Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute

1. Grassroots PeaceLearning Center MindanaoPeacebuilding Institute &

2. OVERVIEW OF THE INITIATIVES • MINDANAO PEACEBUILDING INSTITUTE • Partnership between CRS, MCC and CAFOD that has brought together more than 850 peacebuilders and practitioners from 35 countries for the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute, annual intensive peacebuilding training event since 2000 • Seeks to educate and empower communities, institutions and individuals as catalysts for social transformation, to realize the vision of peaceful and just communities in the Asia Pacific, by bringing together a wide range of locals (70%) and internationals with experience, knowledge and skills in peace related work • Draws on the shared knowledge of both participants and facilitators (who are local and international practitioners and theorists) during the Institute (2 weeks of classes and 1 week field exposure) • Scholarships and follow-up program for for selected peacebuilders

3. OVERVIEW OF THE INITIATIVES • GRASSROOTS PEACE LEARNING RESOURCE CENTER • Provides peacebuilding curriculum integrating intensive training sessions (10 modules) in the local languages, technical assistance, and facilitation of more effective networking • Seeks to enhance the capacity of grassroots peacebuilders and building the Mindanao peace constituency • 200+ participants from 50 organizations have finished the modules and graduates have organized technical support network • Graduates have applied learnings by acting as community mediators, animators, facilitators and by supporting peace initiatives and informal peace processes

4. Lessons Learned • Maximizing peace training programs not just as learning space but more importantly as social and integrating space for encounter and eventually relationship building among groups • Peace education and training can go beyond increasing skills and knowledge – it can be harnessed as a peace constituency building mechanism/platform (potentials of creating formal and informal networks) – and mechanism for peace advocacy • Training processes for communities can be maximized as venues for framing theories, documenting lessons, etc. – linking practices/experiences with theories

5. Lessons Learned • The importance of integrating symbolic rituals in the training processes to build on the overall COP vision in Mindanao – • Peace training programs for communities need a clear/strong follow-up component to ensure learnings translate to improve peace praxis in the areas (defining clear impact in the communities) - GPLC and MPI scholarship program - Re-entry process - Research and documentation -Readiness of training programs to expand (spin-off initiatives) 

6. Lessons Learned • Integrating values and vision in the management process or structure • Maximizing various ways of learnings not just learning of participants but also of staff, facilitators, advisers, documenters (capacity building of facilitators – team-teaching of local and international, facilitators and facilitator interns, youth as documenters, staff –provide opportunity for them to experience a peacebuilding training, encourage them to consider peacebuilding as a career. • Peace training programs should be grounded on clear peacebuilding program initiatives especially among the organizers/ the importance of a working area