Below please find a Summary of the proposed Canadian Peace Institute
("CPI") based on the Minutes of the Hamilton meeting
(which are available with background information online at
http://www.peace.ca/educationpartnerships.htm ).
This is a work in progress to be further developed at a workshop
on Friday, December 15 in Vancouver (location to be announced).
The meeting would run from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm and the preliminary draft
agenda for the meeting would be to build on the work done in Hamilton,
as follows (input welcome):
1. Presentation of the background and work done at the Hamilton meeting
for discussion
2. Nature of Programs of CPI; Accreditation Issues
3. Organization and Governance of CPI
4. Financial and Resource Issues of CPI: budget and fundraising; the
Canadian Peace Foundation
5. Any Other CPI Issues
6. How will we know when CPI is Successful?; Key Success Areas; Critical
Success Factors
7. Action Plan (including a follow up meeting in Winnipeg March)
Janet Hudgins and Noemi Gal-Or have volunteered to help in the
arrangements for this meeting. CPREA President Larry Fisk and I
will facilitate the meeting.
Please pass along this information to anyone who you think has an
interest in the development of a Canadian Peace Institute and/or
may wish to attend the Vancouver meeting. Please let me know at
your earliest convenience if you are able to attend the meeting so that
I can keep a list of participants for planning purposes.
Regards,
Bob Stewart
P.S. I urge anyone who wishes to continue to follow the developments of
CPI to subscribe to the CPREA listserver as follows:
To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message to:
<
maiser@msvu1.msvu.ca>
Leave the subject blank and in the text
type either: <subscribe cprea> or
<unsubscribe cprea>
DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION
CANADIAN PEACE INSTITUTE ("CPI")
A SUMMARY
Vision
There is an emerging consensus among many Canadian peace educators,
researchers and activists (Note 1) that the structures and processes
which would enhance peace learning of the best possible quality at all
levels are not currently available in Canada. While we need to
acknowledge that a peace focus would be highly supported by some few
Canadian Universities, Colleges, Schools and other institutions, our
goal is to see more of them do so. We would hope to begin to
fill that void through the creation of a Canadian Peace Institute
("CPI").
Our vision is to contribute to the creation of
a just and peaceful world by using action, education, training,
dissemination and research to handle conflicts non-violently and
creatively. In doing so, CPI will also help transform
Canada from a culture of violence to a Culture of Peace and
Non-violence.
Our Task
The Canadian Peace Institute will help educate and train Canadians, and
others, about peace and the creative transformation of conflicts, to
help significantly reduce the human costs of violence at home and
abroad. CPI will produce peace and conflict workers and
professionals, on a large scale. It will also reach out into
Canadian communities and schools. CPI will be a catalyst for
change to communities, businesses, governments and education. CPI
will also turn out graduates with a grasp of the bigger human picture;
the ability to learn; top-notch verbal, writing and leadership skills;
and an ability to creatively resolve problems through co-operative
effort. CPI students will be able to earn undergraduate and
post-graduate degrees; program certification; and/or informal learning.
What Makes the Canadian Peace Institute Different?
Attempts to create an institution of higher peace education have been
tried in the past, and failed. A new sense of optimism now
prevails for a number of reasons: the Internet has produced a new
Knowledge (and Communications) Revolution, resulting in a new kind of
unlimited power - the power for anyone to do things; relationships are
being studied more now than ever before; futurists forecast a coming
Spiritual Revolution; there is a global push for peace education and
education reform; the United Nations is promoting a transformation from
a culture of violence to a Culture of Peace; new methodologies have been
developed for the transformational handling of conflict (Transcend, and
the 'Third Side' for example); the Non-violence Revolution fathered by
Gandhi and growing throughout the Twentieth Century is transforming
global governance; the Macro-Peace Revolution (knowledge of the big
picture - tying it all together; catalyzing); transdisciplinary
consortia working together to build peace (together we are smarter than
any one of us). These signs of peace point to a shift in
human affairs. Having said that, there is also a matter of some
urgency to our work: the nuclear threat to the world is more acute today
than it was during the Cold War; the world's scientists warn us that a
great change in our stewardship of the earth and the life on it is
required if vast human misery is to be avoided and our global home on
this planet is not to be irretrievably mutilated; current violence
trends in Canada, if untended, will grow exceedingly worse. The
Canadian Peace Institute will use these powerful developments, effected
by the Canadian psyche, to carve out its niche and give necessary
momentum to the positive shift in human affairs at home and abroad.
The CPI Market
Conflict has become a growth industry. Capitalizing on the
'Peace and Conflict Knowledge Revolution', the Canadian Peace
Institute will serve any 'pools' of conflict, through the application
of pertinent knowledge. Conflict occurs in individuals,
families, communities and at the world level. Of all factors
influencing their respective success, the single most critical one is
the ability to resolve conflicts co-operatively. With their
knowledge, CPI's conflict professionals and volunteers will be able to
help prevent, resolve and/or contain conflicts at all levels, aiming
for a 'triple win', and hence be much sought after. Through
pragmatic solutions to conflict, CPI professionals and volunteers will
provide significant value (including improved performance,
productivity and profitability measures) to individuals, families,
communities, schools, businesses, governments, NGOs, etc.
Typical career opportunities for CPI graduates are listed in Note 2.
A Canadian Peace Foundation
To raise funds for peace generally, and for the Canadian Peace
Institute particularly, a Canadian Peace Foundation is being created.
Our vision of the Foundation is to raise resources to contribute to
the creation of a just and peaceful world. We will be inviting
prominent leaders in peace across Canada to join the Canadian Peace
Institute and Canadian Peace Foundation to lend their wisdom.
How You Can Help
The Canadian Peace Institute will make a difference to the quality of
life for all Canadians. We foresee a previously unheralded
revolution happening in business, in the family, in the neighbourhood,
and in politics. While we have a long term perspective, there is
no better time for us to begin than now. We would be pleased to
hear from individuals and organizations that might consider supporting
this groundbreaking, co-operative effort. We believe that
we can offer many significant benefits to potential investors,
employers, educators, students and volunteers.
For a more detailed description of our working vision, refer to
the minutes of our September 29, 2000 meeting (available on request).
For more information contact: Robert Stewart, Box 70, Okotoks, AB T1A 1S4; email
stewartr [at] peace.ca
;
telephone (403) 461-2469; fax (309) 407-6576.
CANADIAN PEACE INSTITUTE
MORE TECHNICAL INFORMATION FOR THOSE INTERESTED
Initial Method of Operations
CPI will start with a virtual Canadian Peace Institute, with
online knowledge and onsite training. At the same time,
CPI will consider a "home" in each major
region/community centre (accountable to locals and linked to each
other). This "home" could literally be a house,
owned or rented building, or housed in an existing institution -
but financial and moral independence must be stressed. CPI will
be pragmatic. The major expenditure item will be the
compensation for the pre-eminent course instructors. A
typical annual operating budget of $200,000 can be assumed at this
stage. The start-up phase may depend upon volunteers
carrying out the required functions. The economic structure
of CPI will be based on one major principle: financial
self-sufficiency for independence.
Governance
CPI will be governed with the following characteristics: in a
consensus style (collaborative decision making/collaborative
democracy); non-hierarchical; utilizing a facilitator and
co-facilitator to guide deliberations; gender/regional/cultural
mix; participatory; availability of a 'wise person' in support;
binding; creative. It is anticipated that the governors will
be volunteers.
What gap are we trying to fill?
Everyone is vulnerable. From personal life to business to
world politics, people are going through a slow and painful
reeducation about the nature of conflict. Most people and
organizations are illiterate when it comes to handling
conflict - hence the general need for training of individuals and
organizations, of all ages, and in all walks of life. CPI
can put this peace education on a fast track and make it more
digestible.
The really big gap is in creative conflict transformation
- a gap not filled by the state - hence the need for training of
professional conflict workers.
There are further gaps noted as follows:
- in Universities: there are no Faculties of Peace, mandated
accordingly; there is a need for Masters and Doctorate degrees in
peace in Canada; Universities delegitimize action; Universities
have their limitations in peace dialogue; there is a need to
bridge University education and community needs;
- in primary, elementary and secondary schools: there is a need
for peace education and training for teachers;
- there is a current gap in "macro-peace education"
(i.e. conceptual mapping; emphasizing the understanding of the
'big picture', and how the "micro-peace thematic issues"
fit in), in order to enable the "binding" of peace
groups to pull in one common, supportive direction to achieve a
common vision;
- there is a gap in that peace groups are not networking very well
currently (CPI will help other peace groups and workers to work
smarter);
- there is a gap in that communities are not skilled in the
practical aspects of how to live non-violently;
- in Government: there are no Departments of Peace, mandated
accordingly - as a result, important peace matters fall through
the cracks; there are needs for some government transformation to
help build a Culture of Peace; and
- there is a gap in that peace work is currently unfairly
perceived to be lacking in legitimacy.
These are some of the important gaps CPI will work towards
filling. There is no shortage of work.
How will we address the Marketplace?
Every conflict has three sides. We have identified that
the individuals and organizations that make up the CPI market
need help in preventing, resolving and/or containing problem
conflicts between two opposing sides. Accordingly, among
other things, CPI's conflict professionals and volunteers will
be educated and skilled in the ten roles of the 'Third Side'
(note 3), namely:
1. the Provider - enabling people to meet their needs
2. the Teacher - giving people skills to handle conflicts;
empowering
3. the Bridge-Builder - forging relationships across lines of
conflict
4. the Mediator - reconciling conflicting interests
5. the Arbiter - determining disputed rights
6. the Equalizer - democratizing power
7. the Healer - repairing injured relationships
8. the Witness - paying attention to escalation
9. the Referee - setting limits to fighting
10. the Peacekeeper - providing protection
The 'Third Side' thus serves as a kind of social immune system
preventing the spread of the virus of violence.
Ultimately, the CPI's success will be assessed mainly in market
terms: does it successfully meet key stakeholders' needs, as
demonstrated by steadily increasing service value, enrolments
and support, and decreasing violence. The value of a
degree from CPI, and hence our management of CPI, will
reflect accordingly.
All of the more technical issues are tentative and will be
worked on in more detail in the coming months. For a more
detailed description of our working vision, refer to the
minutes of our September 29, 2000 meeting (available on
request). For more information contact: Robert Stewart,
Box 70, Okotoks, AB T1A 1S4; email
stewartr [at] peace.ca
; telephone (403) 461-2469; fax (309) 407-6576.
Notes:
1. This is a summary of a meeting involving the following
participants: Bob Stewart, Yellowknife/Okotoks/Calgary (facilitator),
Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace; Anne Adelson, Voice of Women
Toronto/McMaster U. Hamilton; Edmund O'Sullivan, Transformational
Learning Centre, OISE/U. Toronto; Shirley Farlinger, Rotary Toronto;
Derek Paul, U.Toronto, Science for Peace;
Larry Fisk, Menno Simons, Winnipeg, Manitoba; Mark Vorobej, Centre for
Peace Studies, McMaster, Hamilton; Joanna Santa Barbara, McMaster,
Hamilton; Graeme MacQueen, McMaster, Hamilton; Rama Singh, Gandhi
Peace Festival/McMaster, Hamilton; Mac Smyth, York U.,
Toronto/Hamilton; Julia Hitchcock, student, McMaster, Hamilton; Joy
Warner, Voice of Women/Hamilton Culture of Peace Network; David
Jefferess, student, McMaster, Hamilton; Raj Ramanathapillai, student,
McMaster, Hamilton; Niloofar Ahmadzadeh, student, McGill, Montreal;
Lowell Ewert, U. Waterloo; Sue McGregor, MSVU, Halifax, Nova Scotia;
Johan Galtung, Transcend; Peter Langille, U. Western Ontario, London;
Luydmilla Karpenko, Russian Peace Foundation, Toronto; Rachel Goodman,
Maharishi U. of Management, Iowa.
2. Typical job opportunities for CPI graduates include: Canadian
federal government (there are several departments, such as DFAIT, CIDA,
foreign diplomats, DND, justice, corrections, health, social
services); Foreign governments; Canadian provincial and
municipal governments (teacher education, education systems
development, police services, victims services, safe and caring
cities, safe and caring schools; responding to real community needs as
identified by the community); research institutions; the UN
(including many UN agencies, UN Universities, University of
Peace/Costa Rica); private research services; businesses
(e.g.. international businesses vis international affairs, employee
relations, public relations, conflict resolution/ADR); non-government
organizations (e.g.. CARE, Red Cross, religions, foreign NGOs;
teaching leadership, fund-raising, etc.); individuals (e.g..
target hardening courses, enlightenment seekers); other
3. The 'Third Side' is people (from the community) using a certain
kind of power (the power of peers) from a certain perspective (of
common ground) supporting a certain process (of dialogue and
nonviolence) and aiming for a certain product (a "triple
win"). The ten roles of the 'Third Side' are more fully
explained in 'Getting to Peace - Transforming Conflict At Home, At
Work, and In The World' by William L. Ury. ISBN
0-670-88758-7; 1999.
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