How to Build a City of Peace
Commentary by David Hazen

· Release all expectations. The less fixed your ideas about what it’s supposed to look like or how to get there or how soon, the more able you will be to recognize resources as they arise. This is a multi-year experiment, one step at a time, and may require re-starting the process several times.
· Regard everyone as a resource, because everyone in the city is a stakeholder, and no matter their level of involvement, they each have a unique contribution to make. Peace is about inclusiveness.
· Focus on the process, not the result. In order to empower citizens to take action, create connection that is heart-to-heart, face-to-face, and create an abundance of time and space for conversation to occur. Encourage listening and empathy skills. Build the common story of what’s valued.
· Create a movement, not a campaign. Don’t take positions, make declarations, become institutionalized, or issue-focused. This is about maintaining a vision and hope of what is possible, not about policies or politics. Focus on strengths and positive assets, and they will become stronger.
· The National Peace Academy “Peacebuilding Peacelearning Intensive” is scheduled for the first week of August in Wilmington, Ohio. Go to www.nationalpeaceacademy.us for more information.