Grebel is proud to announce that Jacob Winter, 2nd year International Development student, is the 2013 winner of the bi-national C. Henry Smith Oratorical Competition. This friendly contest between Mennonite and Brethren in Christ universities and colleges across Canada and the USA is administered by the Peace and Justice Ministries of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). Jacob won $300 plus a $500 conference scholarship.
With his speech entitled "What’s your problem?" Jacob did a remarkable job in the contest and in doing so offered compelling reasons for listeners to think about their reactions or solutions to world problems.
"To design a solution, you need a proper view of the problem," Jacob explained. He described how poverty can be defined as "less about money and malaria nets and more about humiliation, voicelessness, shame, and isolation. Poverty is broken relationships with the earth, with others, with yourself and with God. If the problem is broken relationships, then the solution is reconciliation - shalom. Building shalom is about taking away shame, demarginalizing the vulnerable, and giving voice to the powerless. It’s all about relationships."
Shortly after the 2013 winner was announced by MCC, Conrad Grebel held the preliminary round of the 2014 competition. Brendan Coady, a third year Mechanical Engineering student, wowed the judges with his speech entitled “Peace Through Butter: A Commentary on Peace Through Food.” For this first place standing, Brendan received $250 and will move on to compete in the bi-national contest.
In his speech, Brendan observed how every major celebration in every
