Community ready for this weekend's peace fellowship

This weekend, students and faculty from Anabaptist universities across the country will converge for the Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship.

The conference is an annual event in which Mennonite and other Anabaptist higher education institutions come together to discuss peace and social justice issues in education. The conference is held on a different campus each year, and has varying themes from year to year.

This year's theme is "Stories of Healing," focusing on issues of healing and recovery after a trauma or conflict has occurred. The conference, which takes place all day Friday and Saturday, will have speakers, interactive workshops and panel discussions, and a field trip to the Brethren Valley Heritage Center, as well as some recreational activities planned for the evenings.

Some of the evening activities include a concert by Oscar's Mad and local bluegrass musicians, an open-mic coffeehouse, a drama based on true trauma stories compiled by Howard Zehr, co-director of the Conflict Transformation Program (CTP).

Students are expected from Bluffton, Bethel, Canadian Mennonite, Conrad Grebel, and several other universities. The speakers also come from both Mennonite and non-religious organizations. In addition to the speakers from EMU and CTP, there are others from JMU, George Mason University, and lobbying groups for Victim Compensation and other trauma and healing causes.

Faculty and Staff from the Justice, Peace, and Conflict Studies department and CTP have been working with students and local churches and organizations to find speakers, plan workshops, prepare food and lodging, and organize the conference into a time of fellowship and discussion. Faculty member William Goldberg has brought his experience of working for the Conflict Transformation Program, both here and abroad, into planning the conference. Goldberg, who is the main organizer of the conference, said, "I'd like to think of myself as the special projects assistant."

Several students have also taken a large responsibility in planning the weekend. "Since I'm the co-president of Peace Fellowship, it was understood that I help plan this all out," explained senior Roxy Allen. "It's a great opportunity for students from Mennonite schools to get together and help about trauma healing."

Junior Kevin Docherty expressed similar sentiments about helping to host the event. "Peace rocks!" he said. "My strong sense of duty to peace-building led me to become involved in planning."

Organizers are confident that the combination of knowledgeable speakers with hands-on workshops and panel discussions will be a great environment for education and dialogue. Their hope is for students and other participants to build knowledge about trauma and healing, and that they will apply it to their everyday lives.