IFHE-US CONNECTION
Volume 7 Issue 2
Fall 2005
A Newsletter for Members of the International Federation for
Home Economics in the USA
Officers President Mary P.
Andrews E-mail: mandrews@msu.edu Past President Juanita Mendenhall E-mail: juanitam@usit.net Director of Finance Nancy
Billings nbillings@hsv.k12.al.us Director of Professional
Development and Programs Joanne
Pearson E-mail: pearsojm@jmu.edu Director of Communications Nancy St.
John nstjohn@bridgewater.com AAFCS International Division Chair Mary
Warnock mwarnock@comp.uark.edu Recorder Kitty
Decker kitty.decker@prodigy.net Chair, UN Liaison Committee Ruth Norman E-mail: Redla57@aol.com Chair, IFHE-US Development Fund Sharon
McManus svmcmanus@aol.com
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Project Identify and
Recognize is Looking for Home Economics Professionals and Dietitians with Military Service Are you a home economist,
family and consumer sciences professional or dietitian, who has or is
currently serving in the U.S. Military? Project Identify and Recognize wants
to hear from you. According to Janett Gibbs, director
of Project Identify and Recognize, home economics professionals’ military
accomplishments and contributions have been undocumented. Exactly how many
military service men and women are trained in home economics and related
fields of study are presently unknown. Gibbs said any professional
with a degree in home economics, nutrition, dietetics or related studies that
have served or are currently serving in the U.S. Military may register with
the Project Identify and Recognize by completing a confidential “personal
data form” by contacting the address below American Association of Family and
Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) International Division and International Federation
for Home Economics-United States( IF HE-US) initiated this program to
identify those in its ranks who are veterans or are currently serving in the
U. S. Military. “The goal is to identify these professionals and give them
the recognition which they rightly deserve,” said Gibbs. The first
recognition ceremony was conducted at the Women In Military Service for
America Memorial in Washington, DC. The second ceremony was held at the
Veterans Museum and Memorial Center in San Diego, CA. The next schedule
ceremony is to be in Charlotte, NC in June, 2006. Invitations will be mailed
to all service people registered with the Project Identify and Recognize in
May, 2006. ***** CONTACT:
JANETT GIBBS, jangibbs@ix.netcom.com or 135
Meadowview Road, Athens, Ga. 30606 |
Hmong Cultural Event Report IFHE-US Development Fund June 23, 2005 62 paid registrations @ $50 each 5 paid registrations did not attend 10 registrations were sold day of event 18 guests and helpers 76 people were served food INCOME: $3,100
registrations 50 contribution to event $3,150
total received EXPENSES: $100.00 Hmong Cultural Center, St. Paul for dancers $100.00
AAHWM presented to speaker, Ly Vang 20.04
Cheese 68.00 Wine
314.85 Food 31.58 Credit card fees $634.47 IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS: $105.53
Food by Jeanette Daines
55.00 Fruit and flowers by
Janice Templin
? Programs and facilities by University of Minnesota PROFIT: $3,150.00
Income -634.47 Expenses $2,515.53
Total funds raised for IFHE-US Development Fund $40 per person tax deductible Prepared by: Sharon V. McManus, Director, IFHE-US
Development Fund |
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Calling
for Volunteers with Master Gardener and Food Preservation Experience Joanne Pearson Director Professional Dev’t and Programs,
IFHE-US IFHE-US
and IFHE have recently submitted a research proposal to the Monsanto Fund to
carry out a project in the small Eastern Europe country of Moldova. The title
of the project is “Improving Nutritional Health With School Gardens in
Moldova”. The results of the proposal review will be known by the end of
December. If the project is funded it will take place from January 2006 –
July 2008. Staff for the project will
include co-directors in the U.S. and Moldova. In addition, there will be four
IFHE members from the U.S. and various parts of Europe who will be speakers
at a 2-day workshop in Moldova. Qualifications for one of the positions
include having worked with the Master Gardner Program and have experience in
food preservation including canning, freezing and drying. There is not a
language requirement for the position, but some knowledge of Romanian and or
Russian would be a strong asset. There will be translators hired during the
2-day workshop in Moldova. The major time commitment for the position would
be preparation time during the spring 2006 and then a six-day stay in Moldova
for a 2-day workshop in mid-late August 2006.
If you would be interested in applying for this
volunteer position, please send your name, address, email, and telephone
number to Joanne Pearson at pearsojm@jmu.edu
this fall. You would then be contacted in December when the results of the
funding are known. Although the position is a volunteer one, the cost of your
visa to Moldova and emergency evacuation insurance would be paid by the grant,
as well as your airfare, lodging, and meals while in Moldova. If you would
like more information about this exciting short-term professional experience
in Eastern Europe, do not hesitate to contact Joanne Pearson. |
Recent News… Contributed by Juanita Mendenhall Past President, IFHE-US
Dear Friends, Many of you know Patience Adow from Ghana who has been one
of the strongest "home economists' in Africa over the years. She has
held so many positions of responsibility, from teacher to Department of
Education to eventually, Please Note
Specific Deadlines Nomination for VP Region
of Americas (inside of back cover) December 31, 2005 Inserts Application for Council
Represntative January 15, 2006 Ballot for IFHE-US Board
of Directors On or Before January 15,
2006 |
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Grenada Home Economics
Teachers Appreciate Our Generosity! As we look at the horrors of hurricane Katrina in our own country, we find a tragic reminder of the over 95% destruction by hurricane Ivan of the island of Grenada a little over one year ago. Their damage from Ivan was truly extreme. In Minneapolis in June, present members met Allison Parke, Grenada Supervisor of Home Economics, and heard her story of their experience of loosing everything, including the island’s livelihood and the nutmeg and mace spice trees which take 20 years to grow to production age. Wanda Montgomery and Juanita Mendenhall visited the island in March, seeing the destruction first hand so we could better understand how we might be most effective in helping them. Our members and friends have responded generously with donations of educational materials and supplies of all sorts that will be helpful in rebuilding their home economics programs. Additionally, we were able to purchase enough new equipment and supplies to set up 8 middle schools. Included were sewing machines, patterns, fabric, notions, trims plus all the basics for their foods labs from cookware and bake ware to glasses and dishes and flat ware, etc. We also paid for one month of school lunches for elementary schools through Rachael Mathurine, the home economist in charge of the Grenada school food service. (Rachael first alerted us to their extreme need and that led to our project.) In the months since their hurricane, IFHE-US, AAFCS and IHES plus other friends have contributed generously! The first four pallets of 106 boxes were shipped in late spring and have already been distributed across the island by Allison Parke and her Home Economics teachers in time for the beginning of school. The second shipment should leave the US by the end of September and will contain at least 50 more boxes. But we still need a few more monetary donations for the shipping costs to complete the project. If you can help with this final project need, please send your contribution to the IFHE-US treasurer, Nancy Billings, at 706 Corlett Dr., Huntsville, AL 35802 right away. We want all contributors to know how very much your donation has meant to the people of (Continued Next Column) |
They have expressed their gratitude over Grenada. and over to us! Please also accept our personal appreciation as well. Juanita Mendenhall, Grenada Project Committee Coordinator on behalf of the Grenada Disaster Relief Project. Become
“Actively” Involved in IFHE You have all paid dues to become an organizational, individual or student member of IFHE. However, are you an “active” member? How can you become “actively” involved in
IFHE this year? There are two chances to join in IFHE activities in the next
10 months. The first of these is to attend the IFHE Leadership Meeting in
Berlin, Germany from Sat. February 4 – Mon. February 6, 2006. At those
meetings you will be able to join one of the 10 programme committees or one
of the 8 council committees. For more information about the upcoming
Leadership Meeting in Berlin see the IFHE web page at www.ifhe.org. Registration for the meeting
must be completed by December 9, 2005. Booking for one or more of the
cultural programs in Berlin must be completed by October 1, 2005. For more
information about the goals, objectives and current activities of each of the
committees please see the IFHE webpage or contact Joanne Pearson at pearsojm@jmu.edu. The second opportunity to participate in
activities of IFHE is to attend the IFHE Council Meeting that will be held
Sunday July 16 - Thursday July 20, 2006 in Cape Town, South Africa. In
additional to the actual Council sessions there will be meetings of each of
the programme and council committees, regional meetings, a professional
symposium, and a regional field trip (excursion). Early registration for the meeting is April
1, 2006. If you would like to be a delegate from IFHE-US contact the IFHE-US
president, Mary Andrews, at mandrews@msu.edu.
For more information about the program, the venue and related costs see the
IFHE webpage at www.IFHE.org. |
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Current
International “Linking” Projects Involving IFHE-US and Its Members Joanne Pearson
IFHE-US Director of
Professional Dev’t and Programs
International
projects connecting IFHE member units with home economists in other parts of
the world were numerous in the late 1990s and early 2000s. When the IFHE
Congress was held in Ghana in 2000 organizational members were asked to
identify the nature of the linking projects they had with other countries.
The list that was developed was extensive. In an attempt to update that information, a
request was included in the IFHE-US Connection in the spring asking
for members to send information to me about what linking projects were
currently taking place in the United States. At the IFHE-US business meeting
held at the AAFCS meeting in Minneapolis in June, survey forms were
distributed to elicit this same information. At the present time it would
appear that only a very few state affiliates continue to have active linking
projects with home economists in other countries. It is very possible,
however, that these relationships now exist primarily with organizational
members at the various colleges and universities around the country. Periodically, I receive requests from
IFHE-US members asking for information about how to establish a linking
contact with home economists in another country. My standard response is to have them check
with their state FCS affiliate to find out if they have an established relationship
with another country, and if that fails, to check with the various schools in
the state where FCS professionals are trained to see if they have any
on-going relationships with home economists in another country. What
I would like to be able to do is to develop a listing of existing linking
projects that exist among the various organizational members of IFHE-US, both
those in the state affiliates and at collegiate institutions. My request is
that a representative from each academic institution in the US, where family
and consumer scientists are trained, contact me with information about what
on-going contacts or formalized relationships they have with home economists
in other countries. Information can be sent to me, Joanne Pearson, at pearsojm@jmu.edu. With this information I will be better able
to handle requests for information on establishing international contacts
with home economists. |
Currently I am aware of several linking projects
with home economists in other countries. They are as follows: 1. IFHE-US and home
economists in Grenada. This disaster relief project was established last fall
after a devastating hurricane swept across the island of Grenada. Please see
the IFHE-US website
http://www.ifhe-us.org and the spring issue of the IFHE-US Connection
for more details on how you can be of assistance. 2. Sherry Betts at the
University of Arizona and Geraldene Hodelin at the University of Technology in Jamaica, with funding from
USDA and Michigan State University, have developed a model regional exchange
program. In 2004, groups of faculty from each of the institutions spent a
week in the other country learning about the families, communities, culture
and economy of the country and sharing expertise in community development. 3. The Virginia Association
of Family and Consumer Sciences (VAFCS) and the Dominica Home Economics
Association. This connection was established in 1996 through the work of Dr.
Kathleen Stadler, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Dominica. The project has
involved collecting items that can be used in the home economics classrooms and sending them
to the country. At present there
are no additional collections planned. 4. Wisconsin FCS has
relationships with the home economists of St. Lucia, as does the Washington FCS
affiliate. 5. The Puerto Rico FCS unit
has relationships with home economists in Costa Rica and Panama. 6. The Illinois FCS affiliate
has very informal contact with home economists in Liberia. Information from additional state affiliates with IFHE membership and from collegiate IFHE organizational members are REQUESTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Please send the information to me at pearsojm@jmu.edu. |
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September
1, 2005
Dear Members
of IFHE-USA,
On behalf
of International Federation for Home Economics, I would like to offer my
heartfelt sympathy to all who suffer from the tragedy. It was, indeed, a shock to learn about the
traumatic natural disaster by Katrina that is out of our human beings’
reach. We, all IFHE members around the
world, are deeply concerned over the damage that is much more serious than
originally anticipated, just as you have shared your love and taken care of
difficult problems all over the world.
But I am
certain that your strong faith, will, love and solidarity will enable you to
overcome these unbearable hardships.
I sincerely
hope you could get over with this traumatic situation and want to extend my
best wishes for quick recovery from the percussion.
Very truly
yours,
Lilha Lee, Ph.D.
President, IFHE
Dept. of Home Economics Education
Chungang University
Seoul 156-756, Korea
Tel: +822 820 5378 Fax: +822 817 7304
E-Mail: leelilha@cau.ac.kr
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IFHE-US Annual Report July 2004-June 2005 The new officers of IFHE-US who assumed their
roles following the 2004 Congress in Kyoto were Mary Andrews, who replaced
Juanita Mendenhall as President, Kitty Decker, who replaced Sharon Christie
as Recorder, Nancy St.John, who replaced Joyce Richardson and interim Kinsey Green
as Director of Communications, and Sharon McManus, who replaced Nancy
Leidenfrost in the role of Director of the IFHE-US Development Fund. This annual report of activities of
IFHE-US is organized according to the Plan of Work for 2004-2005 developed at
the beginning of the year and presented in the fall 2004 IFHE-US Connection.
Accomplishments relative to those goals are as follows: 1. Strengthen communications
and networks. ¨ Publication of fall 2004
and spring 2005 newsletter. Newsletter sent by regular mail and posted on the
IFHE-US webpage. Included among the multiple articles in each issue were two
articles in the spring issue which focused on the need for specific documents
for writing the IFHE History (to be sent to Nancy Leidenfrost), and the call
for nominations for three positions of leadership in the organization-
Director of Finance, Director of Communications, and Director of Professional
Development and Programs (to be sent to Alberta Hill). ¨ Periodic conference calls
were made involving all members of the Board – before each of the newsletter
deadlines, at midyear and prior to the regular Board meeting at AAFCS Annual
Meeting. These contacts were in addition to the regularly scheduled Board
meeting at AAFCS Annual Convention. ¨ A Policies and Procedures
Manual was drafted and will be available in final form by the June 2006
annual meeting. ¨ Hosted an internationally
oriented networking event at AAFCS annual meeting. The focus was on the Hmong
people living in MN, with a speaker and display and sale of traditional Hmong
crafts. (Continued Next Column) |
¨ A workshop was held at the
United Nations at the end of February just prior to the NGO Committee on the
Status of Women meeting. Participants then attended some of the NGO sessions.
A total of seven IFHE-US members attended. 2. Provide educational services and support for
international involvement of members. ¨ Articles appeared in the
fall and spring issues of the IFHE-US Connection encouraging members to
become actively involved in the organization by joining an IFHE committee,
attending the IFHE Leadership Meeting in February, submitting papers for
presentation at the CAHE Conference in March, applying for a Fulbright grant
at the University of Botswana, joining the new IFHE council committee “Young
Professionals”, and making plans to attend the 2006 IFHE Council Meeting in
South Africa. ¨ A total of 9 IFHE-US members are serving on programme
and council committees of IFHE. Most participate as active members, but
several serve as “corresponding” members. Six IFHE-US members attended the
Leadership Meeting in Bonn, Germany in February. ¨ One educational session
was developed and presented at AAFCS Annual Meeting. The title of the program
was “The Changing Face of Malnutrition Worldwide”. The moderator and speakers
were Janett Gibbs, Mary Andrews and Bruce Humphrys, Executive Director of
Compatible Technology International. ¨ A survey was included in
the spring issue of the IFHE-US Connection designed to elicit information
about what current linkages or twinning projects were currently underway
between IFHE-US organizational members and peers internationally. Additional
survey forms were distributed at the business meeting of IFHE-US in hopes of
getting more responses. (Continued page 8) |
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Annual
Report
(Continued from Page 7) ¨ In response to a
devastating hurricane that swept through the island of Grenada in September
2004, a call went out to all IFHE-US members to donate to a relief effort for
the home economics classrooms in the country. This aid came in the form of
money, to be used to ship donated items to the country, and generous
contributions of supplies, including equipment, for the schools. It is
anticipated that the final shipment of donated materials will be sent in
September 2005. 3. Contribute to the IFHE Development Fund. ¨
A letter requesting contributions to the IFHE-US Development Fund was
included in the fall and spring issues of the IFHE-US Connection. ¨
Announcement of the new address for the Development Fund appeared in
the IFHE-US newsletter and on the IFHE-US website. ¨
An educational fundraising event at the AAFCS Annual Meeting was held
at the University of MN in St Paul. 4. Develop long-range plans
for meeting the professional development needs of members. ¨ Little progress was made
in planning professional development programs based on the all-member survey
conducted in 2003. Because interest in projects to be carried out
internationally had been expressed in the survey, a grant proposal with a
university in Moldova was developed. This proposal, co-sponsored by IFHE-US
and IFHE ( CEEC Outreach Committee), will be submitted to the Monsanto Fund
for support. The title of the project is “Improving Nutritional Health with
School Gardens in Moldova”.
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South Africa: IFHE Council
2006 With Janett Gibbs 14-30 July 2006 Come and join us for a visit to South Africa with friends and IFHE colleagues. The Council will be in the beautiful city of Cape Town. Located on the southern tip of Africa just below Table Mountain, it is an exciting international city that boast some fabulous views. See where the Atlantic Ocean comes together with the Indian Ocean; visit Robben Island, where the former inmates of the apartheid prison are now the tour guides; venture into the wine district; spend time on the famous Victoria and Alfred waterfront or shop for diamonds. After the Council, join us for an extended trip to other parts of South Africa. We’ll travel by private motorcoach with our private South African guide along the Garden Route to the Knysna and Port Elizabeth. We will explore caves inhabited 10,000 years ago, visit Monkeyland Primate Sanctuary, Highgate Ostrich Show Farm and go on an elephant walk in Addo Elephant Reserve. Perhaps the highlight of the trip will be entering South Africa’s largest game reserve, Kruger National Park. Here we can see lions, elephants, rhinos, giraffes and others from the wild animal kingdom in their natural environment. The African landscape with its collage of animals, creates scene after scene of truly spectacular visions that few people will ever have the opportunity to see. We will complete our trip with a day in Johannesburg and Soweto (SOuth WEstern TOwnship). We will take only a small group on this private tour. It’s a unique opportunity to travel with interesting people to interesting places. If you’ve traveled with us before you know how much we learn and how much fun it is. Join in the adventure to South Africa. Estimated
Cost: $5400 If
you would like to receive a full brochure when they are available just notify
Janett A Gibbs, 135 Meadowview Road, Athens, Georgia, 30606
or e-mail: jangibbs@ix.netcom.com. There is no
obligation; this will simply post you on the priority list of participants. |
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NEWS FROM
THE UN
Did you know
you could attend
UN meetings?
There are three times during the year when
members of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are invited to attend
meetings at the United Nations in New York.
These meetings are excellent ways to learn what UN organizations
related to our goals are doing, how they operate and how we can work with
them. Requirements
to attend are simple: a genuine
interest in international activities and the work of the UN; and
pre-registration, usually two months preceding the meeting. In addition to the agenda of the
meeting/conference there are other opportunities: ·network
with other NGOs with a wide variety of concerns. Lively discussions take place in the halls,
in side rooms and coffee shops. ·an
opportunity to express all views - popular and unpopular. ·interact
with delegates of member states of the UN. No longer are NGOs brushed aside and given the
back row seats to official meetings.
Their interest and expertise on the grass roots level is increasingly
seen as a resource. THE OPPORTUNITIES:
ANNUAL DPI/NGO CONFERENCE
Each year the Department of Public
Information, cooperating with the NGOs, in consultative status with the UN,
organize a conference called the DPI/NGO Conference.
The theme of the 3 day conference always focuses directly on urgent
worldwide issues. It includes speakers
at the plenary meetings from the UN community as well as panels and side
events in which NGOs participate. (Juanita Mendenhall was on the program in
2001.) This year the conference is
particularly noteworthy since the opening of the high level Summit of world
leaders and the opening of the General Assembly follow. (Continued next column) |
Mary Covington and Eileen Labiner, two of
our representatives at the UN have been working since early this year on the
program for the 2005 conference, which will be held from September 7 –
9. Over 2500 NGOs are expected to
attend. COMMISSION MEETINGS: There are
two commissions related to social issues that oversee and evaluate progress
during the year of those programs under them and make recommendations for the
following year. Of interest to us are
the Commission on Social Development and the Commission on the Status of
Women. NGOs are invited to both and
provide an opportunity to see the UN in action as well as interact with other
NGOs. Commission meetings
last two weeks. However, NGOs are able
to attend as many days as they want. The
Commission on Social Development
This Commission
includes all social programs with the exception of the programs related to
women. The Family Unit, Aging and
Youth are included under this Commission.
This meets the first two weeks in February. The
Commission on the Status of Women
This
Commission is of greatest interest to NGOs and draws several thousand women
each year from around the world. Its
focus is the Platform of Action of the Beijing Conference on Women. The NGOs attending have a wide variety of programs open to them. Before the Commission meets, a daylong
conference is held, which is organized by the Committee on the Status of
Women. During the conference there are
daily briefings, meetings organized by NGOs, which are held during sessions
and the two-hour lunch break. This
commission meets the first two weeks in March. SPECIAL MEETING A special meeting will be held this fall
commemorating the 60th anniversary of the UN. No date has yet been set but NGOs are
invited. For
More Information on any of these opportunities, contact Ruth Norman, Liaison
to the UN. Email:
redla57@aol.com.
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Are
you a current member of IFHE and IFHE-US?
In preparing this newsletter mailing, we realized that a significant number of members on previous mailing lists were no longer listed on current mailing lists. Although we are sending this newsletter to individuals from previous lists, we urge you to check your records and pay your annual dues. This discreptency could be reflective of various factors. Some people may have just dropped their membership. But some might have dropped their AAFCS membership and didn’t realize that their IFHE membership dues requests were combined on those dues notices. If you are in that situation, please apply for continuing IFHE membership directly with our IFHE-US Treasurer. Some people only pay their dues when they plan to attend or present at the Congresses. If you are one of those individuals, we plead with you to sustain your membership annually. Such a practice makes planning for budgets and events very difficult. It might be a necessity for colleagues from developing nations, but the federation hopes that those of us in developed countries can keep the rosters stable. And lastly, some people may have just forgotten to pay their dues. Traditionally we have not sent dues notices, relying on your attention to this task. If that is the case, check your checkbook receipts and if you haven’t paid since January 1, 2005; please pay now! The following shortened membership form can be used to secure your continuing membership. THANKS.
International Federation for Home Economics Membership Form
Name:__________________________________________________________
Address:________________________________________________________
Phone: _________________ Fax:______________ E-mail________________
Membership type:
Student ($20) _____
Individual ($65) _____
* Organizational ($400) _____
* Associate ($400) _____
*Name of Organization or Association:________________________________
Mail checks made payable to “IFHE-US” to:
Nancy Billings, IFHE-US Treasurer
706 Corlett Dr. S.E.
Huntsville, AL 35802
