Islands of the North to Islands of the South Symposia, January 17 and 18
The first two presentations in a series that explores how Prince Edward Islanders' experiences on small southern islands have influenced their lives and work will take place at the Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI, on January 17 and 18. Islands of the North to Islands of the South is a collaborative effort of Cooper Institute, the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, and CUSO. The series features students, academics, and field staff of non-governmental organizations who have travelled south to work on small islands, engaging in environmental, community development and social justice projects. Their experiences are varied, and they have set out on these adventures in learning and living at all stages of life: as students, seniors, and mid-life professionals.
Laura Lee Howard and Chris Riley will be the presenters on January 17. Howard is a Master of Island Studies student at UPEI. In 1983 and 1984, she travelled to the island nation of Indonesia to work with Canada World Youth. While there, she did everything from building latrines to putting up health clinics. She gained a more global perspective and a new appreciation for the value of natural resources, especially water. Riley is a veterinarian who travelled to Haiti to do veterinary work in 2005. He discovered a deeply spiritual and humorous people there, and learned much about communicating with other cultures, the politics of development aid, and how people cope physically, economically, and spiritually with a limited infrastructure. Both speakers will elaborate on the personal impacts of their southern island experiences as part of a presentation in Lecture Theatre B at the Atlantic Veterinary College, beginning at 12:30 pm.
Chris Milley, the natural resources manager for the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of PEI, will be the presenter on January 18. He has had a long love affair with tropical islands, spending many years as a researcher and community facilitator in fisheries conservation and management. This has influenced his life and work on PEI in many ways, and enriched his insights and approaches to issues of aboriginal rights and responsibilities in fisheries management in Atlantic Canada. Milley will speak of his experiences in the Caribbean at 12:30 pm in Lecture Theatre B, Atlantic Veterinary College.
The public is invited to attend these free presentations. More symposia will follow in late January and February in Charlottetown, New London, and Souris. Details are available at www.upei.ca/iis/NorthSouth.
