In this episode of the Peacebuilder Podcast, host Diego Crespo sits down with Amy Knorr, Peacebuilding Practice Director at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP), to explore how students move from learning about peacebuilding to actively practicing it in the real world.

Amy shares her role in guiding students through practicum experiences, helping them identify their passions, connect with organizations, and engage in reflective practice that deepens both personal growth and professional skills. From facilitating real-world projects with community partners to supporting students through trial, error, and discovery, her work centers on bridging classroom learning with meaningful action.

The conversation highlights the importance of creating your own path in peacebuilding. Amy encourages students to “create your own world” by designing practicums that align with their interests, whether that means working locally with organizations like refugee resettlement agencies and community centers, or pursuing international opportunities that can be transformative and life-changing.

She also reflects on her own journey, from working in conflict resolution and public policy to finding her place at CJP, and emphasizes the value of community, networks, and continuous self-reflection in navigating the peacebuilding field.

At its core, this episode is about practice: learning by doing, growing through reflection, and stepping into the world with intention, curiosity, and care.

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In this episode of the Peacebuilder Podcast, host Diego Crespo sits down with Kory Schaeffer and Alena Yoder, staff members at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP), to explore the often unseen work that makes the CJP experience possible.

Kory, Director of Programs, and Alena, Academic Program Coordinator and Registrar, reflect on their journeys into CJP, from Kory’s path through emergency medicine, international work in Ghana, and eventual transition into peacebuilding, to Alena’s early start at 91����Ƶ and growth into a student-centered role supporting learners from orientation to graduation.

Together, they unpack what it means to support a global peacebuilding community, from guiding students through every step of their academic journey to coordinating complex programs like the Summer Peacebuilding Institute (SPI). They highlight the intensity behind SPI, a month-long gathering that brings practitioners and students from around the world, while also requiring year-round planning, logistical coordination, and deep relational work.

The conversation also explores the challenges of making global programs accessible, including visa barriers, financial limitations, and systemic inequities, as well as the critical role of donors in expanding access through scholarships and new initiatives like launching SPI abroad.

At its core, this episode sheds light on the human side of peacebuilding infrastructure, the care, coordination, and commitment required to create spaces where learning, reflection, and transformation can take place.

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In this episode of the Peacebuilder Podcast, host Diego Crespo sits down with CatiAdele Slater, a graduate student at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP), to reflect on her journey into peacebuilding and the experiences that have shaped her path.

Cati shares how her background in peace and global studies, combined with early experiences in law and policy spaces in Washington, D.C., led her to question the distance between decision-making and the communities most impacted by it. This realization ultimately guided her to CJP, where she sought more relational and practice-oriented approaches to justice and peacebuilding.

Throughout the conversation, she reflects on key moments from her time at CJP, including classes like Promise of Peacebuilding and Research Methods. These experiences helped deepen her understanding of peacebuilding as both a professional path and a way of life.

Cati also speaks about the importance of community, curiosity, and adaptability in navigating the field, especially during a time of uncertainty and change. Rather than offering a fixed vision for the future, she emphasizes the value of being present, building relationships, and responding to the needs of the communities around her with intention and care.

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In this episode of the Peacebuilder Podcast, host Diego Crespo sits down with Paula Ditzel Facci and Joe Cole, faculty members at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) at 91����Ƶ, to reflect on their journeys into peacebuilding and their experiences teaching at 91����Ƶ.

Joe shares how his background in philosophy and early involvement in social justice movements led him to restorative justice work, eventually connecting him to CJP through the Little Book series and his facilitation work in North Carolina. Paula reflects on growing up in Brazil, where witnessing both cultural richness and inequality shaped her path into international relations and later peacebuilding, including her research on dance as a tool for conflict transformation.

Together, they discuss what it means to teach peacebuilding, highlighting participatory, relational classrooms where students’ lived experiences are central, and where difficult topics like injustice, harm, and healing are engaged openly. Both emphasize that teaching is a shared process of learning, with Joe describing himself as a “learner-practitioner” and Paula stressing the balance between preparation and adaptability in the classroom.

The conversation also explores the responsibility of holding space for transformation, the importance of self-awareness and positionality, and the unique intensity of CJP’s Summer Peacebuilding Institute, where learning, community, and reflection are compressed into immersive, short-term experiences.

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In this episode of the Peacebuilder Podcast, host Diego Crespo sits down with Jacob Sankara to reflect on his journey from Burkina Faso to the field of peacebuilding, shaped by a deep desire to amplify the voices of those often excluded from decision-making.

Jacob shares how growing up in Burkina Faso, where women and children were often left out of societal power structures, initially led him to pursue law as a way to advocate for justice. However, after becoming disillusioned by the gap between what legal leaders preached and practiced, he began searching for a different path, one rooted in authenticity and service.

That shift took him to the United States through the Mennonite Central Committee, where his work with the Conflict Center in Denver introduced him to peacebuilding as a practice grounded in community, restoration, and transformation. He later continued this work as a peacebuilding coordinator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for five years, before coming to the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) to deepen his understanding of the field.

Throughout the conversation, Jacob reflects on the importance of self-discovery in peacebuilding—highlighting programs like STAR and classes such as Formations as pivotal in helping him understand his identity, values, and purpose.

Looking ahead, his goal is clear: to be present where the need is greatest, serving as a voice and support system for communities that are often unheard, guided by faith and a commitment to meaningful, people-centered change.

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In this episode of the Peacebuilder Podcast, host Diego Crespo sits down with Maria Banks, a truancy and outreach coordinator with nearly two decades of experience in the education system, to explore how restorative justice can transform the way schools respond to student absence and disengagement.

Maria shares her journey from Washington, D.C., through military service, to her current work in Pennsylvania, where she supports students and families by identifying the deeper barriers behind truancy. Rather than placing blame on students or parents, her work centers on collaboration, bringing together families, educators, and community members to better understand the challenges students face.

She also speaks candidly about one of the most difficult parts of her role: taking students and families to court. For Maria, this punitive approach fails to address root causes and instead reinforces harmful systems. Her commitment to restorative justice comes from years of working with youth and witnessing how traditional systems often marginalize rather than support them.

Drawing from her experience at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP), Maria reflects on pivotal moments, that reshaped how she understands healing, belonging, and justice.

Looking ahead, her vision is clear: to create more equitable and restorative educational spaces through practices like reentry circles, ensuring that students returning to school feel supported, valued, and capable of success.

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In this episode of the Peacebuilder Podcast, host Diego Crespo sits down with Hannah Gilman, a fellow graduate of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP), to explore how peacebuilding can be integrated into education.

Hannah shares her journey from teaching Spanish in dual-language immersion programs to pursuing peacebuilding, inspired by a desire to move beyond language learning and foster deeper intercultural understanding. Her work centers on helping students not only become bilingual, but also develop the skills to navigate difference, build empathy, and engage conflict constructively.

Drawing from her time at CJP, she reflects on key classes like Conflict Analysis and Creative Approaches to Peacebuilding, which shaped her practicum project: designing a curriculum that incorporates peacebuilding tools, such as stakeholder mapping and perspective-taking, into classroom learning.

The conversation also highlights the emotional rigor of the program, the transformative experience of the Summer Peacebuilding Institute, and Hannah’s vision for the future, bringing peacebuilding practices into schools and equipping students to thrive in an increasingly multicultural world.

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In this episode of the Peacebuilder Podcast, host Diego Crespo sits down with Maria Arias, an Argentinian lawyer, researcher, and peacebuilder, currently conducting her practicum in South Africa.

Maria shares her work at the intersection of human rights, restorative justice, and gender, focusing on amplifying women’s voices and addressing gender-based violence. Drawing from her research in Argentina, including her book on women’s autonomy in criminal processes, she highlights the importance of listening to survivors and creating alternative, more human-centered justice pathways.

The conversation follows her journey from Argentina to Mexico, where she was first introduced to restorative justice, and eventually to the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP), where courses like STAR and peacebuilding formation shaped both her personal healing and professional path.

Now in South Africa, Maria is applying these learnings in practice, conducting research with women, facilitating peacebuilding circles with youth, and creating safe spaces for dialogue and healing.

Throughout the episode, she reflects on the importance of collective healing, the role of justice systems in empowering women’s voices, and her broader goal of fostering global conversations around gender, trauma, and peacebuilding.

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In this episode of the Peacebuilder Podcast, host Diego Crespo sits down with Pastor Spike Coleman, a longtime pastor in Charleston, South Carolina, to explore the intersection of faith, trauma, and community healing.

Spike reflects on his 28 years serving at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and his work as a crisis chaplain for first responders, including his response to the 2015 Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting, where nine people were killed. He shares what it was like arriving on the scene without knowing the full context, supporting families through the aftermath and trial, and witnessing the community’s struggle to process collective trauma.

The conversation also dives into Charleston’s complex identity, where histories of beauty and cultural richness exist alongside deep racial harm, and how that context shapes peacebuilding work. Spike emphasizes the importance of recognizing “many stories” rather than a single narrative when engaging communities.

Drawing from his experience at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP), Spike describes how the program helped him process years of ministry, trauma exposure, and burnout. He highlights practices like circle processes, trauma awareness (STAR), and community-based healing as essential tools he now brings back to his congregation.

Today, his work focuses on building “beloved community” in Charleston through initiatives like community meals, healing circles, and partnerships rooted in listening, trust-building, and reconciliation, especially in a city marked by historical division.

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