Menno Simons College Blog

Creating positive change

Posted by CMU Staff  |  Wednesday, June 3, 2015 @ 12:20 PM

©Ellen Paulley. Barbara Bucheli. Menno Simons College.

When Barbara Bucheli graduated from high school, she knew she wanted to study world issues and learn about ways local, national, and global problems are being addressed.

“I wanted to be educated on effective actions to prevent, solve, or reduce problems we face,” she says. “And I wanted to find where my skills and passion fit in the bigger picture of future local, national, and global development and improvement.”

As a student at Menno Simons College (MSC), she says she finds opportunities to engage with those topics through studying International Development Studies (IDS) and Conflict Resolution Studies (CRS).

Bucheli says the topics studied at MSC encourage reflection and critical thought on beliefs, principles, character, life decisions, and world perceptions. Though sometimes studying these topics can be difficult, she says MSC provides a supportive environment in which to do so.

“The MSC community—professors, students, Student Services and Administration teams, the Menno Simons College Students Association (MSCSA)—is so welcoming, helpful, encouraging, insightful, interesting, and supportive,” says Bucheli. “It’s a positive and nurturing environment to learn in.”

Staying positive and hopeful about the future and focusing on the good in life are ways Bucheli approaches what can be difficult issues.

“Always find and remember the beauty and good in life and what the world is right now,” she says. “We can’t forget it, or we become blind to the progress and the reasons we want to make the world a better place.”

A desire to implement her learning and create positive change while a student led Bucheli to become involved in the MSCSA. For the past two years she has served as the association’s Facilitator. She found the MSCSA to be an ideal place to contribute and develop her skills, while learning from and supporting her fellow students.

This year the MSCSA unveiled its first logo, providing an image for students to connect with and for future MSCSA executives and volunteers to use in their community endeavours. Bucheli, a key instigator of the project, explains that the logo incorporates various symbols that can be seen in IDS and CRS, and represents both studies at MSC and the MSCSA’s purpose. Visit the MSCSA on Facebook to learn more about the logo.

Bucheli begins her practicum this summer, serving as a Girl’s Club Assistant at Facilitating Learning of Women in Emerging Regions (FLOWER) in Ghana. FLOWER “works alongside community partners to run practical, low-cost activities that help young women realize their full potential and feel empowered to make decisions about their future.”

During her practicum, Bucheli is looking forward to challenging her understanding of development issues and theories of how to work toward a better future; gaining a greater working knowledge of non-profit operations, and learning about Ghanian culture(s), world views, local languages, and relationship building.

For those interested in studying IDS or CRS, Bucheli highlights the applicability of these degrees to fields beyond development or conflict resolution.

“You can create positive change even though you may not devote your entire life or career to conflict resolution or development,” she says. “What you learn in CRS and IDS creates a deeper awareness and understanding of yourself and the world, while teaching you skills and techniques that will build your capacity to make informed and proactive life decisions.”

Ellen Paulley is the Writer & Social Media Coordinator for Menno Simons College