Making Big Progress on Peace

Making Big Progress on Peace:
The Difference that Products, Projects, Partnerships & Pillars Make

We continue with our club-based sign-up platform.  If you are not a member of Golden Rotary, then register as a "Guest."  Click HERE to register.  Here are the steps to register as a "Guest."  NOTE:  REGISTRATION CLOSES 11/06/25 AT 6 PM ET.

Following is a brief description of the program, Making BIG Progress on Peace, and a bio of our speaker, Patricia Shafer.

TOPIC: Making BIG Progress on Peace: The Difference that Products, Projects, Partnerships, and Pillars Make
 
Rotary has a 100+ year history of building understanding, goodwill, and peace, as well a lot of peacebuilding energy in play through the Rotary Peace Centers, Rotary Action Group for Peace, and Positive Peace Activators. So, is there evidence emerging that peace is possible? Are there examples of big things happening?  Join us for an interactive discussion and room for Q&A with a speaker who has both some case stories to share, as well as guidance on how Rotary Clubs can integrate peacebuilding into their projects in very practical ways. Highlights of the presentation include: the strategy for success behind the largest youth peace education initiative in the US; why actively supporting the qualification process of Rotary Clubs in South Sudan was essential to launching a new initiative called “10,000 Trees for Peace,” and how “Bridges to New Horizons – Lebanon” took shape through collaborations with 20+ organizations in the country and members of the Rotary ecosystem around the world. Come to understand why all three examples use a systemic approach to problem-solving of products + projects + partners as well as the incorporation of the Eight Pillars of Positive Peace from Rotary partner the Institute for Economics & Peace.

BIO:  Patricia Shafer is Senior Fellow for Peace Education at the Alliance for Peacebuilding, a network of 200+ member organizations operating in 181 countries, and Executive Director of NewGen Peacebuilders, an international nonprofit with a mission to “make learning to be a peacebuilder a rite of passage for everyone, everywhere.” She is a Rotary Peace Fellow, Rotarian, and Rotary Positive Peace Activator. Patricia officially launched NewGen Peacebuilders in 2014 with 18 students representing three high schools in Charlotte, NC. Today, the organization has certified 20,000+ youth and adult peacebuilders in multiple countries with highlights including an impending collaboration with Rotarians to pilot the flagship program “My Peacebuilder Foundations” in Italy in conjunction with the 2026 Winter Olympics. With collaborative support from 20+ Rotary Districts in Zones 33/34, the Youth & Peace in Action (YPA) powered by NGP was launched as the largest peace education initiative in North America and the Caribbean. Patricia’s work has been recognized with a nomination from the South Sudanese government for a UNESCO prize and a national award for excellence in US Conflict Resolution & Peacebuilding. Previously, Patricia held senior leadership positions on change management, corporate affairs, and communications with two global Fortune 100 companies. She holds an MSc in Consulting and Coaching for Change – a joint-venture of Oxford University, UK, and HEC France; MBA from the top-ranked Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management; and MA in Journalism, The Ohio State University.

You will receive a link on November 6, 2025, to join the Zoom meeting at 6:30 pm Denver time.