On June 18th 2018 the Peacebuilding Team launched the 18th bi-annual Peace-Building Institute. This year’s Institute received over fifty applications from 17 different countries spanning across four different continents. Ultimately, 18 highly qualified university students and young professionals from Rwanda, DRC, Benin, the United States, and France were chosen to participate in the 2018 International PBI.
During each Peace-Building Institute, participants engage in experiential learning through visiting various different museums and genocide memorials in Rwanda, hearing from experts in the field of genocide prevention, and engaging in a variety of group projects. The aim of the International PBI is slightly different than that of the Regional PBI which takes place in February each year, in that it focuses more on providing students with a theoretical background and hands-on learning experience related to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi than practical skills in creating peacebuilding initiatives in their home communities. Although both Institutes cater to the same groups of youth, our summer sessions place a higher emphasis on theoretical frameworks related to genocide and mass atrocities prevention.
For instance, during this year’s International PBI, participants were engaged in a multi-stage conflict management project where they were assigned a specific conflict and tasked to conduct a complete conflict analysis and create a context-specific conflict management plan. Over the course of two weeks, participants worked in small groups to analyze the conflicts occurring in Syria, Somalia, Myanmar, and South Sudan while developing a series of recommendations for Disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR), transitional justice, and reconciliation practices based on the culture and context within each unique case. On the final day of the Institute each group was given time to present their project and lead a brief Q+A with the audience. The PBI Team was truly impressed by the presentations, the depth of research that each group had engaged in, and the passion that participants showed while discussing and defending their recommendations. We hope that the alumni from this group will be equally as successful and influential in their future endeavors as our graduates from the Regional PBI earlier this year.
Participant Quotes:
“Studying the genocide in the USA, we have learned about the worst that humankind has to offer, but coming to Rwanda and learning about reconciliation and forgiveness, has also showed me the best.” – Taylor Covey, USA
“While the individual impact we make might be small, as a collective we can make a huge difference. As a former peace corps volunteer, I feel like the PBI has strengthened my knowledge even further.” – Hannah Wood, USA
“I have learned that It should be everybody’s responsibility to build peace. Being a bystander can also lead to atrocities so we all have to be active.” – Herve Nyirimihigo, Rwanda