Press Release

The Carter School Partners with Rotary to Scale Up Peacebuilding

a2c8605a-8799-4c95-a603-7f6cea1bd9ff (Paul Snodgrass) — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 21:36:36 +0000

The Carter School Partners with Rotary to Scale Up Peacebuilding a2c8605a-8799-… Mon, 02/19/2024 - 16:36

Dean Özerdem at the signing with John Hewko, CEO of Rotary International, Sarah Crawford, Director of Programs and Grants at Rotary International, and Dr. Charles Davidson of the Carter School.

The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School at George Mason University, the top-ranked national public institution for peace and conflict resolution, has partnered with Rotary International, one of the largest global membership service organizations, to provide education and develop modalities to assist Rotary clubs in promoting local, regional, and global peace.

For nearly a year, Carter School faculty have met with Rotary to identify areas in which their missions overlap and where each organization may benefit from the expertise of the other.

Through this partnership, the Carter School and Rotary will incubate new peacebuilding ideas and accelerate existing ideas to make them more effective. The Carter School will also assist in developing replicable modalities of peacebuilding – peacebuilding action “templates” that can be duplicated and applied to address the needs of different conflicts.

“This critical partnership will open many opportunities for both organizations as they can build on each other’s strengths and expertise in peacebuilding,” said Alpaslan Özerdem, dean of the Carter School. “We have taken our time in forming this partnership as we wanted to ensure that it is a bottom-up process and incorporated a vast body of viewpoints in shaping how it would be transformational with its impact on peace. We are ready to scale up our efforts to build more peaceful societies worldwide. Knowing that we will take this transformational journey with an organization like Rotary fills me with confidence, excitement, and hope.”

Additionally, the Carter School will tap into its Better Evidence Project (BEP) expertise, which hosts an online depository of peacebuilding research and applied successes. Under this partnership, Rotary’s peacebuilding efforts will be integrated into the BEP database, making their organization’s work accessible to other peacebuilders. Plans include an online forum, tying Rotary into a global community of researchers and practitioners where peacebuilders can strategize and discuss their work.

Dean Ozerdem at the signing with Gordon McInally, President of Rotary International.

Taking advantage of its expert faculty, the Carter School will provide educational strategies to equip Rotary members and their leaders to be more effective peacebuilding practitioners. In addition to seminars, the Carter School will host several “Peace Salons,” intimate gatherings to raise awareness and build networks with Rotary members in peacebuilding practice. In Fall 2024, Rotary and the Carter School will host the first Peacebuilding Praxis Conference, illustrating the nexus of theory and practice.

“Creating peaceful, welcoming, and inclusive societies is at the heart of what Rotary is about,” said Rotary International President Gordon McInally. “We’ve made peacebuilding the cornerstone of our global mission with everything we do, from fighting disease to supporting education, building toward the optimal conditions for more peaceful and resilient societies. But we can’t do this alone. Through our partnership with the George Mason University’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, we will help empower, educate, and increase the capacity of our members and participants to become even more effective catalysts for peace.”

Charles Davidson, a Carter School professor specializing in local peacebuilding and partnerships between international and local constituents, will facilitate connections between Rotary members and faculty with expertise in a geo region or peacebuilding specialty. “With the global reach of Rotary and the world-renown expertise of the Carter School, I believe this collaboration will innovate peacebuilding efforts at both the local and global levels with specific but far-reaching impact and education,” Davidson said.

About the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

George Mason University’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution is a community of faculty, students, staff, alumni, and partners with a fundamental commitment to building peace. Through the development of cutting-edge theory, research, education, and practical work, we seek to identify and address the underlying causes of conflict and provide tools for ethical and just peacebuilding on the local, national, and global stages. For more information, visit https://carterschool.gmu.edu.

About George Mason University

George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls more than 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2023, the university launched Mason Now: Power the Possible, a one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and stewardship. Learn more at gmu.edu.

About Rotary International

Rotary unites a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges and creating lasting change. Rotary connects 1.4 million people of action from more than 46,000 Rotary clubs in almost every country in the world. Their service improves lives both locally and internationally, from helping those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit Rotary.org.

In This Story

Alpaslan Özerdem

Charles Davidson

Topics

Peacebuilding

Better Evidence Project

Rotary International

Rotary Carter School Collaboration

Press Release

Press Releases

Carter Summer Symposium: Hot Topics and Chill Skills for Students

a2c8605a-8799-4c95-a603-7f6cea1bd9ff (Paul Snodgrass) — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 14:03:17 +0000

Carter Summer Symposium: Hot Topics and Chill Skills for Students a2c8605a-8799-… Mon, 08/21/2023 - 10:03

Carter Summer Symposium: Hot Topics and Chill Skills for Students

High School Students Learn Valuable Skills at the Carter School’s Conflict Resolution Youth Summit

During July 17-20^th, 36 passionate students could be found on George Mason University’s campus, facing some of today’s toughest challenges and buzzing with potential solutions. While the field of Conflict Resolution may not be known to all, these students took advantage of an opportunity to engage in discussions over topics like minority issues, climate change, guns in society, immigration, and discrimination.

Launched in 2017, the Conflict Resolution Youth Summit (CRYS) is a four-day learning experience for 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th grade students on the George Mason campus in Fairfax, Virginia. This year, the 36 attendees represented 21 different high schools – most from northern Virginia – as well as students from Florida, Michigan, Nevada, Utah, and Kazakhstan.

Developed and run by the undergraduate program at The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, CRYS helps students explore topics related to global conflict, peacebuilding, and collaborative leadership through engaging activities, lectures, and team-building exercises. Many of the core conflict resolution skills taught to students are taken from the undergraduate curriculum. The theme for this year’s summit was “The Intersection between Technology and Conflict.”

As part of this year’s theme, attendees completed short video podcasts that facilitated group dialogues over current topics of importance to them, including minority issues, climate change, guns in society, immigration, and discrimination. Attendees also participated in discussions with Carter School faculty and other skill-building workshops.

One participant noted, “It was an amazing experience to learn about how people use conflict resolution to overcome challenges, especially how people within the field of peace use conflict resolution to de-escalate tension. I also enjoyed discussing and debating with other participants that have different worldviews and upbringings. This broadened my perception on global conflicts. My experience at the Conflict Resolution Summit was wonderful and inspired me to research more about Conflict Resolution.”

Alpaslan Ozerdem, Dean of the Carter School, proudly added, “The Carter School’s Youth Summit is all about conflict resolution skills which are universal and necessary in all aspects of life from family and the classroom to international relations. We believe that the unique nature of this program will also help attendees stand out in their college applications and shine like the North Star amongst their peers.”

Another student summed-up their CRYS experience by saying “The Conflict Resolution Youth Summit was so fun and a cool way to talk about the latest world problems.”

For more information about CRYS, please visit https://carterschool.gmu.edu/prospective-students/conflict-resolution-youth-summit

About the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution:

In This Story

Alpaslan Özerdem

Topics

Youth

Conflict Resolution

Press Release

Helping Teachers Develop Student Conflict Resolution Skills

a2c8605a-8799-4c95-a603-7f6cea1bd9ff (Paul Snodgrass) — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 15:46:16 +0000

Helping Teachers Develop Student Conflict Resolution Skills a2c8605a-8799-… Thu, 08/10/2023 - 11:46

For Immediate Release:

Helping Teachers Develop Student Conflict Resolution Skills

The Carter School at George Mason University Launches Conflict Resolution Resource Hub for Teachers

The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution has launched a new website: “Conflict Resolution Resource Hub for Teachers” (https://teach.conflictresolution.gmu.edu). Designed for high school teachers, this site provides free resources and activities to help teachers include non-partisan conflict analysis and resolution tools into their lessons regarding historical and contemporary real-world problems.

The creation of pertinent activities and lesson plans that will resonate with and engage students can be a challenge for busy teachers. The Conflict Resolution Resource Hub was built to help ease this burden. The hub soft-launched on August 4^th with a selection of teacher tools, including analytical exercises, lesson plans, team-building exercises, and case studies/simulations with plans to add additional material in the future. Sample activities available at launch include Understanding Propaganda and Nationalism in WWII, an Israeli-Palestinian Facilitated Dialogue Simulation, and skill development, such as active listening, negotiation, and interviewing.

According to Jane Walker, Director of Student Services at the Carter School, and a former high school social studies teacher and driving force behind the development of the resource hub, “The Carter School has resources to help teachers give students the tools they will need as next-gen citizens who can collaborate to build solutions together. Our mission is to equip teachers with high-quality materials that foster the development of critical thinking, creative problem solving, civic engagement, communication, and perspective taking."

Carter School Dean Alpaslan Ozerdem added, “For a more peaceful society both at home and in the world, we need to teach our students how to resolve their disputes peacefully. With the Carter School’s Conflict Resolution Resource Hub for Teachers, we provide tools and materials to teachers who lift the heavy weight of this important responsibility for all of us, and we are so proud of working with our nation’s amazing teachers.”

For more information about the Conflict Resolution Resource Hub for Teachers and the free resources available, please visit https://teach.conflictresolution.gmu.edu.

About the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution:

Visit the new site:

Teach: Building Bridges, Cultivating Skills, Developing Next Gen Citizens

In This Story

Jane Walker

Alpaslan Özerdem

Topics

Education

Conflict Resolution

Press Release

Supporting Restorative Justice in Arlington County and the City of Falls Church

a2c8605a-8799-4c95-a603-7f6cea1bd9ff (Paul Snodgrass) — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 00:15:41 +0000

Supporting Restorative Justice in Arlington County and the City of Falls Church a2c8605a-8799-… Thu, 07/13/2023 - 20:15

For Immediate Release:

The Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and Restorative Arlington Sign Affiliation Agreement to Support Restorative Justice in Arlington County and the City of Falls Church

The Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University and Restorative Arlington, a local 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides restorative justice services to the schools, legal system, and communities of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church, have signed an affiliation agreement that would facilitate collaboration between the two organizations and further cement the Carter School’s profile as a key resource in alternative dispute resolution in the DMV.

Similar to the agreement that the Carter School currently enjoys with Northern Virginia Mediation Services, this agreement will facilitate easier and increased applications for funding, expand internships and volunteer work, particularly with the Carter School’s Transitioning Justice Lab, and provide additional opportunities for collaboration on outreach and events.

Carter School students, faculty, staff, and alumni, led by Dr. Susan Hirsch, have been working with Restorative Arlington, a community-based, equity-focused organization, since their grassroots inception in late 2019. In May 2020, Carter School Dean Alpaslan Özerdem and the Arlington County manager Mark Schwartz signed a Letter of Intent between Carter School and Restorative Arlington to collaborate on research, internships, events and programming, and training. In May of 2022, the Carter School Faculty Board approved the plan to create an MOU setting out terms for an affiliation agreement with Restorative Arlington.

According to Carter School Dean Özerdem, “Restorative justice is one of the most effective ways of building sustainable peace and enable opportunities for reconciliation. It is through restorative justice that divided communities are empowered to become active agents of removing the barriers of the past and thinking about the future collectively. Therefore, we are immensely proud of our partnership with Restorative Arlington, and what our collaboration accomplishes with the communities of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church.”

Past collaborative projects include four Master’s courses focused on supporting Restorative Arlington activities; multiple training sessions in restorative approaches for the Restorative Arlington community as well as Carter School faculty, students, and alumni; several joint funding applications; and internships and volunteer work by members of Carter School’s Transitioning Justice Lab.

Kimiko Lighty, RA’s Executive Director, shared “Restorative Arlington feels honored and joyful to formalize our ongoing partnership with George Mason University’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. We are excited to be part of the GMU family and to work and learn closely with alumni, faculty, staff, and students.”

About the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution:

About Restorative Arlington:

Restorative Arlington is a grassroots, community-based 501c3 non-profit dedicated to bringing restorative justice practices to Arlington County’s legal system, schools, and the community. We envision an equitable, empathetic community that honors the dignity and humanity of all people

and creates pathways for belonging, healing, accountability, and growth. Our goal is to build a stronger sense of safety, belonging and connection through restorative habits and practices so that we all live better, together. Learn how you can become part of the solution at https://www.restorativearlington.org/.

In This Story

Alpaslan Özerdem

Susan F. Hirsch

Topics