While she is not a graduate of the Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) program, Hannah was able to take several PACS courses as a resident at Conrad Grebel University College and completed a degree in Global Studies and Spanish at Wilfrid Laurier University. While she doesn’t remember the exact details of her PACS experience, Hannah recounts that PACS gave her a fantastic base for peace work in the real world, as the classes taught her to question the ways that the world operates, and to dream about the possibilities of what it could become.
“Being able to dream up new ways of being together is absolutely essential.”
Following her graduation from her undergrad, Hannah already knew that she wanted to work for CPT as part of their Colombia Team. Unfortunately, there were no positions available at the time of her graduation, so she first spent a year living in Peru. She then did brief stints working with the Palestine and Iraqi Kurdistan teams before and during her time with the Colombia Team.
Eventually, a place opened up for Hannah in Colombia, and she began a five-year term working to accompany and support social leaders, as they often faced threats of politically motivated assassinations. She would accompany peacemakers to local governments and act as a mediator whenever necessary.
Now, Hannah is living in Jordan, working on CPT’s communications team. She edits written material and runs social media accounts for the organization, all the while deciding how best to help people understand the voice of CPT.
“I have to ask: how can we tell these stories so people engage, but also change the narrative away from imperialism? There is a new narrative that we can achieve with CPT.”
As Hannah reflects back on her experience working globally in peace-related work, she explains that school could not possibly prepare her for the realities of being in the field. Working directly with grassroots peacemakers is something that you cannot fully understand until you’ve done it.
“Until you accompany a Colombian farmer being threatened or walk through an Isreali checkpoint in Palestine, nothing becomes truly real.”
To any future students looking to follow in Hannah’s footsteps through PACS undergraduate internship course (PACS 390), and other PACS and UW Experiential Learning opportunities, she has one thing to say: “come!” The world always needs new peacemakers, and you should never be afraid to make mistakes. Remember, there is no one way to build peace.
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To learn more about CPT, check out their website here, or email Ndagire Brendah at bndagire@uwaterloo.ca to talk about your future as a peacemaker.