June 24 speaker introductions

10:30 ~ 12:20 Panel Discussion
Making the world a healthier place

Speakers:
Prune Helfter, Medecins du Monde
Makiko Hara, Run for the Cure Foundation
Damion Mannings, PEPY Ride
Nobuhiro Kadoi, JOICFP, Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning

Moderator:
Sarajean Rossitto, PSC Convener, NGO & Nonprofit Consultant

Objective: Representatives from nonprofits and NGOs tackling health issues at home and abroad, introduce their groups, programs, and how to get involved to make a difference. Issues will vary from sexual health to health education issues.

Prune Helfter has been working for Medecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) since September 2005. A graduated from Paris Institute of Political Science, she spent 2 years as a researcher at Kyoto University. After taking an MBA at Essec, she worked at an IT company, in charge of the Marketing Department. She spent 2 years at the French Services of Tourism before joining Medecins du Monde as General Manager

Médecins du Monde is an international humanitarian organization. For the last twenty-five years, its vocation has been to provide counseling, care and support to the most vulnerable populations in the world. The first mission of Médecins du Monde is to provide medical aid to the victims of natural disasters, famines, epidemics, infectious diseases outbreaks (malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis), armed conflicts, political repression, minorities as well as to street children. Speaking out against those who attempt to be obstacles to the access to healthcare, as well denouncing those who violate human rights and dignity are also missions of Médecins du Monde’s. Médecins du Monde condemns all forms of injustice, whatever their origin .

Before working at Run for the Cure Foundation this year, Makiko Hara was based in Osaka. There she devoted herself to a youth education NGO which she helped start up in 2001. She also worked for 2 years in Zimbabawe coordinating activities in her position as Sports Officer with Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.

The Run for the Cure Foundation is a Nonprofit Organization that funds Breast Cancer education and awareness programs for throughout Japan. Our mission is to increase awareness of the importance of a positive breast health regimen, to strengthen support groups for women in Japan who suffer from breast cancer, and to raise funds to support and encourage the advancement of breast cancer research. We organize 2 events every year in October, the Run for the Cure and Pink Ball, a formal gala event. Money raised goes to organizations such as Japan Society of Breast Health and Akebonokai for educational and service programs. We need help from caring individuals who believe strongly in our cause. It's our goal to provide a meaningful and fun chance for you to be involved. We appreciate your precious time - currently, we are looking for people who are interested in volunteering on the Race day volunteer for Run for the Cure 2006.

Damion Mannings worked in publishing in Manhattan for six years before teaching English in Japan. He's volunteered extensively in Tokyo, completed the NGO Skills Development program at Temple University Japan. Damion is committed to enhancing children’s literacy, health and nutrition. He’s the current health coordinator of The PEPY Ride’s Chanleas Dia School, a sustainable development project focusing on education, health and environmental issues in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Protect Earth, Protect Yourself: PEPY Ride supports educational projects in developing countries and disaster relief areas with a focus on the relationship between the environment and our health. PEPY encourages adventure travel, which emphasizes social action, responsibility and accountability. We organize volunteer and adventure travel in developing countries and redevelopment areas suffering from natural disasters. The PEPY Ride emphasizes education through action, where participants both learn from and give back to the communities they visit. Daniela Papi and Greta Arnquist founded PEPY in 2005. Health, environment, and education are urgent issues in Cambodia. PEPY was founded to take action to improve these situations.

Nobuhiro Kadoi is currently a Senior Program Officer in the International Program Division at Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP). He has been working for and inchrage of Africa programs for JOICFP since 1996. Nobuhiro manages projects promoting integration of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS at country and regional levels. He studied health education at the School of Public Health of the University of Hawaii and obtained Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) in December 1995. He also has seven years of experience in teaching health education in a high school and two year in a university in Japan. He served as an intern for the Waikiki Health Centre in Hawaii in 1995 for the HIV/AIDS program and the Youth Outreach Program. Nobuhiro was a JOCV volunteer in Kenya serving as a Judo instructor in the Kenya Police College from 1983 to 1986.

JOICFP, a Japan-based NGO, is active in the field of population and reproductive health and rights (RH/R) where it works to improve the health status of men, women and young people in developing countries. JOICFP was established in 1968 and grew out of a desire to share lessons of family planning and maternal and child health that flourished in Japan as a community-based movement oriented toward preventive health. JOICFP has activities in over 30 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America where community people remain central to all efforts. JOICFP envisions a world where the basic human needs of individuals and families are met, where people are free of poverty and enjoy good health and welfare. JOICFP sees its mission as enabling individuals to make their own choices regarding reproductive health and rights while ensuring access to quality services and appropriate information. JOICFP enjoys UN/ECOSOC consultative status and works closely with the Japanese government, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). JOICFP received a UN Population Award in 2001.

Workshop facilitator introductions:
Presentation skills:
Dawn Tattersall completed a Masters of Sciences degree in Legal and Forensic Psychology in 2002. She is interested in Human Trafficking and the abuse of human rights that this crime represents, particularly against young people. She has spent a significant part of her professional life in Japan teaching English and Business skills to professionals as well as teaching English for Academic Purposes at various universities. Dawn joined three of the Skills Build Forums run by People for Social Change in 2005 and has been an active member ever since.

Introduction to Advocacy:
Sarajean Rossitto, an activist committed to progressive social change, is currently a Tokyo-based NGO and nonprofit consultant. She is the Tokyo representative for a number of US-Japan nonprofit projects including International Global Internships and the Japan Women’s leadership Initiative. She has volunteered with many different groups including JVC, TELL, PARC and IMADR. She spent 3 1/2 years coordinating bilateral exchange of community-based activists between the US and Japan for Nichibei Community Exchange (JUCEE). Sarajean holds a Masters of International Affairs degree with a focus on human rights in East Asia. Prior to this, she spent 6 years coordinating programs at the Tokyo YMCA. In her first job as a student organizer, she traveled the state of NY organizing lobby visits, issue education workshops, and grassroots trainings.