Dominion Global Ambassadors Visit USIP

On April 23, 2012, USIP’s Global Peacebuilding Center hosted 60 students participating in the 2012 Youth Leadership Summit at Dominion High School in Sterling, Virginia. The summit was sponsored by the school’s student-run Global Ambassadors Club, which aims to reach out to young leaders from around the world and expand students’ global perspectives on important issues. Participants in the summit included students from Loudoun County, Virginia, as well as from China, Germany, Lebanon, Singapore, South Africa, and South Korea.

Students participating in the 2012 Youth Leadership Summit watch the “Witnesses to Peacebuilding” multimedia exhibit in the Global Peacebuilding Center at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

The students participated in an educational program at USIP, facilitated by senior program officer Jacqueline Wilson and senior manager for educational outreach David Smith. In the course of the workshop, the students had an opportunity to consider concepts of conflict and peacebuilding through activities and through multimedia exhibits –– the “Witnesses to Peacebuilding” video series and Peace Well.

Students at the summit came from the United States, China, Germany, Lebanon, Singapore, South Africa, and South Korea.

Students considered different interpretations of peace, discussed the importance of patience in solving conflicts, and explored the notion that conflict in itself is not necessarily bad; in fact, when it is managed, it can avoid violence and resolve problems.

Students engaged in an activity called “Peace/Not Peace,” where they considered the range of perspectives on what peace can mean in particular situations (drawn from our Peacebuilding Toolkit for Educators). One student reflected on the activity:

The “Peace/Not Peace” activity showed everyone…that actions and words can be interpreted differently. People always stress peace and its importance, but through this visit I gained a better appreciation for conflict: not all conflict is bad, and when managed well, conflict leads to meaningful change.