On December 17, Conrad Grebel University College (Grebel) and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) formalized their partnership to advance peace through the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement (CPA) by signing a Memorandum of Understanding.
Going forward, MCC will be identified as a “Core Collaborator” in the CPA. This category of participation includes established organizations such as Project Ploughshares, whose staff are co-located in the CPA, as well as Grebel faculty, and research fellows. Core Collaborators have been able to advance peace through collaborative research projects, community engagement opportunities, and connections with students at Grebel and the University of Waterloo.
MCC is sponsoring a hot desk for occasional use by a staff member, partner, or one of the peacebuilding start-ups in the CPA’s Epp Peace Incubator program. CPA Director Paul Heidebrecht is enthused about this new model for deepening connections with an organization at the forefront of peace and justice work both locally and globally. “I think our dynamic mix of researchers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs will be better able to learn from—and contribute to—MCC and its partners.”
John Head, Executive Director of MCC Ontario said, “We are eager to continue this partnership and to benefit from this community of peacebuilder peers.”
Rick Cober Bauman, Executive Director of MCC Canada echoed John. “We are excited to partner with the CPA and to participate in the advancement of peace locally and globally.”
“Grebel and MCC share common roots within a tradition of peacebuilding,” noted Grebel President Marcus Shantz, “and we both have a mandate to nurture a new generation of peacebuilders.”
Background
Established in 1963, Conrad Grebel University College (Grebel) offers a thriving student residence, academic programs in the liberal arts, and community education programs. Grebel is affiliated with the University of Waterloo and Mennonite Church Eastern Canada. Its mission is “to seek wisdom, nurture faith, and pursue justice and peace in service to church and society.” For more information about Grebel, contact Jen Konkle at jkonkle@uwaterloo.ca or 519-885-0220 ext. 24229.
Established in 1920, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches that shares God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice. For more information about MCC, contact Sheryl Bruggeling at sherylbruggeling@mcco.ca or 519-745-8458 ext. 265.
Established in 2014, the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement (CPA) is a Grebel program that advances expansive and innovative understandings and practices of peace locally and globally by promoting collaboration among its peace partners in ways that seek wisdom, nurture faith and serve church and society. For more information about the CPA, contact Paul Heidebrect, CPA Director, at paul.heidebrecht@uwaterloo.ca or (519) 885-0220 ext. 24225
Photo Credit: Fred W. Martin