Programs

Fragile Island of Peace

Burundi

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Partnering with Spectrum Media, The Bridgeway Group is working to produce the documentary film, Fragile Island of Peace, about the peacebuilding process in Burundi. The Bridgeway Group’s Executive Director, Liz McClintock, has been engaged in Burundi for over 18 years, supporting the peace building process through training of Burundi’s political and military leaders, training local trainers, and developing conflict management curriculum for audiences ranging from high school students and demobilized soldiers. 

The documentary will bring to life the story of a 10-year peacebuilding process in Burundi that united leaders from rebel militias and the National Army in working toward reconciliation. Through compelling interviews and anecdotes from those who experienced it firsthand, as well as scenes of ongoing activities that are part of the peacebuilding process, this film will shine a light on Burundians whose hearts and minds were changed as they worked to rebuild trust in a country that was torn apart by war. The film will show how these personal changes have played out nationally, through policy changes and innovative leadership. 

Building Peace in South Asia

South Asia

With the support of the Ploughshares Fund, the Bridgeway Group implemented a peacebuilding project between July 2013 and March 2015 aimed at enhancing the capacity of key stakeholders in South Asia to reduce the risks of conflict escalation and create opportunities for more effective dialogue and peace in the region.

Strengthening Peace Constituencies

Through a rigorous training and coaching effort, the project supported the development of local conflict management, leadership and nonviolent conflict transformation capacities. Leveraging video web conferencing and online learning technology, the Bridgeway Group delivered a tailored Executive Learning Program, which trained and educated a network of key South Asian stakeholders on strategic negotiation, adaptive leadership and conflict transformation skills. After an intensive series of 14 expert-delivered webinar training and practicum sessions, the Executive Learning Program provided follow-on coaching sessions in which training participants explored how to practically apply strategic negotiation and adaptive leadership skills, tools and approaches to address real-life challenges and issues in South Asia. 

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Supporting Dialogue and Collaborative Approaches to Address Conflict

In addition to strengthening the capacity of key voices and constituencies for peace in the region, the Bridgeway Group organized and facilitated a week-long Facilitated Joint Brainstorming and Transformative Scenario Planning (FJ/TSP) Workshop in Istanbul, Turkey that convened a group of 11 experts from New Delhi, Islamabad, Srinagar, the United States, United Kingdom and France to construct and analyze a range of possible scenarios for the South Asian region and jointly brainstorm and develop options to advance peace and stability.

The workshop provided a rare opportunity for a group of thought leaders from South Asia to engage in a conversation that truly embraced the uncertainties and possibilities of the complex regional dynamics in South Asia. After examining critical issues that are at the heart of continuing conflict and instability and after jointly developing and considering possible future scenarios, the Istanbul workshop participants took back with them a fuller range of practical steps and possible near-term options to improve the situation and advance the future prospects of a just and durable peace in South Asia.

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Supporting Dialogue and Collaborative Approaches to Address Conflict

In addition to strengthening the capacity of key voices and constituencies for peace in the region, the Bridgeway Group organized and facilitated a week-long Facilitated Joint Brainstorming and Transformative Scenario Planning (FJ/TSP) Workshop in Istanbul, Turkey that convened a group of 11 experts from New Delhi, Islamabad, Srinagar, the United States, United Kingdom and France to construct and analyze a range of possible scenarios for the South Asian region and jointly brainstorm and develop options to advance peace and stability. The workshop provided a rare opportunity for a group of thought leaders from South Asia to engage in a conversation that truly embraced the uncertainties and possibilities of the complex regional dynamics in South Asia.

After examining critical issues that are at the heart of continuing conflict and instability and after jointly developing and considering possible future scenarios, the Istanbul workshop participants took back with them a fuller range of practical steps and possible near-term options to improve the situation and advance the future prospects of a just and durable peace in South Asia.

Centers for Excellence in Negotiation

Armenia

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"You extremely seldom (I had just one case over the past 15 years among hundreds of trainers/trainings) face trainers like Arthur Martirosyan - PROFESSIONAL, with perfect delivery skills and perfect preparedness of the subject matter.

Negotiation skills and building trust (plus communication skills) - this is what our police officers need nowadays-both for public order management and community policing."

A reflection from a CEN participant, Political-Military Officer in Yerevan.

In an increasingly interdependent world, seemingly small, local situations, particularly in post-Soviet and Middle Eastern countries, can be flashpoints for international conflict. Without a community of negotiators that have the skills to find common ground and who can advocate effectively to protect vital interests and rights, each of these event has a potentially destabilizing effect on the geopolitical balance throughout the world.

To address this challenge, The Bridgeway Group has launched a long-term capacity building program, designed to create Centers for Excellence in Negotiation (CEN) in Armenia, Russia and Ukraine. CEN Armenia is a program in support of participatory policy-making, improving results of deliberative processes, negotiation culture change and promoting regional understanding and peace. 

The latest 2-year grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York is part of a long-term relationship that started with the Momentum program aimed at leadership networks development in Eurasia over a decade ago.  Activities this year will be organized in a manner to carry out the full scope of the project effectively and efficiently with the time and resources remaining. 

Currently, CEN Armenia program is focused on three inter-related objectives: 

1. Establishing a fully functional CEN Yerevan with three dedicated staff members

2. Equipping CEN Yerevan with methodological literature, train the trainer materials and seminal texts on negotiations 

3. Assisting CEN partners in developing curriculums and materials, in running training programs and in designing implementing applied research projects that contribute to positive negotiation culture change in Armenia 

The CEN program continues the Bridgeway Group's efforts to institutionalize good negotiation practice, thinking and research in all corners of the globe. Lessons learned from this process will be shared across institutions and, it is hoped, will inspire the creation of similar centers in other emerging democracies.