The Global Peacebuilding Center at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) hosted a reception to honor the two student winners of the Northern Virginia National History Day 2015 USIP Special Award

May 13, 2015 – As part of its continued engagement with young peacebuilders, the Global Peacebuilding Center at the USIP hosted a reception to honor the two student winners of the Northern Virginia National History Day 2015 USIP Special Award. The USIP Special Award, which was sponsored by the Global Peacebuilding Center to recognize outstanding National History Day projects that highlighted the U.S.’s leadership and legacy in international conflict management, was awarded to high school sophomore Marie Laverdiere and middle school student Kailyn Noble. 

Marie and Kailyn, whose projects were selected out of nearly twenty that qualified for the USIP Special Award, were not only awarded trophies by USIP President Nancy Lindborg, but also asked to discuss their projects with USIP staff and reflect upon the significance of their research for the work of international conflict management.

“It was interesting how people who were mortal enemies were able to cooperate to end the Cold War,” said Laverdiere, whose project highlighted the diplomatic relationship between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev as paramount to avoiding violent conflict. “It’s inspiring how [Reagan and Gorbachev] persisted, despite having challenges in the beginning.” Laverdiere also emphasized the importance of paying attention to the “little details” that comprise any conflict and to be prepared to have one’s expectations challenged when studying conflict – two lessons often underscored in USIP’s conflict analysis work and related educational resources.

When asked what the peacebuilding field can learn from her project, eighth-grader Kailyn Noble noted the importance of humanitarian relief for preventing the recurrence of violent conflict. “George Marshall,” who was the subject of Noble’s National History Day project, “gave aid to Germany and the rest of Europe to prevent World War III from happening,” said Noble. “He learned from the mistakes of World War I,” which partially inspired the European Recovery Program, more famously known as The Marshall Plan—and, for Noble, learning from prior mistakes still serves as an important lesson for peacebuilders today.

USIP President Nancy Lindborg, whose career has often involved overseeing the provision of immediate humanitarian aid to conflict-affected states, lauded the work of both students. “[Marie and Kailyn] embody USIP’s commitment to the next generation of peacebuilders,” said Lindborg. “We need to take your lessons and insights into account [for our own work.]”

To learn more about these two student projects, see our previous article on the Global Peacebuilding Center’s involvement in the Northern Virginia National History Day competition. Both student projects were overseen by educators who supported their research. To learn more about the work of educators as peacebuilders, refer to the For Educators section.

The Global Peacebuilding Center, on behalf of the U.S. Institute of Peace, applauds the recipients of the National History Day 2015 USIP Special Award. They affirm the important contributions of young people to the study and work of peacebuilding – contributions that youth all around the world, in ways big and small, can and do make every day in the pursuit of peace.