News

A foundational principle of the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement is that peace is everybody’s business. The Centre has drawn on many different fields and disciplines across the University of Waterloo to catalyze collaboration within the peacebuilding field, and has injected a new energy and interest in advancing peace throughout Waterloo’s innovation ecosystem.

Canadians observe Remembrance Day on November 11, a tradition established following the First World War to mark the anniversary of the armistice or end to fighting.

Earlier this month, Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) hosted supporters from all across North America in Tucson, Arizona for their annual convention. MEDA’s work across the globe in sustainable development and international investment attracts a wide range of stakeholders interested in business solutions to poverty.

One of the most exciting times of the year in the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement is when a new exhibit is installed in the Grebel Gallery. In addition to inspiring reflection and conversations among members of our campus and surrounding community, these exhibits also contribute to the creative energy of participants in the Centre. The view outside my office door is always interesting, but our latest exhibit is particularly provocative.

As we turn another page in the 2019 calendar, the days are getting colder and shorter. But there is no shortage of local PeaceTech-related events in the month ahead!

The short answer to this questions is: Lots of people! One of the points of this blog is to highlight various news items and events that demonstrate the growing interest in reflecting critically on technology, and in applying technology to peacebuilding.

What is space security? To most of us, the concept of space itself is foreign, not to mention broader discussions of the security or governance of space. For Jessica West of Project Ploughshares, space security is anything but abstract. In fact, it is a crucial and urgent conversation for the fields of peacebuilding and international policy.

Katie Gingerich, Founder and Executive Director of The Ripple Effect Education (TREE), shared a heartfelt reflection describing the key moments in her life where she stopped asking, “Who, me?” and began asking “Why not me?” Katie’s reflection was included as part of a month-long fe

I spend a lot of time thinking about the role that institutions and systems play in the development and impact of technology, and the ways that our technologies come to shape these institutions and systems, not to mention our norms, cultures, and the way we think. At the same time, I also believe that individuals can make a difference through the choices we make and the ways we participate in our institutions and systems. I’ve had several reminders of this in recent weeks!

It is striking to see how widespread critical reflections on technology have become. Over breakfast last Thursday, I read about Ryan Gariepy’s take on efforts to regulate lethal autonomous weapons systems in the pages of the Waterloo Region Record newspaper.