Kenya: Peacebuilding & Conflict Transformation Course

About thePeacebuilding and Conflict Transformation course

This course has been designed to benefit peace actors interested in deepening their understanding of peacebuilding and wishing to work or are already working in post conflicts settings and/or wanting to include conflict sensitivity in programming

The course aims to provide participants with a clear understanding of the dynamics of conflict, violence and peace and to enable them to acquire a range of practical skills related to handling post violent conflict situations. Participants to the course are expected from within the NGOs sector, civil society, government agencies and other institutions supporting or learning peace issues.

The 5 day curriculum combines class work and “open spaces” for creativity and joint action in peacebuilding theory and conflict transformation drawn from a variety of sources and traditions, to complement and build on indigenous African knowledge systems. Learning is based on participatory adult learning models including inquiry, analysis and reflection from participants’ knowledge. Participants engage in individual and group tasks, concept presentation, mini-lectures, case study analysis and videos

The Course Content

1. Understanding Conflict

This section is designed to help the participants gain a deeper understanding of the factors that cause conflict and violence with the aim of being able to identify appropriate strategies for intervening in conflict. Different analytical models will be applied to:

· Explore the nature and dynamics of conflict

· Understand different levels and types of conflict

· Analyze conflicts and causes

2. Peacebuilding theories and practice

This section will give an overview of peacebuilding theories, concepts and practice. During the sessions, participants will be given the opportunity to:

· Identify context specific peacebuilding interventions

· Work in teams to practice new theories and concepts

· Apply these ideas and skills to cases that relate to their experiences and contexts

3. Conflict Sensitivity in Peacebuilding

This section looks at the strategies and methods that help peacebuilding and multi-mandated interveners to examine and take into account the unintended impacts of their interventions on the context of conflict and crisis. The participants will explore:

· Understanding conflict sensitivity

· Application of conflict sensitivity in peacebuilding programs

· Conflict analysis

· Conflict sensitive approaches

4. Skills for conflict transformation and peacebuilding

In this section participants will discuss the essential skills and knowledge needed for conflict transformation in interpersonal and group settings. Some of the skills will include:

· Negotiation and mediation

· Working with stories to create change

· Forgiveness and reconciliation

5. Exploration of indigenous mechanisms in peacebuilding

This section will focus on the practices of indigenous mechanism in peacebuilding and discern its role in contemporary peacebuilding practice. Discussions will be on:

· Community mechanisms and peace processes

· Indigenous dispute resolution mechanisms

· Influence of indigenous mechanisms on external conflict interventions

Expected Training results

· A clear understanding of peace, violence and conflict

· Increased understanding of different conflict analysis tools and the inter-relations between a conflict context and intervention strategies

· A better understanding of peacebuilding theories and the ones that apply to participants projects

· An improved awareness of the ‘Do No Harm Approach’

· Improved knowledge and skills of different conflict management strategies

· Appreciation of indigenous conflict resolution strategies

Main Facilitators:

Dr. George Kut

He has extensive experience in strengthening government and civil societies’ collaboration and dialogue through participatory training. He has designed and facilitated processes for conflict early warning and response systems, peacebuilding policy analysis and advocacy with governments including designing and conducting several researches and documentation for civil society organizations and UN agencies. He also offers technical support on conflict and gender sensitive programming. George Kut’s experience in training in multicultural contexts for over 20 years spans across Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. He has developed a number of courses and training materials on peacebuilding for civil society organizations, local community groups and UN agencies.

Dr. Kut has a PhD in International Studies and Social Sciences from Coventry University, U.K and is also a holder of MA degree in Peace and Reconciliation Studies from the same university

Babu Ayindo

For over two decades, Babu has been involved in the designing and facilitation of conflict transformation and peacebuilding processes and projects with various agencies in different parts of the world. Most of his work focuses on program design, implementation and management; evaluation of peace and social justice initiatives; teaching and training; facilitation of peace processes; building of healthy organizations; writing and experimenting with arts approaches to peacebuilding in diverse cultural contexts in Africa, North America and Asia.

In addition, he has taught in a number of peace institutes including: the Summer Peacebuilding Institute of Eastern Mennonite University, Virginia (USA); the Peace and Development Institute of the American University, Washington, DC; the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute, the Philippines; and, the Canadian School of Peacebuilding. In Africa, he is one of the main trainers for the Coalition For Peace in Africa (COPA).

Some of his publications include: co-authoring When You Are the Peacebuilder (published by United States Institute of Peace, 2001); “Arts Approaches to Peace: Playing Our Way to Transcendence”published in Barry Hart (ed) Peacebuilding in Traumatized Societies (University of America Press, Inc.,2008); “Trauma Awareness and Healing in the Somali Cluster: A Report on the Status of Achievements, Lessons and Outcomes” (published by Pact, 2010); Mpatanishi: A Handbook for Community Based Mediators (published in 2010 by PeaceNet Kenya); and, In Search of Healers (published by the Coalition of Peace in Africa in 2011).

Kindly request for the training prospectus and application form from copa@copafrica.org/martha@copafrica.org

Filled in application forms should be sent to COPA by email. All received applications will be acknowledged and if successful a corresponding letter of admission and other necessary documentations will be sent to the applicant. Please send your completed application to copa@copafrica.org/martha@copafrica.org