Madison, New Jersey (2011)
Hosted By: The Center on Religion, Conflict, and Culture at Drew University
Sixteen Peacemakers in Action from around the globe left their work on the ground for a week of learning, sharing, and building new relationships among religiously motivated peacebuilders working in the world’s most intractable conflicts.
During the retreat, the Peacemakers focused on solidifying their relationships and forming a formal Network to support each other, share techniques and experiences, project their work beyond their immediate networks, and speak with a collective voice. Out of this effort, the Peacemakers in Action Network was born. The first official action of the Network, a collective statement on the Arab uprising in the Middle East, was conceptualized during the retreat and finalized shortly thereafter.
Moderators/Facilitators included:
- Peacemaker Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, Director, Embrace Dignity
- Peacemaker Bill Lowrey, Principal, Friendship Tree Consulting
- Peacemaker Yehezkel Landau, Faculty Associate, Interfaith Relations, Hartford Seminary
- Peacemaker Ricardo Esquivia Ballestas, General Coordinator, ASVIDAS Network
- Peacemakers Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye, Co-Founders and Directors of the Interfaith Mediation Center, Nigeria
- Rabbi Dr. Marc Gopin, James H. Laue Professor and Chair of the Center on Religion and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University
- Dr. Joseph Montville, Director of the Abrahamic Family Reunion
- Dr. Beth Yoshida-Fisher, Academic Director, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program, Columbia University
- Dr. Chris Taylor, Director, Center on Religion, Culture & Conflict, Drew University