Solidarity Project: Semillero (Seedbed) – Everyday Practical Peacebuilding Actions led by International Students of Erfurt University

Our goal, as a solidarity project, was to engage the local Erfurt community through practical peacebuilding methods, addressing structural racism, xenophobia, and right-wing barriers. As international students from the Conflict and Management Studies program at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, University of Erfurt, we aimed to:1.     Connect students and the local community through inclusive, academically designed activities.2.     Enhance the reach and impact of these activities with support from NGOs and academics.

3.     Develop a sustainable structure for future international students to continue these efforts, combating social, economic, and linguistic marginalization.To achieve these goals, we focused on two areas. The first was one intervention with 8th-grade students at the International School of Weimar. The second was promoting integration with students and the local community

1. International School of Weimar Intervention Activities

Per invitation of the Thuringia International School of Weimar, the group, guided under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Alejandra Ortiz-Ayala, conducted multiple interventions with eighth graders of the school to foster inclusion and diversity, working to create a safe space for all students and arming them with tools for better emotional management for their interpersonal relationships. The control and experimental groups were comprised of 13 students each distributed evenly depending on nationality and gender. 

The intervention group participated in targeted activities to foster inclusion, diversity, emotional management, and interpersonal relations, including focus groups and role-play simulations aimed at building bridges between different identities. The control group participated in interactive activities that did not target the aim of the intervention. 

The intervention took over six months, from September to February. Each month, we developed an intervention based on Encounter Theory and Everyday Peacebuilding as the theoretical framework of the intervention.

To develop this intervention, we did the following activities:

DateActivity
25/09/2023An in-person workshop was conducted by the field team with teachers from the International School Thuringian. Teachers were divided into 2 focus groups to report on challenges, common topics of conflict, and examples of student behaviors associated with negative conflict. The common issues found were racism, exclusion, bullying, and violent communication. Recorded responses were analyzed by the intervention team to identify the most common and pertinent areas of current active conflict as key parameters for the intervention.

Based on these answers, we met weekly, designed the intervention, and analyzed the outcomes. These meetings happened every Monday at 4:00 pm, starting on October 16, 2023, as part of the project group “Everyday Practical Peacebuilding” at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy at Erfurt University. A project group is a team of about ten students supervised by academic staff, completing a real public policy assignment from an external partner to apply their knowledge in practice. Projects, varying from business cases to policy reports, involve around 270 hours of work over six months and are worth 9 ECTS credits[1].

To facilitate execution, we divided the group intro research and management team and exchanged these roles every two weeks. Later, these roles specialized in specific people. Below is the summary of the main activities: 

WeekResearch Team ActivitiesManagement Team Activities
Week 1-2 (Oct 16 2023 – Oct 29)– Rework survey questions – Finalize intervention and control group activities – Update experimental design draft – Print final versions of the surveys– Finalize schedule and communication plan – Update budget plan – Contact CGE for contract details
Week 3-4 (Oct 30 – Nov 12)– Conduct the final survey – Summarize focus group themes – Prepare intervention protocols– Implement communication plan – Finalize logistics for interventions and community activities. 
Week 5-6 (Nov 13 – Nov 26)– Complete coding and labeling variables in Jamovi – Begin data analysis – Modify first report based on feedback– Coordinate branding activities with Barbara – Prepare for artist workshop – Update bookkeeping and process reimbursements
Week 7-8 (Nov 27 – Dec 10)– Analyze collected data and draft report – Incorporate qualitative notes into reports – Continue coding and preparing descriptive statistics– Finalize preparations for interventions – Ensure schedules are communicated to stakeholders – Execute branding and promotional activities
Week 9-10 (Dec 11 – Dec 24)– Finalize analysis and complete report drafts – Summarize findings and prepare presentations – Review and refine intervention protocols– Finalize event schedules and logistics – Coordinate with guest speakers and finalize communication materials – Monitor progress and ensure alignment with project goals
Week 11-12 (Dec 25 – Jan 7)– Present preliminary findings – Gather feedback and make necessary adjustments – Prepare final versions of all reports– Ensure all events and activities are ready for execution – Finalize all administrative tasks and documentation 
Week 13-15 (Jan 8 – Jan 28)– Submit final reports – Plan for any follow-up activities or research– Conduct final review and wrap-up of all activities – Prepare a final summary report for the project

The four interventions took places in the following dates: 

DateInterventionMain Activities
November 22, 2023First InterventionControl Group: Watched “The Thomas Beale Cipher” and identified clues. Experimental Group:Conducted the “Privilege Walk” followed by a focus group discussion.
December 13, 2023Second InterventionControl Group: Played “Who Am I?” with various characters. Experimental Group: Participated in “A Mosque in Sleepyville,” simulating a council meeting to discuss the construction of a mosque.
January 17, 2024Third InterventionControl Group: Played “Top Five Answers” guessing game. Experimental Group: Discussed various religious and personal beliefs using prompt cards.
February 7, 2024Fourth InterventionCombined Activity: Painted a mural on a school wall, working in groups to use different mediums like spray paint, pasting, and stencils. Focus Group: Reflected on the activity and the concept of peace.

Results of the Intervention

After conducting the four interventions we analyzed trends in connection, empathy, inter-relationships, humanization, and non-violent engagement between the control and experimental groups. Our goal was to understand the impact of our activities designed to foster empathy, humanization, and non-violent communication.

The results show the following: connection initially decreased for both groups after the first intervention but increased equally afterward, peaking in the experimental group after “Believers.” Students in the experimental group felt closer due to personal and emotional conversations. Empathy significantly increased for both groups after the “Privilege Walk,” with the experimental group maintaining higher levels throughout. Inter-relationship scores initially dropped but rebounded after subsequent interventions. Both groups got to know their classmates better, though overall relationships didn’t change much. Humanization of Europeans decreased after “Mosque in Sleepyville” but improved after “Believers,” while non-Europeans’ humanization gradually improved in the experimental group. Non-violent engagement was higher in the experimental group from the start and showed slight increases, while the control group improved by the end.  In conclusion, the interventions effectively helped to increase empathy and connection, particularly through deeper, personal activities.

As a team, we presented the methodological part of the intervention at an international conference: 

DateActivity Description
April 25-26, 20243rd Annual Meth@Mig Workshop: The team participated in the workshop on Participant Recruitment Strategies and Sampling Methods in Migration Research in Mannheim, Germany. The team presented “Violence Prevention and Peace Building: An Experimental Approach in an East German International School,” sharing methodological challenges and learnings. Discussions included online sampling, inclusive recruitment, multi-language questionnaires, ethnography, and social media strategies. Esteemed researchers and institutions such as BAMF, Maghreb Action, DeZIM, and GESIS contributed to the discussions. Insights were shared by Dr. Alejandra Ortiz-Ayala. 

Currently, we are working on submitting a research article to a Peace Review Journal analyzing the results of this intervention.

2. Activities to promote integration with students and the local community

To achieve this goal, we executed the following activities: 

Date RangeActivity DescriptionParticipants
January 23Webinar Peace in Action: Innovative Interventions: Presenters included Ani Tovmasian (Armenia), Kyle Johnson (Colombia), and CGE (Germany). During the webinar, CGE Erfurt e.V. discussed cooperative peacebuilding projects across Europe. Kyle Johnson from the CORE Foundation talked about initiatives in Colombia to prevent youth from joining armed groups. Ani Tovmasyan presented educational initiatives in Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan.40 participants, mainly local and international students.
February 14 – March 29 Postcards for Peace Series: Our “Postcards for Peace” series aimed to give moments of peace to everyone by sharing a picture of a moment or an activity that brought peace during a day in our lives. Participants shared photos of what gave them peace, such as a soothing cup of coffee or a walk in the park. The focus was on individual definitions of peace.12 people shared their posts, including Dr. Roger Mac Ginty and Dr. Katerina Standish, creators of the everyday peace theories. 
May 24, 2024 (4 pm)Workshop: WAR AND PEACE VINYLS: Exploring the musical production in Colombia (1985-2023). This was a dynamic workshop with Musical Library for Peace, led by director Rafael Quishpe, showcasing the role of music in Colombia’s armed conflict and peace process. Participants experienced the powerful stories of conflict and recognition through rare vinyl records from groups like FARC-EP, M19, Armed Forces, and Victims. They engaged with the lyrics, listened to transformative tunes, and contributed to the discussion of peace narratives. 20 participants, including local and international students, community members, and music enthusiasts
May 24, 2024 (10:30 pm)Perreo for Peace: To complement the previous workshop and connect locals and internationals through music, a musical night was held where people danced to international rhythms. The event featured Rafael Quishpe and DJ Fuego as DJs.Approximately 250 participants, including local and international students.

Through these activities, we engaged approximately 320 people, fulfilling our goals of connecting students and the local community through inclusive, academically designed activities and enhancing the reach and impact of these activities with support from NGOs and academics.

3. Structure for future international students to continue these efforts

We created an Instagram account (everydaypeacebuildinger) to engage with the community. Currently, there are 25 posts and 93 followers. Through this platform, the project can have continuity and facilitate the reconnection of the current initiatives. 


[1] https://www.uni-erfurt.de/en/brandtschool/studies/master-of-public-policy/project-groups-1

Preparation Meetings

Meetings of Project Groups

Intervention One

Intervention Two

Intervention Three

Survey and Mural

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