Community, inspiration, expertise - these are just a few of the words the 2023-2024 Women PeaceMaker Fellows Kay Soe, Shadi Rouhshahbaz, and Sveto Muhammad Ishoq used to describe their Fellowship experience.
Each year, the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (Kroc IPJ) selects changemakers from around the world to participate in the Women PeaceMakers Fellowship, which was established in 2002. The Fellowship aims to offer community, networking opportunities, and professional support to these changemakers while they produce innovative peacebuilding research.
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Left to right: Kay Soe, Shadi Rouhshahbaz, and Sveto Muhammad Ishoq
As part of the year-long Fellowship, the Women PeaceMakers spent two weeks in residency at the University of San Diego to connect with the Kroc School community and engage in learning labs in preparation for their research project.
This year’s cohort studied the strategies and tools used by women peacebuilders living in the diaspora who are working to influence change in their country of origin. The cohort’s research report is expected to be released in December 2024.
We asked Kay, Shadi, and Sveto about their Women PeaceMakers Fellowship experience, and here’s what they had to say.
The Women PeaceMakers receiving gifts from Kroc School students
What was your favorite experience from your time in San Diego?
Kay: The opportunity to connect with fellow peacebuilders in person and create bonds through shared values, lived experiences, and a similar vision of the world was special. I believe these connections will extend far beyond this program. The warmth and genuine interest shown by the people at the Kroc School, their enthusiasm in learning about our work, and the stimulating conversations we had about the lives of diaspora and political change were fulfilling. One of my favorite experiences was presenting to the broader student body, sparking debates and exchanging views that stemmed from our diverse worldviews.
Shadi: My favorite experience from my time in San Diego was meeting my special fellow Women PeaceMakers, students, staff, and the community, including our exceptional public speaking coach. I truly enjoyed interactions with the Kroc School students over delicious meals, recording our podcast episode, and delivering a short but intensive roundtable lunch. Our fantastic Women, Peace and Security Program Officer, Briana Mawby, was such a star and her team went out of their way to make sure that every single possible thing was aligned for us. The day we had our public event, I went in expecting the worst but came out of the evening feeling like we had cultivated a sense of community and inspiration in San Diego. Of course, on the side of the Fellowship, I found the opportunity to go to San Diego Zoo and see some baby capybaras as well as visit the Comic-Con Museum.
Sveto: Every aspect of the residency program was exceptionally well organized, and each part was important. However, my favorite experience was meeting the other Fellows in person and connecting with the faculty and staff. This in-person interaction set a positive tone for the rest of the year, as it allowed us to build friendships and collaborate more effectively. The instant connection I felt with the Fellows was incredible, and I'm confident that these relationships will develop into lifelong friendships.
The Women PeaceMakers with members of the Kroc School community
What was your favorite element from the Fellowship as a whole?
Kay: The research component brought together a diverse group of individuals to collaboratively address our research question and produce insights together. The fieldwork allowed me to build connections and form a network of people committed to collective action, supporting each other—among the Fellows, international partners, and research participants, expanding my reach within the broader diaspora of my own community. We shared our challenges, learned from one another, and engaged in healthy debates, consciously avoiding the creation of an echo chamber. Yet we came to similar conclusions that many of the challenges are systemic. The support of my family made me realize that even a one-year Fellowship requires time away from and understanding from loved ones. This experience also gave me the opportunity to explain to my children what it means to be a peacebuilder and how everyone can contribute in their own way to creating a kinder world.
Shadi: The residency created a bond between me, the other Fellows, and the staff that I find truly unique and special. Building human connections shaped by shared experiences and shared collective trauma has been very helpful and eye-opening to me. These bonds were so powerful that I felt supported even online in very turbulent times after the residency and in the politically challenging period during which I was doing my data collection. I did not feel like my background, lived experience, and the desire to share my personal experiences and perspectives was getting lost behind agendas and frameworks – and most importantly, it felt like I have a sisterhood with whom I can continue to do my work.
Sveto: One of the highlights of the Fellowship program was the in-person residency at the University of San Diego. I particularly enjoyed speaking with students and having the opportunity to share real-world peacebuilding experiences with them. I believe it’s crucial for students to understand how peacebuilding works on the ground and its impact on people's lives as they study different theories. Connecting theory with real-world examples is essential, and I was able to share insights on the women's rights situation in Afghanistan with them.
The Women PeaceMakers and Kroc IPJ staff at La Jolla Shores
How has being in this Fellowship impacted your peacebuilding work?
Kay: This Fellowship has strengthened my transnational peacebuilding network through working with fellow peacebuilders and colleagues at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. This Fellowship contributed to the body of literature where the experiences of women in the diaspora are often underrepresented. By documenting a historically underrepresented case study and demographic, I take great pride in this Fellowship. It has also deepened my appreciation that everyone is a potential peace broker with the capacity to promote peace in diverse ways. It does not have to be Track I, Track II segregation, broadening the concept of peacebuilding to beyond the official negotiation table is what really impacted my work. Peacebuilding is not a linear process, and this Fellowship has reinforced the importance of recognizing the various forms through which peace can be achieved.
Shadi: This Fellowship brought together two crucial elements of doing peacebuilding work: solidarity and expertise. I found a community who had my back for a whole year - and many more to come hopefully - regardless of our differences and distances. It also brought me courage and space to build on my future vision for my country and my research experience. As a researcher, I feel more confident and driven to continue my research. As a feminist futurist, I feel more confident to be able to source funding to set up an academy of action research and foresight for Iranian women changemakers in the upcoming year.
Sveto: The Fellowship has provided me with a fresh perspective. I gained insights into the status quo in Burma and Iran, and I learned a great deal from the other Fellows. This broadened my understanding of peacebuilding. Hearing about the changes peacebuilders are working towards around the world was inspiring and left me motivated and energized to do more in this field.
