The Institute for Economics and Peace’s “IEP Ambassador Programme” has maintained its strong following during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite lockdowns, restrictions and the daily uncertainty caused by the pandemic around the world, the programme’s online model has continued to attract peacebuilders eager to make social change.
The programme attracted hundreds of applications in 2020, with ambassadors coming from every region in the world. Sub-Saharan Africa was the most represented region, followed by North America, and then Europe.
“A benefit of the IEP Ambassador programme is that it leads to a community of Positive Peace practitioners. You can find people who want to adopt Positive Peace into their professional practise and share their experience with like-minded people.” said Charlie Allen, Director of Partnerships.
IEP’s Ambassadors Programme provides knowledge and resources to individuals interested in fostering peace in their communities and attracts seasoned peacebuilders as well as people who are new to the field.
Through a series of webinars, participants receive an in-depth understanding of IEP’s research and methodology, guidance on how to communicate peace research, and how to activate IEP’s Positive Peace framework – an evidence-based model for sustainable, societal development that emphasises factors that create thriving societies.
IEP provides its data and research, which is often adapted by ambassadors who draw on their varied regional, cultural and professional interests.
“Incorporating IEP`s data driven research into our teachings helps our audience to understand and cultivate sustainable peace initiatives in our society and also embrace the SDG No. 16,” said Dan Odaba who undertook the IEP Ambassador Programme in 2020 and also teaches disaster risk reduction in Nairobi, Kenya.
The ambassador programme is free, flexible and can be accessed online from anywhere in the world.
Are you interested in becoming an ambassador for peace? Sign up to express your interest in the program here.
**Pictured is IEP Ambassador Lorelei Higgins
For the fourth Ambassador Feature Series, IEP interviews Lindsay Griswold from Asheville, North Carolina, USA.
