The Dual Impact of Local-Inclusive Peacebuilding Learning Pilgrimages
by Bryan Carey
In a hyper-diverse and globalized world that is rife with conflict and division, peacebuilding is a felt need in our families, communities, and wider society. Traditional approaches to conflict resolution often focused on political strategies and the most visible leaders, but there is a growing awareness that sustainable peace requires a more holistic approach that involves everyday people like you and me. One innovative approach that we are leaning into at Peace Catalyst International is the idea of a “peacebuilding learning pilgrimage” that includes active local participation. This transformative experience combines groups of foreign and local participants who learn from local peacebuilding practitioners about challenges and successes in their peace work. By including and valuing the voices of local participants, this approach empowers local populations in conflict-affected zones like Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH) while simultaneously creating a lasting impact on participants from foreign countries.
Empowering Local Populations: A Paradigm Shift
Peacebuilding learning pilgrimages that include local participation offer a paradigm shift by recognizing the valuable life experiences and insights of local populations. Peacebuilding programs in BiH, for example, are often limited to either (a) learning trips in which foreigners learn from local experts about all the past and present challenges that Bosnians face, or (b) Bosnian expert-led programs for local populations. These models unfortunately restrict local populations to the role of victim or program recipient. Instead of viewing Bosnians primarily as victims or recipients, learning trips that include local participants acknowledge the resilience, wisdom, and unique perspectives on conflict and the work of peacebuilding that local populations have gained through firsthand experience. By actively highlighting local peacebuilding practitioners and including and learning from local participants, peacebuilding learning pilgrimages support the voices and agency of local people as they take ownership of their own work towards a sustainable peace.
Participants from conflict-affected communities like BiH possess an intimate understanding of the complexities and nuances of conflict and healing. They are not primarily recipients of program interventions but active contributors who offer profound insights into root causes, local dynamics, and potential solutions. For example, during our Bosnian Catalyze pilgrimages, Bosnian participants are able to see through pretty words to get to the heart of local challenges and cultivate more honest conversations about the complexities involved in any work for change. By including local people as active participants, peacebuilding learning trips tap into a wealth of indigenous knowledge that often remains unacknowledged in traditional peacebuilding learning trips or local programs.
Creating a Lasting Impact on Foreign Participants
Equally important is the transformative impact that these peacebuilding learning pilgrimages have on participants from foreign countries. Experiencing conflict and its aftermath firsthand is a powerful way to challenge preconceived notions and stereotypes. By engaging with local populations and hearing their stories firsthand, and not just the insights of local experts, these local-inclusive peacebuilding learning trips connect us deeply with everyday people who are very similar to us. These personal relationships foster empathy, deepen understanding, and provide a more nuanced perspective on the complexities of conflict and healing. Importantly, it is also these personal relationships that drive home the similarities that we each face in our own home communities around the world.
Upon returning to their home countries, foreign participants are equipped with not only theoretical knowledge but also a profound emotional connection to issues related to conflict and peace work. This experience opens foreign participants up to deeper emotional connection and commitment related to similar challenges they face at home, moving them to become advocates for change, engage in activities and even influence policies that promote the work of conflict transformation towards a sustainable peace. Their pilgrimage experience becomes a catalyst to bring their newfound insights, knowledge, and capacity for empathy across differences to the divisions and everyday realities they face back at home.
A Mutual Exchange of Wisdom
Peacebuilding learning pilgrimages create the opportunity for a mutual exchange of wisdom. Local populations are valued for their insights and feel empowered to offer their perspectives and resources while learning from parallel challenges that foreign participants face. At the same time, foreign participants create space for empathy and connection as they share about similar challenges they face, all while learning from the resilience and strength of those living in conflict-affected areas. This two-way interaction fosters a sense of global connectedness, helping us recognize how the pursuit of peace is a collective endeavor.
Peacebuilding learning pilgrimages offer a dual impact that transcends traditional methods of learning trips or local programmatic interventions. By empowering local populations and enriching foreign participants, peacebuilding learning pilgrimages that include active local participation pave the way for a more inclusive, holistic, and decolonized approach to building a lasting peace.
