The Rotary Peace Centre at the University of Queensland in Brisbane has just celebrated its 20th anniversary, marking a proud history of contributing to world peace by training future leaders in peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
It is one of seven Rotary Peace Centres worldwide sponsored by The Rotary Foundation. Ten Rotary Peace Fellows from around the world arrive at the university each year to complete a 16-month master’s program in Peace and Conflict Studies. Since the centre began in 2002, some 208 Peace Fellows have participated in the program. And globally, around 1,600 Peace Centre graduates are working on peace and development initiatives in more than 140 countries.
The aim of the UQ Rotary Peace Centre is to train the peacebuilding leaders of tomorrow, providing them with the knowledge, skills and network necessary to solve conflicts in non-violent ways, and build foundations that create more peaceful communities to prevent conflict from happening.
Centre director Professor Roland Bleiker points out how unique and important this Rotary initiative is.
“It is one of our best chances of making the world a better place, because the Peace Centres equip those who will be leaders in the future with the ability to make a difference – whether it is in local communities, national governments or international organisations.”
Peace Fellows benefit from a comprehensive program that involves rigorous course work, real-world experiences, and opportunities for cultural and service activities. They are challenged to learn new perspectives and gain understanding of how conflicts emerge and can be resolved in non-violent ways.
A central part of the program is a fully funded 8- to 12-week internship, training or research project – called the Applied Field Experience – with an organisation of their choice. Current fellows will leave in November for internships in places as diverse as Mongolia, Nepal, Uganda, Fiji, Germany, Sydney and the UN in New York.
One of the centre’s program highlights is the annual seminar, which allows Rotary members and supporters to learn how each fellow is applying their fellowship to the work they do and the impact they hope to achieve. The 2023 annual seminar will be held on April 22 – all are welcome!
Recent activities at the UQ Rotary Peace Centre: With travel restrictions now lifted, UQ welcomed Rotary Peace Fellows classes 19 and 20 in July. One of the first events was a one-day induction seminar and welcome gathering with the local Rotary community, with the chance to meet the new fellows, who come from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Central and South America. Local Rotarians have an important role in supporting these fellows as they settle in and adjust to their new surroundings. The Rotary host coordinator and host counsellors assist fellows with finding housing and other practical matters. The fellows become part of the Rotary community right from the start, and life-long bonds are formed. In September, the centre collaborated with the United Nations Association of Australia on an International Day of Peace event. The event featured a public lecture by prominent Indigenous scholar, lawyer and activist Professor Megan Davis. Fellows learnt about one of the most important challenges in Australian politics: how to acknowledge the country’s colonial legacy and find ways of respecting the voices and lives of Indigenous peoples. In February 2023, Rotary Peace Fellows Class 21 will arrive, which means there will be 24 Peace Fellows at UQ collaboratively working to make the world a more peaceful place.