|
Austin, TX – In recognition of
his leadership promoting creative processes that
help people across the globe find peaceful solutions
to conflicts, Shamil Fattakhov from Kazan, Russia,
received the Association for Conflict Resolution
(ACR) International Development Committee 2008
Outstanding Leadership Award. Former Indiana
Congressman Lee Hamilton presented the award at
ACR’s 8th Annual Conference on September 23. In
presenting the award, Hamilton expressed his
admiration for Fattakhov’s dedication and
innovation. Hamilton told the conference attendees
that “my hunch is that your skills will be needed
even more in the months and years ahead.” In
particular, Hamilton acknowledged the importance of
programs that are designed to teach conflict
resolution skills to future generations.
Fattakhov, who has a background
as a television producer in Russia, tells a funny
story about how he came up with the idea for his
work. When Russia first opened to the rest of the
world in the early 1990s, one of the first shows he
saw was the Jerry Springer show. It struck him that
the show – and several like it – tended to
demonstrate the worst possible outcome for its
guests. He wanted to design a television program
that would promote positive constructive solutions.
Fattakhov tapped in to his creative background to
then develop a series of television programs, as
well as other educational programs involving youth
and drama, to promote and teach the skills of
conflict resolution and ethical decision making. His
program has been implemented in 63 countries, on
five continents. In Russia alone his program has
aired on live television and radio shows in 22
cities.
In accepting the award,
Fattakhov said, “What was important for me in
initiating the program was to help young people to
analyze their behavior, to think about the
consequences, and to make ethically-based
decisions.”
The
Association for Conflict Resolution is a
professional organization dedicated to enhancing the
practice and public understanding of conflict
resolution. ACR’s 8th Annual Conference, which is
taking place this week in Austin, has attracted more
than 600 conflict resolution practitioners from
around the world. ACR represents and serves a
diverse national and international audience that
includes more than 5,000 mediators, arbitrators,
facilitators, educators, and others involved in the
field of conflict resolution and collaborative
decision-making. For more information about ACR and
the annual conference, visit
http://www.ACRnet.org.
Shown
left to right:
Luis
Ore, Chair, International Development Committee of
the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR)
International Section
Kathleen Coogan, Chair, ACR International Section
Lee
Hamilton, former congressman from Indiana, and
current director of the Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars in Washington, DC and director
of the Center on Congress at Indiana University
Shamil
Fattakhov, recipient of the ACR International
Section 2008 Outstanding Leadership Award
### |
