Peace-building in Virginia

During the past five weeks, as wars continued to rage in many parts of the world – for instance the armed hostilities between the government military forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Mindanao, the Palestinians and Israelis in the Middle East, the Roman Catholics and Protestants in North Ireland – some 115 peacemakers from 45 countries have been talking, learning, and sharing ideas about resolutions of conflict and transformation in a small town in Shenandoa Valley in Virginia, USA.

For eight years, the eighth being this summer, the Eastern Mennonite University-Summer Peacebuilding Institute (EMU-SPI) has been drawing peacemakers from around the world to explore and listen to ideas about building the peace in a troubled world.

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More than 1,000 participants from every continent and every region of the world have descended upon the EMU campus in Harrisonburg to attend the summer courses. They represent many religious orientations: Christian, Muslim, Hinduism, and races. An initiative of the Conflict Transformation Program at EMU, the program is designed to provide specialized intensive training in peace-building, conflict transformation, trauma healing and restorative justice to practitioners from around the world. The participants have worked in peace making processes, justice, relief, development and or human rights. Most have been sponsored by organizations at home.

This year’s sessions, which commenced May 5 and end June 20, offer four sessions, each with five intensive courses running concurrently. These are being taken either for academic or professional training (non-credit). Tackled extensively are such topics as conflict transformation, restorative justice, armed conflict, trauma and identity, overcoming violence, conflict resolution approaches in multicultural settings, violence prevention and religious leadership; globalization, conflict and peace-building, and churches and transformation. There are courses on learning to listen and learning to teach, and women and peace-building.

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Reports reaching me described the SPI community as not merely engaged in theoretical and intellectual discourses but also that of its members having mutual respect and learning. Participants, faculty (respected authors, academics and peacemakers), staff, and invited guests explore issues of global concern through classroom interaction, luncheon presentations, weekend seminars, special interest groups and community celebrations. Informal sharing of personal stories result in the building of trust and hope as participants relax together over community meals; participate in sport activities, recreational outings and dance parties; visit with local families, and in some cases, worship together.

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Last year’s SPI attracted 180 peace and humanitarian workers from 50 nations. Some knew what they were going to do back home. An Indian hoped to start an institute at a Bible college; at the SPI sessions, his "amazing, rich experience" included making Pakistani friends.

A "high-voltage" workshop play showed the hostile feelings of Israelis and Palestinians wanting to kill each other. The participants – a Palestnian and an Israeli woman – "captured a spark of the pain and triumph in peace-building", and left SPI having learned something of the other’s perspective.

As probably in all the SPI sessions, some participants came from nations at war with each other. "At home we are enemies. Here we are friends," one said.

The summer program leaves a great impact on the participants. Last year’s SPI was a six-and-a-half week event "that changed over 200 lives – participants, staff, instructors and guests". Toward the end of SPI, a number of scholars said, "I’m going home a different person".

One SPI participant summed it up as "awesome, the community, diversity, wisdom, dedication and love people share here, and the depth of knowledge they bring to the study of the most difficult issues of our time".

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This summer’s SPI has no less been inspiring for the 115 peace scholars from developing and developing countries. The participant from the Philippines, Saeed A. Daof who is the director general of the Center for the Development of Peace and Development of Mindanao found the sessions exciting and the three-day visit (part of the program) of Amish and Mennonite communities in Akron, Pennsylvania, "exhilarating, highly informative, and educational".

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