In the summer of 2009 OLEG advised and observed the "New Conversation for Peace in Caucasus" peace project. With the experience gained through working in Georgia in 2008, some OLEG members were able to initiate this project in response to the recent regional conflicts.  Winning a $10,000 grant from Davis Peace Projects that offers grants to college students, they designed a two-week program for youth (ages 16-24) affected by the conflicts.  Based on the discussion-style classroom at St. John's, the course's goal was to provide a space for the participants in which to develop their own perspective and voice, difficult in an environment of inherited opinions which only prolong the conflict.  The hope was to inspire them to realize their own ability and to empower them with their own language for a new conversation for peace.

Each day consisted of a) an hour discussion of short excerpts from the following texts were read to provoke the conversation which became an image for community dynamics: “Passers-By,” by Franz Kafka; “Meno” and “The Republic,” by Plato; “Pensees,” by Blaise Pascal; “Nicomachean Ethics,” by Aristotle; “The Use and Abuse of History,” by Friedrich Nietzsche; “Confessions,” by Augustine of Hippo; and “On Revenge,” by Francis Bacon; and b) an hour master-class, having to do with writing, music, theater, or meta-discussion.  The master-class, through encouraging cooperation and interaction, aimed to allow for more developed discussion, increased participation, a more familiar environment, and a closer community in this small model of a society.

Thanks to the help of many meta-discussions in which both the participants and leaders discussed the discussions and brainstormed improvement strategies, by the end of the two weeks the conversation had improved to the point where participants both started their own inquiries and continued others, kept each other in check, and treated each other and the conversation with respect.  The participants left the course with a fresh perspective to interaction and what is required for a healthy conversation.  As a requirement each of the participants also planned their own projects whose goals are to enrich and improve a specific community of which they are a part.  Examples of participants’ projects are a music festival to raise money for refugee charities, camping trips for refugees from conflict regions to raise awareness of conflict origins, trips to home regions to share culture and historical landmarks, cleaning parks, and art classes for disabled children. About thirty people experienced the conversation; eighteen participants completed the course by regular attendance and designing a community project. OLEG was inspired by and thanks the wonderful participants of the New Conversation for Peace in the Caucasus for their commitment.

In this section you can find more information about the "New Conversation for Peace in Caucasus" peace project such as the project proposal, the project report and photos.