(Shown here are Alejandro Luk Haezaert-Caraveo, Robyn Weinstein, Lt Chris Golden, and Greg O'Brien)
 
Greg O'Brien, Past President of Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary Club and District Governor Nominee for 2016-17, briefly discussed the Future Visions Project in Rotary, with changes including Vocational Training Teams who will go to areas of Rotary focus.  He introduced 3 of the 5 Peace and Conflict Resolution team members who attended Rotary’s Istanbul Peace Conference in September and October 2013.  On their return, they submitted a written report to our District, and are speaking to Rotary Clubs here.
 
 
Greg mentioned an interesting anecdote from his experience there.  He met Past Rotary International President Luis Vicente Giay from Argentina (1996-97) and asked him if he knew Pope Francis.  The reply was, “Yes, he was a member of my Rotary Club there!  Our members including the Cardinal used to go on local service projects together, and he led a simple lifestyle and carried bus tokens for his transportation home afterward.”
 
Robyn Weinstein is program coordinator for Arts Arbitration and Mediation Services in Los Angeles and teaches mediation at Pepperdine U School of Law.  She received her law degree from the Benjamin N Cardozo School of Law in New York, and has taught and practiced mediation law in both New York and California.  She spoke of her experiences in mediation as a lawyer, and how conflicting parties can meet to exchange their points of view.  She mentioned conflict in Greece, where economic difficulties with a backlash against immigrant workers competing for jobs has led to the rise of the anti-immigrant party “Golden Dawn”.
 
Lt Chris Golden, a Salvation Army pastor, was impressed by the extreme poverty he saw in Istanbul, much worse than what he sees in Los Angeles.  He saw a begging mother carrying a screaming baby and pointing to her mouth while speaking to him in Turkish, obviously asking for food.  Experiences like this contrasted with the growth and construction he saw in Istanbul, where every scrap of land is being utilized.  Many people care about others and are trying to find ways to improve the world, and he supports Rotary as an inspiring organization helping us to join together to serve others.  Clean water is a high priority for preventing communicable diseases and reducing child mortality in poor countries.
 
Alejandro Luk Haezaert-Caraveo is an active member of the Los Angeles chapter of Mediators beyond Borders and lives in Hawthorne.  He has an MA degree in Negotiations, Conflict Resolution and Peace Building from CSU Dominguez Hills, studying workplace mediation.  He is a mediator at Centinela Youth Services in Hawthorne for family and youth in conflict.  Alejandro presented an interesting video clip and photographic slides of the Conference and the sights and people of Istanbul.