So I'm spending the week at Eastern Mennonite University's Summer Peacebuilding Institute (SPI), co-teaching a course on development and peacebuilding with my friend Riva. I have to say I'm sure I'm learning as much if not more than our students. SPI draws participants from around the world, with a particular focus on countries in conflict and individuals working for peace and justice in their communities. Our class of 14 alone includes people from Sudan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Northern Ireland, and the United States. Riva and I decided that the collective experience of the group in peace and conflict exceeds our own by about 300 years!
SPI is a program of EMU's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. I rank it as the best conflict transformation program in the U.S. - but I may be biased for the Mennonite approach - and came really close to doing my masters here (for some reason NYC was a bigger draw for me than Harrisonburg, VA, at the time). In 2001 I had the chance to participate in the Summer Peacebuilding Institute as a student, and I feel remarkably honored to be back again as an instructor. It's one of those places and experiences that really makes you believe in the power of small groups of committed people transforming the world. A nice refresher from work with Congress!
p.s. Alberto and Pablo are here too, making friends from all over the world.
3 comments:
I'm sure the world could use several billion more classes like that. Too bad we don't have them.
Hope you, Alberto, and Pablo get to do some real relaxing while you are there.
Love you,
Me
What a wonderful, wonderful time and experience for you all...
Safe trip back to DC...
You are also a great Mom; thinking of this today on Mothers' Day.
Enjoying the Edible Arrangement very much .. thanks..
Love, Mom
GOOD FOR YOU, BRIDGET. I THINK IT MUST BE A REALLY INTERESTING EXPERIENCE. I´M SURE THAT THIS WORLD WOULD BE BETTER IF MORE PEOPLE WOULD THINK AND ACT AS YOU DO. KISSES LUVA
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