WSCF Global Staff and Officers Meet Firms up Four-year Federation’s Strategic Plan

 

Participants of the WSCF Global Staff and Officers Meeting:
(first row, L-R) Youhanna Shawky (treasurer), Michael Wallace (general
secretary), Charite Nkusi, Janejinda Pawadee (vice-chairperson),
Necta Montes (WSCF AP regional secretary); (second row L-R) Elsy
Wakil (WSCF Middle East regional secretary), Luciano Kovacs (WSCF
north America regional secretary), Carla Khijo, Shantha Ready (vice
chairperson), Marsha Paige, Jooa Vuorinen, Christine Housel, Marlon
Zekeyo, Geogine Djuetane, Dan Orgeta (WSCF Latin America and
Carribean regional secretary), Horacio Mesones (WSCF chairperson),
Monika Rawcliffe

February 12-19, 2009
Geneva, Switzerland

The newly elected officers of WSCF for the quadrennial period and regional staff met last February 12-19, 2009 at the WCC Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland.

The meeting was attended by Horacio Mesones (Chair), Janejinda Pawadee and Shanta Ready (Vice-chairs), Michael Wallace (GS), Youhanna Kamal Shawky (Treasurer), Georgine Djeutane (Africa Regional Secretary), Necta Montes Rocas (Asia RS), Jooa Vuorinen (Europe RS), Dan Ortega (Latin America and Carribean RS), Elsy Wakil (Middle East RS) and Luciano Kovacs (North America RS).

The Meeting re-affirmed the WSCF Vision and Mission adopted in the 2004 General Assembly and proposed the yearly global themes of the Federation as the following: 2009, Identity, Diversity, Dialogue; 2010 is Environment and Climate Justice; 2011 is Overcoming Violence; and 2012 is Economic Justice. Following the mandate of the General Assembly, the Officers and Staff worked on the 2009­2012 Strategic Plan has been divided into the following areas:

Advocacy and Solidarity

1. To offer solidarity, compassion and prayer as a global community.
2. To respond to emergencies and situations of acute suffering and injustice.
3. To create and raise awareness of and to challenge unjust policies and structures, providing tools for analysis, and mobilising students for advocacy actions in order to promote peace and justice.

Ecumenical Leadership

1. To develop the prophetic student voice in society. With a sensitivity and awareness towards society’s economic, political and inter­religious realities.
2. To strengthen our commitment to empower students to challenge and renew the church and the Ecumenical Movement.
3. To reaffirm WSCF’s commitment to gender reconciliation, justice and partnership.

Capacity Building

1. To analyze the structure, policies, systems, roles and responsibilities at the inter­regional level in the WSCF, in order to respond more effectively to the inter-regional goals and programs.
2. To improve the planning, monitoring and evaluation systems in WSCF at the global level to make the Federation more transparent, accountable, and democratic in its decision making processes.

The four Bible Studies during the meeting focused on the WSCF 2009 global theme on “Identity, Diversity and Dialogue” were led by Priscilla Singh from the Lutheran World Federation, Guillermo Kerber, Jane Stranz and Theo Gill from World Council of Churches (WCC).

SCM UK Senior Friend, Foster Murphy was invited to lead sessions on organizational development skills, organizational behavior and effective governance. Martin Robra from WCC discussed the challenges in the preparation process of the Edinburg Conference in 2010 called “Ecumenism in the 21st Century.” Shanta Ready and Nassouh Toutoungi, a catholic priest from Switzerland, led sessions on dialogue training on Sexuality.

On February 16, the participants led the Morning Worship at the Ecumenical Center attended by WCC Executive Committee members and staff and ecumenical partners.

The Universal Day of Prayer for Students 2009 liturgy on Identity, Diversity and Dialogue was used during this occasion.