Title of Project Cooperación Costeña por la Paz: Construcción de paz popular y pedagógica en el Caribe colombiano Coastal Cooperation for Peace: Building popular and pedagogical peace in the Colombian

Country where project took place

Sponsoring College Carleton College

Name and College Andres Parra from Carleton College

Media Instagram: @peace_encounters Local news coverage of final panel (at 2:00): https://youtu.be/6wO2C3Au7vE UniNorte University coverage of final panel: https://www.uninorte.edu.co/web/grupo- prensa/noticia?articleId=14736540&groupId=73923

SECTION I: NARRATIVE

Summary of Project Goals The mission of this project is to contribute to the construction of a sustainable peace in Colombia by facilitating and encouraging dialogue between students, social organizations, institutions, academia and other actors involved in the post-conflict process in the Colombian Caribbean.

Other Fund-Raising Efforts We have not yet begun other fund-raising efforts, but we plan to begin more fund-raising efforts so that we can continue this project and keep creating these kind of spaces for a wider audience of Colombians.

Conceiving the Project I came up with the idea for this project after conversing with different Colombian activists at the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize Forum at Augsburg University, and with my partners in Colombia about the initiatives would be most impactful. The inspiration for this project came from participating in two delegations in Colombia with the organization Witness for Peace. Witness for Peace organizes peace delegations for U.S. citizens to learn about the impact of U.S. foreign policy in , and then encourage participants to create a plan for contributing to peacebuilding efforts. My Davis Project for Peace seeks to create these transformative experiences and connections for Colombians who are ultimately the ones who will build a sustainable peace in their country.

Origins of the Issue Violence is fueled by ignorance and misinformation. In Colombia, these issues are most exemplified by the failure of the 2016 peace agreement referendum because of a major misinformation campaign by the opposition and a low voter turnout that many attribute to the disinterest of urban Colombians in the conflict that has raged for more than six decades across the countryside between the Colombian government and the rebel group FARC. This Davis Project for Peace brought victims, ex-combatants, and civilians of different backgrounds face to face in one room to talk about the creation of sustainable peace in their region. We brought 39 students to a space for FARC” reincorporation” to civilian life where they learned about ex-guerrillas’ projects that support their commitment to peace. This Davis Project for Peace is a valuable response to ignorance and misinformation because we are creating spaces were Colombians who have lived on different sides of the conflict can come together and learn from each other, see their shared humanity, and begin to create a sustainable peace for all Colombians.

The Site: Choosing It and Working There As a Colombian who studied in the , I was always sure that I wanted to return to Colombia and help construct a sustainable peace. I was inspired by the success of the peace accord in 2016 between the state and FARC, a new attempt for peace that inspired many Colombians to support peace building efforts across the country. Through my career at Carleton College, I prepared for a project like this in Colombia. My sophomore year, I participated in my first peace delegation with Witness for Peace. Before the trip, I had begun to research the conflict in Colombia, a research process that culminated two years later with a pair of senior thesis project on the conflict in Colombia. In addition, I had access to a support network in Barranquilla with UniNorte, the think tank UNCaribe, and family. This project was very rewarding, especially in allowing me to return to Colombia to begin a project like this. The Caribbean coast of Colombia is notorious for its lack of peace initiatives and as a result there was a lot of interest in this project.

Prospects for Failure I never felt the project was not going to work, but we faced many tough challenges along the way. Two days before the first delegation, I used my debit card at a faulty ATM which activated the security protocols for my debit card and left the project funds inaccessible for two very stressful days. Finally, my parents were able to help me by transferring the money from my account to a partner with a Colombian bank account. There were also many safety concerns. Residents in one of the reincorporation zones we were trying to visit received multiple death threats from paramilitary groups, one of the top FARC leaders fled through the reincorporation zone we visited, and two days after our second delegation he stood along three other notable FARC leaders declaring their return to war. I also struggled with the informality of places like the t-shirt manufacturers who would promise a date for delivering shirts only to finish them a week late after I pressured them for hours. There were many more challenges throughout the project but they only inspired me because of the amount of support from my team during these times and they reminded me of the importance of this project.

Communication Challenges I am very thankful for my two partners in this project, Alberto Mercado and Juan Jose Escobar, who helped me communicate and coordinate with various contacts. Though it was sometimes challenging to reach the people that we wanted to meet, with their help, we were able to figure this out and ultimately lead a very successful project.

Definitions of “Peace” I define peace as a complex process that makes it possible to achieve conflict resolution through dialogue, and cooperation.

This Project’s Contributions to Peace I am very grateful that this project facilitated many impactful moments, attracted a lot of attention, and inspired many participants to begin projects that will contribute to peace in Colombia. In the project itself, all of our participants learned about the conflict, saw people around them engaged in peace building, and understood the humanity of people who they had been taught were only killing and kidnapping monsters all of their lives. We economically supported the reincorporation of FARC members through the trips to the reincorporation zone, and we also created many relationships that will continue to contribute to peace. For instance, many participants have said that they are going to come back with their families, our bus driver plans to encourage the tourists to visit the reincorporation zone, and many panelists plan on collaborating with each other in the future. We have already begun to collaborate with student groups to draft a proposal for the development of peace in Barranquilla for the new mayor to include in their governing plans in October. In the long term, my two partners and I are planning to continue this initiative which we are calling ‘Peace Encounters Colombia’ as a non-profit organization so that we can lead longer delegations to meet with more voices involved in peace building, and create more spaces for peace building.

Impact of This Project This project has been a very impactful experience that has encouraged me to continue to support peace building in Colombia.

Value of This Project “Peace is a complex process built through a commitment to non-violence, personal relationships, education, and cooperation. Through the initiative Peace Encounters Colombia, we are supporting brave and impassioned Colombians engaged in peace building efforts achieve their goal of a sustainable peace in Colombia.” Andres Parra

SECTION II: PHOTOGRAPHS

1. A photo of our final panel at UniNorte with Diana Rico, head of the think tank UNCaribe; Federico Rios, a photographer for the NY Times; Ubaldo Zuñiga, an ex-combatant involved in the reincorporation process; Rosario Montoya a victim part of MOVICE (National Movement of Victims of Crimes of State), Laura Orrego, staff at ARN (National Reincorporation Agency); David, a member of the truth commission; and various participants of the PEACE DELEGATIONS.

2. An ex-combatant tells a group of our delegation about the role of women in peace building at the reincorporation zone.

3. An ex-combatant talks to the peace delegation before heading out for an eco-tour.