The Rotary Peace Fellowship is a competitive program that selects a maximum of 100 students in any year to pursue a master’s degree in conflict resolution, peace studies, international relations, and related areas at one of the Rotary Peace Centres.

Centres are located at:

· Duke University and University of North Carolina, USA (joint Centre)

· International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan

· Uppsala University in Sweden

· University of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England

· University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

· Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand and Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda (3-month Certificate)

In Southeast Queensland we are privileged to have a group of Rotary Peace Fellows studying at University of Queensland.

The major commitment that local Rotarians have to the program is to serve as counsellors for the fellows.

Being a counsellor is a rewarding experience where you meet young professionals who come from various backgrounds, for example – Lawyers, Social Workers, Journalists, Marketing, International Security, Working in Third World countries with refugees, micro credit, and supporting Women and Children in various programs.

Rotary Peace Fellows are not Youth Exchange students, they are independent adults who often have amazing backgrounds.

Counsellors generallycorrespond with the fellows by email, providing information about the local area, themselves, and their families. They then often invite the fellows to stay with them until suitable accommodation is found (2 – 3 weeks). They assist with this accommodation search, opening a bank account for their scholarship payments, setting up their mobiles and obtaining their student ID card.

Counsellors are also required to attend Cultural Sensitivity training and often accompany the fellows to a Rotary Foundation Orientation session.

Filling the role of a Rotary Peace Fellow Counsellor is truly a rewarding experience and you develop friendships which continue over the years.

The attached PowerPoint gives a good overview of the program.