What We Do

The Institute for Sustainable Peace is generating a viral movement to transform a culture of violence into a culture of peace.  We reconcile leaders of groups in conflict, train them to work together in their diversity, and mentor them as they serve their communities. As our mission statement says, three key elements of our strategy are Reconciliation, Interactive Learning and Action.

Reconciliation

One of the distinguishing features of the ISP is that we do not just teach and advocate reconciliation, we gather leaders together from groups in conflict and help them to reconcile. This requires creating a safe space where leaders can come together and meet each other not as enemies but as fellow human beings with common desires to build a better world for their children and grandchildren. They engage in processes that make it possible to hear each other’s narratives and meet each other not only at the level of the open mind but also at the level of the open heart.

Interactive Learning

We strive to make our workshops a rich educational experience. We teach and engage in several social technologies and processes. 
They include:

• Generative Dialogue
• Café Dialogue
• Principled Negotiation, and
• Appreciative Inquiry
• All undertaken in the context of conflict transformation based on Theory U: Presencing

These powerful processes were developed at some of the leading research universities in our country, including MIT, Harvard and Case Western Reserve University. The long-term efficacy of our work is also supported by recent research in social networking.

Action

The ultimate objective for all of our conflict transformation projects is that the participants take their peacebuilding skills and make them operational in their home communities. We challenge them to begin planning concrete practical initiatives that they can undertake with fellow participants as they return home.

Outcomes

Not only are processes well researched and supported by years of scholarship in leading centers of learning in our country.  We have had years of experience honing them in live projects involving groups of former enemies in multiple country contexts.