by Andrés Martinez-Garcia, Colombia

Dear Colleagues,

Think about bread. The fluffy kind…

To make bread a baker puts together a variety of ingredients. But one is key: Yeast.

This is how it works: You grab a tiny little amount of it and put it in the mix, you stir …and then you wait. Yeast distributes and then it rises. While yeast is just a tiny percentage of the overall mass, it changes the whole, transforming the system.

John Paul Lederach, a professor at Notre Dame University, and a member of IPSI’s board of advisors uses the concept of “critical yeast” to describe the way in which a network of individuals, with different backgrounds and from different countries, can have an enormous impact. A well connected web of peacemakers, with enough potential, and trained in the in the arts of negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution can achieve the necessary momentum to transform the lives of those around them.

The world faces serious problems and while most people decide to look away in hopes that nothing bad comes their way, others, maybe a just a few, make the conscious decision to find realistic, sustainable solutions to violent conflict. IPSI believes that you are amongst those that will make a difference.

Friendly suggestions for success.

-Seek support in your peers, the person sitting next to you, or maybe that person who you barely spoke to during the month. It might surprise you.

-Work hard, never stop studying, and always feel proud when someone calls you a nerd.

-Take calculated, strategical risks.

-This one you know: 80% of success is showing up.

-Learn another language. Especially those of you who speak English as a first language. The more obscure it is, the better.

-Finally: Let us know what your future plans are, and keep in touch. We can’t wait to hear your stories.

Thank you and congratulations IPSI class of 2012!

by Billene Seyoum, Ethiopia 

It is an honor to stand here amongst a cohort of enthusiastic and determined agents of change, whose vision and commitment to seeking ways of making our world a better place is inspiring. At whatever level we have engaged with each other over the last month, I can honestly say that I have taken at least one thing from each one of you.

First and foremost I would like to begin by expressing gratitude for the IPSI team who have tirelessly committed themselves to putting this symposium together over the several months of preparations that go into organizing something like this. And even if each one of us has our personal impressions on what we enjoyed and did not enjoy, what worked and did not work, I believe it is important to acknowledge that seeking perfection is a self-defeating feat whereas the courage to move beyond the defenses we have each erected and then tap into the more subtle lessons in abundance, is a task that requires deeper introspection. Sometimes lessons learnt do not emerge right away, but in confrontation with the various experiences that are ahead of all of us. So thank you IPSI for the KSAs (knowledge, skills and attitudes) transferred and for those yet to emerge resulting from our encounters in Bologna.

I went back and forth on what I would like to share with you today and spent the last two days internally debating content, dissecting sentences, seeking inspiration in conversations and finally arriving to the conclusion that in many of my encounters here and elsewhere, we are all seeking to find our authentic purpose and place. And if we have already found it, we seek to solidify and continue creating, impacting through it.

Howard Thurnman, an influential American author, philosopher, educator and civil rights leader once shared “Don’t worry what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and do that, because what the world needs
are people who have come alive.”

I remember the first time when I deeply engaged with the notion of clarifying my purpose in life. I remember it vividly because it was a vulnerable moment to be in because I had to strip myself naked of stories and excuses I was telling myself and really find that common denominator in all of my unfulfilling work and life experiences. And that common denominator was me. At that time, I had graduated from undergraduate studies and was employed in a job that did not inspire me. Each day the 9-5 circuit became longer and endless. The universe however, must have been conspiring in my favor because it provided me with the friendship of a woman who having travelled her own path of discovery had found purpose in enabling others to find theirs. We talked most days for extended periods on what it meant to live an authentic and purposeful life. What it meant to tap into the abundance of pure potential that was within all of us. And what it meant to operate each day from a place of alignment with our purpose so that we can make an impact.

And so through this reflective and introspective exercise, I came to the realization of three things:

1. that I was not having fun in what I was doing
2. that I felt stuck and my need for movement was not being fulfilled;
and
3. that my need to create was not being met

These discoveries of what I needed to feel motivated and engaged were highly important because in my ability to fulfill these personal needs was my purpose and contribution to society made clear to me. Answering the question “What is my purpose” was made easier to articulate when I had a better understanding of what made me feel alive. With articulation comes action.

And with action comes the notion of adequately utilizing our energy in a way that our personal power is not stripped. An anonymous quote I stumbled upon recently reads, “Exploring and learning to mange your energy is a way to move beyond concepts to the full realization of your personal power“.

I recently attended a workshop on “The Mysticism of Personal Power” where an audience member shared that personal power meant “to be with herself and being able to travel the path she chooses to travel”. This statement which strongly resonated with me made me question how many of us truly travel the path we choose and do that consistently. I equate traveling the path of our choice with challenging norms and societal pressures, assuming responsibility for our own experiences and claiming authenticity by operating in alignment with our core purpose and values rather than in seeking external validation.

How many times have we done something we did not want to do? Or held ourselves back from expressing our truth which lies simmering wildly within underneath a demeanor of fabricated self-content? How many times have we restrained ourselves wondering how our peers, family and “others” would perceive us? Or adopted ‘herd mentality’ so as to not stand out and be the black sheep?

For me these are all expressions of denying ourselves authenticity in our actions and interactions. They rob us of our personal power because falling in line with actions and interactions which we do not feel in alignment with, takes away some form of energy from us. And that which depletes and does not replenish our energy is that which tires us and curbs the enthusiasm we have for future action and engagement.

They say “something as small as the flutter of a butterfly’s wings can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world” – harnessing the butterfly effect, as peace nerds and change agents, let us continue asking ourselves if we have fully come alive and are consistently exercising our personal power so as to contribute and positively impact our immediate communities and beyond.

As we close this chapter of our lives and open the next with an imprint of what we have learned the past month, let’s challenge and keep reminding ourselves to,

…be the black sheep in the face of defending what we believe
…be vulnerable to see and be seen
…be eternal seekers and appreciators of multiple forms of intelligence
…be courageous when everyone says no; and
…to be phenomenally EXPLOSIVE leaders

In final closing, I would like to share with you one last poem I wrote in 2009 called “In Fields of Abundance”

Have I not refused to move forward
And held myself in the burning ache of fears
Have I not looked back and seen a reflection
Of a weakened me in a pool of salty tears

Have not the lessons then shed a beam
And made a vineyard of my qualms
Risen have I not from the mental ashes
To a harp have I not sung my personal psalms

Through many journeys has a friend turned into foe
And have I looked at me to see how this became so
When karma beckoned me to build bridges
Have I not in a cycle of samsara rid my heart of ridges

Have I not yet filtered impurities from my soul
And given prominence to the beauty of moments and memories
To weave into my tapestry of being
A continual pattern of inspiriting stories

Have I chosen yet to not be anymore
Of empty resolutions
Have I willed rather a life of no restrictions
But vowed instead to live it with the most sincerest of intentions

Continue to walk with purpose and impact you beautiful people. Thank you!

by Stephanie Billingham, Canada

Yesterday saw the end of Day Two of our three day simulation, and what a day it was. An investigation into the explosion at the Georgian/Abkhaz Power Plant revealed an Abkhaz diaspora as responsible; troops crossed the ceasefire into the demilitarized zone; soldiers were killed and civilians were injured; Russia threatened war; and the 2014 Olympics were nearly canceled. That was just Day  Two. Such were the crises with which we were faced, while simultaneously attempting to speak reasonably with one another about the contentious issues of a traumatic past, sovereignty, internally displaced persons, Russian military bases, and regional economic cooperation.

How, as a mediator or negotiator, do you respond to such crises? How much of your own interests are you willing to give up for the sake of peace? Would an agreement based on too much accommodation be sustainable? How do you protect the interests of your constituents, while also trying to understand and empathize with other parties? These are only a few of the dilemmas we faced while trying to navigate the unbelievably complex waters of international mediation and negotiation. It has been an educational experience of a singular kind, as we learned that the way in which we react, in real-time, to accusations of lying, grandstanding, and threats to leave the negotiation, do not always match the ways we expected we would react in such situations.

The work, as well as the constant self-discovery, was exhausting. The simulation, only two days in, has not only been an exercise in negotiating strategies, tactics and building consensus, but in growing self-awareness of our personal styles of negotiating. Do we lean more naturally to collaboration, accommodation or competition? In what situations are those attitudes useful, and when they are not how do we move into another manner or mindset to negotiate?

Despite all the learning yesterday, academic, personal and practical, we have so many more questions to ask. I have no doubt that as we conclude the simulation, we will come up with even more questions that will form the foundation for the next stage of education.

by Alex Hong, United States of America 

In the fourth and final week of the IPSI Symposium in Bologna, we get to try everything our we have learned so far. Tuesday was the second day of a conflict simulation run by Sara and Amber from LINC Negotiation architects. Our talks take place in the context of an evolving situation on the ground, making it difficult to reach a peace agreement between Georgia, Abkhazia, and Russia. Like the first day, my group ends the session without agreement on any of the issues. The only thing we can agree on is procedure, which includes standing up when the person playing the facilitator walks in and speaking one at a time during our negotiations. In our talks, we are trying to put together a statement defusing the situation.

So far, we have been unable to agree on even the most basic tenets. Reaching an agreement is far from straightforward and our talks bleed out into the coffee and lunch breaks, when we aren’t required to play our roles. We’ve been taught at IPSI how the ‘art of negotiation’, like the visual arts, is a process requiring a series of decisions by participants that will lead to a final product. It is not obvious which proposals or stance is the best, so it is still unclear what our final statement will look like. I’m enjoying the simulation and arguing for the interests of the breakaway region of Abkhazia, but I’m not optimistic about coming to an agreed framework tomorrow.

On a practical level, I will always be more aware of group dynamics and the ability of all participants to contribute to (or hinder) discussions. The Symposium in the last weeks has passed by quickly, especially with the busy schedule. There is a huge diversity of life experiences here that I’ve learned much from. When we leave Bologna, I hope we can continue sharing our stories of peacebuilding all over the world.

by Imy Jacobs, Australia 

And so we saw the beginning of the end of the IPSI 2012 Bologna Symposium. We kicked off our final week of classes with a three day simulation, with the objective being able to “better understand the deep seeded issues that stand in the way of peace” in the Georgia-Abkhazia conflict. Gathering together the skills and knowledge we’ve learnt from the numerous expert practitioners and academics, we began our attempts to negotiate effectively and find opportunities for consensus. Our attempts to broker peace between the parties are made that much harder, however, by the random yet constant addition of new facts that always seem to pop up at the most inopportune moments – a characteristic normal for a real-life negotiator, no doubt. Throughout it all we reminded each other that it was the process that counted, the working together for a common goal, not the result where one party won while the other suffered.

Amber Hill, a graduate of the American University and Sara Shokravi both work with LNC Negotiation Architects, training people in negotiation, mediation and facilitation through simulations. Self-proclaimed ‘peace nerds’, they help people understand themselves and their negotiation styles. Their enthusiasm for their work is infectious, and I found myself and others in my group slipping into our roles with a little much too ease, eagerly awaiting new information that may benefit ‘us’ or ‘them’, or maybe, just maybe, help all of the parties involved. Entering the discussion group, everyone was ready to find a peaceful resolution, sure that we, as mature adults, would be able to come to a consensus, using the commonalities in our positions to work together. At the end of the first day, we left with a somewhat stable proposal but also with the knowledge that tomorrow morning it would be cast aside as the situation escalated and tensions between the factions rose. How professional we felt we were.

by Lauren Squires, United States of America

Our first Friday of July began as Dr. Jack Duvall discussed how civil resistance can replace violence and terror. This enlightening and provocative lecture touched on many themes of civil resistance, perhaps most interestingly regarding the concept of power as a transaction. Clearly and directly, Dr. Duvall expressed that power does not arise from threats, but it is derived from the victim’s resistance to it. By placing the true power in the hands of the potential victim, the problem of classifying violence as a form of power is rendered potentially illegitimate. Any ISPI student who entered Friday morning’s class tired or disinterested was immediately engaged as Dr. Duvall effectively commanded the attention of the IPSI community.

Dr. Mary King began our second iteration of the day reminding we “Future Peacemakers” that “If there is no struggle, there is no progress”, a quote from Frederick Douglass. Dr. King went on to recount the events that shaped women’s suffrage throughout the world. Intermittently, Dr. King would highlight specific gaps in current theory or data analysis regarding women in civil resistance, offering encouragement for any future scholars looking for compelling thesis topics. Her kind motivation was inspiring as we all imagined the ways in which we could each make a significant academic contribution to progressing human rights throughout the international community.

Dr. Maciej Bartkowski then gave a detailed analysis of the civil resistance in Egypt that culminated with the 2011 deposition of Hosni Mubarak. The way in which Dr. Bartkowski framed the timeline of Egyptian civil resistance illuminated a narrative in Egypt not touched upon my major media outlets. Egypt is clearly a time tested example of how the continued perseverance that is necessary throughout an invested and peaceful population can change decades of dictatorship and subjugation. Dr. Bartkowski ended the day by giving the ISPI community a test drive of a new civil resistance video game that would provide gamers the opportunity to stage peaceful civil resistance in hopes of overthrowing an unpopular regime. Surely, exposing a population to the mechanisms by which a group can peacefully galvanize to achieve a greater goal using simulation will prove an overwhelming success for the gamers and society at
large.

by Jenn Buxton, Canada

I can’t believe we are starting our last week; the saying “time flies when you’re having fun” really stands true at IPSI. I have appreciated all the speakers and trainers, as well as, the great new friends that I have made to increase my “peace nerd” network.

On Friday, we finished up our time with the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict. Throughout our two days with ICNC the common theme was the power and the strength in nonviolent resistance, and it helps explain the success of nonviolent resistance movements versus violent resistance movements. Some of the highlights of Friday include Jack DuVall’s talk in the morning regarding conflict and nonviolent resistance; we again heard the theme of power in nonviolent resistance and the challenge to the media’s view of power in violence. After this we heard from Mary King regarding the role of women in civil resistance, and I was surprised to learn about the great achievements of women in many of the resistances that are well known today.

Manciej Bartkowski and Mary King then worked together in discussing the Arab Awakening, a term that Mary uses instead of Arab Spring. The discussion focused on Tunisia and then Egypt. The role of civil society in the changing of these regimes is astounding, and really shows the power of nonviolent resistance. One story was of protestors in Egypt fighting with the police, and then having other protestors stand between the police and the violent protestors to keep the resistance nonviolent. I love stories that restore my faith in the ability of humans to prevent and stop violence.

The two days spent with ICNC were phenomenal and I hope they attend again to impart their knowledge in fitting all the pieces of conflict resolution together!

by Chloe Baveas, Australia  

The dramatic description of the nonviolence discourse by Jack Duvall set the tone for the rest of the day. Keeping up with IPSI calibre of speakers, Mr Duvall passionately delved into the foundations, practicalities, successes and limitations of nonviolence action. Sitting there, listening to Professor Mary E. King, Jack DuVall, and Maciej Bartkowski explain the significance of the technique of non- violent civil resistance reinforced the belief that we must always remember that small actions from small communities can change society for the better. I particularly liked this point as I feel it helped to breakdown the stereotypical image of nonviolent movement as pacifism. Instead, all three speakers stressed the importance that nonviolent movement is an operational technique, a very real, strategic and tactical method to mobilise people on a grassroots level to pursue nonviolent action to change society.

In the afternoon segment, Dr Mary King emotionally recounted her personal experience with the civil rights movement in America in the 1960s. Similar to Mr Prendergast the day before, it was refreshing to hear a real life story, implementing the theory we’ve learnt in the last two weeks. It was incredibly inspiring to hear Dr King’s story and witness how she still vehemently believes in her cause and strongly advocates the effectiveness of nonviolent action. Personally, I found Dr King’s story particularly moving as it reminded me that the lessons we learn in the comfort of SAIS Bologna actually affects people on a daily basis and that people are struggling and fighting for causes that I take for granted. Her story humanised and personalised the words exchanged between four walls.

We come to this symposium as students, people who wish to learn, to reaffirm to ourselves that the path we have chosen to follow is the right one in life. Mary King’s story, the life that she has led and the events that she has helped to influence epitomised the reason we are here. She is living proof of why so many of us are inspired to work in this field of conflict resolution and reconciliation. And she is living proof that our efforts, however long they may take to achieve, are worthwhile and never something to doubt.

by Auriel Niemack, South Africa

On Thursday we were graced with three speakers from the International Cente on Non-Violent Conflict, Jack Duvall, Maciej Bartkowski and Mary King, who all spoke to various aspects of non-violence and civil resistance. One of the key points in Jack Duvall’s presentation that I found to be important were his explanations of the emergent properties of civil resistance, such as consent, reason, self-rule, representation, resilience, and transformation. I found this valuable as he articulated the necessary factors for civil resistance in a way that I had not yet understood.

Dr. Bartkowski’s lecture on movement formation provided us with insight on how movements emerge, and the various dilemmas that they face. He spoke at length on the critical nature of the framing process and the importance of strategy and planning for civil resistance movements, which I found to be highly informative. Dr. King then spoke to us about her personal experiences during the Civil Rights Struggle during the 1960s in the USA.

I found Dr. King’s presentation fascinating because, while her presentation style differed from her colleagues, it also complemented the content that had been delivered earlier. Dr. King’s presentation centered on how non-violent tactics learnt from the Indian independence movement were applied to the Civil Rights (CR) movement in US. Drawing on her personal experience as part of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (a key organization in the American CR movement), Dr. King provided a contextual analysis of the events, peppered with personal anecdotes.

She also spoke about the people who had inspired the late Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, such as Mohandas Gandhi, other notable luminaries Jim Lawson and Bayard Rustin. I appreciated her insights on how the movement progressed, and the techniques and strategies that formed part of the non-violent direct resistance. It was a highly informative day, providing us with many insights into non-violent resistance, as well as a keen analysis of civil resistance. For me, I learnt a great deal during the day, and am grateful for the resources provided.

by Emma Hodder, New Zealand 

Today had to be one of my favourite days of the symposium thus far. In the morning we were treated to the beautiful and engaging Dr Valérie Rosoux talking about reconciliation. After many years studying the Congo and Rwanda, Dr Rosoux’s thoughts on the relationship between reconciliation, memory and conflict resolution, punctuated by personal testimonies, were both thought
provoking and moving. We realised that even within our group, conceptions of what reconciliation entails are wide-ranging.

I enjoyed Dr Rosoux’s realism when talking about the limits of reconciliation. Some wounds cannot be healed, people do not always want to forgive, and an outsider’s desire for reconciliation as closure on a conflict situation can be simplistic, patronising and, as the video we saw on an attempted reconciliation between a perpetrator and the victim’s family in South Africa, ultimately damaging.

In the afternoon we were invigorated by the passion of John Prendergast, the so-called “rock star” of the humanitarian world. John has dedicated his life to helping Africa and his knowledge on the causes and attempted resolution of conflicts in Sudan and the Congo is impressive. His skill as an advocate for Africa was evident and I was heartened by the tangible impact his campaigning has had on public policy in the United States. This is seen most recently in the Dodd-Frank Act, which requires companies to print their supply chain on products and thus show that their practices are not contributing to conflict in the Congo, and encourages all of us as consumers of electronic products to think about the real price of our laptops.