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Trent Responds with Help and Hope for Tsunami Victims |
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The world is responding to the disaster in Asia. As citizens of the world, we've all been affected to varying degrees. The Trent University community is no exception. In the days following the tsunami, immediate priority was given to ensuring the safety of the 19 students on the Thailand Year Abroad Program. Once all were accounted for, Trent's efforts turned toward recovery and relief. There have been opportunities to share information, to grieve and remember together, as well as fund raise. This will continue in the coming weeks and months, as the Trent community mourns and responds. Students SafeThe Trent community has quickly moved ahead in its remembrance and relief efforts, and has a great deal to be thankful for. As early as December 28, it was learned that the 19 students studying in Thailand and neighbouring countries were safe. The students are enrolled in the Native Studies' Thailand Year Abroad Program which is based in Chiang Mai. Most are Trent students, while several participate in the program through the cooperation of other Canadian universities. Though studying in northern Thailand, students were on holiday and some were vacationing in the coastal areas. One of them was Melanie Wright, who was with five fellow students in southern Thailand in one of the hardest hit coastal areas close to Krabi. In fact, Ms. Wright was with two of her fellow students and their parents in a longtail boat heading to Phi Phi Island when the waves came crashing in, says her mother, Nancy Wright. The boat went up and over two waves and upon witnessing their aftermath, the driver turned the boat around, heading back to the resort. After a tumultuous ride and what seemed like more than an hour of trying to dock, the driver jammed the boat up onto the beach, saving his passengers from dangerous waters. They ran to the top of a hill behind their resort, where they waited with about 1,000 others for 15 hours. Ms. Wright was able to connect with her family via cell phone from Thailand Christmas night - only half an hour after getting out of the boat. By December 29, she had returned home to Montreal. "This was life-changing for pretty well everybody. I don't think you get that close to death and that surrounded by death and then get that lucky without it profoundly affecting you," says Mrs. Wright, of her daughter's experience, adding she is doing remarkably well and will likely return to Thailand mid-January. Parents had much communication with Trent administrators. Over the Christmas holiday, Mrs. Wright spoke to President Bonnie Patterson, Trent International Program Director Michael Allcott and Prof. and Past President Leonard Conolly. "By early on the 26th, Trent was on the case," says Mrs. Wright. "We are totally blown away by the support we, and our daughter, have received -- very thoughtful, very caring, very flexible, very wise... There's obviously real care, and concern to do what's best for the students." Prof. Allcott, along with Brenda O'Toole of the Native Studies department spent much of their Christmas vacation working to confirm and then communicate the safety of the students. In a January 8 Globe and Mail column by John Fraser headlined Lessons learned out of school - far, far out of school, their efforts were lauded. "... Thanks to an efficient university's quick work under the direction of Professor Michael Allcott, director of the Trent International Program, all the students have been accounted for, to the immense relief of parents and friends. It will turn out to be a year abroad these students will never forget, even if the primary lessons had more to do with life around them than anything learned in the classroom," the article states. "Trent's response was truly a team effort," says Prof. Allcott. "There were many involved in this effort including Prof. David Newhouse, Prof. Don McCaskill, Nancy Peters, President Bonnie Patterson, Don Cumming, Trent's Security Office staff and the TIP staff." Grief CounsellingAlso behind the scenes during those first crucial days, was Trent's co-ordinator of counselling services Stewart Engelberg. He was quick to assist and to let those involved know of the advantages of early intervention counselling. He explains that intervention within 72 hours is known to decrease the long-term effect of post-traumatic stress disorder. The Trent Counselling Centre offers support to all students, but at this time especially encourages those who have been personally affected by the disaster to come forward. "Grief issues come into play when there is loss of life, property or community integrity and in this case, there is all three," says Mr. Engelberg. Starting on January 20 from 7 to 8:30 p.m., the Counselling Centre will offer a workshop series on coming to terms with death titled Never The Same with Brian Nichols, an expressive art therapist. The sessions are open to all students and will take place on the lower level of Peter Gzowski College in the Native Studies Gathering Space. This introductory session will be followed by a four-session ongoing group ending February 17. Participants will learn more about their personal grief experiences with a focus on reducing the risk of unresolved grief and increasing the opportunity for healthy grief outcomes. For further information on the series and Counselling Centre services, call 748-1386. Helping from hereFor two excruciating days following the tsunami, third-year Business Administration student Adrian Samarasekare tried to contact his mother in Sri Lanka. As images of the deadly disaster flashed in front of him, Mr. Samarasekare feared the worst. His mother is a chocolate chef at a resort near the eastern coast, and he worried that she had been at work as the waves rose up from the ocean. But late on December 27, he was able to reach his mother and learn that she, along with his two uncles, were safe. "She was okay, and I thought 'thank God she's alright'," says Mr. Samarasekare, adding his mother was off work for Christmas and at her home in Colombo, the country's capital. But as the death toll in Sri Lanka rises -- more than 30,000 people have died there -- Mr. Samarasekare continues to receive reports from home. Most of them are dismal; many of them are devastating. Most recently, Mr. Samarasekare learned of the death of two dear friends -- brothers -- and their father. Their mother is the only surviving family member. "Most of my friends and our family friends are displaced -- they lost their properties, they lost everything. Some are missing, some are found," says Mr. Samarasekare. "I would love to go and help them, but at the moment, I can only do something from here." World Affairs ColloquiumMr. Samarasekare was among the speakers at a special World Affairs Colloquium on January 14, titled, "Grief, Relief and Sustainable Development: the Trent Community Responds to the Southeast Asia Disaster". The colloquium was an opportunity for the Trent community to come together to discuss responses to the earthquake and tsunami. Panel speakers included Brian Nichols, psychotherapist and specialist in grief and trauma counselling, Hospice Peterborough, Professor Derek Hall of the International Development Studies program, representatives from aid agencies and other students from affected countries. Fundraising
WUSC has been educating women and young people in Sri Lanka since 1989, in an effort to develop the country's knowledge and expertise in carpentry, masonry, welding and other building skills that will be crucial to its recovery. WUSC Executive Director Paul Davidson, a Trent alumnus, is calling on Canadian university campuses to, in tandem with supporting emergency relief operations, put their considered energies behind long-term projects like that of the WUSC. Mr. Davidson says, "Our team was working on immediate relief within an hour of the tsunami, and we will be there long after others have had to move on." Because of trustful relationships built over a long period, WUSC was the first agency to be able to deliver emergency supplies to both Tamil and Singhalese areas of the country. In the next week, according to Paul, "WUSC will be reprofiling our programs to provide training opportunities on-the-site of schools and other essential infrastructure" to ensure that Sri Lankans will have the wherewithal to look to their future. To donate online, visit http://www.wusc.ca/ welcome or to donate in-person, visit the TIP Office in Champlain College, call 748-1314 or e-mail tip@trentu.ca. Another fundraising effort on campus is being spearheaded by the student Red Cross Society. In partnership with the Peterborough Branch of the Canadian Red Cross, the group is collecting donations from students, staff, faculty and visitors to the campus. Fifteen donation boxes have been distributed on the Symons Campus and are expected to be in place until approximately mid-January, says Gabriel Chol, third-year computer science and math student. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to provide their financial support through a donation. Photo: Fundraising for the World University Service of Canada's (WUSC) project in Sri Lanka is being spearheaded by the Trent International Program. There will be a table set-up by students for donations on January 19, 20 and 21 just outside the Bata Library. RemembranceOn Thursday, January 13 at 10 a.m., the Trent community gathered for a memorial service in remembrance of the victims of the disaster in Asia. This special service was organized by the Religious Affairs Committee and the Office of the Chaplain, and took place at the Great Hall, Champlain College. Posted December 16, 2004 |
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Mr. Samarasekare is also taking part in fundraising for the World University Service of Canada's (WUSC) project in Sri Lanka. The fundraising is being spearheaded by the Trent International Program and it is hoped that the Trent University community will come together to make a significant contribution. There will be a table set-up for donations on January 19, 20 and 21 just outside the Bata Library.