ANTS Student E-News - Friday, February 2, 2007 - Events Board

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Global Village Shelters installed on Yale campus
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NEW HAVEN, CT- "What does it mean to build the city of God today?"

That is a question posed by Judith Dupré, a Yale Divinity School student from Mamaroneck, NY who curated the installation of six Global Village Shelters on Sterling Divinity Quadrangle-home of Yale Divinity School, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music.

Her answer: "At the Divinity School, I'm investigating the nature of sacred architecture. At a time when half the world lives on less than two dollars a day, what's sacred is the provision of basic shelter."

Inexpensively manufactured GVS shelters are used as transitional homes and health clinics in Pakistan, Grenada, and Afghanistan. The public installation, erected Jan. 23 and on display until the end of February, is intended to raise social consciousness and provide practical knowledge to graduates who might eventually work with the world's poorest communities.

"The Global Village Shelter can create communities and individual homes while preserving dignity, property, and hope for people in need," said Mia Ferrara Pelosi, part of the father-daughter architectural team based in Morris, CT that designed the shelters and donated them for this installation. "The shelter's simple and effective design has a direct correlation with its action in the field. Simple on-site set up, clean aesthetics, and a concise solution to a vast problem; these elements allow our design to be both humble and grand in its humanitarian endeavor."

The innovative design permits assembly of units in under a half hour, using common tools. Manufactured by Weyerhaeuser, the paper company, the houses are made of laminated corrugated cardboard that is waterproof, fire resistant, biodegradable, and can withstand most climates for at least 18 months. As architectural types they are unique, having greater stability and offering more privacy than tents, but costing a fraction of other temporary shelters now on the market.

As stark and simple as the homes might appear, they would be considered a profound luxury in most refugee camps, Dupré notes. Typically, refugees live in open fields, and for the lucky ones home is a ragged plastic tarp that provides little defense against rain or running waste.

Some of the shelters were installed in December on a short-term basis, in connection with the YDS Advent service. Dean of Chapel Siobhán Garrigan and Liturgical Coordinator Emily Scott brought the installation to campus and worked with Director of Chapel Music Patrick Evans and the Marquand Chapel Team to incorporate it as a major liturgical element of the annual Advent Service. Dupré was the visionary behind the project and the first to imagine that such an exhibition might benefit the YDS community.

The installation puts Sterling Divinity Quadrangle in company with a number of distinguished venues where the shelters have already been displayed, including the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Aspen Ideas Festival, Fortune's Brainstorm Conference, Washington D.C.'s National Building Museum, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Global Village Shelters are a part of the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection.

At the exhibition's conclusion, the shelters will be available to anyone having use for them and the willingness to take them away.

Sterling Divinity Quadrangle is located at 409 Prospect St., New Haven.

Additional contact information:

Judith Dupré, 914-777-0645

Mia Ferrara Pelosi, 860-567-4118

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Darfur Benefit Concert - February 17, 2007
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Minna Bromberg
An evening of acoustic originals and eclectic creations

Saturday, February 17th
Time: 7pm
Location: Moishe/Kavod Jewish Social Justice House
165 Winthrop Rd, Apt. B, Brookline / www.kavodhouse.com

WE TOO CAN RAISE OUR VOICES TO STOP A GENOCIDE!

In honor of Purim, we will "V'NAHAFOCH-HU!" Turn Suffering into JOY!

CHOOSE to PARTY WITH A CAUSE

A BIG HAT WILL be passed for DARFUR , Come Ready to GIVE, (Suggested Donation: $18+)

All proceeds go to support the AJWS Darfur Action Campaign

SAVE DARFUR ! SING FOR JUSTICE & JOY!

Minna Bromberg is a singer-songwriter, rabbinical student, and teacher of
Torah who brings striking passion and energy to every part of her world.
She grew up on Eastern Long Island , and her rich, powerful vocals and sharp
songwriting are marked indelibly by the pull of the ocean and the tang of
sea air. Whether enchanting audiences with her amazing voice, reaching
listeners with the unusual intensity of her extraordinary songwriting, or
challenging individuals to rethink the way they see the world, Minna simply
shines.

RSVP and more information, contact Alyson Solomon, alysonsolomon@yahoo.com.

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JOURNEY TOWARD JUSTICE - Feb. 2, 2007
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The First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain
Friday, February 2, 2007 at 7 p.m.

Our times challenge us to find ways to address injustice. Come hear inspirational and challenging stories from one person's spiritual journey on the road towards justice and peace, "Martin & Me: Confessions of a Born-Again White Boy."

Rev. George Williamson's personal journey includes everything from civil rights sit-ins to anti-war protests and a full embrace of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons. In these movements, he has witnessed the Movement and Spirit of God.Rev. George Williamson, retired pastor of the First Baptist Church, Granville, OH, was the founding president of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America.

The First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain will sponsor the storytelling of Rev. Williamson Friday, February 2, 2007 at 7 p.m. at 633 Centre Street across from the Post Office.

Jazz and gospel music will be performed by Geoff Hicks, Beatrice Greene and others. The event and reception following are free. Come join us for a hopeful evening!

For more information, contact the First Baptist Church office, 617-524-3992 or churchoffice@firstbaptistjp.org.

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Interactive Workshop: Creating Peace Through Conversation - Feb. 4
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Sunday, February 4, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
First Parish Church, 349 Boston Post Road, Weston.
Fee: $45

Peace on a local and global scale flows from the many expressions of justice, equity and compassion each of us communicates in conversation every day. Develop your non-confrontational communication skills and become a more effective instrument for peace in your home, your community and your world.

Workshop facilitator, Leslie Becknell (ANTS student), trains and coaches leaders. She draws on broad corporate and seminary experience as well as her deep understanding of personal development to help individuals learn to engender peace throughout their interactions.

The workshop will draw from Speak Peace in a World of Conflict by Marshall Rosenberg. You will gain fresh communication skills enabling you to defuse emotionally charged situations, reduce conflict at home or work, and help stay calm under stress.

To register call 781-893-7798 or email journeys@firstparishweston.org

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Interfaith Walk for Climate Rescue - March 16-24
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Author and activist Bill McKibben invites you to join the Interfaith
Walk for Climate Rescue, Northampton to Boston, March 16-24, 2007.

You can walk for an hour, an afternoon, a weekend, or the whole
nine days. You can walk as an individual, a family, or a team
from your community, school, or congregation. You can be of any
faith or none.

We'll call for swift, bold, and comprehensive political action
to address global warming. By the time we get to Boston on
Saturday March 24, we expect the largest global warming
demonstration in the history of the United States.

To learn more, walk, help, donate, or organize a team, please visit

http://www.climatewalk.org/

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Taize Youth Gathering in Montreal in April
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April 27-29, 2007

Some of the brothers of the Taize Community in France are coming to Montreal in April for a weekend gathering for youth and young adults. It will be a weekend full of song, prayer and fellowship.
More information can be found at:
http://www.comnet.ca/~cdjeunes/TaizeMontreal2007/en/promotion

Feel free also to contact Melissa Kreider at melissakreider@yahoo.com if you're thinking of going.

ANTS E-news
Karen Brockney and Jason Bachand
enews@ants.edu