Member Profiles

For the 2nd anniversary of the International Young Professionals Summit 2004 (www.iyps.org), some of our delegates and members shared some details on what they have doing with themselves, reproduced below (with permission):

Karthik Vaitheeswaran

After graduating from Victoria University, Melbourne in Aug, 2005, I returned to my home country India and volunteered for four months. It was great to be associated with NGOs, Cooperatives and Self Help groups. As a volunteer, I had the opportunity to work with the Tsunami affected communities in the coastal belt of Tamilnadu. My focus was on creating alternative livelihood opportunities for the affected communities. I traveled extensively in the Tsunami ravaged areas and did the rapid community assessments to know community needs and priorities. It was a wonderful experience to work with the coastal communities.

In December 2005, I joined International Labour Organization (ILO) as Project Officer. ILO is the UN's specialized agency, which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights.

The project, I am involved is “Skills development and vocational training for the Tsunami affected people” in the two worst affected districts of Southern India. The project aims at increasing the employability of the affected people and expansion of alternative employment opportunities. This is carried out in partnership with trade unions.

I am specializing in skills development and micro enterprise development. Very soon, I will be participating in the Training of Trainers program on “Start and Improve Your business” (SIYB). The objective of the program is to contribute to economic growth and employment creation through viable business start-ups and improvement of business performance.

Go to the following link to see few of my photos
http://in.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/vkarthi1974/album?.dir=/4629re2&.src=ph&.tok=ph3Dm6FBJAMzuEQN

Ryan Falconer

Since IYPS 2004 I have left my job at the Christchurch City Council in New Zealand (where I worked as a town planner) and relocated to Perth, Western Australia to pursue my PhD in Urban Design, Transport and Health. The doctorate is funded through an industry-linked Australian Research Council (ARC) grant. My industry partner is the National Heart Foundation.

The foci for my study are the sustainability of transport patterns in Perth's newer housing estates, and how these might be linked to selected health outcomes, such as overweight/obesity and type two (age onset) diabetes. My study is part of a broader study, the RESIDential Environments project (RESIDE) based at the University of Western Australia, a longitudinal project which aims to compare a wide range of characteristics of 'liveable' and conventionally designed neighbourhoods. The study arose following the introduction of the liveable neighbourhoods design code by the State Government. Amongst other things, liveable neighbourhoods are designed to be walkable environments, where housing is centred around services and facilities, and public transport routes. For me, the study is especially important for the future of land use and transport.

While studying in Perth (I am now 19 months into the 36 month PhD) I have become more involved in a number of different organisations and have taken on more commitments. I am a volunteer for St Johns Community Care. In my role, I visit elderly members of the community to provide companionship. Since May I have been a Member Projects Assistant for the IYPFs Implementation Team, dealing with Internal Communications. I have also contributed a couple of articles to the newsletter. I have joined the Walking Western Australia Committee, which reports to the State Minister for Planning Infrastructure on walking-related matters. In late 2005 I cracked MENSA. I have also become an affiliate of the Planning and Transport Research Centre (PATREC) and have been named affiliate of the month for November 2006:www.patrec.org/people/profile.php?id=158.

I have presented my research at a number of venues to a number of organisations. These have included the Walking Western Australia Committee, the National Heart Foundation, the PATREC research forum 2006 and the Western Australian Planning Commission, all based in Perth, and the 12th Annual Sustainable Development Research Conference in Hong Kong (also 2006).

I have also been lucky enough to experience plenty of what is on offer in the Perth region. I've spent time, for example, down in the Margaret River region in the South, which is a great location for wine tasting and otherwise skiving off.

I wish everyone only the very best for the upcoming holiday season and New Year. May we continue doing what we are doing, as difference comes from the individual.

Chris Szigetvari

Since being the delegates team leader on IYPS 2004, Chris has taken on the challenge of sustainability. He has partnered with Royal Youth Organisation in Zimbabwe and is coordinating fundraising efforts in Australia. On World AIDS Day 2005, Chris and other IYPS members raised around $600 that went towards local initiatives in Africa. Chris has also switched to riding his bicycle to work in an effort to reduce greenhouse gases. Chris' work at the Australian Bureau of Statistics has taken him in the direction of Local Government Finance Statistics, an enjoyable challenge in understanding accounting and measuring Australia's production. Chris is happily married since August 2006, and is looking towards the challenges of raising a family in this day and age.