Summer interview 2012 – Doris Schopper, Director of CERAH, the Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action
July 2012
What's going on at CERAH this summer?
As we undertook quite an ambitious reform of the whole training offer at CERAH, we will dedicate the summer months mainly to finalise the teaching programme of the Diploma in Humanitarian Action starting in September. We will also continue to prepare the six Certificates in Humanitarian Action we are going to propose in the spring semester 2013.
Another great challenge is to communicate effectively on this new training offer to our target audiences: humanitarian professionals, NGOs and international organizations in the North and the South. To do so, I plan to personally visit some of the potentially interested European organizations. Finally, the slightly more relaxed summer months will give me the opportunity to work on CERAH's medium-term strategy to achieve our goal to become the internationally recognized humanitarian platform in Geneva's academic environment.
Holiday plans?
Two weeks in the « middle of nowhere" in a small cottage hidden among the chestnut trees in Ticino, the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. Ten minutes on foot to reach the house and no neighbours. A lot of reading, hikes in the mountains with my partner and dog, swimming in Lago Maggiore, and dinner looking at the sunset on the lake. In a nutshell: charging my batteries before the fall that holds the promise to be very intensive.
What do you take the opportunity to do in Geneva during the summer?
My office being at rue de Lausanne, I love to jump into the lake after work at the Bains des Pâquis. I am grateful that this magnificent and lively place exists in the middle of town. And sometimes have dinner with friends on a terrace in the old town or on the lakeshore on a beautiful summer evening.
Do you have a place you really love, in Geneva or in the surrounding area?
I love hiking on the Salève starting from la Croisette to go to the Grottes du Diable. The views of Lake Leman, the Mont-Blanc and even the lake of Annecy are magnificent. And one virtually never meets anybody. So for me it is a kind of meditative walking.
How about a summer book recommendation for our readers?
Even two...
For those who like music and London, Vienna, Venice : An equal music by Vikram Seth
For those who want to learn something even during the holidays: Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahnemann. It questions our way to make decision we pretend are rational!