Executive Summary

The Point of View (POV) Process is a collaboration between the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and the War Prevention Initiative of the Jubitz Family Foundation, focusing on the role, capacities, and future trajectories of Rotary International’s organizational and individual Rotarians’ conflict prevention and resolution work globally, and the work to be undertaken by the Carter School during its next period of development.

At this initial Point of View meeting, the participants determined three areas for collaboration. The goal is to begin building the partnership between the Carter School and Rotary clubs in the Washington DC Metro Area, with a long-term intention of furthering partnerships with the entire Rotary network.

Three Working Groups

Education – a tangible, meaningful and impactful partnership with the Carter School would enhance and inform Rotary’s existing peace programs, utilizing direct and indirect education, and perhaps using art as a medium to discuss a wide range of peace and conflict related subjects among interested Rotarians. We hope to run such a pilot event before the next POV meeting in March 2023.

Community Initiative / Environmental Peacebuilding – As climate change has different regional effects on Rotary Districts, projects involving Rotarians and the entire Rotary Family would be developed by Carter School experts in this discipline, specific to Rotary District regions. The overall goal is to explore how such partnership in response to global threats such as climate change and water scarcity can be designed to scale up programmatic efforts by Rotary and the Carter School for broader and deeper impacts.

Violence as a Public Health Issue and Threat – Using the CureViolencemodel, Rotarians could be trained as “credible messengers,” engaging in conflict early warning and early response, working closely within their own communities to implement programs to change norms around violent behavior, always with a focus on violence prevention.

The second Point of View Process will take place on March 6 and 7, 2023.

Dear fellow peacebuilders,

From November 7 to 8, 2022, a group of academics, Rotarians, Rotary International Staff representatives, and Rotary Peace Fellows involved in and concerned about peace and conflict transformation accepted the invitation by the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and the War Prevention Initiative of the Jubitz Family Foundation to gather at the Point of View retreat center in Lorton, Virginia, to address the general theme of “Rotary and Conflict Prevention & Resolution: new horizons & new opportunities”.

TheHosts

We feel privileged that participants came from different parts of the country for the two-day gathering which was kicked off with an opening reception and powerful keynote remarks by Sara Haaghdosti, Executive Director of Win Without War. Weaving personal stories and global challenges into her remarks, Sara reminded us eloquently that the state of the world was not ok and that different forms of power were at play. That includes our own power and obligation to see the world for what it is and the moral obligation to be change agents. And while we want to make sure to ground our work in the realities around us and be informed by the field of peace and conflict studies, our objective for POV and beyond is clear: We want to change the world to one that is more just and peaceful. That’s in the mission of the Carter School and the War Prevention Initiative alike.

The JimmyandRosalynnCarterSchoolfor Peace and Conflict Resolution is a communityoffaculty,students,staff,alumni, and partners with a fundamental commitment tobuildingpeace. 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,andglobalstages.

The mission of the Jubitz Family Foundation is to enhance the communities inwhichwelivebystrengtheningfamilies,by respecting the natural environment, and by fostering peace. Its War Prevention Initiative focusesontransformingtheglobal securityparadigmtopromotealternativesto violence and militarism. They research, advocate for, and advance knowledge on proven peacebuilding practices to create a worldbeyondwar.

The skilled and people-centered facilitation by Prof. Susan Allen, kept the meeting dynamic and flowing. A series of catalyzing remarks, set the tone for various group conversations: The state of the conflict resolution field and the areas that need more or different attention; the role of Rotary International and Rotary Clubs in collaboration with the Carter School and the most relevant approaches for the current era of peace work; meaningful engagement for peace and the lessons learned from engaging Rotary International and Rotarians; networks for peace and how to engage the Carter School and Rotary strengths for impact; and on the critical role of intermediary level peace actors.

Together we identified three areas for further exploration through ad-hoc working groups. First, to focus on education efforts led by the Carter School to enhance and inform Rotary’s existing peace programs. Second, an environmental peacebuilding initiative responding to the climate crisis involving Rotarians and the entire Rotary family developed by Carter School experts. Third, examining violence prevention efforts involving Rotarians via the Cure Violence model which considers violence as a public health issue.

In an immediate next step, funded by David Fishman and Mari Clarke, the Carter School has just commissioned a study project to explore the scope and focus of a Rotary Program at the Carter School. The investigation will be undertaken by Ana Patel, Arthur Romano, and Michael Shank, and their report will be presented at the POV Rotary meeting in March 2023. The team has been asked to develop recommendations for specific project ideas and a way forward for a Carter School program initiative of 2-3 years in the short-to-medium term. For this process, the POV Rotary process participants, as well as a wide range of key representatives from Rotary, Carter School, and other possible stakeholder institutions, will be contacted for their input during this study. Your collaboration with the project team during this process will be critical in developing a comprehensive plan for a Carter School-Rotary partnership.

Throughout the facilitated discussions and during the breaks, the Point of View retreat center offered an inspiring backdrop to ponder the challenges as well as the opportunities and new horizons. We achieved a lot, but we have more work to do. We are grateful for everyone’s commitment to this process.

Patrick Hiller Executive Director, War Prevention Initiative

Alpaslan Özerdem Dean, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution