That influence is visible in the 2017-18 issue of the annual Peacebuilder magazine, which highlights CJP’s programs: MA degree programs in conflict transformation and restorative justice, as well as , , , and the .

In his foreword, Executive Director highlights CJP’s growing role in healing justice work, “which melds together the biblical themes of truth, grace and restored relationships and systems.”

Healing justice in the United States

• Two graduates assisted in a to gather data about the nature and extent of current truth-telling, racial healing, memorialization and social transformation initiatives.
• The Zehr Institute was awarded a $104,000 grant to aimed at identifying the most strategic areas to invest in order to support the restorative justice movement.
• New included four courses that directly addressed how to manage and transform divisive rhetoric and communication; how to bring polarized communities together and organize for change; and how to recognize and analyze systems of oppression. Additionally Carl Stauffer’s truth-telling, reconciliation and restorative justice course – co-taught with Dr. Nicholas Rowe – drew 24 participants.

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• Mennonite Central Committee representatives talk about how STAR (Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience) trainings have “” of Syrian and Lebanese staff, church leaders and other caregivers working with refugees.
• Graduates of the Women’s Peacebuilding Leadership Program in Kenya form a to influence middle-level civil society space.
• ’17 returns as a teaching fellow to 91����Ƶ.
• Dr. Jayne Seminare Docherty outlines in the academic programs at CJP.

Peacebuilder magazine is housed at . The site also includes , who are encouraged to update their profiles regularly.

The event — which includes speakers and interactive arts-based opportunities for reflection, learning and healing — is Saturday, March 19, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in 91����Ƶ’s Suter Science Center. It is free and open to the public as well as the campus community.

“Sexual violence doesn’t just impact individuals,” Stauffer says. “It is a breach of relationship. How can we rebuild community in the face of violence? If we can build toward a healthier definition of community, I think we’ll all feel safer and provide an environment for profound healing.”

Stauffer’s project, titled “,” began in 2012 with research among domestic abuse survivors from within communities of homeless women, undocumented Latinas and Mennonite women from Old Order or conservative church communities. Stauffer employed a strengths-based approach, with particular focus on the resilient ways in which women survive in spite of gaps in societal support networks. Her project employed strategies that empowered study participants, integrating storytelling interviews with circle processes and healing arts workshops.

Last spring, MA in biomedicine students were integrated into the project with a about adverse childhood experience. Most of the students are future health care providers, and the experience asked them to reflect on the symptomatic and diagnostic implications of personal narratives as they participated in storytelling, communication activities and playback theater events with co-facilitators, some of whom were domestic abuse survivors.

Stauffer and the planning committee have included some of these same components in the symposium, she says. “This is an interdisciplinary event with planning, support and participation coming from various groups and departments across campus,” she added, the representation of which is important to the idea of both community response and support.

Plenary presenters include , assistant professor of restorative justice and peacebuilding at 91����Ƶ’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, and University of Notre Dame doctoral researcher Sheila McCarthy. Turner will speak on “Healing in Community” and McCarthy on “Sexual Violence through the Lens of Moral Injury.” , an 91����Ƶ graduate whose published writing has explored her identity as a survivor of sexual abuse, will share her poetry. Inside Out, a campus theater group which has also participated in other parts of Stauffer’s multidisciplinary project, will host a session on the innovative and healing art of playback theater.

“To me, this type of witness moves our peace stance from the rubric of a privatized individual journey to a much more collective awareness of the church’s role in embodying the challenge to ‘speak truth’ to abuses of power,” Stauffer says. “It invites us as a community of faith to higher levels of transparency, truth and grace for all parties involved.”

Afternoon breakout sessions in two 90-minute blocks options provide attendees with a variety of options, including:

• “How to Appropriately Respond to Disclosures,” by Mike and Lavonne Yoder of in Milton, Pa.;
• “Body Work and Response Mechanisms of Memory Storage and Release,” by , director of 91����Ƶ’s (STAR) program;
• “Arts Approaches to Trauma Recovery,” with Janine Aberg;
• “International Perspectives on Sexual Violence,” by Diana Tovar Rojas and Myriam Aziz of 91����Ƶ’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding;
• ”Unpacking Consent, Unhealthy Relationships and Sexual Assault,” by Chris Ehrhardt and Laurel Winsor of James Madison University’s (CARE) program;
• “Safe Church Protocols of Prevention,” by Ross Erb and Jackie Hieber of , which provides sexual assault crisis services and other programs in Harrisonburg;
• “Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA),” by Sarah King and Daniel Foxvog;
• “Restorative Justice Dialogues in Crimes of Severe Violence,” by , restorative justice coordinator for Mennonite Central Committee;
• “LGBTQ Perspectives on Sexual Violence,” by , assistant professor of education at 91����Ƶ;
• “I Am Your Broken Place: The Grief of Sexual Violence,” by , director of at 91����Ƶ.

Stauffer says the project has involved “many hands coming together.” Members of the faculty and staff planning committee include Mansfield, the STAR director; Comer, director of counseling services; Roger Foster, co-founder of playback theater troupe; , history professor and department chair; Teresa Haase, director of the graduate program in counseling; and , professor of social work. The student-led has also helped to advise and support the symposium, and students are being encouraged to attend.

“Having students as an integral part of what we’re doing is key,” Stauffer says. “The investment and energy that students bring adds huge value to the whole process.”

A final educative component, designed for 91����Ƶ faculty and staff and focusing on institutional dynamics, is being planned for this coming fall.

The “Silent Violence” project has been funded by a JustPax Fund grant since 2014. focuses on individuals and organizations working for effective change through innovative approaches to societal challenges relating to gender, environmental and/or economic justice. The fund is administered by through the Everence affiliate, Mennonite Foundation. Due to that support, the event is free and open to the public. No pre-registration is required.

Ahmed Tarik, Jordan Detwiler-Michelson and Myriam Aziz have presented at Park View and Shalom Mennonite churches in Harrisonburg, and they hope to continue sharing in the future. Each has recent experience in Syria or with Syrian refugees.

At Park View, the group presented beneath brightly-colored banners reading ‘faith,’ ‘hope,’ ‘love,’ and ‘joy’ and depicting simplistic imagery that contrasted vividly with the evening’s subject matter: a clash between the ideals of faith and humanity and war’s injustice.

A former refugee urges compassion

Tarik opened with a poem called “Home” by Somali-British poet Warsan Shire. He read, “No one leaves home unless/ home is the mouth of a shark.”

Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Tarik fled his home city in 2006 due to war. He sought refuge in Damascus, Syria for three years. During that time, Tarik worked as a photographer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) documenting the life of Iraqi youth refugees in Damascus.

Tarik directed attention to what is widely considered by the United Nations and other organizations with a history of involvement in refugee matters to be the s since World War II.

“It is not easy to be uprooted from your home for no other reason than violence,” he said.

Tarik urged those present not to treat Syrian refugees like a burden, as Syrian families readily opened their homes to his other families fleeing the Iraq war.

Roots

Detwiler-Michelson, also a second-year graduate student, was one of the last members of Mennonite Central Committee’s team to leave Syria in 2011. The school in which he taught is now, he says, headquarters for Kurdish military forces.

The Syrian refugee crisis “exists within a complex and dynamic political landscape,” he said.

Using his own photographs of Damascus, Detwiler-Michelson sketched the cultural richness of that city’s ancient history. “What does it mean to leave home when home is where your family has lived for 4,000 years?” he asked.

Detwiler-Michelson’s own sense of Damascus as home developed during his sojourn with members of the Syrian Orthodox Church community, ranging from laypersons to the church’s archbishop and his retired predecessor. From these Syrian people, many of whom are now displaced, Jordan says he learned about true service, full joy and the meeting of challenges as a community.

In a gesture of solidarity, Detwiler-Michelson played a clip of the Lord’s Prayer sung in Aramaic — a lament that evokes the current suffering his Syrian friends now face.

Case worker processes refugees

Finally, Aziz detailed her recent experiences as a UNHCR case worker determining refugees’ legal status in in Lebanon. [Aziz returned to Lebanon in December to meet with refugee families and begin work on a CJP-funded film project that she hopes will help Americans better understand who Syrians are.]

Lebanon, a country of 4 million people, is now home to 1.3 million Syrian refugees, she said.

However, as Lebanon does not assign legal refugee status to persons fleeing conflict in Syria, this displaced population is known in Lebanon as “asylum seekers.”

Registering with UNHCR is the only path to legal refugee status for Syrians, but that process is long and rigorous.

Aziz used personal photos to show life in the temporary UNHCR camps. She also discussed daily shortages of food and other resources.

One goal is sharing her stories and photos, she said, is to highlight that “we fear what we don’t know — if you know these people then you won’t be so afraid.”

Myriam Aziz and Jordan Detwiler-Michelson will speak Feb. 28, 2016, at the Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalist Church. Both Aziz and Detwiler-Michelson are available to speak to area organizations during spring semester; Tarik is completing a practicum out of the area. For more information or to inquire about booking a presentation, contact the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.

The Tony-nominated Broadway musical “A Year with Frog and Toad” is based on author/illustrator Arnold Lobel’s “Frog and Toad” children’s book series. The musical, directed by professor opens Nov. 20. Additional performances are Nov. 21 and Dec. 3, 4 and 5 at 7:30 p.m. with matinees Nov. 22 and Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through the 91����Ƶ box office at 540-432-4582 or .

“Our production is set here in the Shenandoah Valley and the animals are the kind you would find in the woods and ditches right here in western Virginia,” says Vogel. Her vision was to have the actors portray human characters with animal qualities instead of being in animal costumes. “The actors have studied the way the animals move and are using that in their portrayals. Also, the characters reflect folks you might meet here too.”

For history major Derrick Turner, assistant director and dramaturg, the show brings back memories. “I loved those books. My mom read them to me when I was a child.”

To spark the actors’ imaginations, Turner conducted extensive research with 91����Ƶ professor and conservation photographer . He then compiled movement videos and information on each portrayed animal for the actors, including habitat, food and skeletal structures.

91����Ƶ hasn’t done a children’s play in at least a decade, Vogel says, but the play meets the ‘s educational goals. “Theater for Young Audiences (TYA) is a hugely important genre of theater that our students should have experience performing and producing. Children are a different audience than adults.”

The cast will perform three additional matinees for students from six local schools and three home school groups, says Turner, who made study packets accessible for K-5 grades.

“Adults are much more well-behaved, but I find performing for children is a much more interactive experience,” says actor Josh Helmuth, a music composition major who performed for elementary students while in high school.

Helmuth portrays four animals, including a showy bird and a straight and narrow lizard. “Yeah, I don’t get a break,” he says, smiling.

Playing animals has never been a favorite role for English and theater double-major Makayla Baker. “I don’t like when people portray animals. It’s so weird. But here I am—I’m a turtle,” she deadpans. “But it’s been great.”

Baker’s turtle is a laundry woman carrying a basket on her back and a scrub board around her neck.

Myriam Aziz, a graduate student in the master’s conflict transformation program, was cast as Frog. “A female playing a part for a male, I think that’s really funny,” says Aziz, who is active in theater in Lebanon. But having a male as a pal, she says, “reminds me of my friend back home. We’ve been friends for 13 years.”

The cast and crew agree that even though “A Year With Frog and Toad” is based on a children’s book series, adults will also appreciate the cheerful upbeat musical.

“There’s a lot of comedic effect in it,” Helmuth says.

“It is funny,” says Baker, noting that the 91����Ƶ community is inviting younger family members and people from their church to the show. “A lot of 91����Ƶ students were raised on these books.”

Cast

Myriam Aziz, Christian Parks, Ezrionna Prioleau, Bianica Baker, Esther Ajayi, Josh Helmuth, Makayla Baker, Zoe Parakuo, Hailey Holcomb

Crew

Director – Heidi Winters Vogel
Choreographer and Costume Designer –
Accompanist – Jim Clemens
Stage Manager – Caitlin Randazzo
Assistant Stage Managers – Lydia Hales and Belen Fernandez
Props Designers – Alex Rosenberg and Kevin Clark
Assistant Lighting Designer – Sierra Comer
Assistant Director and Dramaturg – Derrick Turner
Music Director –
Set Designer –
Lighting Designer –

This is the third year has hosted the series of events, which includes a theater production on Monday; a “Remember the Heroines” vigil for women killed in Mexico on Tuesday; and two events on Friday: chapel with Center for Justice and Peacebuilding graduate student Myriam Aziz and Darsheel Sehbi, and the “Taste of 91����Ƶ” cooking contest.

A committee from the International Student Organization chooses a new theme each year. The 2015 committee includes students Gamtessa, Brenda Soka, Winifred Gray-Johnson, Abdel Barry and Emmanuel Kampanga.

‘S�𱹱��’

Monday’s performance of will be in the Studio Theater at 7 p.m. A collaboration of seven female playwrights from around the world, this documentary play is a series of monologues based on interviews with international women leaders. Directed by theater professor , “Seven” chronicles the worldwide struggles for empowerment, peace and well-being in Russia, protecting women from domestic violence; in Cambodia, with victims of human trafficking; in Guatemala, with the poor; in Afghanistan, with rural women; in Nigeria and Pakistan, for women’s education and rights; and in Northern Ireland, promoting peace and equality, according to the production’s website.

Olga Baltazar, who reads for the Guatemalan character Annabella de Leon, does not see herself as an actress. However, reading the script convinced her to join the cast. “These women rose from against all odds of their culture to fight for women’s’ rights,” says Baltazar, who is from Mexico. “I feel connected to to my character because I, for one, represent a culture where women are often put down.”

“These stories have inspired me,” says Rebekah York, a senior from Romania who plays an Irish woman named Inez McCormack. “To see that women have been supporting each other and empowering other women over the years is truly amazing. Sometimes we can feel so alone in our work, but looking at history and reading about some pretty incredible women of the past fills me with hope.”

Vogel says the “powerful piece” will be presented as a concert reading. Baltazar and York are joined by cast members Victoria Gunawan, Adila Wahdat, Dera Nwankwo and Iryna Clamp.

‘Taste of 91����Ƶ’

The ‘Taste of 91����Ƶ’ competition on Friday is open to all community members. To participate, contact Susannah Lepley in the Multicultural and International Student Services office. Up to $20 of ingredient expenses can be reimbursed.

“I was part of the food festival last year as a participant, but this year I’m really happy that I got the chance to help coordinate this event,” says Gamtessa, a sophomore computer engineering major from Ethiopia.

“Last year, we had to cook [for the contest] as part of my global connections class,” Gamtessa explains. “This year, we changed the name from the ‘International Food Festival’ to ‘Taste of 91����Ƶ’ because we didn’t want to restrict the food to the international community. We want anyone and everyone who is willing to do it, to prepare something  which they believe has meaning to them and people around them and share it with the campus community.We hope this experience will take people down the road and across the globe.”

Senior Zoe Parakuo from Kenya competed last year with one of her favorite snacks, samosas – a savory, fried pastry. Samosas “were adapted by Kenyans when Indians settled there back in the day, so I thought a lot of people would be familiar with it,” says Parakuo. “I wanted students to enjoy my food.”