DONALD WATT FELLOWSHIP
DR. DONALD WATT (Founder – E.I.L.)
In 1932, the Payne fund of New York sent three observers to an International Youth Conference in Geneva which was convened to study the problems of International government.
Nearly for ten full days these young people listened to a very busy programme of lectures on highly specialized and technical subjects. At the end of the conference the three observers were far from satisfied.
How many facts, they asked, did the students take home? And even if they did acquire information, did the feelings they developed towards the representatives of other nations, make international harmony come nearer or perhaps more remote? Why did the various national groups live in separate hotels? Why was not this opportunity used to let these young people get acquainted naturally with each other?
The obsevers' final report pointed out that international relations have as much to do with people as with facts. One of the three observers, Dr. Donald Watt, did more than comment. He founded The Experiment In International Living, in the next year.
Dr. Watt felt that if a better understanding was created between the people of different nations the world would be a better place to live in. Many conflicts that occur in the minds of people were due to web of distrust, distorted views, prejudices, jealousy & lack of faith which stand between the people & better understanding. Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed, & thus the seed of The Experiment Movement was sown.
HIS FIRST EXPERIMENT
In 1932, Dr. Watt took a group of American boys to Europe with the express purpose of making friends with Europeans. He organized a camp in Switzerland where French speaking and German speaking students participated in numbers equal to the young Americans. The result was not as satisfactory as expected. In the following year two groups of ten members each went to Germany. Each member of the group was placed in a home where there was a person of the same age group. The Experiment was successful. Within few days the host and the guest interacted with each other, they traveled together, went camping, mountain climbing, seeing the Country together. Living intimately with the family and seeing much less of their Countrymen, the members of the second Experiment group came much closer to understanding one another and their way of life. This small beginning evolved the great philosophy "BY LIVING TOGETHER WE LEARN TO LIVE TOGETHER". Ever since its inception in 1932, The Experiment Movement has not left any stone unturned in its endeavours to practice what it preaches. The Movement spread over sixty countries in the World. To recognize the worth of the Movement in the interest of world peace and closer understanding it has been bestowed the honour of becoming a Consultative Member of the UNESCO in 1958 under the UNO, Kudos to Dr. Watt!
To commemorate & perpetuate the memory and vision of Dr. Donald Watt, and the salute his deep rooted philosophy & contribution towards world peace, we have decided to honour all those Experimenters who have inscribed this philosophy in their hearts and contributed their mite towards promotion of this noble cause.
We will confer the honour “Donald Watt Fellow” to all those Experimenters who wish to avail of this opportunity.