Peace Direct works with local people to stop violent conflict and build lasting peace. We partner directly with local peacebuilding organizations in some of the most dangerous war zones around the world to strengthen their work in their own countries and amplify their voices on the international stage. We also undertake participatory research and facilitate learning exchanges and briefings between decisionmakers and peacebuilders to improve policy and practice outcomes for durable peace.
We believe local civil society is the largest untapped resource for preventing war and building peace. Over the last decade, we have mapped nearly 1,800 local peacebuilding groups around the world through our website, Peace Insight and are dedicated to sustaining this mapping work through new engagement across the Americas, including the US. Among other programmatic activities, we facilitate discussions with local peacebuilders around thematic and regional peacebuilding issues, such as atrocity prevention or empowering youth-led peacebuilding, among other themes. Through the research gleaned from peace exchanges, we write reports and promote recommendations alongside our partners to promote more inclusive and sustainable policy at the international level. We host visits and events with local peacebuilders around the world in Washington, DC, and New York so they can share their stories and perspectives directly with decision-makers.
The Scoville Fellow will become part of our international policy and research team in Washington, DC, supporting our research agenda and advocacy efforts to advance locally led peacebuilding towards US and UN policy. The fellow will lead a specific research and advocacy project on an emerging area of work based on the fellow’s background and interests and Peace Direct’s priority areas. Some examples of potential areas of work the fellow might undertake include: 1) Youth inclusion and participation in conflict transformation and our engagement on the Youth, Peace, and Security Act, 2) localized funding and financing models, or 3) region specific conflict dynamics in partnership with one of Peace Direct’s local implementing partners. Their work may include organizing research, authoring reports and blogs, leading online participatory discussions, attending key events in DC, meeting with congressional and administration staff, and arranging meetings for local peacebuilders to speak with US and UN decisionmakers. The Scoville Fellow will work with the advocacy and research team to co-create an independent and unique project that aligns with the fellow’s and Peace Direct’s shared interests, skills, and capacities. Previous fellows have historically organized and led online global learning exchanges and authored seminal reports including Time to Decolonize Aid and Migration and Peacebuilding. Beyond the independent project, the fellow will be integrated into the life of our office and participate in broader organizational efforts as appropriate. The fellow would have the opportunity to help build a global movement for peace and learn the practical aspects of putting peacebuilding into action.