# Mark Fettes

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**Mark Fettes** is an [Esperantist](/source/Esperantist) and university professor of education, and former [President](/source/President_of_the_World_Esperanto_Association) of the [World Esperanto Association](/source/World_Esperanto_Association), known by its Esperanto initials as UEA.

## Career in Esperantujo

Fettes worked from October 1986 until January 1992 in the UEA central office as editor of the monthly magazine *[Esperanto](/source/Esperanto_(magazine))*. In this period he also re-established the UEA's public relations section; he has become known as a speaker and organizer. In 1990 he wrote an essay on the theme "One language for Europe," which won an award from the [European Union Studies Association](/source/European_Union_Studies_Association) and later appeared as an official Esperanto document in several languages.

At the 77th [World Congress](/source/World_Congress_of_Esperanto) in [Vienna](/source/Vienna) he was elected as a UEA board member, and in 1994 he accepted the position of secretary-general after the resignation of British Esperantist Ian Jackson. He was re-elected as secretary-general the following year, but in 1996 he resigned that post in favour of Italian Esperantist Michela Lipari, although he remained a board member until 1998. At the 81st World Congress in [Prague](/source/Prague), he launched the [Prague Manifesto](/source/Prague_Manifesto_(Esperanto)), a multilingual document which emphasizes democratic communication, language rights, preservation of language diversity and effective language education. Fettes also organized the first [Nitobe symposium](/source/Nitobe_symposium), organized as an homage to the Japanese author, educator and diplomat [Nitobe Inazō](/source/Nitobe_Inaz%C5%8D); the symposium's proceedings later appeared in the book *Al lingva demokratio* ("Towards linguistic democracy").

In 1992 he became an editor of the Esperanto magazine *[Monato](/source/Monato)*, with a column *La monda vilaĝo* ("The global village"),[1] a position he held till 1995. Fettes began working with the [Esperantic Studies Foundation](/source/Esperantic_Studies_Foundation) (ESF) in 1995 and became its first director-general in 2000. In April 2001 he organized a [seminar](/source/Academic_conference) on Esperanto and education in [Arlington, Virginia](/source/Arlington_County,_Virginia), part of the [Washington, D.C.](/source/Washington_metropolitan_area) [conurbation](/source/Conurbation). The colloquium led to the creation of two educational website projects — edukado.net and lernu.net.

In 2010, after a 12-year absence from the UEA *Komitato* (its governing committee), Fettes went back as a category-B member (i.e., a member-at-large). He proposed that the *Komitato* create a board for strategic questions; the *Komitato* accepted his proposal and chose him to guide the board.

At a July 20, 2013 *Komitato* meeting held during the 98th World Congress of Esperanto in [Reykjavík](/source/Reykjav%C3%ADk), Fettes was elected as the UEA's [President](/source/President_of_the_World_Esperanto_Association). His role includes leading the board's "Managing development" team; he is responsible for the strategic workplan, finances, headquarters, congress policy, the [World Esperanto Youth Organization](/source/World_Esperanto_Youth_Organization) (TEJO), the [Center for Research and Documentation on World Language Problems](/source/Center_for_Research_and_Documentation_on_World_Language_Problems) and the UEA's website, uea.org.[2]

## Personal life

Fettes learnt Esperanto as a 14-year-old boy in [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand), having been introduced to it by his uncle [Christopher Fettes](/source/Christopher_Fettes).

In 2000 he and his family moved to Vancouver; after a year as a postdoctoral researcher at [Simon Fraser University](/source/Simon_Fraser_University), he became an assistant professor in the education faculty, where he still works. After joining the SFU faculty, Fettes joined the board of ESF, where he is currently its vice-president. In this role he was responsible for ESF's collaboration with the international youth non-profit organization E@I and the planning and development of various networking and other projects.

In 2003 he received a $1 million research grant to study the education of indigenous children. In 2010, along with a colleague, he shared a second $1 million research grant to develop an environmental public elementary school in the neighbouring city of [Maple Ridge](/source/Maple_Ridge,_British_Columbia).[3] The school aims to teach children about the environment and raise awareness of ecological issues. Fettes is also conducting a study to examine the differences between outdoor experiential learning and more traditional textbook learning.[3]

## References

1. Paul Peeraerts, *Enkonduko* ("Introduction"), in *Monato*, January 1992 issue, page 3

1. [Gazetaraj Komunikoj de UEA](http://www.uea.org/dokumentoj/komunikoj/gk.php?no=510#1), No. 510: *Respondecoj de la novaj UEA-estraranoj* ("Responsibilities of the new executive members"). Accessed 16 July 2015.

1. Janet Steffenhagen, [Environmental School Project](http://es.sd42.ca/2011/09/maple-ridge-school-lets-mother-nature-be-the-teacher/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160306022941/http://es.sd42.ca/2011/09/maple-ridge-school-lets-mother-nature-be-the-teacher/) 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine: Place-Based Imaginative and Ecological Education in Maple Ridge, BC, *Vancouver Sun*. Accessed 16 July 2015.

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