News

With the new semester underway at Selkirk College there is exciting changes at Castlegar’s acclaimed Mir Centre for Peace.

Former Mir Centre chair Randy Janzen has left his post to return to Selkirk College’s nursing program and hands the reins to Cara-Lee Malange.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Randy for the dedicated and visionary work he has done over the past three years,” says Rhonda Schmitz, Dean of Instruction at Selkirk College.

The Mir Centre for Peace is located on Selkirk College's beautiful Castlegar Campus.

The Mir Centre for Peace runs two programs out of its base on the Castlegar campus: the two-year Peace Studies Diploma and the nine-month Certificate in Transformative Justice geared towards students who have already completed a degree or diploma in post-secondary education. Throughout the year the Mir Centre also provides members of the community with symposiums, lecture series, peace cafes, workshops and presentations.

Janzen Will Continue to be Involved

Along with his duties in the nursing program, Janzen will continue to be a Mir Centre instructor in peace studies courses.

“We have decided to view this as an excellent opportunity to learn from our experiences, to complete a review of the Mir Centre structures and to determine the best action forward for the Mir Centre,” says Schmitz. “On this basis, Randy put a proposal forward for us to consider supporting him with some release time to complete an education, service, and research proposal focused on Unarmed Civilian Peacekeeping. The college has approved this proposal, so Randy will be carrying out this work on behalf of the Mir Centre.”

Malange Arrives Ready for the Challenge

Malange works in Selkirk College’s Community Education and Workplace Training department and is a Mir Centre Advisory member. She will be handling the day‐to‐day activities required to support the lecture series, the peace café series and other ongoing initiatives of the Mir Centre.

Malange arrives to her responsibilities with a master’s degree in anthropology and a bachelor’s degree in criminology as well as 15 years community development and community education experience. Her thesis research was based on 11 months of enthographic fieldwork with a Guatemalan women’s organization whose struggles for peace focused predominantly on the eradication of violence against women and children.

The next event in the Mir Lecture Series will take place on Friday, October 18 when Dr. Shawn Wilson presents “Transformative Justice: Why is Research Important for Aboriginal Communities.” The lecture is sponsored by Teck Resources and will take place at the Mir Centre on the Castlegar campus. It starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $16 for adults and $13 for students/seniors.

Learn more about the Mir Centre for Peace and visit the Mir Centre for Peace Facebook page.