From 20 to 26 January 2025, United World College Red Cross Nordic (RCN) was the site of a truly transformative journey—a unique Experiential Peacebuilding Training designed to push the boundaries of what it means to live UWC’s values in action. This first-of-its-kind training, brought to life by RCN’s UWC Connect team in collaboration with Outward Bound Peacebuilding, welcomed 25 participants from across the UWC movement and beyond, including educators from seven UWC schools (UWC Adriatic, UWC Changshu China, UWC Dilijan, Li Po Chun UWC of Hong Kong, UWC Mostar, UWC Red Cross Nordic, and UWC Robert Bosch College), the coordinator of UWC Short Courses at the UWC International Office, a representative of Seeds of Peace, the associate director of Outward Bound International and recent UWC graduates from Cyprus.
The days were not filled with lectures or classroom learning. Instead, they were immersive, challenging, and deeply personal. Together, we embraced experiential education, learned to harness nature as a powerful teacher, and engaged with transferrable peacebuilding tools—most importantly, we built trust, nurtured personal and collective resilience, and reignited our commitment to bringing UWC’s mission to life through concrete action.
The purpose: more than just a training
This was not just another staff capacity training —it was a milestone for the entire UWC movement. As the UWC 2030 Strategy makes clear, we are called to strengthen our relevance in today’s world by continuing to articulate how we practice our tenet to make education a force for peace. The strategy calls on us to:
- Strengthen UWC’s relevance through dynamic, forward-thinking educational approaches.
- Develop mission-driven partnerships beyond the UWC sphere.
- Bring UWC educators together for shared learning, action, and impact.
This training was a tangible manifestation of these goals. It was an invitation for all of us to engage in cross-movement initiatives that not only deepen our own practices but also extend our reach to like-minded, mission-aligned organisations outside the UWC bubble. Imagine the ripple effect if more initiatives like this took root in UWC communities!
Experiential peacebuilding: what does it mean?
At the heart of the training was the concept of experiential peacebuilding, a holistic approach that goes beyond theory and into lived experience. This methodology taps into personal reflection, skill-building, and engagement with nature, all aimed at empowering participants to:
- Develop emotional resilience and self-awareness.
- Engage in deep, empathetic listening and dialogue across differences.
- Understand the role nature plays in teaching us leadership and collaboration.
- Acquire practical conflict transformation skills that can be applied in both personal and community settings.
A journey through the training
Let me walk you through some of the highlights:
Day 1: the self – foundations of peace
The journey began with a deep dive into our personal beliefs about peace. We were invited to put on our participant hats and embody the concept that peace is built from the inside out and from the bottom upwards. Through our daily morning ritual, Take Ten, we tuned into what are the values that shape how we encounter the world. We co-created a community agreement, sharing what we needed to feel safe and connected in the space. Through honest dialogue circles that did not shy away from the difficult and painful realities we are witnessing unfold in the world around us, we started to build trust –the key element to sustain a shared commitment to peace.
Through games and exercises framed by David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle, we began to understand how experience, reflection, theory, and action align to shape our capacity for peace.
Day 2: self and other – navigating conflict
Conflict, as we explored on day two, isn’t just physical—it’s structural, cultural and ideological. Using Johan Galtung’s Theory of Conflict, we dissected the layers, the roots and the responses to conflict.
We practiced tools like EAR (Explore, Acknowledge, Respond) for constructive conflict resolution and the Non-violent Communication strategy of CFOR to unpack conflict into conditions/facts, feelings, ownership/needs, requests, which helped us engage in difficult conversations with curiosity and compassion.
Days 3 & 4: Self, community, and nature – the expedition
Here’s where the real adventure began. A two-day outdoor expedition to Sogndal, where temperatures dipped to -8°C, forced us to test our physical and mental limits. Cross country skis strapped to our feet, 15kg backpacks on our backs, and the weight of the cold on our spirits, we learned lessons that no textbook could teach.
The highlight? Camping in the snow, reflecting on our inner strength and leaning on each other’s strength as a community. As we woke up early and wrestled with icy tents and damp sleeping bags, we shared laughter and silly dances to keep the spirits high. We were reminded that just like the natural cycles we were immersed in, everything within us is also in constant flux. We can choose to be a stubborn stone in the stream, determined to stay unmoved yet bound to be weathered away eventually, or choose to be the water always moving and adapting to the difficult circumstances ahead.
The experience taught us collective resilience, interdependence, and the importance of leadership under pressure. But more importantly, we learned that peacebuilding often requires the courage to face adversity—and it’s in these challenges by choice where growth truly happens.
Immersion in nature reminded us of our interconnectedness. As we confronted the challenges of the landscape, we rediscovered that nature is not apart from us but a part of us. In those moments of awe and wonder, we realised we are never truly alone because we are part of everything else
As Kurt Hahn, the thinker and educator behind both the UWC and the Outward Bound philosophies, once said:
“There is more in us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less.”
Day 5: Reflection – compassion in action
Returning to campus, we engaged in the Reflection and Observation stages of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle. We unpacked the expedition, discussing how we felt, what we learned, and how these insights could translate into our different areas of commitment.
In the abstraction phase, we explored questions central to peacebuilding and education:
- What does compassion feel like? What does it look like?
- Can it be learned, trained, and taught?
- How do we lead ourselves and others with compassion?
We reflected on Kurt Hahn’s imperative of compassion and delved into the differences between sympathy, empathy, and pity. Conversations were deep and challenging, centred on our role as educators and peacebuilders: Are we doing enough? Are we doing it right? Why do we do what we do?
Day 6: commitments and actions
On the final day, we shifted from reflection to action. What did we want to take away from this experience, and how would we put it into practice? We created two-week, two-month, and two-year timelines for tangible steps to live out J.P Lederach four disciplines of The Art and Soul of Building Peace:
- Centre relationships.
- Take risks.
- Provide space for creativity.
- Practice paradoxical curiosity
Some committed to bringing peacebuilding principles into their schools’ curricula, others vowed to create cross-cultural dialogue spaces. What mattered most was that the learning didn’t end when the training did—it will be carried forward by this new community of practice.
The ripple effect: a call to action
This training wasn’t just an isolated event; it was the beginning of something much larger. Now, we are called to:
- Continue building cross-UWC collaborations, especially those that focus on capacity-building for educators to live out our mission in the work we do.
- Expand our partnerships with mission-aligned organisations beyond the UWC community.
- Incorporate experiential peacebuilding into our schools, programmes, and daily interactions.
Acknowledgements
The transformational impact of this experience hinged on the WILL and SKILL of everyone present. Our facilitators—Flavio, Gery, George, Feera, Joakim, Josh, Sarah, and Pete—masterfully guided us through each stage. The RCN staff warmly welcomed us, generously sharing their campus. Paola became the pizza master. Ainoha bravely shared the fear of letting go of control and depending on others. Mariangela quietly tended to the wellness of others. David allowed us to be kind to ourselves and take time to process before taking action. Aliki, as a recent UWC alumna, brought the voice of the young people we work with and for. Yarina showed admirable strength throughout. Christina voiced the concerns and controversial thoughts many of us carried, but did not dare to raise. Emilio and Damier brought the good vibes. Therese took leadership when we needed it most, with kindness and grit. Paula gave us all permission to be vulnerable. Wendy shared her creative lens. Adela named the elephants in the room with passion and compassion. Edis noticed and named the power of pauses and silences. Natasha embodied loving presence and deep listening. Priyank, as the sole Seeds of Peace representative, endured hours of UWC-heavy discussions. Special thanks go to Pelham (RCN Head) and Natasha (Deputy Rektor), who participated alongside us setting an example of daring leaders who are willing to walk the talk.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who brought their unique fire to this journey. Together, we embodied UWC’s mission of peace, and now, the work continues.
A final thought from Eduardo Galeano:
“Utopias are not meant to be reached but to keep us moving.” The journey is far from over, and together, we move forward, one step at a time.
