April 22–May 6, 2019
Peacemaking on the Frontline
Description
This travel study seminar will explore the conflict in Eastern Ukraine from the perspective of our partners in Ukraine and Russia, meeting with people on the ground in both places affected by the war. It will conclude with a consultation in Poland, in which we will bring together on neutral ground, Ukrainians and Russians for a dialogue on peacemaking and reconciliation in the context of the conflict.
Participants will arrive in Warsaw, Poland, for an initial orientation and then we will head to Ukraine, where we will learn about the different identities and aspirations of the Ukrainian peoples. While in Ukraine we will meet refugees from the conflict and have the opportunity to visit inside the buffer zone that separates the contested areas from the rest of Ukraine. We will then move on to Russia (via Warsaw, as there are no direct flights between Ukraine and Russia because of the conflict), where we will hear a Russian perspective on the conflict and meet with people caught up in the conflict on the Russian side. The final weekend of the program will be a peacemaking dialogue in Warsaw, with some of those we have met, enabling them to listen to and engage with each other directly. In this way we hope to facilitate an encounter between our partners that would otherwise be unavailable to them, directly contributing to the work of peacemaking and reconciliation in the region.
This will be a strenuous program, with lots of travel, including by trains, which you have to climb up into with your luggage, and a visit into the contested buffer zone that separates the two countries, so it is important that participants are fit and healthy enough to contend with these challenges.
Accommodations
The seminar will last 13 days. Participants will be away for two Sundays. Accommodations are double-occupancy. Some single-occupancy rooms may be available for an additional charge.
Application Due Date
Applications will be accepted until December 15, 2018. After that date, applications will be considered as space remains available.
Cost
The seminar cost is $3,375 for 13 nights and 14 days. The cost is per person double occupancy including all seminar expenses (meals, accommodations, program, tips, tours, and all airline and train transportation during the seminar). International airline transport between the USA and Warsaw, Poland is not included.
