Summer/Fall, 2008
The Center for Mediation, Peace, and Resolution of Conflict -
International is pleased to present its e-Newsletter.
In this issue, you will find:
- Join the Celebration!
- Learning and Doing in the Andes
- Healing Family Conflicts
- From the Executive Director
- Dispatch from Bolivia
- President's Letter
- CEMPROC Patrons
Join the Celebration!Festive music, folkloric dance, zesty dishes from around Latin America, a terrific silent auction, hay rides, and more await you at the third annual Taste of Latin America benefit dinner and celebration on Saturday, September 20, 2008 at 5:30 p.m. Be a part of this fun tradition that has been established by hundreds of attendees from 18 different countries over the past 2 years. The event celebrates the International Day of Peace, recognized by the United Nations and celebrated in more than 200 countries around the world; all proceeds from the event go to support CEMPROC's peacebuilding work in the United States and Latin America. Be sure to buy your tickets early and invite all of your friends to come too. Details and online ticket ordering are found at www.cemproc.org/dinner.htm . Come ready to shop, as a fantastic silent auction will offer deals for a great cause, ranging from beautiful Ecuadorian hand-made crafts to a week-long beach condo stay in Panama City or a weekend in a mountain cabin. Event sponsorships are still available--for more information, contact Jeff Pugh at jpugh9@jhu.edu, 443-286-9843 or 770-889-3793. We look forward to seeing you at the fiesta!
Learning and Doing in the AndesWhat do fried guinea pig, the former Minister of the Environment of Ecuador, karaoke, constructivist vs. realist views of conflict, and the manager of a Canadian copper company have in common? All of them were a part of the experience of students from the University of Georgia and from Ecuadorian universities who were participating in the UGA/CEMPROC International Conflict Resolution Study Abroad program in Ecuador, where they were studying international and environmental conflict resolution. This program, which enjoyed a very successful second year, featured simulated negotiations, a trip to thermal springs and misty cloud forests, chats with high-level peacemakers and decision makers, and real-life, practical conflict resolution internship/research projects. The 25-day program brought together students from a variety of majors and universities, immersing them in Ecuadorian culture, Latin American politics, environmental challenges, and most of all, a fun group of students where many friendships were formed. Under the leadership of Fausto Sarmiento from UGA and Jeff Pugh from CEMPROC, the program also included outreach to local Ecuadorians through host fellowships, a public environmental conflict expert panel forum, a performance of children's peace songs by cempROCK at a local school, and a public presentation of student projects at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), the proud university home of several of this year's host fellows. Student projects included a refugee survey, an environmental conflict simulation based on a community conflict with copper miners, a children's music CD and lesson plan, and a family conflict manual and online supplement. With the combination of academic knowledge and practical application that they acquired through this program, the students are now better prepared to lead future generations of peacebuilding. We look forward to the 2009 program and invite interested college students to watch for details and application materials at www.cemproc.org/ugaconflictstudyabroad.html .
Healing Family ConflictsA family gathers around the dinner table one weekend to share a meal, but instead of cheerful laughter and a time of sharing, the air boils with tension. Cousins, siblings, and grandparents begin yelling at one another, suspicious that the other members of the family are cheating them. Several siblings demand their inheritance money early, while a daughter-in-law accuses her mother-in-law of interfering in the raising of her child. Unfortunately, tensions like these are all too common among families of all types. At the end of March this year, for the first time, CEMPROC Ecuador organized a Conflict Resolution Course especially directed towards managing tensions among family members. In five sessions the participants learned all about conflict resolution in general and about the special characteristics of conflicts between husband and wife, disagreements about raising the children, or other common family problems. The course was meant as a pilot project, and a newly written manual was rolled out for the purpose. When asked, the participants all answered that the course had been really helpful for their private family lives. It helped them to better understand the origin of the conflicts with their partners and children, to discover their own strengths and weaknesses and to identify their needs in their family lives. The aspects that were treated included the general introduction to conflict, skills of effective communication, mediation and negotiation, special issues in partnership relations, in relations between parents and kids, and finally also the potential causes of conflict with grandparents were discussed. With the help of student interns this summer, the family manual was revised and formatted, and an online training supplement was created that can be found at http://www.cemproc.org/familycommunication.htm . Because of the success of the course it will definitely be repeated in the near future!
From the Executive Director
Dear Friends,
As we approach autumn and prepare to celebrate the International Day of Peace on September 21, this is a time to reflect on the good work being done to reduce violent conflict at the local and international levels, as well as to cast our eyes toward the future. We have accomplished much and equipped many with the tools to resolve their own conflicts peacefully and effectively, although much remains to be done. This year, we have been especially fortunate to have the help of several interns: Kristen, Jeffrey, Alexandra, and now Maria Fernanda have been a key part of our peacebuilding programs, and they along with the student interns in the study abroad program have helped make it possible for us to roll out and pilot test two new training manuals this year: a manual for resolving conflict in the family and one, produced in cooperation with Llactacaru, that focuses on conflict resolution and social justice for migrant families. If you are interested in either manual, please contact info@cemproc.org. I would also like to recognize the heroic work of our volunteer children's coordinator in Cumming, Any Stevens, who organized and carried out a day camp for Hispanic children in Georgia at Cumming First United Methodist Church. Some sixty children learned about tolerance, nonviolence, and other values, while having fun and making new friends. Thanks to Any, as well as CEMPROC Vice-President Eduardo Stevens and the other volunteers who put this terrific program together. This summer also represented a geographic expansion for us, as I gave a conflict resolution course for Zimbabwean refugees seeking shelter in a South African church. This group is trying their best to manage conflicts that arise between refugees fleeing violence in Zimbabwe and South Africans who have in some cases unleashed a wave of violence of their own in rejection of the newcomers. One of the key activities the refugees hope to carry out is to provide accurate and on-the-ground information to the outside world in order to raise awareness and put pressure on the leaders of both countries for a just and peaceful solution. If you are interested in helping spread the word, or if you have a digital camera that you would like to contribute to help them get their message out, please let me know. Once again, even as I am saddened by the tragic violence that continues to occur around the world, I am uplifted and inspired by the individual acts of courage that are building a more peaceful society, one small act at a time.
Best wishes,
Jeff Pugh
Executive Director
Dispatch from Boliviaby associated trainers Eva & Sara Mamani
In the violent and litigious atmosphere of our society, many people that work with children look for a way to make a difference. Family violence, overcrowded jails, violent protest, and increasingly youthful gang members, are evidence that conflict and our incapacity to face it should be a focal point for the professionals that work with children. Do our children understand the message of conflict? Yes, they understand it too well. Television and movies teach them that conflicts are solved with loss of blood in the street and loss of money in court. How can we give a different message? This is where we should heed the call to serve. The real crisis in our country is the absence of communication. Humanity's history is written by men and women of peace. They are those who transform, invent, revolutionize, and build. Bolivia is on the edge of the abyss. We have few leaders and many agents of violence, of intolerance and of conflict. Many of the adults have lost the capacity to dialogue. Our governors are probably the clearest example of this. The social conflicts in the country have untied a chain of economic, social, and psychological problems. Bolivia has human capital, and it has people with a positive sense of life who value coexistence and tolerance and who try to build peace; this potential needs to be energized and developed. Convinced that we need to begin in childhood in order to improve the situation, we have undertaken the task of improving children’s conflict resolution abilities. The experience was wonderful; we had the opportunity to work with 37 boys and girls from the 1º de Mayo-Tarija neighborhood, who will become the future promoters of the change in our country. Using the CEMPROC children’s curriculum, we touched many young lives. Those who participated in the program from April 12 to May 17 achieved an understanding that conflict is a normal part of life and that therefore it is necessary to learn how to resolve it without using violence.
President's Letter
Dear Friends of CEMPROC,
As is evident by the content of this newsletter, CEMPROC continues to grow and refine its core mission-based activities. We look forward to seeing you at the Taste of Latin America in celebration of CEMPROC's peace-building work across the globe. TOLA will take place on September 20, the day prior to the International Day of Peace. The United Nations' International Day of Peace is a global holiday when individuals, communities, nations and governments highlight efforts to end conflict and promote peace. Established by U.N. resolution in 1982, "Peace Day" has grown to include millions of people around the world who participate in all kinds of events, large and small. As suggested during the discussions that led to the UN resolution establishing Peace Day, "Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples…This day will serve as a reminder to all peoples that our organization, with all its limitations, is a living instrument in the service of peace and should serve all of us here within the organization as a constantly pealing bell reminding us that our permanent commitment, above all interests or differences of any kind, is to peace." CEMPROC's work certainly serves the goals described in this statement. For more information on Peace Day, please visit http://internationaldayofpeace.org
Have you ever wanted to learn how to make a giant peace dove? Visit http://www.rootsandshoots.org/resource/docs/campaigns/PeaceDoveInstructions.pdf
Sincerely,
Scott Hitch
President, CEMPROC International Board of Directors
CEMPROC thanks the following generous individuals, organizations, and corporations
whose contributions of time and resources this past term make possible
its programs to
reduce destructive conflict in Latin America and the United States.
Together, we are creating peacemakers...one person at a
time:Jeffrey Akomah, Matt & Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter, Louise Birchfield*, Charles Burton, Ruth Brisbois*, Cane Creek Farm, Escuela Ciudad de Cuenca, Jim Geist, Grace United Methodist Church Mission Committee, Gary & Saundra Gotfredson, Bob & Becky Hitch*, Mary Jean & Rick Holden, Gurdon Hornor, Hosteria Cumanda Peg & Jack Kneiss, Ladies Society of Grace United Methodist Church, Hans Meier, Kristen McCaskey, Carolyn & William Mills*, Ministry of Education, Ecuador, Eva & Sara Mamani, North Georgia Autism Center, Chuck & Lynn Pugh*, Omar Rodriguez, Andrea Salvador, Samanta S. Ribary Foundation, Fausto Sarmiento, Deana Shuman, Eduardo & Any Stevens, University of Georgia, Alexandra Visser, Rev. Nancy Webb, Carol & Kevin White
Memorial gift in memory of Stan Bagwell
*CEMPROC Patron
To find out more about how to support CEMPROC, or to become a CEMPROC Patron, visit our Support page. We greatly appreciate all of our supporters.
Creating Peacemakers...One Person at a Time
Dr. Salomon Cabezas
Bishop of the United
Methodist Church of Ecuador, former Vice-Rector of the Central University
of Ecuador
Dr.
Edward J. Larson
Pulitzer Prize winner, Professor of History
and Law at the University of Georgia
Dr.
Fabiola Cuvi
Director of IECAM, a UN Focal Point,
former Undersecretary in the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health
Dr.
Brenda Vanegas
Mediator and author of Human Rights and Gender Equality in Mediation
Dr. Fausto Sarmiento
University of Georgia
International Board of
Directors
Scott Hitch, President
Eduardo Stevens, VP
Chuck Pugh, Secretary
Kathie Stasko, Treasurer
Nora Martinez
Gary Gotfredson
Board of Directors
CEMPROC - Ecuador
Jeff Pugh, President
Dr. Roberto Contreras,
VP
Dr. Diana Palacios, Secretary
Jack Rodriguez,
Treasurer
Monica de Contreras
Executive
Director
Jeff Pugh
Director for Ecuador
Diana
Palacios
UGA Study Abroad Program Directors
Fausto Sarmiento
Patricia Sullivan
Children's Program Coordinator
Any
Stevens
Program Assistant
Alexandra Visser
Intern
Maria Fernanda Paez
Coming Events:
August-September
International Day of Peace children's art contest in Georgia
September 8-12
Conflict Resolution for Municipal workers: taught by Diana Palacios
September 16-19
Conflict Resolution for Kids taught in Roswell, GA by Jeff Pugh
Pastors for Peace course taught in Quito by Diana Palacios
September 20
SAVE THE DATE: Taste of Latin America dinner celebration, 5:30 p.m. at Cane Creek Farm in Cumming, GA, USA
Summer 2009
UGA/CEMPROC International Conflict Resolution Study Abroad program, co-taught by Patricia Sullivan and Jeff Pugh