Leading Together, From What’s Already Here: PPA Reflections from Community Peace
In May, the Peace Practice Alliance (PPA) entered the realm of Community Peace Practice, an invitation to recognize that peace can be personal and relational, and also collective. Peace can exist in spaces we inhabit, the stories we carry, and the ways we gather, care, and build together.
In addition to monthly calls, the PPA takes place on our online learning platform, which follows a rhythm of inform, transform, and inspire. Through a variety of modalities, including articles, personal stories, short videos, and hands-on activities, the platform supports participants to deepen their understanding of peace leadership within a community context. For May, participants explored approaches like Appreciative Inquiry and Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), which help us begin from a place of strength: noticing what’s already present, alive, and possible in the communities we care about.
A highlight was a Community Partners activity, where participants connected in small groups to create Community Asset Maps. These maps offer a space to reflect on local gifts, individuals, institutions, practices, cultural traditions, and shared spaces that contribute to peace and well-being. One group of participants mainly based in Latin America, focused on public gathering spaces across Latin America and the creative ways local communities are reclaiming and reimagining these areas.
“Some local residents have taken the initiative to reclaim these spaces, aiming to revitalize them, foster healthy social interaction, and promote recreational activities that help strengthen the social fabric.”
They highlighted how participatory decision-making and collective action are central to community revitalization, ensuring that the projects reflect shared priorities and foster a sense of belonging.
“Joint work and active community participation are key to transforming these spaces into safe, inclusive, and dynamic environments that respond to the true needs and aspirations of their residents.”
From their collective efforts and collaboration, emerged the illustration that even when resources are limited, imagination, collaboration, and care are powerful forces for renewal
Other participants shared reflections that echoed this theme:
“Despite the difficult realities we come from, our respective communities have helped us become active agents of promoting social justice.”
“Contacting local stakeholders opened my eyes to the gifts and concerns around me and helped me identify key strengths moving forward.”
“It’s amazing how much asset I discovered in my community that, when harnessed, will make a significant impact.”
Together, these reflections affirm that community peace isn’t something we impose. It’s something we notice, nurture, and participate in. It’s found in the creativity of neighbors, the quiet leadership of elders, the determination of young people, and the spaces where people come together to restore, reconnect, and imagine new possibilities.
As we prepare to enter Module 4: Global Peace Practice next, we carry this learning forward. Peace begins in relationship, with each other and with the places we belong. When we lead from a place of presence and partnership, we help grow communities that are grounded in hope, equity, and shared care.