Many of us envisioned 2022 to be a year of rebuilding and growth. After two years of disruptions from the pandemic, we were filled with optimism for a new start. However, earlier this year, those feelings were shattered when war broke out in Europe.
Furthermore, as the war in Ukraine continues, the effects of the pandemic are still lingering. There are persistent mental health needs among adults and children, economic shocks across the world, and greater division among communities and neighbors.
This is where you come in.
Together, we can create change when we commit to building peaceful and just societies. We can start by respecting others, practicing inclusion, and promoting education for all.
Here at the Kroc School, we are thoughtfully building the next generation of peacebuilders. The foundation of these future leaders is grounded in empathetic listening, innovative teaching, and rigorous analysis on the root causes of violence and oppression.
In addition, the Kroc School is focused on uplifting peacebuilders in their own communities through programs like Women PeaceMakers and Kroc IPJ's Border Fellows program. Our Kroc Border Fellows program includes eight individuals from Tijuana who are already tackling problems in their neighborhoods. Together, like our Women PeaceMakers, they come together as a cohort to discuss the problems they are trying to solve – from preventing violence towards migrants to building greater educational opportunities for women – all while receiving guidance and resources from the Kroc School.
On this International Day of Peace, we ask you to join us in our coalition of peacebuilders by donating to the Kroc School. You can designate your support towards a specific program or to our general fund. Every sized gift makes a tremendous difference in building a better tomorrow.
About the Author
The Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (Kroc IPJ) launched in 2001 with a vision of active peacebuilding. In 2007, the Kroc IPJ became part of the newly established Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, a global hub for peacebuilding and social innovation. The core of the Kroc IPJ mission is to co-create learning with peacemakers — learning that is deeply grounded in the lived experience of peacemakers around the world, that is made rigorous by our place within a university ecosystem and that is immediately and practically applied by peacemakers to end cycles of violence.