Peacemaking Manual - Sustainable Peace in DC

A Peacemaking Manual: 

Fostering Sustainable Peace & Reconciliation in the Washington, DC Area (DMV)

Christians and Muslims have seen painful conflict, violence, and mistrust between our two groups locally and globally; however there is immense potential for us to collaborate on shared concerns within our communities. We both want peace, justice, and healing for ourselves, our families, and our larger faith communities. Many of my Muslim and Christian friends and contacts in the DMV are eager to engage with each other, yet aren't sure how, and are afraid of rejection and persecution from the other group. This manual will finally open doors for sustainable relationships for Christians and Muslims locally, who will collaborate for the betterment of their communities. In our interconnected world, examples of Muslims and Christians coming together for peace locally will likely reach beyond to a global audience, inspiring Muslim and Christian communities around the world for peace.

What is it? 

A peacemaking manual based on theories of inter-religious peacebuilding and reconciliation, created for local mosques and churches who want to engage in peacemaking with each other, but aren't sure how to.  It will include peacemaking programming and events for facilitation by local faith communities over the course of one year, which will grow and expand after each year of implementation. 

Who will be served? 

The manual will be facilitated by local Program Coordinator, Becca Pugh, who will labor alongside imams, pastors, Muslim colleagues, and other local peacebuilding experts to create and implement the manual. The manual aims to serve 8 church-mosque pairs, or 16 congregations total. It will use a train-the-trainer model, meaning congregation members will become facilitators themselves, and train others within their communities to implement peacemaking and reconciliation with their neighbors. 

What is the timeline of the project? 

The manual will be created over the course of 9 months, from October 2020 - June 2021. The manual will be implemented beginning September 2021 - May 2022. This first round of implementation will train facilitators within each faith community, who will then train a new group of facilitators for the second year of implementation, and so on. While this process continues, Becca Pugh and team will carry out monitoring and evaluation, continuously making improvements to the manual's programming.  

What are the intended outcomes?

1. Increased trust and respect, and decreased fear and prejudice, between  Muslims and Christians in the DMV.
2. Real-life friendships that continue beyond faith members' participation in the program. 
3. Christians and Muslims become more integrated in their communities, and collaborate together for social change and issues of mutual concern.
4. Faith leaders collaborate for the betterment of their communities. 

What will the funds be used for?

• Staff time for local Program Coordinator, Becca Pugh ($20/hour at 20 hours per week, for 32 weeks)
• Printing the manuals and accompanying worksheets
• Coffee, tea, and snacks for facilitated meetings, gatherings, and events (as part of the manual's programming) 
• Art supplies, pens, paper, etc. for meetings, gatherings, and events 
• Stipend for a local peacebuilding intern who will be providing research and administrative support ($10/hour for 225 hours of work)