at Burns Hall as a $1,000 Donor.  If you must discontinue the program before you reach $1,000, you can just notify the EWC Foundation office.

Sign up by going to the EWC Foundation website www.eastwestcenter.org/support-the-ewc, contacting the EWC Foundation at 808-944-7193 or by email Foundation@EastWestCenter.org

Sounds easy?  It is!  Some of us have already started on the Quarterly Debit Program.  Please join us today.  Thank you for your participation and generosity.

Larry Smith, co-chair

Tsue Ostermann, co-chair

EWCA Endowment Fund for Student Scholarships Committee

On September 4th, 2011 Itsuko Suzuki (EWCA Alumni-Student Coordinator, ISI 62-64) and her family hosted a luncheon party at her home for the new EWC participants from Japan. The Tokyo Chapter leader and a chapter board member, Shigeo and Kazuko Tonoike, attended the party representing the EWCA Tokyo Chapter.

(Japanese EWC students with Okinawan students' get together at Itsuko Suzuki's (seated in the middle) home in Hawai'i.)

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(EWC Alumni and community professionals share their expertise with new EWC student grantees)

The East-West Center Association (EWCA) hosted an informal luncheon for about 130 new East-West Center (EWC) students during the EWC Fall semester orientation.  The luncheon was held on August 10, 2011 at the EWC Imin Center (aka Jefferson Hall).

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“Palestine: not a movie, real people”
Young leaders sharing inspiring stories.

July 12, 1:30pm – 2:30pm
University of Hawai’i at Manoa Campus, Architecture Auditorium

Reham, Geogre and Aya are current participants of the U.S. Institute for Student Leaders on Global Environmental Issues (SUSI) for July – August 2011.

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EWC students showing their purchases from the kitchen item bazaar.

Dear EWC Hawaii Alumni:

New East West Center students will be arriving shortly and we are again trying to collect used kitchen items they need most. Each year, we assist the EWC Participant Association by collecting and selling donated items for a nominal price to raise a little money for the Association and to help new students save some money for necessary kitchen items. This project has been very popular among the students.

PLEASE DROP OFF YOUR DONATED ITEMS AT:

ALUMNI OFFICE
EAST-WEST CENTER
1601 EAST-WEST ROAD, BURNS HALL, ROOM 1060

THE DROP OFF PERIOD IS DURING THE MONTH OF JULY FROM 8:30 AM TO 4:30 PM ONLY.

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EWC graduate degree fellow, Blain Keller has been working this summer 2011 as a volunteer intern at the Japan Association for the United Nations World Food Program (JAWFP), where APLP (09-10) alumnus  Hitomi Yokote works as Executive Officer.

Blain’s Boren Fellowship and intensive Japanese language program were canceled after the earthquakes happened in Japan. After leaving Japan when the program was canceled, Blain decided to use the rest of the summer to serve as a volunteer intern in Japan. He recently provided an update, which is presented below.

Blain Keller and Hitomi Yokote at the JAWFP office in Yokohoma, Japan.

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Brian Taito Alofaituli

In cooperation with the East-West Center’s Pacific Islands Report (PIR), Hawaii Public Radio (HPR) produces daily news and special reports on Pacific Islands issues. PIR’s Assistant Editor, Edelene Osedil Uriarte from Palau, puts together the audio for the HPR.

On May 2, 2011 Edelene released a special piece on EWC student, Brian Alofaituli is presently seeking his M.A. at the Center for Pacific Island Studies, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and is an East-West Center graduate degree fellow. One of the areas of research of Brian is focused on the migration of American Samoans to Hawai‘i and the U.S. Mainland and the historical context of the migration during four main migration periods.

Listen to this audio piece at  Pacific Islands Report.

Links:

• Listen to a PIR interview with ADB Fellow Patrick Kaiku
• Find out details about the US-South Pacific Scholarship Program
• Learn more about the Pacific Islands Development Program
• Visit the Pacific Islands Report website

Chapter Leader of the EWCA Lahore Chapter, Dr. Arfa Syed Zehra(OG 78-82, CLI 82, CWP 83) organized an alumni event for the American journalists visiting Pakistan on the first Pakistan-U.S. Journalists Exchange program. It was a lovely evening and the journalists greatly enjoyed having the opportunity to meet and talk with EWC alumni in Pakistan. This meeting was very valuable and provided a contrast to the their meetings are officials or others that have a particular perspective.

American journalists visiting Pakistan on the 1st Pakistan-U.S. Journalists Exchange program and meeting with EWC Alumni.

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