2011 Duluth Delegation headed to Rania, Iraq
Fletcher Hinds has served as social worker at the St. Louis County Public Health and Human Services Department for over 30 years. He holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Minnesota. Fletcher served as a Marine Corps infantry soldier during the Vietnam War. He is a founding member of the Northland Vietnam Veterans Association, and is currently president of Minnesota Veterans for Progress. He has worked with Duluth Sister Cities for some 15 years on delegations traveling to Japan and Russia. His goal for the Rania delegation is to establish veteran-to-veteran connections and to share experiences on post-combat reintegration of veterans. Such connections will help us learn how to more effectively transition veterans from high intensity combat to balanced productive citizenship.
Rebecca Hinds,
daughter of Fletcher and a native Duluthian, is pursuing a Masters of Divinity at Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Boston, MA. She is particularly interested in bringing more interfaith relations into community ministry. In 1997 she traveled to Petrozavodsk, Russia—a sister-city of Duluth—on a student exchange and later welcomed Russian students to Duluth Central High School. From these experiences she learned the practical challenges and promise of sitting down to break bread with people radically different from herself. Rebecca is interested in traveling to Iraq to develop her knowledge of Islam and the other religions of Kurdistan in order to enrich her work as a community minister and religious scholar who develops deep, meaningful relationships across spiritual traditions and geographic divides.
daughter of Fletcher and a native Duluthian, is pursuing a Masters of Divinity at Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Boston, MA. She is particularly interested in bringing more interfaith relations into community ministry. In 1997 she traveled to Petrozavodsk, Russia—a sister-city of Duluth—on a student exchange and later welcomed Russian students to Duluth Central High School. From these experiences she learned the practical challenges and promise of sitting down to break bread with people radically different from herself. Rebecca is interested in traveling to Iraq to develop her knowledge of Islam and the other religions of Kurdistan in order to enrich her work as a community minister and religious scholar who develops deep, meaningful relationships across spiritual traditions and geographic divides.
Ethan Scrivner will graduate this spring with degrees in Journalism and International Studies from the College of St. Scholastica. Ethan is considering pursuing a law degree with a focus on human rights. His travel through 22 countries has allowed him to connect with people from other cultures and form lasting friendships. These experiences, coupled with deep interests in human rights, peace and justice, have led him to believe in the potential of meaningful person-to-person relations outside of traditional diplomatic circles. As a delegate to Rania, Ethan hopes to connect with journalists, development workers, students, professors, and local government officials to gain a better understanding of the human rights issues facing the Kurdish minority of Iraq and the policies and organizations created to address these needs.
2009 Duluth Delegation to Rania, Iraq
Brooks Anderson
Tom Morgan
Marv Heikkinen
Donna Howard
Salima Swenson
Arno Kahn
Michele Naar-Obed
