Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Peace projects put to the test in public seminar
Dr Rachel Julian, Lecturer in Politics and Applied Global Ethics at Leeds Met, will present her research, which looks at the projects set up by groups worldwide to build peace and how we can evaluate these, understanding what works and why.
Dr Julian commented: "People are building peace across the world through setting up projects to talk to each other, groups where people feel welcome, where children can start to heal from the pain of war, and projects which help people feel respected and trusted again. Peacebuilding, led by people who live in areas affected by violent conflict, is about rebuilding trust and forming new relationships, and about changing attitudes and behaviour, so that peace becomes a long lasting solution and not a short term goal.
"A long-term sustainable peace must involve many people and be able to have a big influence on the reasons why the conflict is happening. So we use evaluation in order to try to find out how effectively the many projects are making an impact on the wider picture and to find out what is working well.
"The essential complication occurs because peacebuilding is a complex web of cause and effect, unintended consequences and external factors, which mean it is difficult to see a clear picture of what happened and how it was effective. We need to find evaluation strategies and methods which can capture the complexity and we need to know how those results will be viewed by everyone involved. By doing this we will be more able to understand what works, why it works, and able to support those who work for peace in the midst of violence."
Dr Julian's seminar is part of the Leeds Metropolitan Politics and Applied Global Ethics Seminar Series and takes place from 2.30-4pm at the Rose Bowl room 515. To reserve a place please contact 0113 812 4334 orHSSResearchSupportUnit@leedsmet.ac.uk.