This Rotary International webinar at 12 noon Eastern Time on March 11, 2025, will feature speakers from around the world, who will share how they contribute to peace in their communities, how Rotary is uniquely positioned to support their efforts, and ideas for all of us to become peace builders. Register and submit your questions. Everyone who registers will receive access to the webinar recording. Register here to get the link: https://rotary-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UIIHnyixS-GEKQ6PmPkKyg#/registration . Please read more.....
Speakers
Ayda Özeren, Turkey
Past District Governor, 2440·Golden Needle Project
"I believe in the power of small compassionate actions and the importance of helping women even if it seems like a drop in the ocean. Each act of kindness has the potential to make a significant difference in someone’s life. Empowering women helps to build stronger communities, and peace is only possible when you include women in decision making." Ayda Özeren, a Rotary past district governor, is a member of The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers and a Positive Peace Activator. She joined a Rotaract club in 1994 and became a member of the Rotary Club of Izmir-Gündogdu, Turkey, in 2003. Her Rotary career includes leadership roles at the club and district levels and as a participant in a Group Study Exchange. With a background in finance and banking, Özeren is an author, a mediator, and a professional speaker. She works with leaders and organizations to create peace, resolve conflict, and transform vision into results. Her efforts have supported women and girls in Rotary and beyond, including through scholarships and mentorships. She also has facilitated financial literacy workshops for more than 10,000 women. Özeren also has taken part in projects that aided people impacted by Turkey’s 2023 earthquakes, such as the Golden Needle Project, started by Rotary and Rotaract clubs before the disaster to help women learn how to use their sewing and embroidery skills to work in the ready-made clothing industry. Women in the program produced clothing for earthquake victims. In addition, revenue from a book that Özeren published in 2021 has provided high school scholarships for girls. https://rotarydownunder.com.au/2024/07/16/golden-needle-project-empowering-women-in-turkiye/
Paola Saldivias Mendez, Bolivia
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Global Studies (Peace Fellow)·Women Strong International
Paola mobilizes teams to work together, fosters equity through language justice, encourages teams to provide their perspectives while ensuring diversity, and facilitates agreements between different geographically located peoples with different realities yet similar ideals and priorities. She co-founded a women-led civil society organization and since 2017 has been championing and working together with local and national authorities in education to articulate content and practices to challenge gender norms, advance gender equality, and provide quality education in rural disenfranchised secondary schools in Cusco, Peru. She has collaborated with international organizations and funders over approximately the last decade including the United Nations Foundation’s Clean Cooking Alliance, USAID, Rotary International, the International Center for Research on Women, WomenStrong International, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Advancing Learning and Innovation on Gender Norms platforms, and others. Countries in which she has had the opportunity to collaborate with include the Andean Region (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia), Guatemala, Uganda, and Malawi.
Sirilada Sukhumvada, Thailand
University of Bradford, Peace Fellow·Rotary Peace Center, University of Bradford
Since graduation, Sirilada served as an International Project Coordinator at the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand before transitioning to the non-profit sector. Over the past five years, she has worked with international organisations dedicated to advancing children’s and women’s rights. Her professional experience extends across Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, with a focus on border areas affected by conflict, such as the Myanmar-Thailand border. She worked as a part of the Women, Unions & Power Initiative, which supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to decent work and reducing inequality for women workers. Through this, Sirilada led sessions on violence against women and advocated for the ratification of ILO Convention 190: Eliminating Violence and Harassment in the World of Work. In her most recent role as a Grants Coordinator at Plan International Thailand, Sirilada was responsible for developing and reviewing project proposals to ensure effective project planning and implementation, and was in a resource mobilisation department to secure project funding. Sirilada was also honoured to receive a scholarship to represent Thailand at the Fourth ASEAN-Korea Frontier Forum in South Korea. At this forum, she represented the Political-Economic Community, contributing to discussions on future leadership and regional collaboration for the next generation of ASEAN leaders.
Barbara Gaughen-Muller, United States
Moderator·Peace Podcast
Barbara Gaughen-Muller, is past Chair of the Rotary Action Group for Peace, Co-Founder of Rotary Eclub of World Peace, served as President, and is a board member. The Hollywood Rotary Club invited her to be their first woman member. Believing in the power of conversation for peace, she co-authored the award winning book, Revolutionary Conversations: The Tools You Need for the Success You Want. She created and hosts Peacepodcast.org with world peacemakers, to inspire future peace builders. Her weekly newsletter is created for each guest, and emailed to 2,000 followers and posted on all social media platforms. Her 159 Peace Podcasts are featured in her Peace Community Magazine. She also writes for Thrive Global. For over 2 decades, She has worked with the United Nations Association, as President of UNASB.org and the Southern CA Division. She created the Santa Barbara Peace Prize, and serves on the Board of the International Cities of Peace, Santa Barbara is #323. She is a Rotary keynote speaker “Inaction is Not an Option, The Time for Peace is Now”. After her speech for the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, in New York, she received Spirit of the United Nations award. Barbara’s late husband and partner, Dr. Robert Muller, former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, and she co-authored “7500 Ideas for a Better World”, available at www.GoodMorningWorld.org. Her awards include Awakening Peace and Lifetime Leadership Award.