The U.S. Institute of Peace is pleased to provide educators with this Discussion Guide to the multimedia exhibit, “Witnesses to Peacebuilding.” This series of six short video pieces tells powerful individual stories of various peacebuilders from around the world. The accompanying Discussion Guide provides educators with questions to guide a post-screening conversation with your students about key peacebuilding themes and activities.
The videos and accompanying resources are available for free here.
Seeds of Peace: Building Peace at Summer Camp
Age: 10 and above (U.S. middle school grade 5 and above)
Video and Background
Discussion questions:
- What struck you most about this story?
- What activities did you see and hear about the campers doing? Why are the activities in the camp important for people who might not get along with each other?
- What is the impact of bringing these young people together? How can it help their future?
- What challenges might they face when they return home, and how could they overcome them?
- Tamar and Suma are young peacebuilders. What are some benefits of youth as peacebuilders? What are some of the challenges youth face as peacebuilders?
- How do you and your peers build peace in your school and community? How can you build peace globally?
LTC William Zemp: Partnerships in Peacebuilding
Age: 15 and above (U.S. high school grade 10 and above)
Video and Background
Discussion questions:
- What image or words resonated most with you?
- The video opens with the statement: “Peacebuilding can be possible, even in the most difficult circumstances.” What was difficult about these circumstances?
- What actions were taken to resolve the violence in Mahmoudiya?
- Who were all the different groups working to resolve the violence? How did they work together?
- Why was it important in this case for civilians and the military to work together?
- What challenges might all the different groups have faced when partnering together?
- When in your own life has it been better to work as a team instead of independently? What were some challenges, and how did you overcome them?
Betty Bigombe: Building Peace in Uganda
Age: 15 and above (U.S. high school grade 10 and above)
Video and Background
Discussion Questions:
- What stood out to you about Betty Bigombe in this story?
- What did Betty do to help end the conflict in Uganda?
- How did being a woman affect Betty’s ability to work with the Lord’s Resistance Army?
- How would you describe Betty? Why might these be important qualities for someone working for peace to have? How can you develop these qualities in yourself?
- What concerns might you have had to overcome to do what Betty did, and how would you have overcome them?
- Who are some other women working for peace around the world, and what do they do?
- When might you use negotiation skills in your own life? Why might negotiation be difficult? Why is it important?
Juanes: Building Peace through Music
Age: 11 and above (U.S. middle school grade 6 and above)
Video and Background
Discussion questions:
- What did you like most about this story?
- What did Juanes do to help build peace? What motivated him to take these actions? How might his actions have helped build peace?
- Based on what you saw and heard in the video, what are some of the effects of war on young people? Why use music to engage young people affected by war?
- Juanes had a creative idea to use his talent to build peace. Why is it important to be creative in peacebuilding?
- How can you use creativity to build peace?
George Mitchell: Building Peace in Northern Ireland
Age: 11 and above (U.S. middle school grade 6 and above)
Video and Background
Discussion questions:
- What struck you most about this story?
- Why was Senator George Mitchell invited to Northern Ireland? What was the biggest obstacle to overcome in bringing both sides together?
- What skills did Senator Mitchell use to achieve his goal?
- Why was trust so important in this peace process? How can you build trust? What happens when it is broken?
- Why is it sometimes important to have a third party mediator? What is one example of a time you helped two parties resolve a conflict? What skills did you use?
- Senator Mitchell says that “hope and opportunity are essential to political stability and peace in every society.” Why are hope and opportunity essential to peace? What gives you a sense of hope and opportunity?
Dogs: Detecting Landmines, Building Peace
Age: 11 and above (U.S. middle school grade 6 and above)
Discussion questions:
- What surprised you about this story?
- What did you see dogs doing in this video?
- What are the effects of landmines, as described in the video? In addition to landmines, what are some other lasting effects of war?
- The Marshall Legacy Institute, like the United States Institute of Peace, is an American organization. What other American organizations work in countries affected by conflict, and what do they do? How might their work help build peace in those countries? How can you get involved in these organizations?
Cross-cutting Discussion Questions
Discussion questions:
- Which story stood out to you most? Did any story surprise you?
- What were some similarities in the stories?
- What were some differences between the stories? What might account for these differences?
- What did you learn about peacebuilding from these videos?
- Who are peacebuilders in your own community? In the United States? In other countries?
- If the U.S. Institute of Peace wanted to make a “Witnesses to Peacebuilding” video about you and your peacebuilding story, what would the video be about?
Learn more about USIP’s resources for students and educators.