Rev
Leslie McEwen Barrett B.D., F.R.I.C.S. has been recently appointed the Chair
for Faith in Community Dundee’s Management Committee. Leslie is a Church of
Scotland minister currently employed as University Chaplain at the University
of Abertay Dundee having served in parishes in Aberdeenshire and Angus. Before
ministry he worked as a Chartered Surveyor. A relative newcomer to FiCD Leslie
was attracted to the organization for the potential that faith groups have to
make a difference in the lives of people who find themselves disadvantaged by
material poverty, spiritual poverty and poverty of opportunity.
Leslie
says: “There is a clear challenge in the
Christian Gospel to love our neighbour as we love ourselves - working out the
implications of this and identifying practical ways of doing it is an important
task. Working on this task together across all the faith communities at a local
level seems to hold much promise for the future.” Home for Leslie lies
across the Tay in North East Fife. He is married to Ruth and they have three
children - all now with families of their own. In his spare time he is an
amateur musician playing and teaching the Scottish or Great Highland bagpipe
and studying “piobaireachd” the classical music of the bagpipe.
New Appointments at
FiCD
Gordon
Sharp was involved with Faith in Community Dundee (FiCD) back in 2009/2010 when
it was a steering group. He comes to
FiCD from the Dundee Partnership team within the City Council. Prior to that
Gordon worked for the Jericho Benedictine Society, Positive Steps and for many
years was Development Worker with the Dundee Federation of Tenants
Associations. Beyond that – in time immemorial – Gordon was an Assistant Bank
Manager for about 10 years working in Downfield, Lochee and Coldside. Gordon is fairly well known in Dundee
(hopefully for good reasons) having also been the chairperson of the West End
Community Council for more than a decade.
Gordon
has a degree in English and Philosophy (he thinks a lot and questions
everything) as well as an MBA and certificate in Community Education. He says:
“I’ve always believed in community, the one human family, and the need to be
family on this planet. The Voyager spacecraft leaving our solar system at this
time tell us we really have to make the best of our world and being human,
because we’re not going anywhere else fast!
Plus, Dundee really is one of the best places on this planet and
everyone here really does have the right to think that.”
Varsha
Gyawali brings with her over 7 years of experience in international
development, with a focus on conflict resolution and peacebuilding at both
macro and micro-level. As an Advisor, she helped set up Centre for Conflict
Resolution & Human Security (CCRHS) in New Delhi, India and led its
programmes from 2009 until 2011. Prior to CCRHS, she was at The Carter Center,
Nepal, where she was extensively involved in political liaison with key actors
playing a critical role in Nepal’s peace and political transition process, as
Project Coordinator from 2005 to 2007. Varsha has two Master’s degrees;
MA in Peace Studies from University of Bradford and MBA from Kathmandu
University. As a peace practitioner, she endorses the argument by Johan Galtung
on “Positive Peace,” which not only means end of violence but ensuring a
dignified life for the poor and weaker section without poverty, discrimination
and injustice. She is an avid traveller and loves spending time with her
husband, Gavin.
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