The Center for Justice & Peacebuilding (CJP) was founded to further the personal and professional development of individuals as peacebuilders and to strengthen the peacebuilding capacities of the institutions they serve. The program is committed to supporting conflict transformation and peacebuilding efforts at all levels of society in situations of complex, protracted, violent or potentially violent, social conflict in the United States and abroad.

Open to people from all parts of the world and all religious traditions, CJP builds upon Eastern Mennonite University's (EMU) Christian/Anabaptist faith commitments and strengths. The rigors of academic specialization are combined with practical preparation for a life of nonviolence, witness, service and peacebuilding in the larger society and world. The program also builds upon extensive Mennonite domestic and international service experience in disaster response, humanitarian relief, restorative justice and socioeconomic development.

The Graduate Program in Conflict Transformation is designed for persons interested in pursuing academic studies in the field broadly-defined as peacebuilding: conflict transformation, restorative justice, trauma healing, mediation and related fields. It is preferable that potential students have professional or volunteer experience in these areas before applying. The degree prepares reflective practioners, furthering the life-long process of strengthening and acquiring the skills, knowledge, attitudes and values needed for peacebuilding.

CJP is committed to creating and sustaining a mutual learning community that values the diversity and rich experience of students, faculty and staff. The program places a high value on the relationships developed in this community and hopes they will become the basis for long-term partnerships and continued mutual support and learning.

The mission of the Graduate Program in Conflict Transformation is to promote reflective practice by providing value-based, applied education in conflict transformation, restorative justice, trauma healing, development and related applied fields.

Contact Janelle Myers-Benner at or (540) 432-4986 for additional graduate program information.

Other CJP Programs:

Practice and Training Institute

CJP programs like Summer Peacebuilding Institute draw inspired students of peacebuilding from across the globe to study and share ideas and stories. Above, 2008 participants from Belgium, Zimbabwe, and Nepal listen during the opening session of the 13th annual SPI at EMU.

The Practice and Training Institute (PTI) is the applied practice, research and training arm of the Center for Justice & Peacebuilding. It administers a variety of domestic and international programs including:

• Summer Peacebuilding Institute (SPI):

SPI offers a sequence of courses in 5-7 day intensive formats in May and June, which can be taken for academic credit or as professional training. Participants come from near and far to learn together and explore possibilities of a more peaceful world. www.emu.edu/cjp/spi

• Seminars in Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR):

  STAR is a week-long seminar that looks at trauma through the lens of peacebuilding and restorative justice. STAR explores common responses to trauma, cycles of victim-hood and violence, strategies to transform trauma for individuals and communities, and self-care for the caregiver. www.emu.edu/cjp/star/trauma-healing-seminars

• 3D Security:

Lisa Schirch is a professor of peacebuilding at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at EMU and also program director of the 3D Security Initiative (www.3Dsecurity.org).

3DSecurity is a toolkit to address security challenges like terrorism, global warming, deadly diseases, and the proliferation of weapons. 3DSecurity looks at the root causes of these and other challenges and offers specific conflict prevention strategies and peacebuilding policy options for citizens and policymakers. www.3dsecurity.org

• Coming to the Table (CTTT):

  CTTT is a project designed to address the impact of the American legacy of slavery by inviting descendants of former slaves and slaveowners to meet and talk together. CTTT believes that it is through looking at slavery and our connections to it as well as our historical roots that healing will begin. www.emu.edu/cjp/comingtothetable/

• Seminars in Organizational Leadership

  These seminars debuted in 2008 and will return again January—April 2009. Attend one or up to seven 3-hour seminars on such topics as: healthy organizations, leading with integrity, cultural awareness, communication styles, skills for negotiating and transforming conflict. www.emu.edu/cjp/seminarseries/

PTI also provides direct services, such as training, consulting, process design, conciliation, mediation and action-oriented research. Faculty, staff and others with ties to CJP serve as institute consultants. www.emu.edu/pi