Did you miss our first Virtual Open House? We had so much fun that we want to do it again on Wednesday, May 20 at 7:00pm EST. Attend this live virtual event for a tour of Grebel's residence life and academic programs, online! Register here to receive your webinar link.
International criminal prosecution is seen by some as an essential tool to end impunity and reduce the extraordinary impact that war crimes and crimes against humanity have on civilians who are trapped in war. Others criticize international prosecution as simply another form of Westerners attempting to impose their view of justice on a skeptical world while ignoring and silencing the voices of the victims and the communities from which they come.
This event is part of the Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship Conference, a three day conference that explores the meaning, history, and practice of restorative justice.
This event is part of the Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship Conference, a three day conference that explores the meaning, history, and practice of restorative justice.
This is a public event that is free to attend and open to all. This event is available with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation.
In 1977, an academic concentration in Peace and Conflict Studies was formally launched at University of Waterloo. It was the first undergraduate peace studies program at a Canadian university. That same year, the student-run Peace Society was created at Conrad Grebel University College.
Join us as we celebrate 40 years of peace education.
Keynote speaker: Hon. Bob Rae
Proceeds benefit the MPACS Student Support Fund
Conrad Grebel University College’s Peace and Conflict Studies program (PACS) at the University of Waterloo was the first peace studies program in Canada, and has remained a leader in peace education for 40 years. With PACS’ innovative approach to learning, students can choose arts-based assignment options in many courses.
Robby Szolgyemy is finishing his 4A term as a Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) and Anthropology student, but when he began studying at the University of Waterloo, PACS was not on his radar at all. It was not until he was searching for electives to fill his first-year schedule that the program caught his eye. He was drawn to the seemingly straightforward program name that described exactly what they would be studying: peace, and conflict. Robby enrolled in PACS, hoping that, if anything, he might be able to glean some wisdom from deconstructing past conflicts in his life. However, as he started taking courses like PACS 323: Negotiation Theories and Strategies, he was surprised to find just how useful these skills and concepts could be.
Robby quickly picked up Peace and Conflict Studies as his second major and began taking more PACS courses. He was impressed by the applicability of PACS courses to his professional life, especially as a co-op student. Robby has worked in several professional environments where concepts like negotiation and conflict resolution have proven useful.
“Holding space to have difficult conversations can be incredibly difficult,” said Samantha Coelho, an Advocacy and Networking Specialist at Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada. “But I think having these conversations can lead to more intimate and fulfilling relationships, allow us to build empathy, and remind us to have humility about the positions we hold.”
Supporting marginalized communities, working for justice, and exploring creative approaches to addressing world issues have become a regular part of Samantha’s life, but her introduction to advocacy, justice, and peacebuilding began a decade ago during her undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo and Conrad Grebel University College where she studied Arts and Business with a major in Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS).
Selah Woelk is a University of Waterloo student with a passion for community-based peacebuilding and restorative justice. She is currently in her 4B term of the Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) degree, with a Minor in Music.
Navigating a gunpoint situation in Kenya. Camping near the flaming Darvazaa gas crater in Turkmenistan. Manually flagging down a train in Sicily. Co-creating a Great Lakes funding program with Ontario Indigenous groups. Relaxing in hot springs in Iceland. Developing a climate peace and security policy for the Canadian government. Grebel alumnus Patrick Quealey (BES 2002) enjoys regaling friends with stories of his adventures – anecdotes collected during his extensive personal travels and experiences from his career with Canada’s government. Patrick shines while trying new things, exploring unknown territory (both physically and in policy), and creating connections.