The need for this International Training Institute (ITI) training is apparent from the type of conflicts now developing throughout the world. While the era of large nation-to-nation wars has largely subsided, intra-country and inter-community conflicts play a major disruptive role in the lives of millions of people. Human societies and conflict zones such as Central and South America, in particular, are at a global tipping point in this time of armed and/or intense social conflicts related to the evolving identities of communities impacted by deep historical divisions and population migration. Many of these conflicts are occurring in the context of life threatening resource shortages. Global actors and organizations are increasingly confronted by the fact that effective responses at this point require skillful peace leaders from the half of the population most significantly impacted by armed conflict: women. UN Resolution 1325 calls for the increased participation of women at all levels of decision-making, in peace negotiations, and in mechanisms for the prevention, management and resolution of conflict. Studies find that only 8% of peace negotiators have been women in recent decades.
In Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Venezuela, there are extraordinarily courageous women committed to peace and conflict resolution work, but they frequently lack sufficient training to have impact on these local conflicts. This Vocational Training Team-Global Grant project is designed to implement an International Training Institute (ITI) to support and prepare women in Central and South America to thrive as leaders in peace-building and to increase the capacity of Rotary in the City of Bogota (and partnering clubs around the world) to develop and expand their peace-building work. This is a unique multi-country Vocational Training Team in that it supports both the provision by experts and the receiving of training by peace workers, and is a cooperative effort by Rotary Club Bogota Capital District 4281 and Rotary Club Latinos Unidos 5280 and Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI). Traveling, training and support will enable at least 25 women, and men who are allies in advancing women's inclusion, to complete five days of conflict skills and community leadership training. Trainees will both offer their expertise and deepen it through exposure to a range of intermediate-level conflict disciplines. Trainees will plan conflict management, conflict transformation, and peace-building projects for their home locations, and MBBI technical experts will provide six months of sustained consultation and mentoring toward the implementation of those projects. The mentoring will support the women in forming and sustaining a professional community of practice across the region, and they will have additional collegial support and resources through connections to previous ITI cohorts centered in the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia.
The ITI training and program development will be provided by Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI), a Rotary cooperating organization and Strategic Partner of the Rotary Action Group for Peace. MBBI is a highly regarded, volunteer driven, no-for-profit, organization, established in 2006. MBBI designs and implements multi-year programs that amplify local voices, transform conflict, and build skills for a peaceful society in many countries around the world. Through their multi-disciplinary, highly experienced practitioners, they address how peace intersects with the economy, the environment, health, and education. The engine of this ten-year-old organization is its 300+ highly trained global network of local volunteer mediators and peace-builders in North and South America, Europe, Asia, the Pacific and Africa. By local invitation, MBBI's teams jointly design and implement projects with local partners to increase local abilities to heal from severe conflict, reconcile torn communities; and prevent, manage, and transform conflict. This is a critical path to sustainable peace in the future. MBBI was the recipient of the JAMS Foundation Warren Knight Award in 2014, and the ACR award is supported by individual donors, grants from foundations and funders such as the United States Institute for Peace.
Since 2011, MBBI has successfully organized International Training Institutes (ITI) focused on building the capacity of women to do peace-building work in conflict affected regions. The first International cohort training, was held in two stages: Istanbul in 2013 and Belfast in 2014, and trained Middle Eastern and North African women leaders. The second ITI, held in Bucharest in 2015 and Jakarta in July 2016, trained women leaders from South East Asia. The Jakarta ITI supported by a Global Grant involving 3 Districts, 8 Clubs and RI Inter-Country Committees was highly rated in a thorough evaluation. The plan is to hold a similar ITI, supported by a Rotary Global Grant, in Bogota, Colombia in March 2017 and January 2018 (date projected)
The Project has four key elements and objectives:
1) A five-day introductory training for a cohort of women peace builders from 6 countries in Central and South America (25 to 30 trainees). The Bogota training is based on a training model called the International Training Institute (ITI) launched by MBBI in 2012 with the goal of developing a global network of women peace leaders. This VTT cohort is focused on the development of the capacities of women as mediators and peace-builders in countries where unresolved traumas of factional violence as well as land, interethnic, and international conflicts present recurrent obstacles to the personal and economic wellbeing of individuals, organizations, communities and governments, (at least 80% will report improved skills)
2) After completing the training (and between beginning and advanced session) the participants will be coached on a monthly basis for a period of six months, in order to support them in leading conflict transformation processes in their countries, contribute to peace negotiations, reduce inter- community conflict, and develop action plans for future peace building work. After this coaching period, participants will be re-selected to attend an advanced training, (at least 80% will report improved success in field work projects as a result of the coaching period)
3) A five-day advanced training in January, 2018 (at least 80% of trainees will return for advanced trainging) and
4) Access to an international network of ITI participants from different regions of the world to create an international working group sharing lessons learned and best-practices in order to increase the on-going impact and success of the group members' projects. (at least 75% of trainees will take part in this working group)
The direct beneficiaries are: (A) 25-30 women peace-builders from the region of South America, (B) through sustainable partnerships developed in their home countries, the participants/trainee will impact in the year after the ITI several thousand people in these communities, who will be exposed to alternative methods of responding to conflict, (C) Additionally, an international network is being established to connect ITI participants from different regions to create an international working group sharing lessons learned and best-practices in order to increase the on-going impact and success of the group members' projects. As of now, this network will comprise about 60 former ITI participants. 4) through working with Rotary and getting to know Rotarians, participants will develop relationships that may result in future collaborations and peace projects with their local Rotary club.
For this training, a call for applications will be published through regional announcements and online channels, as well as, MBBI partners in Central and South America. The potential participants will complete an application form asking detailed questions about their current work, their motivation as well as the impact they will likely be able to have in their community after completion of the training. The application form and personal interviews conducted by the MBBI Team of Trainers will be used to identify suitable participants as part of the final selection methodology. This method successfully used in two previous ITI cohorts has resulted in high quality, passionate trainee/participants. In addition to that, Rotary members from Clubs situated in in these 6 South American countries, will be invited to apply and to contribute to the sustainable goals of the Bogota training. They will also have to go through a similar selection process as the participants with the difference that the application form contains Rotary-specific questions (and will not be funded by this grant).
The projected outcomes as measured by detailed questionnaires and reports from post training leadership team coaches supplied by MBBI include: a) increased peacebuilding skills and activities of the trainee cohort and increased connection with Rotary in their home countries b) increased understanding and skills related to conflict resolution/prevention by participants used in their fieldwork invited c) through the work of trainees between sessions and post completion of the training, there will be an increased community awareness of alternative ways to address conflict within the family and community and of Rotary's peace building efforts. It is anticipated that this VT to the project will enhance the work of the peace building trainees with increased skill level and will result in reduced conflict in their home communities and potentially less violence and death related to conflict.
The participants will complete pre- and post-training surveys to assess content acquisition, perceptions of personal and community capacities, individual project goals, and desires for additional training or support in their roles as mediators and peace builders. Comparison and analysis of these surveys will be used to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the two five-day trainings and to provide a foundation for individual post-training consultation objectives. Proceeds of this analysis will be documented in individual trainee records, monitoring and evaluation records, and project reports. Successful achievement of this goal will be confirmed by 1) completion of both five days of ITI, 2) receipt of completed pre- and post-training evaluation surveys by the close of the ITI, and 3) a draft of the post-training evaluation analysis completed and documented. Collecting information for the Training Cohort of 25 - 30 will be the responsibility of Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI) with assistance of the Rotary Club Bogota Capital. Summary of this evaluation will be submitted as part of the final report to the Rotary foundation.
The cost of this project is approximately $92,000. contributed by multiple Rotary Clubs and Districts, which will also increase their understanding in and involvement in P&CR/P. These Districts and Clubs will be provided with copies of training materials from this project for their own use.
Completed
This project is "Completed". This means the project has been implemented and the report was accepted by The Rotary Foundation. The project will stay listed on this website as a testimony of the achievements of the project partners.
Project listed for the 2016-17 Rotary Year.
The TRF Grant application number is #17457.
Proposed Financing
Existing Contributions Towards This Project
Date
Cash
DDF
Total
Bogotá Capital (4281)
20-Nov-16
$100
$0
$100
District 5280 DDF
20-Nov-16
-
$20,000
$20,000
La Jolla Golden Triangle (5340)
13-Dec-16
$3,000
$0
$3,000
Culver City (5280)
27-Jan-17
$1,050
$0
$1,050
Latinos Unidos de Culver City (5280)
27-Jan-17
$1,000
$0
$1,000
Los Angeles Colombo Americano (5280)
27-Jan-17
$1,000
$0
$1,000
Westwood Village (Los Angeles) (5280)
27-Jan-17
$1,500
$0
$1,500
Rio Hondo-Vernon (5280)
27-Jan-17
$500
$0
$500
Berkeley (5160)
27-Jan-17
$1,000
$0
$1,000
Newbury Park (5240)
27-Jan-17
$1,000
$0
$1,000
Lake Forest Park (5030)
27-Jan-17
$500
$0
$500
Redondo Beach (5280)
27-Jan-17
$2,000
$0
$2,000
Los Angeles (5280)
27-Jan-17
$1,500
$0
$1,500
Emmaus (7430)
27-Jan-17
$1,000
$0
$1,000
District 7070 DDF
27-Jan-17
-
$5,000
$5,000
District 4760 DDF
27-Jan-17
-
$5,000
$5,000
District 5030 DDF
27-Jan-17
-
$1,500
$1,500
District 4281 DDF
27-Jan-17
-
$1,000
$1,000
Hawthorne/LAX/Lennox (5280)
27-Jan-17
$500
$0
$500
District 5520 DDF
25-Feb-17
-
$2,000
$2,000
Marfa (5520)
25-Feb-17
$1,000
$0
$1,000
Taos-Milagro (5520)
25-Feb-17
$1,000
$0
$1,000
Bogotá Centenario (4281)
25-Feb-17
$100
$0
$100
Ikeja (9110)
25-Feb-17
$500
$0
$500
Amount Requested from The Rotary Foundation
$9,125
$34,500
$43,625
Total
$96,375
Note: as of July 1, 2015 there is a 5% additional support fee for cash contributions. This fee does not appear in the financials above because it does not apply if the funds are sent directly to the project account (without going through TRF, and therefore without Paul Harris credit). Clubs sending their cash contribution to TRF must be aware they will have to send an additional 5%.
