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Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice
University of San Diego

Women PeaceMakers Program

Fall 2004 Residency Session Period: September 25 - November 19

Made possible through a generous grant from the Fred J. Hansen Foundation, the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice's (IPJ) Women PeaceMakers Program invites up to four women from around the world who have been involved in human rights and peacemaking efforts and who are seeking ways to have greater impact in peacemaking efforts in their society to participate in an eight-week residency at the IPJ. Women on the frontline of efforts to end violence and secure a just peace seldom record their experiences, activities, and insights as generally there is no time, or, perhaps, no formal education that would help women record their stories. The Women PeaceMakers Program is a selective program for leaders who want to document, share, and build upon their unique peacemaking stories. Selected peacemakers will receive round-trip airfare, housing, and a small stipend to cover expenses for the eight-week residency in San Diego, California.

The residency program will require the selected candidates to give presentations at the IPJ and in the San Diego community, and to participate in documenting their stories through writing and videotaping their reflections. Women PeaceMakers will participate in dialogue groups and workshops to exchange ideas and approaches to peacemaking and justice, increasing their capacity to further prepare them to participate in conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts and in post-conflict decisions-making. The program will provide the Women PeaceMakers with an assistant writer and film assistant to document her story. Each peacemaker will receive a small stipend to cover expenses while in San Diego and living accommodations at the IPJ's Casa de la Paz will be provided.

The Program
The Women PeaceMakers Program involves learning, teaching, and taking the time to narrate an individual's unique story of peacemaking. Along with scheduled time when the woman peacemaker will work in small groups and/or one-on-one with her writing assistant, there will be programs in which she will share with others her experiences in her respective country and conflict setting. She will also develop new skills to take home from fellow peacemakers. Through better understanding of an individual's experience, the program is intended to build greater cross-cultural understanding, and to document the challenges and successes of women who have been involved in peacemaking efforts.

Those who are accepted into the Fall 2004 program will be expected to spend eight weeks at the Institute for Peace & Justice. Over that time, their experiences will include the following:
• Collaborating with an assistant writer and film assistant to document personal stories through writing, video, and audiotape;
• Sharing experiences of peacemaking and human rights advocacy with the IPJ community of students and faculty through small group discussions and "Conversations With" that are open to the general public;
• Participating in and lending expertise to the October 29 - 30 International Conference on Implementation of Women's Equal Participation in Conflict Prevention, Resolution, Transitional Justice and Post Conflict Peace-Building hosted by the Institute for Peace & Justice. More information on the conference will be available on April 15, 2004;
• Learning and networking through roundtable discussions, Women PeaceMakers will meet with local and national women leaders involved with human rights and peacemaking efforts as well as with other Women PeaceMakers in residence who may become resources to be called upon to serve in peacemaking and post-conflict planning processes internationally;
• Renewing personal commitments to the work, taking time to reflect in a safe and nurturing environment to promote new learning and an authentic exchange of ideas;
• Additional activities may include visiting local governmental and nongovernmental organizations, guest lectures, etc.

Program Cost & Fellowships
There is no cost for participation in the Women PeaceMakers Program. The program will provide fellowships to qualified applicants. This funding is to be used for:
• transportation;
• living expenses (other than housing, which is provided);
• program books and materials.
The Women PeaceMakers Program encourages applicants to seek supplemental funding from local sources, although the funding provided by the IPJ for those selected for the full eight weeks will be sufficient.

Lodging
Housing will be provided at the Casa de la Paz, "The House of Peace," on the campus of the Institute for Peace & Justice, University of San Diego. The Casa de la Paz is a private, four-unit residence, adjacent to the Institute for Peace & Justice that looks out over Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Invited Women PeaceMakers will have the opportunity to rest and reflect in this beautiful, peaceful, and supportive setting.

Deadline for Applications, Women PeaceMakers Program, Fall 2004: May 31, 2004

Qualifications
This is a program open to women who have been involved in either official or unofficial peace processes and who may be working at the grassroots, national, or international level. We will select women who have been active in "just" peace efforts, i.e., conflict resolution and civil society participation that is inclusive and honors human rights.
Applicants to the program should:
• have experience working directly in a peacemaking and/or human rights efforts (at a grassroots, national, or international level)
• speak sufficient English to relate personal experiences (written English is not necessary)
• be in a position to apply what is learned and/or to share with others at the conclusion of the residency program.

How to Apply
In order for your application to be considered, it must be post-marked on or before May 31, 2004 and received by June 4, 2004. Applicants under consideration will be notified by June 23, 2004; successful candidates will be notified by July 9, 2004.

All applications must include the following:

• In a maximum of eight pages explain your personal objectives and give an outline of your story. This should include:
  • An explanation of why you are interested in participating in the 2004 Women PeaceMakers Program. Incorporate your personal goals with your understanding of how this unique program can assist you. (no more than 3 pages)
  • A summary of your own peacemaking story. (no more than 2 pages);
  • A resume or curriculum vita or a listing of your peacemaking and work activities and your educational background. (no more than 3 pages).
  Note: You may substitute a video-tape (maximum of 10 minutes) in which you provide the information requested above.
• Two letters of recommendation. Referees' contact information should be provided in the 2004 Application Cover Form.
• *Completed and signed 2004 Women PeaceMakers Self-Assessment Health Form. (2 pages)
• *The completed and signed 2004 Application Cover Form. (2 pages)

* If sending the application via e-mail to slyford@sandiego.edu please fax a copy of the completed and signed Self-Assessment Health Form and the 2004 Application Cover Form. IMPORTANT: Your application will not be considered "complete" or reviewed until the signed health forms and cover application forms are received.

Please keep a photocopy of your completed application for your records.

We will not be able to send back any of the materials we receive.

Experiences during residency may include:
• Documenting and Publishing Stories of Women PeaceMakers.

It is important to document and make available the efforts of women who have worked in peacebuilding and human rights to share experiences and lessons learned. These documents and films (short videos, short documentaries) will encourage women of future generations to become more engaged by learning from the previous work of women engaged in creating a more just and peaceful society.

Each Woman PeaceMaker will work one-on-one with an assistant writer and film assistant to document her personal story and involvement in peace efforts. This will be in written form and also will include video recording and audio taping. PeaceMakers will spend the majority of their first month in residence working on the documentation of their story. The information will be published and archived by the IPJ.

Conversations With and Forums
Conversations With and Forums open to the public highlighting the work of resident peacemakers and visiting experts to explore the intersection of conflict and gender and the challenges facing women peacemakers. Specific topics may include:
• Role of women in peacebuilding;
• Involvement of women in official peacemaking processes;
• Gender-mainstreaming for civil society development;
• Developing support systems for women serving in leadership roles;
• Identification of post-conflict issues that require women's input and participation;
• Establishing unbiased legal or reconciliation processes;
• These conversations will be interactive and will be moderated by a member of the IPJ Staff.

Workshops in PeaceMaking
A workshop will be held during the course of residency to prepare women with greater skills they may use when they return to their countries and to enlarge the pool of women peacemakers who can be called on internationally. Invited guests will include people in local and national roles of leadership or advocacy. This workshop will be highly participatory and will use a presentation and discussion format. Themes may include:
• Working across society: building links with civil society, grassroots leaders, and political leaders;
• Training and facilitation: preparing to be a trainer in conflict resolution, human rights, and democratic processes;
• Creating documents, agreements, and articulating policies to be used in just peacemaking: assessing the interests of all stakeholders, noting gender impact of policies proposed, and building consensus for solutions to conflict and capacity-building programs;
• Leadership, policy formation, and decision-making related to UN Security Council Resolution1325: learning how to present, support, and encourage use of the resolution calling for women to be engaged in peace processes;
• Media: securing and focusing media attention on issues essential to peacemaking, and developing personal skills in writing and speaking Women PeaceMakers' Roundtable Discussions;
• Participants will meet regularly for discussions of their experiences. Through reflecting on her own practices and human rights work, each woman will give voice to her own view of peacemaking and help identify the themes that emerge from shared experiences. Together they will identify areas where more information or knowledge is needed to enable women to successfully collaborate in peace and gain access to peacemaking processes.

Facilitated dialogues will encourage participants to explore, articulate,, and document their own stories. Cultural, economic, and political factors shaping the lives of women who are engaged in work for a peaceful, responsible community will be noted and personal paths and recommendations recorded. The group discussion will be a source of support for each participant and a place to affirm the vision of a just peace through the work of women peacemakers.

Additional Activities
Participants will be encouraged to network with other women and men working in the field. These meetings may be organized for Women PeaceMakers Program participants to visit local or national women politicians and human rights advocates, resource centers for humanitarian action such as Survivors of Torture, media outlets, legal aid societies, and counseling centers for immigrant rights.

Mail Completed Application to: