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About InterChange

InterChange is a growing, united, and diverse community of community-based peacebuilders around the world who: build relationships; share knowledge, skills and experiences; collaborate on educational and research projects; and support one another with the aim of nurturing and developing dynamic, durable and positive peace. This network is presently concentrated in Canada, Croatia, and East Africa.

Peacebuilding may involve a multiplicity of actors –community, academics, religious leaders, and policy makers– both within and outside the immediate conflict zone. Our particular focus is the actors and activities based at the level of the individual, the family, the group, the neighbourhood and the community.

InterChange was established in 2004 in response to the need for a global information network and training resource accessible to practitioners, policy-makers, and theorists who are involved in community-based peacebuilding. The organization is registered as a Canadian charity.

View our definition of Community-Based Peacebuilding

Our Vision:

Community-based peacebuilders around the world sharing knowledge and supporting one another to nurture and develop dynamic, durable peace.

Our Mission:

To foster and make visible community-based peacebuilding around the world.

We will do this by means which will include:

  • Ensuring that people working for peace feel supported, knowledgeable and valued in their work.
  • Helping peacebuilders develop the education, resources and networks they need to carry out their activities and improve their practice;
  • Creating a global clearinghouse of peacebuilding knowledge and practice;
  • Carrying out education for non-professionals and professionals;
  • Carrying out international collaborative, participatory, multi-local research projects; and
  • Inspiring and supporting others to take up the cause of peace and see themselves as peacebuilders.

Our Principles (Ways in which we work that honour our values and beliefs):

InterChange:

  1. Fosters community-level involvement in peacebuilding and bases its activities and agendas on the needs and priorities of community-based peacebuilders.
  2. Recognizes that community-based peacebuilding work is done within, and has implications for, a larger global context.
  3. Uses circle-based, participatory, non-hierarchical models for organizational purposes, communication, research, and other activities.
  4. Bases partnerships and relationships, especially those that transcend differences, on equality and mutuality.
  5. Respects and engages with local and indigenous knowledges, culture and values, recognizing the value of dialogue across different worldviews and perspectives.
  6. Values theory and practice equally and sees them as complementary and mutually reinforcing aspects of peacebuilding.
  7. Values the contribution of both women and men to peacebuilding research and practice, and encourages research into gender issues and women’s peacebuilding roles.
  8. Works holistically, engaging heart, mind and spirit.
  9. Develops personal relationships as a basis for its peacebuilding work.
  10. Recognizes that peacebuilders need friendship, encouragement and validation.

InterChange is hosted by the Transformative Learning Centre at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, Canada.