In this clip, I talk about storytelling as a means of approaching teaching and building peace. I argue that using storytelling to teach something that seems abstract and theoretical can make the information more compelling and accessible. I talk about about helping people to tell their stories, and how to explore many different concepts through storytelling and connection.
Click here to watch the full interview.
Posted in Education/Training, Presentations
During the month of November, I had the pleasure of helping facilitate a United States Institute of Peace online course on conflict analysis. Throughout the month the main instructors in the course, Jeff Helsing and Matt Levinger, gave learners a look into some of the basic principles of conducting a conflict analysis and the various frameworks that aid individuals and organizations in doing this work. We interviewed several amazing peacebuilders on the Peace Frequency podcast and heard them share how their experiences in the field have shaped their understanding of conducting an effective conflict analysis.
Peace Frequency w/ Guest, Candace Karp. In this episode we hear about some of the lessons Candace learned working for the United Nations in Afghanistan and Israel/Palestine.
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Peace Frequency w/ Guest, Sharon Morris. In this episode we learn about Sharon’s work with youth and the difficulties that come with conflict analysis in that it can open up festering wounds of a community harmed by violence.
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Peace Frequency w/ Guest, Lisa Schirch. In this episode we dive into the origins of the peacebuilding field, the various definitions of the practice, and the diversity of conflict assessment frameworks utilized by various organizations.
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Peace Frequency w/ Guest, Matt Levinger. In this episode we look at USIP’s conflict assessment framework and some of the guiding principles behind conducting an effective and sensitive conflict analysis.
During the month of October, I had the pleasure of helping facilitate a USIP online course called Strategic Peacebuilding. The main instructor for the course was George Lopez, who took about 40 students through an amazing educational journey exploring the 7 components of strategic peacebuilding. Part of this journey included four episodes of the Peace Frequency podcast series, where George and I interviewed prominent peacebuilders about their work. Take a listen to the series. Enjoy.
Peace Frequency w/ Guest, George Lopez. In this interview we touch on topics of how the peacebuilding field has evolved and adapted overtime and how the concept of “strategic peacebuilding” came to be.
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Peace Frequency w/ Guest, Nadia Gerspacher. In this interview we talk about community policing and advising.
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Peace Frequency w/ Guest Maria Stephan. In this interview we explore the world of nonviolent, civil resistance and the implications of her award-winning book, Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict.
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Peace Frequency w/ Guest Fiona Mangan. In this interview we talk about establishing and protecting the rule of law in conflict affected environments and interviewing prisoners to learn about how justice systems are being implemented.
This is another post about the Music of Nonviolent Action event that I helped organize and facilitate back in June of this year.
This post was written by Viola Granger and originally appeared on the United States Institute of Peace’s Olive Branch blog.
In Libya’s 2011 uprising, protesters pumped loud music from radios or CD players in the streets in front of government buildings, then fled from the inevitable rush of security forces. The nonviolent early days of Egypt’s revolution that same year spawned a raft of new independent music groups. In Turkey, the “Song of Pots and Pans” exhorts political leaders to stop their lies and repressive tactics.
This week I have the privilege of attending and presenting at Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies’ Summer Institute for Teaching Peace in the 21st Century. This institute brings together college and university educators from various disciplines to Notre Dame for the week to learn about, strategize, develop a plan for how to create or enhance peace studies programs at their schools. This year’s institute brings together educators from several African universities as well, from Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, and Ethiopia.
On Thursday, I will be facilitating two sessions that introduce the participants to USIP’s catalog of online courses and to help them think of ways to integrate these courses into their budding programs.
Posted in Digital Strategy, Education/Training, Presentations
Tagged conflict, conflict transforamtion, education, George Lopez, john paul lederach, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, nonviolence, Notre Dame, peace, peace and justice studies, peace eduction, peace research, peace studies, peacebuilding, summer institute, united states institute of peace, usip
This week my friend and fellow peace and nonviolence educator, Joshua Cooper, had an article we wrote together posted on the USIP website. The article describes how Joshua integrated the use of USIP’s online, self-paced course, Civil Resistance and the Dynamics of Nonviolent Conflict (which I helped design), into his work with indigenous Cambodian activists living along the border of Cambodia and Vietnam AND with students in his intro political science class at the University of Hawaii.
Over the past eight months, USIP’s Academy has launched 8 self-paced, online courses, registering more than 3,000 people in more than 134 countries. The work, however, is not solely a numbers game. Peacebuilders, activists and educators working in conflict zones must be able to take the knowledge, skills and perspectives that USIP offers online and adapt them for their own specific needs in the field. A case of young Khmer activists in Vietnam and Cambodia and another involving students in Hawaii interested in peacemaking illustrate the need.
This past weekend I gave a TEDx talk at American University. The theme of the event was “Exploring Our Global Future.” The title of my talk was, “Bridging the Distance: Teaching and Learning Peace Online.” In short, the talk laid out my reasons for believing in online learning as a valuable development in the field of education and how online learning can be infused with the values of peace and nonviolence. I also lay out in the talk what I have come to call, “The Seven Blossoms of Peace Education,” which is a pedagogical framework that any educators can apply to their work to integrate peace and nonviolence into their classrooms.
On Friday, I had the honor and privilege of facilitating a workshop at Georgetown University for their The Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service (CSJ). the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor (KI), and the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access (CMEA). This year Georgetown launched their Social Justice Leadership Training Institute (SJLTI), a small-group intensive experience for undergraduate students who wish to deepen their commitment to and engagement with issues of social justice. Through an 8-week skills-building, cohort-based experience with accomplished social justice activists and one another, SJLTI participants will learn and reflect on ways to creatively and effectively work for social justice. I was invited by two of the most amazing and inspiring peace and social justice educators I know – Amanda Munroe and Dr. Andria Wisler.
The workshop I facilitated was titled, The Intercultural Dimensions of Nonviolent Action: Power, Participation and Progress. The workshop explored two concepts – intercultural competence and nonviolent action as a method of struggle – and why one is an integral part of the other’s success. For the past couple weeks I have been giving some talks and presentation on this topic. My interest in the connection was spurred by a three day training I did a few weeks ago to become a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Ever since that training I have been finding a number of valuable connections between that cultural work and the theory and strategy behind nonviolent action.
Posted in Education/Training, Presentations
Tagged amanda munroe, Andria Wisler, Center for Social Justice, culture, Georgetown University, IDI, intercultural competence, intercultural development inventory, methods of nonviolent action, nonviolence, nonviolent action, social justice, Social Justice Leadership Training Institute
After about a year of development, USIP has released a self-study, online version of the course, Civil Resistance and the Dynamics of Nonviolent Conflict. I started working on this course with my colleagues at USIP and ICNC in 2012. Having recently joined USIP, full-time, I am very pleased that this was one of the first self-study onlie course USIP released. I look forward to seeing how learners engage with the course, what kind of impact it will have, and how we will continue to refine it and make it even better in the months and years to come.
Daryn R. Cambridge 