Projects for Peace

                          

 

“My many years have taught me that there will always be conflict. It’s part of human nature. But I’ll remind you that love, kindness, and support are also part of human nature. My challenge to you is to bring about a mindset of preparing for peace, instead of preparing for war.”
Kathryn W. Davis

                                        $10,000 Grant Available for 2022 Davis Projects for Peace

Williams College has been invited to nominate one or two student proposals for a $10,000 grant for summer projects that “…promote peace and address the root causes of conflict among parties.”  One hundred such grants will be awarded nationwide.

The Davis Projects for Peace program supports student-developed projects that would foster peace in the world.  The program is designed to “…encourage student initiative, innovation, and entrepreneurship focusing on conflict prevention, resolution, or reconciliation.”  In the past, successful approaches have included “…fostering diplomacy or otherwise contribut[ing] to advancing peace processes underway; promoting economic opportunity and entrepreneurship among those in post-conflict areas; finding creative ways to bring people on opposite sides of issues together…through arts, sports, music…to promote a common humanity;…  [and] starting or leveraging initiatives, organizations …or infrastructure projects to build/rebuild community.”

What does “Projects for Peace” hope to accomplish?

The program hopes to encourage student initiative, innovation and entrepreneurship focusing on conflict prevention, resolution or reconciliation. Some of the most compelling projects to date have reflected one or more of the following characteristics:

— Contributing to conflict prevention

— Ameliorating conditions leading to violence/conflict

— Looking for and building on shared attributes among differing peoples, races, ethnicities,  tribes, clans, etc.

— Fostering diplomacy or otherwise contribute to advancing peace processes underway

— Promoting economic opportunity and entrepreneurship among those in post-conflict areas

— Finding creative ways to bring people on opposite sides of issues together, such as through

art, sports, music or other techniques to promote a common humanity

— Developing leadership and mediation skills training for those in conflict or post-conflict  societies

— Starting or leveraging initiatives, organizations (e.g. education, health) or infrastructures projects to build/rebuild community.

Who May Apply?

Any student who is currently enrolled and in good academic standing at Williams College may apply for this program.

Graduating seniors are welcome to apply.

We welcome proposals from individual students and small groups (all group members must be currently enrolled at Williams College).

Please note that all projects must be completed by September 1, 2022.

Questions?

Interested students should NOT contact the Davis Foundation directly – please direct all inquiries to Clinton Williams in Pathways for Inclusive Excellence at 413-597-3715 or [email protected]