News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Paul Watts
River of Life: Journal of International Volunteers
paul.watts@riveroflifejournal.org
River of Life: Journal of International Volunteers Launches with First Call for Papers
PHOENIX, AZ – March 1, 2010 – River of Life: Journal of International Volunteers, an electronic journal dedicated to promoting international development through volunteer work, is proud to announce the launch of the journal’s website and the First Call for Papers. Returned volunteers are invited to submit papers to Managing Director Cindi Brown at: cindi.brown@riveroflifejournal.org by April 30, 2010. Volume 1 of the journal is scheduled for release in late 2010.
The Journal’s goal is to make research in the international development field available electronically at no charge to those who will benefit most from its contributors’ insights. River of Life issues will be posted in multiple digital formats for easy download onto computers and other types of e-readers.
Volunteers who have worked in development around the world are invited to submit papers about their work experiences. River of Life accepts submissions from those working through internationally recognized volunteer organizations and is especially interested in showing how collaboration between volunteers and their host country organizations bring about positive changes. To this end, volunteers are encouraged to write their paper in partnership with someone from their host organization. Submission details are available at www.riveroflifejournal.org/submissions.
To enable each author to use the voice with which they can best share their story, submissions are welcome in one of three journal “categories:”
at WORK: For those whose volunteer placement included field visits to document the work of a local NGO in rural and/or vulnerable communities and/or for those who prefer to make a first-person, journalistic submission.
in ACTION: For those who undertake an action research volunteer placement, focusing on situational analysis and directed change, and/or for those who prefer to make a more academic (referenced) submission.
by HEART: For those whose volunteer placement ultimately became more of a personal journey of transformation, and/or for those who prefer to write a reflective account of their volunteer experience.
River of Life was founded by the following three experienced volunteers:
Paul Watts
Paul Watts, an ethnoecologist, recently served with Volunteer Services Overseas Philippines (VSOP) from 2005-2008. He continued in the Philippines to pilot a College Chair in Ethnoecology, focused on sustainable livelihoods within a sustainable environment. Paul has been active in the volunteer sector for several decades. Together with his wife Marivic Pajaro, Paul is establishing DALUHAY, a non-profit organization based in Baler, Philippines and Churchill, Canada, to do ethnoecology work, with some emphasis on working with indigenous peoples. Paul has recently supervised a Doctoral thesis in the Philippines on sustainable development and a MSc thesis in Germany on the Lake Winnipeg Canada watershed, global phosphorous shortages and social-process. Together Marivic and Paul work with PAMANA, a Filipino national grassroots alliance of fisherfolk marine protected area Managers.
Continuing on with his Norwegian doctoral studies, Paul also spends time annually working on educational tourism, Arctic Ethnoecology and polar bear energetics in Churchill, which also provides the opportunity to spend time with his amazing grandchildren Madi and Nikia. As co-founder, Editor in Chief and in ACTION Editor for River of Life, Paul can be reached at paul.watts@riveroflifejournal.org.
Tanja Kisslinger
After working in the varied fields of high-technology, human rights and refugee determination, Tanja followed her “volunteer heart” to Tanzania, East Africa. From 2005 to 2006, Tanja served as a Visions in Action volunteer at Mkombozi, a leading child-focused agency offering education, research, advocacy and outreach to vulnerable youth. When Tanja returned to Canada, she founded MoyoMaya Media, a communications consultancy offering branding, identity management, graphic design, web design, writing and editing to non-profit organizations in developing countries. Through MoyoMaya, Tanja continues to work with Mkombozi and a variety of Tanzanian NGOs, traveling in-country regularly for short missions.
In 2008, Tanja once again shared her design and documentation skills abroad as a Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO) volunteer at a grassroots NGO in northeastern India. Notably, Tanja has also followed her passion for volunteering with World Vision Canada to Romania in 2001 (as an orphanage caregiver), Costa Rica in 2002 (as a community development volunteer), and Mongolia in 2009 (as a child sponsorship advocate). Currently, Tanja is planning continued volunteerism in Africa and Asia, she is writing her first book, and she is expanding her vision for MoyoMaya (www.moyomaya.com). As co-founder, Communications & Arts Coordinator and by HEART Editor for River of Life, Tanja can be reached at tanja.kisslinger@riveroflifejournal.org.
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Media: Contact Paul Watts (paul.watts@riveroflifejournal.org) to schedule interviews or to be added to the River of Life mailing list. Visit www.riveroflifejournal.org to access founder pictures, submission details and more.