India Advisory Council

Purpose

The main purpose is of the Advisory Council is to make recommendations and provide key information to Catherine of Siena Virtual College educators, staff and Board of Trustees.

Duration of Term

Members of the Council are asked to serve a term of three years. Terms can be renewed upon approval by the Catherine of Siena Virtual College Board of Trustees.

Guidelines and Responsibilities

Responsibilities include:

Providing general input, recommendations and research on CSVC website, curriculum development, specific courses and other related aspects of CSVC outreach, academic and educational programs with special attention devoted to cultural relevance and sensitivity of CSVC courses and curriculum with an eye to the world but also specifically for India. Advisors also help identify specific topics of interest for students in India that align with CSVC mission of promoting gender equity and empowering women for life and leadership and identifying high quality scholarship that contributes to a topic.

Finally, Advisors are Ambassadors for Catherine of Siena Virtual College (CSVC) providing information to others about the mission and goals of the College along with information about gender studies courses provided by the College.

Limits:

The India Advisory Council works in an advisory capacity only. It does not have formal authority to govern or make policy for Catherine of Siena Virtual College, its Board of Trustees or the Educational Trust in the USA or UK. No financial compensation or benefits are exchanged for service on the India Advisory Council.

Members:

Virginia Saldanha

Educational Qualifications: Bachelor of Arts; (Economics major). Completed courses in catechetics from the Catechetical section of the Diocesan Pastoral Centre, Mumbai, and certificate course in Theology for the Laity organized by the Bombay Diocesan Seminary.

Present Involvement: Executive Secretary of Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) Office of laity & Family & Women's Desk. In this capacity I organize Asian level meetings for Bishops and lay people on concerns of Laity, Family & Women.

Member of Board of Directors of Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN)

Founder member of Indian Women Theologians Forum and continue to animate the group.

Member of Satyashodak, a Mumbai based women's reflection group.

Member of of Ecclesia of Women in Asia and organize their communication through the website.

Member of Pax Christi International - a Catholic Peace Organization.

Wrote articles for Indian and International periodicals and mazagines and have contributed articles/papers to several books.
Authored - Woman Image of God, published by St. Pauls in 2006.
Edited - Discipleship of Asian Women at the Service of Life - Published by Claretian Publications in 2007.

Participated and continue to participate in speaking tours in various European countries organized by Missio (Germany), and by Pax Christi International, Broderlijk Delen (Belgium). Given talks in the US as well.

Papers Presented:
Working paper for the Workshop on Women for the 7th Plenary Assembly of the FABC in Thailand. (see FABC PAPERS at www.fabc.org)

Prepared a paper on The Situation of Women in India for an international meeting on Women organized by the German Bishops' conference in 2001.

Presented a Paper on the Human Rights of Women - Implications for the Church at a Symposium to celebrate 60 years of Human Rights in Germany in 2008.

Former Positions
-Catechist in regular school, Sunday School, & preparation for Sacraments from 1978 - 1992.
-Member of Parish Pastoral Counci, Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, Parish Think Tank.
-Worked in the parish in the youth group, liturgy team, Small Christian Communities, Parish Community Outreach Centre.
-First Executive Secretary of Bombay Women's Desk 1992- 2000Executive Secretary of CBCI Commission for Women 1998 - 2004
-Executive Council Member of Pax Christi International 1997 - 2004- in which position I have attended many international meetings as well as meetings of UNHR Commission, UNESCO, EU Parliament, etc.
-Member of Executive Council of Justice & Peace Commission of Archdiocese of Bombay 1993 - 1998
-Active Grassroots experience - in organizing houseworkers for their rights as well as organizing women into 'Mahila Mandals' (women's groups), conducting awareness programmes for women and young people.

Nilanjana Sanyal

Educational Qualifications: Psychology (Hons.) Graduate (1st Class, 1st in College) from the University of Delhi, India & Post Graduate Certificate Course in Human Rights Law, NUJS, India; Trained in "Social Changes Through Visual Media" (Niscort,New Delhi). Bachelors Degree in Music.

Work Experience: (1997Onwards)

-1997: Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD), a corporate NGO in Orissa, India (no certification obtained) - Area of work>Media Monitoring.

-1998- 2005:
1. Associated with "Building Bridges" in organizing "Value-Education" Programme for local children and also imparting English Language skills to unemployed youth.

2. Freelance trainee in the Social Services and Community Development & Social Welfare Department, Tata Steel.

3. Brief stint with a Rural Development Trust

4. Initially involved as Founder member & Chief Administrative Officer & thereafter worked as Assistant Secretary to "KIDS" (The Kindergarten Social Welfare Foundation), an NGO working with underprivileged Children, among others.

5. Advisor to ROTARACT (of the Rotary), Jamshedpur Women's. College.

-2006: Exposure to lectures in "International Understanding for Human Unity" at Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture(RMIC),Kolkata

-2007: Made two Documentaries on contemporary social issues at NISCORT, New Delhi as a part of student diploma project.

-Nature Community Development and Social Welfare (particularly Education in the slums), Development Education, Media Monitoring (Monitoring of the coverage of issues by the media), and Fundraising and other activities, in most cases, as a freelance social worker, currently a freelance writer/activist/media amateur…

Special Achievements:
- Nominated for Manthan Award South Asia 2008

- Certificate of Participation in National Knowledge Commission Online Contests

-Selected to an International Symposium on "Mediation and Conflict Resolution" to be held in the Hague (July - August 2004)

- Research tTheme Shortlisted for WISCOMP (Women in Security, conflict Managment and Peace) Fellowship

- Part of a Student Diploma Documentary on Street Children

- Participated in a Documentary Project on Women

- Created & edited "Creationscapes"

-Authored Imagine…A Better World
-Published The Sexual Revolution in India - A Myth or a Reality
-Wrote articles on Population; Management; Community Development in India-focusing on Nutrition, Health and Education; Poverty; Sustainable Development (including trade); Corporate Social Responsibility; etc
 

Akileswari Sithambaram