Participants in the 2006-2007 project Ploughshares young professional international program.

Again this year Ploughshares has placed 10 young people with peace and security organizations abroad, as part of Foreign Affairs Canada's Young Professionals International program, which is funded by the Government of Canada. These young Canadians are now working with their host organizations.

Richard Delisle of Longueuil, Quebec recently completed his MA in Political Science at McGill University. His major research project was on the European Security and Defence Policy and the Iraq crisis. Richard is at the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) in Bonn, Germany, where he continues to work on issues related to European security.

Jeremy Fortier is with a new host, the West Africa Civil Society Forum (WACSOF), in Abuja, Nigeria. From Toronto, Ontario, Jeremy has an MA in Political Science from York University, where he focused on international relations, including human security and the responsibility to protect. He is assisting the General Secretary of WACSOF in media, communications, and program work.

Marie-Christine Huard from Welland, Ontario is in Bangkok, Thailand with Nonviolence International Southeast Asia (NISEA). She has an MA in Political Science from McMaster University, where she majored in International Relations, with a focus on political economy and security issues in Southeast Asia. Marie-Christine is participating in NISEA's regional small arras work.

Jane Leeke, from Beaconsfield, Quebec, is in Geneva, Switzerland with the World Council of Churches (WCC). A recent graduate from McGill University, where she obtained an MA in Islamic Studies, Jane has a particular interest in the role of faith-based organizations in peacemaking. At the WCC, she is involved in projects related to peacebuilding and the Middle East.

Luisa Montoya is working for the Life and Peace Institute (LPI) in Uppsala, Sweden, researching security issues in Latin America and building links with that region. From Saint John, New Brunswick, Luisa has an MA in Political Science and International Relations from the University of New Brunswick. Her major research project related to forced migrations and displaced communities in Colombia.

Laura Narima Samaroo of Edmonton, Alberta has an MA in Political Science from Dalhousie University. Her thesis is on the importance of education in post-conflict reconstruction. Laura is with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) in Accra, Ghana, where she is assisting with a peacebuilding training program.

Anne-Marie Schryer-Roy of Montreal, Quebec is in Nairobi, Kenya, working at the Africa Peace Forum (APFO). With an MA in International Affairs from Carleton University, Anne-Marie has a special interest in human security, global governance, peacebuilding, and human rights. At APFO, she is helping to implement an International Development Research Centre project, Towards Developing a Regional Security Architecture in the Horn of Africa--Developing Regional Responses to Human Insecurity.

From Orangeville, Ontario, Lindsay Scorgie has an MSc in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her dissertation examines regionalized peacekeeping, particularly in Africa. Lindsay is at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra, Ghana. She is researching cross-border conflict and peace processes.

Ajit Singh of Winnipeg, Manitoba is at the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress in San Jose, Costa Rica. He received his MA in International Law and Settlement of Disputes from the United Nations University for Peace in San Jose, where he studied the Central American peace process. At the Arias Foundation Ajit is contributing to their program on the proliferation and misuse of weapons, particularly small arms and light weapons, in Central America and beyond.

Stefanie Stiles is from Elgin, New Brunswick, with an MA in Political Science from York University. Her research focused on the public relations rhetoric employed by the current Bush administration to justify the war in Iraq. Stefanie is with Pax Christi International (PCI) in Brussels, Belgium, where she is helping to strengthen networking and partnerships among their international sections, and assisting with the website and advocacy programs.