“ Pursuing a peace studies major inspired me to dedicate my professional life to serving others .”
MU | Peace Studies
E mbarking on my peace studies major at Manchester over 30 years ago , I couldn ’ t have foreseen the transformative journey that lay ahead . The legendary peace studies Professor Ken Brown played a vital role in guiding my career path toward peacebuilding . In 1991 , Ken , other graduates , and around 20 students , including myself , traveled by car to Nicaragua for a Jan term class to assist with rebuilding efforts following a hurricane that had devastated the “ Mosquito Coast .” As my first time venturing beyond the United States , this experience served as a powerful eye-opener to the outside world .
“ Pursuing a peace studies major inspired me to dedicate my professional life to serving others .”
This journey unveiled fresh viewpoints on the world and , during my early days in the peacebuilding field , witnessing pain , suffering and trauma often left me overwhelmed . This feeling was particularly strong as I observed the onset of wars in the former Yugoslavia during a year off in Europe between my junior and senior years of college .
Pursuing a peace studies major inspired me to dedicate my professional life to serving others . Immediately after college , I worked with gang-impacted youth and families in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , as an AmeriCorps volunteer , further expanding my understanding of the intricate human struggles present even within the United States . Although peace studies provided me with the tools to examine conflict , engaging with those affected by ongoing violence and war evoked intense emotions and brought me face-to-face with the raw pain that humanity endures .
the Horn has transitioned from deficit-based trauma-informed thinking to employing a healing-centered peacebuilding approach , recognizing that people are more than their traumas . The individual that emerges in order to survive is often the one who seeks help . A significant aspect of healing involves finding ways to support people in rediscovering their core and envisioning an identity beyond the “ surviving ” self .
In 2024 , under the guidance of Manchester ’ s Dr . Katy Gray Brown , peace studies students are planning a Jan term trip to Kenya to delve deeper into the healing-centered peacebuilding approach . The objective of the trip is to offer students the chance to examine and learn from real-world examples that showcase the integration of mental health , peacebuilding and healing-centered practices . By engaging with local communities and organizations , students will gain valuable insights into the practical application of these approaches and the transformative impact they can have on fostering lasting peace and well-being .
By engaging with local communities and organizations , such as the Green String Network , students will be able to witness firsthand the transformative power of this approach in promoting lasting peace , resilience and well-being .
I hope that this experience in Kenya will inspire the peace studies students of today like I was inspired more than 30 years ago to reflect on how they can actively participate in healing within their own communities and inform their future focus of service . My hope is that this invaluable exposure will not only support their academic growth in an increasingly important field but also encourage them to become agents of positive change , fostering healing and peace wherever their future may take them .
Angi Yoder-Maina ’ 94 , Ph . D .
( See related story Education from the Heart )
Later , as I worked as a peacebuilder in the Balkans and subsequently in West and East Africa , I came to understand that trauma affects us in various ways , some of which we might not even recognize . I realized the importance of comprehending emotional distress to facilitate individual and collective healing , build resilience and dismantle the damage it has inflicted .
This understanding led me to establish the Green String Network ( GSN ) in Nairobi , Kenya , about eight years ago . As we adopted a new approach to peacebuilding , our focus shifted from trauma to healing . At the 2019 Collective Healing Summit , Dr . Christine Bethell ’ s words struck a chord : “ We are a society organized based on trauma , so we need to go from being trauma-organized to trauma-informed and then , eventually , healing-centered .” As a result , our work in East Africa and
Green String Network builds a framework for wellbeing and resilience through trauma-informed and healing-centered approaches that disrupt community violence , acknowledge collective trauma and engage peer support groups to support people in their own healing agendas .
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