A peace mural in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The mural is part of a project initiated in 2017 by Yesenia Uribe Rochel, of the Rotary and Rotaract Clubs of Juarez Emprende, which she helped to found in 2019. The project is designed to promote leadership, open minds, and develop resiliency in the community.

By Fergal McCarthy, Peace Programs Manager

Many people use the end of one year to reflect on things they would like to accomplish in the coming year. What better resolution than to sow the seeds of peace in 2021?

Peace underscores much of the work that Rotary members do in improving their communities around the world. Rotary’s peacebuilding initiatives seek to create environments where lasting peace is possible. We do this by continually investing in sustainable and measurable peace programs throughout our communities and across the globe; by creating an extensive network of peacebuilders and community leaders dedicated to peace and conflict prevention; and by providing Rotarians with several avenues in which they can actively participate in peacebuilding processes within their communities.

We believe that if Rotarians and concerned citizens mobilize locally to create peace, change can happen globally. Here are 10 ways you can be an everyday peacebuilder. (Check out an expanded list here).

1. Enroll in the Rotary Positive Peace Academy.
2. Read the Positive Peace club presentation and facilitator’s guide and share the presentation with your club
3. Help recruit and endorse worthy candidates for the Rotary Peace Fellowship
4. Seek out any Rotary Peace Fellows who live or work in your district and invite them to collaborate on your club’s next peacebuilding project – they can offer invaluable help on the planning and implementation of the peacebuilding project.
5. Check out the Rotary Peace Fellowship Alumni Association website, where you can access the Online Speaker Database to find peace fellows globally who can give a virtual presentation to your club.
6. Encourage your district to become a Global Peacebuilder District.
7. Start an Inter-Country committee (ICC) or a Rotary Friendship Exchange between your district and a district in another country, or create a Rotary Fellowship.
8. Work with young leaders to promote global understanding and peace.
9. Engage with a local Rotaract club and implement a service project that fosters understanding within and across cultures.
10. Work with one of our peacebuilding partner organizations: Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI), ShelterBox, the Peace Corps, and Ashoka.