Peacebuilding from home – a step by step guide to building peace from the comfort of your own home
As a peacebuilding organisation that builds on togetherness, communication, and collaboration we know all about the struggle of working from home right now. Practising peacebuilding from home and staying engaged and motivated during this stressful time can be difficult, but we are all in this together. So instead of working on the launch of several activities and events right now (don’t worry, not canceled just postponed!), we will over the next weeks provide you with tips and tricks on how to continue your peacebuilding efforts from your bedroom, kitchen table, or wherever you are social-distancing right now.
You might not be attending any trainings or networking events right now so connecting with like-minded people is difficult (but not impossible, but more on that later!)… But with a lot of time on your hands, and access to the internet you can use these weeks to build your capacities and educate yourself on topics that are important to you. We put together a list of activities and resources that can inspire you, motivate you to actively engage, and boost your peacebuilding skills.
Quarantine “youth peacebuilding” reading list
During times of social distancing, many of us find ourselves with extra time on our hands. Why not use this time to learn more about peacebuilding practices and dive deeper into the youth, peace, and security agenda? Whether you are new to the field and want to get first insights into the practice, or whether you want to deepen your knowledge, here is our go-to list of collected resources and reading materials.
Take free online courses
Online courses are a more challenging but also effective way to learn something new or deepen your knowledge on a specific topic. You can find a great selection of (free) courses offered by renowned institutions from all over the world on platforms like coursera or edx. To make the choice a little easier for you, here is a list of courses that are self-paced and/or about to start:
- Global Diplomacy – Diplomacy in the modern world (self-paced, ca. 9 hours to complete)
- Human rights for open societies (self-paced, ca. 17 hours to complete)
- The changing global order (self-paced, ca. 18 hours to complete)
- Environmental Security and Sustaining Peace (2-4 hours per week, 8 week)
- Ethics in Action (2-4 hours per week, 10 weeks)
- Restorative Justice and Practice: Emergence of a Social Movement – (2-5 hours per week, 6 weeks)
Participate in interactive courses
Although a lot of trainings and workshops are canceled or postponed right now, you can still develop your capacities further by participating in online trainings and interactive courses. Through these courses you can not only learn more about practice in the field of peacebuilding but also connect with like-minded people, virtually of course. Our tips for the upcoming months:
- Countering Hate Speech – 5 week-long interactive online course – Start date 18 May
- Social Circles – 12-day long interactive online course– Start date 4 May
- Let’s Talk About Mental Health – two-day-long online seminar for youth workers – Apply until 19 April
Watch a documentary
We all know that during this stressful time, watching something light and entertaining on netflix and co. is one of the best ways to take your mind off things. But if you do feel like you need a bit of a break in between season 7 and 8 of Friends, or if you want to guilt-free procrastinate your uni work, why not watch a documentary? Here is a list of 100 awareness-raising documentaries that inspire societal and global change and all easily accessible and free to watch online:
Listen to podcasts
Already spending too much time in front of the screen anyways? Or are you amongst the lucky ones that can still go on walks outside? Here is a list of our favourite podcasts to widen your horizon or deepen your knowledge on global history, international affairs, and peacebuilding practices:
- Stuff You Missed in History Class – The title speaks for itself.
- Smart Women Smart Power – Conversations with women leaders from all over the world
- The Peace Corner – Stories of those working on meaningful inclusivity in peacebuilding practices
- Conflicted – The complexities of history, religion and politics of the Middle East put in a global context.
What are your tips and tricks on how to procrastinate guilt-free? What inspires you to take action during this stressful and often demotivating time? Follow us on instagram or facebook to get in touch and don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions! We love to hear from you!
