Speaker brings a message of peace

Knut Vollebaek, Norway’s ambassador to the United States and a major negotiator during the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, will be in the Spokane area this weekend to mentor young people and to talk about peace.

“Peace as a Utopian Reality” is the title of Vollebaek’s speech Sunday at the annual Krista Foundation for Global Citizenship conference.

His presentation – which is open to the public – is part of a gathering that will honor young adults from the Pacific Northwest who will serve the poor and others in need by volunteering with the Peace Corps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps and other agencies.

Established in Spokane in 1999, the Krista Foundation for Global Citizenship was created to honor the life and vision of Krista Hunt Ausland, who died nine years ago in a bus accident while volunteering to help indigenous families in Bolivia. Since its inception, the foundation has provided support and encouragement to 140 “Krista Colleagues” who have served in America’s inner cities and throughout the globe.

Vollebaek and his wife, Ellen Vollebaek, will spend the entire weekend with the 18 new Krista Colleagues – graduates of Whitworth College, Gonzaga University and other schools who soon will be volunteering in Tucson, Hartford, Conn., and places as far away as Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

“Ambassador Vollebaek’s wisdom and insights on global citizenship, and his spirit of friendship, will inevitably affirm Krista Colleagues’ choice to serve,” said Linda Lawrence Hunt, Krista’s mother and director of the Krista Foundation.

A career diplomat, Vollebaek has previously served in India, Spain, Costa Rica and Zimbabwe. He was Norway’s foreign minister from 1997 to 2000 before he was appointed to serve as ambassador to the United States in 2001. Vollebaek, 61, also has held numerous positions with the United Nations, including deputy co-chairman of the UN in the International Conference on Former Yugoslavia in 1993 and rapporteur to the Anti-Apartheid Committee of the International Labour Organization in Geneva from 1988 to 1989.

During his speech, Vollebaek will focus on his experience as a negotiator and discuss the possibilities for peace.

“It is so easy to be discouraged and feel like peace is impossible, but he feels we have a mandate to make all the efforts we can to create a more peaceful world,” said Hunt.

This is Vollebaek’s first visit to Spokane, according to Hunt, who met the ambassador last year after speaking at a Smithsonian-sponsored event at the Norwegian embassy for her award-winning book, “Bold Spirit.”

“He’s a remarkable person and we’re thrilled he will invest in our Northwest young adult leaders this way,” Hunt said.

Each year, university, civil and church leaders nominate young adults in their 20s who have committed themselves to long-term vocational or volunteer service. The Krista Foundation for Global Citizenship then selects 15 to 18 “Krista Colleagues,” who receive mentoring and support before, during and after their service. Each colleague also is awarded a $1,000 service and leadership development grant. Previous colleagues have been graduates of Washington State University, Eastern Washington University, the University of Washington and other schools in the region.

According to its mission, the foundation “seeks to encourage this new generation of leaders to develop a life long ethic of service, civic engagement and global understanding in our increasingly interconnected world.”

Until her death in 1998, Krista touched many lives. She was known for her passion for human rights and those marginalized by society; for the way she reached out and saw goodness in everyone; for the joy and purpose she found in life.

As they grieved her loss, Krista’s parents, her husband, Aaron Ausland, and many others raised money to start the non-profit foundation. Modeled after the Fulbright Scholarships, the program involves volunteer work in Krista’s three main interests: inner cities, developing nations and the environment.

Last fall, the Krista Foundation received a $139,000 grant from the Murdoch Foundation to hire a new staff member and open a satellite office in Seattle.