District 6080 Peacebuilder Club History
The Rotary Action Group For Peace (RAGFP) announced its peacebuilder club initiative at the Rotary International Convention in Hamburg, Germany in 2019. District co-leads Jacque Howard and Sarah Read were both in attendance and both returned to Missouri enthusiastic about the idea. Jacque’s club, the Rotary Club of Pulaski County, was formed when she returned and officially recognized in the 2019-2020 year.
Jacque became District Governor in 2020-2021 and announced a District Peacebuilder Club initiative during her installation as District Governor in June of 2020.
The Peacebuilder initiative was promoted during District Governor club visits, District club leadership assembly/ training and via emails, newsletters, and by word of mouth.
Financial support of the initiative was built into the district budget to provide an incentive to clubs to gain memberships in RAGFP to develop Peacebuilders, develop Peacebuilder committees, and to work towards designation as a RAGFP Peacebuilder club. The District provided for the cost (US$50) for a second member to join the RAGFP per club with their commitment to complete Rotary’s Positive Peace Academy.
A district committee was formed, co-chaired by DG Jacque Howard and Sarah Read. Sarah established monthly Peacebuilder committee meetings engaging Peacebuilders from clubs that wanted more information. Sarah’s club, Columbia-Metro, became the second club to be recognized in November of 2020.
By year end the district in Missouri grew from one to 11 RAGFP designated Peacebuilder clubs, one of which was a Rotaract club. The district grew from three to approximately 20 Rotarians who are members of the RAGFP and all completed the Rotary Positive Peace Academy. The District sponsored 20 Rotaract memberships to RAGFP.
Two Peacebuilder virtual programs were hosted by the district this year. One program featured Rotary Director Peter Kyle and RAGFP Board Chair Alison Sutherland.
District designated grant funds were allocated for clubs that achieved Peacebuilder clubs designation by RAGFP. Four clubs met the criteria and were grated $500 each for a peace centered project in their communities.
The district used remaining funds to develop a district-wide project in partnership with the Daniel Boone Library District to purchase almost 400 peace centered books. They were distributed to libraries throughout the district, made available through an inter-library loan process, and distributed to Little Free Libraries throughout the district.
The District Conference featured speakers on Rotary’s four strategic priorities and Alison Sutherland on RAGFP Peacebuilder, Peacebuilder clubs, and global initiatives. Champions awards were presented to an individual or a club that exemplified each area.
2023-2024
The current Rotary Year kicked off under the theme of “Create Hope in The World,” which aptly describes the work of the Rotary Peacebuilder Committee. Joining Sarah and Brad on the District Committee are Stephen Stark (Jefferson CIty Breakfast) and Daniel Ogunyemi (Springfield Sunrise). Stephen will serve as our primary liaison with RAGFP and Daniel will assist with club outreach and communication.
2022-2023
District Governor John Horton continued the District 6080 support for the Rotary Peacebuilder Initiative during 2022 – 2023 Rotary Year. District Simplified Grants were awarded to support three projects:
- District-wide screenings of the documentary entitled A Home Called Nebraska that depicts the life experiences of international refugees in the Midwest U.S.
- The Fulton Club’s partnership with HeadStart in a project that promotes peace and conflict resolution skills at the preschool level.
- A Springfield Sunrise project to facilitate dialogue and engage Rotarians in 1:1 conversations guided by discussion prompts on topics of community and relationship.
During 2022 – 2023, the District Peacebuilder Committee participated in the MU Peace Studies Conference by leading two Rotary panel discussions, promoted opportunities for Mental Health First Aid Training, and participated in international and local discussions on peace, dialogue, and conflict resolution. Brad Bodenhausen from Springfield’s Southeast Rotary Club joined the District Peacebuilder Committee to assist Sarah Read with club outreach.
Across the district a major theme of Peacebuilder efforts continues to be support for international refugees that have resettled into the communities of mid-Missouri and southwest Missouri. The agencies that welcome our new neighbors from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Myanmar, and several African countries need ongoing assistance. Clubs across the district are helping to address housing and transportation needs, and leading projects focused on workforce preparation and entrepreneurship training. At the Rotary District Conference, the Fulton Rotary Club reported on the club’s support for six refugee families in their community. Additionally, District Peacebuilder Committee chair Sarah Read was recognized for her leadership of the Columbia Metro Club’s “Revenues for Refugees” program that seeks to help Afghan refugees build entrepreneurial skills and develop small businesses.
The Committee mourned the loss of PDG Jacque Howard. As District Governor, Jacque launched the Peacebuilder Club initiative through which 13 clubs were ultimately certified and established the District Peacebuilder Committee to support the clubs. As a result, District 6080 clubs have installed peace poles, provided lessons on tolerance to school children, equipped libraries around the state with books on conflict resolution, worked to lessen partisan divides, supported organizations that fight human trafficking, and supported refugees through art therapy and other programs.
Jacque was optimistic, forward looking, and constantly looking for opportunities to encourage and support those around her. She set a great example for us to follow.
2021-2022
Building on the foundation of our initial year, the District Peacebuilder Committee grew and solidified its focus during the 2021 – 2022 Rotary Year. District Governor Joan Kramer pledged to keep the Peacebuilding focus going and to provide incentives and benefits for clubs achieving RAGFP designation. Jacque Howard and Sarah Read continued to serve as co-leads and were joined on the District Peacebuilder Committee by Becky Hosp of Springfield Sunrise.
Rotary clubs across the district continued to work toward the goals of “Positive Peace,” including:
- Welcoming and supporting international refugee families in mid-Missouri,
- Teaching tolerance and conflict resolution skills to youth and adults,
- Installing Peace Poles as a sign of Rotary’s commitment to the ideal of Peace in our communities and world, and
- Facilitating individual and group dialogue as a means to overcome the cultural and political divisions prevalent in our society.
In February 2002, as Rotarians celebrated the 117th anniversary of Rotary’s founding, Russian tanks rolling into Ukraine reminded the world that we do not live in an era of peace. With this backdrop of global conflict reinforcing the easily understood definition of “negative peace” as the absence of war it became even more important for Rotarians to clearly articulate what we’re seeking with the goal of Positive Peace.
Defined as the attitudes, institutions, and structures that, when strengthened, lead to a more peaceful society – Positive Peace describes an optimum environment for human potential to flourish. The Rotary Peacebuilder initiative brings the concept of Positive Peace to the local level by defining peace as more than the absence of violence. Positive Peace provides the foundation for communities striving for strong economic performance, business success, better measures of health and well-being, higher levels of inclusiveness, and an attitude of environmental stewardship. Two of the most important factors that contribute to Positive Peace are acceptance of the rights of others and good relations with neighbors – aspirations certainly in keeping with Rotary’s Four-Way Test.
The emphasis on these community-based projects in 2021 – 2022 represent an example of Rotary’s aspiration to promote Positive Peace in Missouri.