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Center for Dialogue and Conflict Transformation

“WELCOME FROM THE DIRECTOR”

As the African quote reminds us, “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” The Center for Dialogue and Conflict Transformation seeks to engage with LCC students, staff, local and international researchers, practitioners, activists, and communities to promote and strengthen a culture of peace both locally and globally.  We invite you to join us on our journey towards building peace.

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Naomi Enns
Director, Center for Dialogue and Conflict Transformation

Purpose statement

LCC’s peace center, grounded in Christian faith, offers opportunities for building bridges of trust, transforming relationships, and equipping communities. The center aims to strengthen, transform, and sustain servant change agents towards the creation of a more just and peaceful world. Opportunities for gathering and growing together strengthens the LCC ethos of non-violent peacebuilding guided by 4 pillars articulated below. These pillars advance our understanding and action towards peace in local and global pathways through dialogue, trainings, and action. The Center is a catalyst for strengthening communities in nonviolent social change, generous hospitality, and holistic justice to promote the greater common good of our society.

Conflict Transformation & Resilience

We work with people to transform conflict on personal, interpersonal, community and societal levels by building bridges of trust, fostering reconciliation, and strengthening resiliency. Through respectful engagement we equip communities to live justly and nurture a sustainable peace. 

Applied Research & Dialogue

We work with students and researchers in the areas of conflict and peace studies and promote events that stimulate dialogue on critical issues that impact our world.  The goal is to invite students, international researchers, and others to connect academic research to practice.

Action, Advocacy & Awareness Raising

We challenge a culture of oppression, promote actions which pursue justice, increase understanding and engagement in human rights issues, and strengthen positive service and citizenship. We use dialogue, learning events and workshops to empower communities to live generously.

Peace, Dialogue & Trainings

We foster an awareness of the cycles of violence and provide tools to nonviolently engage conflict, oppression, and trauma. We use human encounters to transform relationships, expand our understanding and actions toward peace, and nurture health and healing towards a more just and peaceful world.

News and Events

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Peace cannot exist without justice: A visit with an Erasmus Scholar

2024-03-21

The Center for Dialogue and Conflict Transformation at LCC International University recently had the honor of hosting peace facilitator Dr. Julijana Mladenovska-Tešija, who is Croatian, but also a native Macedonian with degrees in philosophy and religious studies; she speaks from both academic and personal experience of living and working in a conflict-affected communities. As the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and a lecturer at Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia, she offered open lectures for our students as an Erasmus visiting scholar on March 4th and 5th. She presented and participated in the Peace Conference: “Living with Fragile Identities.” Julijana graced our LCC campus by facilitating open lectures on the themes of “Grassroots peacebuilding in Croatia: Healing memories and lives” and “Religion’s role in (post) conflict restoration: the case of Croatia Post Yugoslavia.” Students and staff from multiple disciplines enjoyed her lively storytelling and critical analysis.In her first open lecture, she provided insights on the disintegration of former Yugoslavia and how new states with confusing identities were formed. It was helpful to hear how the historical backgrounds of each current state influenced the present and how new identities were formed within three different religious and political institutions. She shared the stories of a bloody and cruel Yugoslavian war and its events and remarked on how her “language is not sweet” which she hears how many describe it, yet language is a part of her identity from a land where there is no “clean” territory and a country with its variety of multiple ethnicities. Out of her life experienced stories she described how in current times there remains a big division between Balkan states leading to a continued struggle for reconciliation at the grassroots. She left us with ideas and questions to continue grappling with regarding how countries might heal from violence and war. It was interesting to hear her raise the question of “When is a Peacemaker a peacemaker, and when is a peacemaker considered a traitor?” She challenged us with her comment about the ‘other’ and that we “might not like them, but do not throw rocks at them”.In her second open lecture Julijana spoke about religion’s role in post-conflict restoration and how for her, the way in which Jesus impacted her life; giving us critical insights of how civil societies and religious institutions were identity-shapers in the Balkan states. Her interest in peacemaking comes with a desire to avoid the repetition of another Yugoslavian war in these countries. For, in her opinion, justice and peace are intertwined. Moreover, she offered a perspective on why humans are prone to violence and how history plays a role. For instance, she critiqued the idea of how states decided for their citizens what to remember and what not to remember from historical events, which leads to collusion and conflict between other states. As a result, out of her peacebuilding experience, she states that “our identities are the most fragile when it comes to history as our histories and languages are shared through other nations,” creating the most conflicts.Weaving her thoughts through stories of front-line peacebuilders she tackled ideas on why humans are prone to violence and what might perpetuate the story of violence. This is a thought-provoking idea to remember when we think about the narratives we resort to and the realities peace work entails. Especially, from Juliana’s perspective, as she sees it as a work in the process of building bridges and quietly nurturing small steps and spaces that help fragile societies build new narratives that heal. In the end, this Erasmus scholar left us with the challenge and reminder that we are all a part of civil society and its identity, and with that, we all have a part in what it can become.Author: Dominykas Norkus, intern at the Center for Dialogue and Conflict, LCC International University.

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Living With Fragile Identities Conference: A Journey of Insight

2024-03-07

LCC International University had the pleasure of hosting the Living With Fragile Identities (LWFI) conference from February 28th to March 3rd. It was marked by Dr. Duncan Morrow's captivating address on the nuanced dynamics of identity. Morrow, who visited from Northern Ireland, underscored identity as a relational, whole-body experience woven into human stories.The day unfolded with workshops probing around different themes of the conference related to communication and harm led by Giedrė Norman, Naomi DeBoer,  Rianna Isaak-Krauß, Snezana Anđelić,  Thobekile Ncube and Danisa Ndlovu, culminating in a captivating theater experience led by Raffi Feghali, a Lebanese peacebuilder. Feghali guided participants through introspective discussions and solo performances, prompting them to delve into their own identities.Day two unveiled perspectives from the Baltic States and Post-Yugoslavia, alongside a poignant peace vigil where participants voiced hopes and concerns through a Taize song and a prayer. The conference hummed with dialogue and exchange, leaving attendees eager for more enriching conversations. The day ended with another theatre experience led by Feghali, where he engaged the audience in crafting and making meaning of stories together. As participants delved into day three, insightful talks around perspectives from religion were given by Tricia Van Dyk and María León-Olarte, among others, complemented by excursions to Šilutė and Klaipeda old town, offering historical and cultural insights into Lithuania. On the last day of the conference, Duncan Morrow spoke of the opportunities for peacebuilding and nurturing hope in the face of violence and challenged participants to remember that “peace is not owned by one side or the other, it is something we do between each other”  as “we live in the complexity of relationships where the measure of peace is the quality of relationships we have with each other”. Speakers discussed elements of power creating fragility, and participants reflected on the profound discussions and connections forged. From engaging speeches to interactive workshops, the LWFI peace conference was a testament to the power of dialogue and asking important questions. We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our speakers, facilitators, sponsors, partners, volunteers, and staff for their contributions to the conference's success. As attendees departed, they were encouraged to carry forward the spirit of inquiry and connection fostered at LWFI, aiming for a more compassionate and inclusive world.
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Peace Conference “Living with Fragile Identities”

February 29-March 3, 2024

Countless people around the world have experienced and been affected by wars, violence, and genocides. We recognize that the wounds that were inflicted by these events affect each society differently. Wounded societies share many of the same questions. How can we overcome historical legacies, remember truthfully, and find hope for the future? How can we bridge the gap between victims and perpetrators, friends and perceived enemies, using language as a tool for reconciliation? How might we heal divisions in fragmented societies?

Join us at LCC International University in Klaipėda, Lithuania for this European peace conference from February 29 to March 3, 2024. We'll explore victimhood, violence, and breaking patterns of hopelessness, with a focus on using language for both violence and reconciliation. Workshops will delve into nonviolent communication, peace theology, and trauma healing. An evening theater performance will prompt self-reflection in a fractured world. Join us to discuss ways to bridge divides and create a more hopeful future.

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Past Events

the opening conference for the center offered 3 strands of critical thinking on the theme of narratives, the place of storytelling and their role in healing and building a democratic society. Be engaging with our heads, hearts and hands we nurtured our walk together towards peace.

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