Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute

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MindanaoPeacebuilding Institute
Grassroots PeaceLearning Center

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OVERVIEW OF THE INITIATIVES

• MINDANAO PEACEBUILDING INSTITUTE
• Partnership between CRS, MCC and CAFOD that has
  brought together more than 850 peacebuilders and
  practitioners from 35 countries for the Mindanao
  Peacebuilding Institute, annual intensive
  peacebuilding training event since 2000
• Seeks to educate and empower communities,
  institutions and individuals as catalysts for
  social transformation, to realize the vision of
  peaceful and just communities in the Asia
  Pacific, by bringing together a wide range of
  locals (70) and internationals with experience,
  knowledge and skills in peace related work
• Draws on the shared knowledge of both
  participants and facilitators (who are local and
  international practitioners and theorists) during
  the Institute (2 weeks of classes and 1 week
  field exposure)
• Scholarships and follow-up program for for
  selected peacebuilders

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OVERVIEW OF THE INITIATIVES

• GRASSROOTS PEACE LEARNING RESOURCE CENTER
• Provides peacebuilding curriculum integrating
  intensive training sessions (10 modules) in the
  local languages, technical assistance, and
  facilitation of more effective networking
• Seeks to enhance the capacity of grassroots
  peacebuilders and building the Mindanao peace
  constituency
• 200 participants from 50 organizations have
  finished the modules and graduates have organized
  technical support network
• Graduates have applied learnings by acting as
  community mediators, animators, facilitators and
  by supporting peace initiatives and informal
  peace processes

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Lessons Learned

• Maximizing peace training programs not just as
  learning space but more importantly as social and
  integrating space for encounter and eventually
  relationship building among groups
• Peace education and training can go beyond
  increasing skills and knowledge it can be
  harnessed as a peace constituency building
  mechanism/platform (potentials of creating formal
  and informal networks) and mechanism for peace
  advocacy
• Training processes for communities can be
  maximized as venues for framing theories,
  documenting lessons, etc. linking
  practices/experiences with theories
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Lessons Learned

• The importance of integrating symbolic rituals in
  the training processes to build on the overall
  COP vision in Mindanao
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• Peace training programs for communities need a
  clear/strong follow-up component to ensure
  learnings translate to improve peace praxis in
  the areas (defining clear impact in the
  communities)
• - GPLC and MPI scholarship program
• - Re-entry process
• - Research and documentation
• -   Readiness of training programs to expand
• (spin-off initiatives) 

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Lessons Learned

• Integrating values and vision in the management
  process or structure
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• Maximizing various ways of learnings not just
  learning of participants but also of staff,
  facilitators, advisers, documenters (capacity
  building of facilitators team-teaching of local
  and international, facilitators and facilitator
  interns, youth as documenters, staff provide
  opportunity for them to experience a
  peacebuilding training, encourage them to
  consider peacebuilding as a career.
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• Peace training programs should be grounded on
  clear peacebuilding program initiatives
  especially among the organizers/ the importance
  of a working area