We’re walking through 10 easy, practical steps anyone can take to start to be a peacebuilder in their community. This is the story of one peace catalyst who took the challenge to connect with “the other.”

Communities will always have in-groups and out-groups, those with more influence and those with less. The question is, how will these groups relate? Will the out-groups - the “other” - be welcomed into relationship and decision-making, or will they be kept on the outskirts of the community? 


We want to engage our whole community in peacebuilding, so we’re giving you 10 small, easy things you can do to start connecting in your community by understanding yourself, your context, the people in your community, and the conflicts in your setting. Step 6 is CONNECTING WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS. Healthy communities are built when neighbors know, trust, and care for each other, so this one is important.


Reflect on a division you feel in your community, religious congregation, or family. How is that division impacting people’s relationships and wellbeing? Or consider a larger, national culture war or political struggle. How is it filtering down into your local setting? How does it affect you, your neighbors, or your family members?

Every community has a history and many stories about how that history is understood. Most, if not all, social divisions and conflicts have roots in these histories and stories, so here are some questions to help get into your community's history:

Before we can do any kind of meaningful community peacebuilding, we have to know who our neighbors actually are, so take a few minutes and do some internet searching to find out the demographics of your area and what kind of people live near you. You may be surprised by what you learn!

For the end of the year we’re sharing 10 small, easy things you can do to start to understand yourself, your context, your community, and the conflicts in your setting. Our 2nd step is to LEAN INTO THOSE WHO’VE GOT YOUR BACK. Peacebuilding is all about relationships, so an important practice is to recognize and celebrate those who care for us, encourage us, and challenge us.

As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Understanding is the first step in any peacebuilder’s journey, so for the end of the year we’re sharing 10 small, easy things you can do to start to understand yourself, your context, your community, and the conflicts in your setting.

Sometimes we think we know what’s going on, but in reality we don’t. We assume the situation could only be as it appears on the surface, but if we look into it further, we may find we don’t know what we think we know.