Earlham College | News from Public Affairs

RICHMOND, Ind. — Three recent Earlham College graduates launched projects aimed at promoting peace in various parts of the world this summer using their time and energy, the help of volunteers and workers, and a total of $30,000 in grant funds.

The Kathryn Wasserman Davis 100 Projects for Peace program funded the projects of Jamie-Rose Rothenberg '07 and Behar Xharra '07. In an effort to extend the impact of this peacemaking program, Earlham President Douglas C. Bennett used discretionary funds to award a third grant to Bethany Rochelle Leeman '07 for her project.

Mrs. Davis, a noted internationalist, philanthropist and mother of Shelby M.C. Davis, himself a philanthropist and founder of the Davis United World College Scholar Program, initiated the peace projects on the occasion of her 100th birthday with the purpose of challenging tomorrow's leaders to formulate and test their own ideas for building prospects for peace, according to the program's Web site. Rothenberg and Xharra were among applicants from Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Princeton, Harvard, Yale and nearly 60 other schools.

The three Earlham graduates have detailed their experiences in a report to the College, including the roadblocks they faced and the successes they enjoyed. Here are the highlights:

A portion of the completed "Mural of Peace," conceived by Earlham graduate Jamie-Rose Rothenberg '07.

Jamie-Rose Rothenberg returned to her home state of Washington to implement her project, "A Sense of Place: Mural of Peace." The community of Snoqualmie Valley, at the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, provides the context for this work that addresses the issues of the isolation of rural living and how to imagine transforming the region so that community members can better appreciate the unique characteristics of the Valley itself.

The Peace and Global Studies graduate recruited 11 area youth who attended sessions with artists, local elders and political leaders examining questions of leadership, pride and communal identity. Rothenberg reports that the project is ultimately about listening to the aspirations of youth, and helping them synthesize a vision for the future. Throughout the summer, biweekly sessions were held in which students learned about topics ranging from ethnobotany to hip-hop culture to writing.

These discussions are now culminating in a mural project which will tour public events in the Snoqualmie Valley during the summer of 2008. Rothenberg and local artist Mark Edwards are working with the group to create a portable mural detailing the past, present and the students' vision for the future of the Snoqualmie Valley. The youth group chose the theme, "Wake Up!" for the mural, which Rothenberg reports as the greatest success of the summer. The theme sends a message of encouragement and empowerment for youth to acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of their communities and "wake up" to their own potential as leaders.

In her report, Rothenberg says she was frustrated in her initial recruiting efforts and fearful of failure in the early stages, but the vision portrayed in the mural and the final summer gathering are reminders of the positive impact for the community. "I learned that peacebuilding of any sort must be a collaboration — a collaged cacophony of possibilities — unified by the shared goal of creating a 'place' that we are all proud to call home."

Earlham grad Behar Xharra '07 gathered young Serbs and Kosovars together this summer for a video conference to help build bridges for peace between these Balkan ethnic groups.

Kosovo native Behar Xharra, returned home to the primarily ethnic Albanian province of Serbia with a blueprint for a project about challenging the status quo, which he called "Talk for Tomorrow." One of the International Studies graduate's main goals was to promote dialogue in the conflict-ridden Balkan region. Xharra recruited students of Serbian and Kosovar Albanian heritage to address some of the issues of prejudice and stereotyping among the people of the region and to promote tolerance.

Throughout the summer months, Xharra coordinated several opportunities for dialogue. The main activity of Xharra's project involved five students from Kosovo and five students from Serbia living together in Prishtina, Kosovo. The group attended various meetings with government officials, worked in community service projects, socialized and shared experiences. This project, which he called an "active living approach," used activities such as community service where students focused on an issue instead of themselves to help them identify common ground rather than focus on what divides them.

Many other conversations were hosted during the summer, including a video conference involving 25 participants who discussed the topic "Common Problems, Inherited Prejudice." The conference was broadcast in local media outlets in Prishtina and can be found on the Web site www.talkfortomorrow.com. Also on the Web site is the documentary "Beyond Differences," a film documenting the activities of the project.

Xharra believes these events established a core group of students that will cooperate for future peacebuilding efforts, specifically developing the idea of the video conference between universities in the region and around the world.

Xharra concludes that the students living together were able to learn from each other and move away from inherited prejudices. "With these activities we managed to break some of the stereotypes that are predominant among youth in both Kosovo and Serbia today," writes Xharra, whose next goal is to transform "Talk for Tomorrow" into a non-governmental organization called "Do for Tomorrow."

"I have learned to see peace, progress and success in the small achievements, and focus on each individual interaction and accomplishment," writes Bethany Rochelle Leeman '07.

Spanish and Human Development and Social Relations graduate Bethany Rochelle Leeman chose the Kaqchiquel Mayan community of Santa Catarina Palopo, Guatemala, as the home for her work with "Proyecto ICA," envisioned to sow "seeds of peace which are working to lessen the violent effects of racism and poverty" in the community.

The project has several components including language classes, publishing a series of trilingual children's books, cultural exchange workshops and even construction of an addition to the room where these activities are held.

The language classes are the main component of the project that, so far, have served 78 people in the community ranging from 3 to 30 years of age. The majority of the students speak Kaqchiquel, a Mayan language spoken by approximately 150,000 Guatemalans, and struggle with Spanish. Lessons are tailored according to the participants' age and language ability. The classes are designed to provide language skills for working in the tourist industry and to pursue higher levels of education.

In addition to the classes, Leeman recorded footage of oral stories from community members which have been compiled into five different children's books called the "Trilingual Book Writing Campaign." Because Kaqchiquel is primarily an oral language, translation of the stories into Spanish and English has been challenging.

On a more personal note, Leeman reports that she has learned, among other things, how to mill corn, and speak and write some Kaqchiquel. "I have learned to see peace, progress and success in the small achievements, and focus on each individual interaction and accomplishment," Leeman writes.

Earlham's Director of International Admissions, Musa Khalidi, works with the Davis United World Scholar Program and has been in contact with these graduates throughout their summer peace projects. "I think this type of philanthropy is the epitome of generosity," says Khalidi. "It allows young people the skills to become world citizens eager to spread tolerance, cooperation and understanding throughout the world."

The students who participated in the program, continues Khalidi, "are typical of Earlham students who are eager to work on developing understanding and tolerance among people of the world. They are examples of what we nurture here at Earlham; an education which works toward peace and understanding."

Contact:
Mark Blackmon, director of media relations
765/983-1256 — E-Mail Mark