This workshop will engage participants in exploring what it takes to build partnerships, cross-cultural sensitivity and sustainable capacity for a culture of peace, drawing from case studies and Mediators Beyond Boders’ experience in countries around the world. Participants will learn how to bridge from being mediators to peacebuilders through elicitive practice, using trauma informed principles, appreciative inquiry and mediation techniques to transform local capacities for peace in a range of contexts, including in government institutions and universities, among tribal leaders and citizens, and in the practice of civil society organizations.

1. 10/29/13
Crossing the Bridge From Mediator to
Peacebuilder:
Transforming Local Capacities for
Peace
Building a more peace ‘able’ world
Association for Conflict Resolution
October 2013
MBB Mission
Mission:
To
build
local
skills
for
peace
and
promote
media4on
worldwide
2
GOALS
• To
u'lize
cross
cultural
sensi'vity
and
elici've
approaches
to
shape
projects.
• To
build
cohesion,
rela'onship
and
trust
through
the
use
of
construc've
conversa'ons.
• To
integrate
the
use
of
trauma
informed
principles,
apprecia've
inquiry
and
media'on
techniques
in
transforming
local
capaci'es
for
3
peace.
1

2. 10/29/13
• Sustainability
• Invita'on
• Local
partners
• Contextual
research
4
What does MBB offer?
MBB offers two types of projects:
• Capacity-building projects which build local conflict resolution
or peacebuilding skills,
and
• Advocacy projects which promote mediation worldwide and
advance the use of appropriate conflict resolution processes
in public policy arenas.
WHAT MAKES MBB
UNIQUE
Systemic and
holistic
by invitation
Volunteer
professionals
Multi year
commitments
Multi track
interventions
6
2

3. 10/29/13
• We work in underserved areas
• MBB does not act as a first-responder
organization in any area, and does not work
in areas where there is active war or other
major violent conflict.
7
MBB currently has seven active
projects:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
.
Climate
Change
(UNFCCC
Observer
Project)
Colombia
Ecuador
Israel
Kenya
Liberia
Nepal
Sierra
Leone
8
CLIMATE CHANGE-ADVOCATING
FOR MEDIATION
3

4. 10/29/13
The ISRAEL Project
EXPLORING PARTNERSHIPS
WITH
COMMUNITY MEDIATION CENTERS
2009-­‐PRESENT
PARTICIPATION
IN
THE
LARGEST
CONFERENCE
ON
COMMUNITY
MEDIATION:
24
CENTERS
AND
OVER
400
PARTICIPANTS
DISCUSSING
COLLABORATIVE
PLANS
WITH
GISHURIM,
MOSAICA,
THE
JERUSALEM
INTERCULTURAL
CENTER
AND
THE
MINISTRY
OF
SOCIAL
WELFARE
4

5. 10/29/13
Capacity
Development
Projects
Projects
progress
through
3
phases:
•
Project
explora-on;
•
Project
assessment;
and
•
Project
implementa-on.
13
Mutual learning in:
• Community
sensi'zing
• Peacebuilding
techniques
• Cultural
prac'ces
• Transla'ng
methods
into
prac'cal,
contextual
applica'ons
• Dialogue
• Trauma
support
and
resiliency
building
• Grant-­‐wri'ng
• Fiscal
management,
and
other
aspects
of
organiza'onal
development
CASE STUDIES
LIBERIA
INITIATIVE
and
the
KENYA
INITIATIVE
5

6. 10/29/13
MBB Capacity Development
Projects
LIBERIAN
INITIATIVE
2007-­‐
PRESENT
In July 2007, MBB launched
its first international project:
The Liberian Initiative.
The Liberian Initiative is still
ongoing, and remains the
largest MBB international
project to date.
Dialogue and facilitation
training in Monrovia
• Established
a
media'on
service
for
and
by
refugees
in
a
refugee
camp
• Enhanced
the
capacity
for
media'on
among
a
wide
range
of
Ghanaian
officials
• Facilitated
the
safe
re-­‐integra'on
of
75
ex-­‐
combatants
in
community
following
voca'onal
training
and
psychosocial
support
• Brought
together
women
of
nine
ethnic
groups
to
reweave
the
social
fabric
in
their
fractured
society
18
6

7. 10/29/13
Trauma Informed Principles
• ‘Psychosocial
Well-­‐being,’
defined
as
a
state
in
which
one
is
free
of
excessive
suffering
and
clinical
pathology
and
able
to
func'on
and
find
meaning
in
life,
preferred
over
a
PTSD
approach
• The
provision
of
“trauma
informed
care”
is
a
seminal
concept
in
emerging
efforts
to
address
trauma
in
the
lives
of
children,
as
well
as
adults.
Trauma
informed
care
has
many
facets.
19
• Survivor
of
repeated
trauma
challenges
fundamental
assump'ons
about
the
world.
Survivors
make
sense
of
the
world
based
on
their
trauma'c
experiences.
Their
reac'on
to
trauma
may
not
be
directly
related
in
obvious
ways
to
the
trauma'c
event.
• Emphasis
is
on
looking
at
the
whole
person
and
apprecia'ng
the
context
in
which
that
person
is
living
their
life.
• Goal
is
to
return
sense
of
control
and
autonomy
to
survivor.
Builds
skills.
Strength
based.
• Open
and
genuine
collabora'on.
Par'cipants
have
choices
about
what
they
need
and
when,
and
who
provides
the
service.
Par'cipants
set
priori'es
for
services.
20
• Trauma
work
may
be
considered
part
of
development
in
the
sense
that
it
enhances
locals’
capaci'es
to
manage
post-­‐
conflict
psychosocial
problems
in
ways
that
are
less
of
a
func'onal
burden.
• Restora've
prac'ces
that
harmonize
the
tensions
between
forgiveness
with
impunity,
and
individual
and
societal
jus'ce.
• Empowerment
of
local
narra'ves,
the
role
of
dialogue,
collec've
narra'ves,
iden'fica'on
of
resilience!
21
7

8. 10/29/13
Palaver:
integra'ng
conflict
resolu'on
prac'ces
in
tradi'onal
dispute
resolu'on
RE-INTEGRATION OF FEMALE EX
COMBATANTS IN GBA
COMMUNITY
MEETINGS
8

9. 10/29/13
CASE
STUDY
THE
KENYA
INITIATVE
25
HOW DID THE KENYA INITIATIVE
BEGIN?
26
27
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10. 10/29/13
Project
IniLaLon
• Contact
from
Kenya
Project
ExploraLon
• Ini'al
trips
28
EliciLve,
Systemic,
Conflict
sensiLve
Conflict
Sensi-ve
• Assessing
the
conflict
dynamics,
both
local
and
regional
Elici-ve
• The
assessment
developed
in
conversa'on
with
the
poten'al
partner,
exploring
needs
and
opportuni'es
Systemic
• Looking
at
the
whole
system
–
people,
poli'cs,
culture,
social
systems,
networks,
economic
and
physical
infrastructure,
human
and
social
capital,
and
how
it
all
interrelates
29
We
need
to
do
a
project
assessment.
Where
do
we
start?
What
do
we
need
to
know?
What
are
the
first
ques'ons
that
come
to
mind?
30
10

11. 10/29/13
ConducLng
a
Project
Assessment
–
What
we
can
learn
from
the
peacebuilding
field
• The
Basics:
– Background
research
prior
to
traveling:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Analysis
of
culture/social/poliLcal
context
of
area/country
Analysis
of
conflict
in
area
Info
on
other
organizaLons
working
in
area
Info
from
partners
PotenLal
partners
to
contact
IniLal
schedule
of
meeLngs
Does
your
potenLal
partner
have
the
necessary
experience
or
special
experLse
in
the
region?
31
Assessment Team with Local Partner, Kenya
Pastoralist Network Trust
33
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12. 10/29/13
34
Learn from the Bush
Samburu Manyatta meeting in Rumuruti
12

13. 10/29/13
What
did
we
learn?
37
• Pastoralists
are
nomadic
herders,
represen'ng
less
than
20%
of
the
Kenyan
popula'on
and
mostly
living
in
the
most
remote
and
harsh,
arid
and
semi-­‐arid
areas
of
Kenya.
• Post-­‐colonialism,
ethnic
tradi'ons,
small
arms
and
light
weapons
from
neighbors
such
as
Somalia,
climate
change,
marginaliza'on
by
Nairobi
and
poli'cal
manipula'on
bring
conflict
and
violence.
• Exis'ng
grassroots
peacebuilding
efforts
limited
in
scope;
“peacebuilding
industry”
thrives
in
Kenya.
• Promised
peace
dividends
such
as
water
and
schools
never
provided,
but
new
devolu'on
of
government
provides
hope.
38
KPN Approach
• Laikipia
Model
of
large
Peace
Caravans
with
‘sons
and
daughters’
mobilized
out
of
Nairobi
• Establish
local
peace
comminees
–
ongoing
local
structures
for
peace
• Provide
training
and
collabora'on
with
government
and
NGOs
• Mobilize
caravans
quickly
at
the
behest
of
GOK
39
13

14. 10/29/13
Developing
a
Project
40
Adaptability
and
Planning
for
Emergence
• Important
to
maintain
ability
to
adapt
to
changing
circumstances,
funding
variability
and
culture
• Revisit,
re-­‐envision
project
with
partners
• Incorporate
peacebuilding
best
prac'ces
into
projects
– Conflict
assessment
– Reflec'ng
on
peace
prac'ce
model
– For
grassroots
capacity
building,
evalua'on
that
is
reflec've,
emergent
and
learning
based
– But
beware
of
mission
creep!
41
42
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15. 10/29/13
43
44
45
15

16. 10/29/13
Emerging
Project
Ideas
•
Warriors
project
•
"Peace
dividends"
•
Systemic
and
emergent
capacity
development
•
Sharing
wisdom
from
"down
under
the
radar"
46
Case
Study
The
Warriors
Project
The
goal
of
The
Warriors
Project
is
to
promote
locally
sustainable
peace
and
human
security
in
remote
pastoralist
regions
of
Kenya
through
youth-­‐led
neotradi4onal
peacebuilding
and
civic
par4cipa4on
47
Theory
of
Change
• The
assump'on
of
how
change
is
expected
to
occur
as
a
result
of
the
proposed
interven'on.
• Open
ar'culated
as
“IF
we
do
‘X’,
THEN
‘Y’
will
occur,
BECAUSE
of
‘Z’.
• Used
in
support
of
logic
models
for
monitoring
and
evalua'on,
and
as
an
inquiry
tool
to
explore
project
logic
throughout
the
process.
48
16

17. 10/29/13
ReflecLng
on
Peace
PracLce
Model
• RPP
matrix
used
either
in
full
or
broken
out
by
component
(e.g.
key
people/more
people,
individual-­‐
personal
change/socio-­‐poli'cal
change)
• Key
driving
factors
• Linkages
between
components
• Criteria
of
effec'veness
(COE)
• Theories
of
change
• Systems
approach
to
conflict
analysis
49
Tools
for
AffecLng
“Peace
Writ
Large”
RPP
Matrix
More People Approaches
Key People Approaches
Individual/Personal Change
Socio-political Change
50
Criteria
of
EffecLveness
• The
effort
results
in
the
crea4on
or
reform
of
poli4cal
ins4tu4ons
to
handle
grievances
in
situa4ons
where
such
grievances
do,
genuinely,
drive
the
conflict.
• The
effort
contributes
to
a
momentum
for
peace
by
causing
par4cipants
and
communi4es
to
develop
their
own
peace
ini4a4ves
in
rela4on
to
cri4cal
elements
of
context
analysis.
• The
effort
prompts
people
increasingly
to
resist
violence
and
provoca4ons
to
violence.
• The
effort
results
in
an
increase
in
people’s
security
and
in
their
sense
of
security.
• The
effort
results
in
meaningful
improvement
in
inter-­‐group
rela4ons.
51
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18. 10/29/13
How to Contact MBB
www.MediatorsBeyondBorders.org
Administrative Office:
Mediators Beyond Borders International
1901 North Fort Myer Drive,
Suite 405 Arlington, VA 22209, USA
Phone: +1 (703) 528 6552 Fax: +1 (703) 528 5776
info@mediatorsbeyondborders.org
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