Peacebuilding in Colombia Academic Summer Program

Getting the chance to study peacebuilding in such an amazing city as Bogotá, was truly an experience of a lifetime!
The course was put together thoughtfully, and consisted of an interesting and well-balanced mix of excursions, talks and lectures. The thematic build up of the course gave a nuanced and detailed picture of the prolonged Colombian conflict, and the work that has been undertaken and continues to be undertaken in the quest to reach a sustainable peace. As students, we were introduced to a wide variety of different aspects of the peace building process under the guidance from extremely experienced and interesting lecturers. Every topic was equally intriguing and, even though the course was a bit intense at sometimes, I always looked forward to every activity in the curriculum.
The city of Bogotá also exceeded all of my expectations. It is a truly beautiful city, full of culture and history, with an amazingly friendly population. Furthermore, the staff of the course were very helpful, welcoming, inclusive and attentive- and they truly contributed to the amazing experience I've had.

This three week course has been one of the most rewarding and dynamic courses i have participated in, and i urge anyone considering it to APPLY!!! What sets this course apart from the numerous other summer courses on offer is the jam-packed and wide ranging activities it has to offer.

To start, mornings were spent being taught by world renowned scholars from the University of Los Andes, covering the history of the conflict, the economics, the role of narcotics as well as the sociological impacts the conflict has had on the wider population. Therefore, as you can see, various disciplines are covered on this course and no previous knowledge is required. Although having studied Politics and International Relations for the past three years, i came into this with a very limited knowledge of the political landscape in Colombia, but rest assured you are in safe hands learning from experts in the field. You will also get a first hand experience of the conflict from ex FARC combatants and from visits to Government agencies which are helping forward the peace process. This part of the course was vital, and helps reinforce what we were learning about in the morning lectures and importantly helps bring home the very real suffering that has taken place.

Asides from the jam-packed academic schedule, the weekends are filled with fun and cultural activities should you wish to participate. From hiking up Colombia's highest waterfall to playing the popular sport of Tejo (which is definitely something you should experience at least once) there is always something going on. My favourite activity, by far, was the bike tour of Bogotá!

The support given by Red Tree, and in particular, by Alex, was second to none. They were extremely helpful, with everything from booking flights, to recommending the best places to eat and drink in Bogotá and this really makes the course unique.

Just apply and see for yourself.

My trip to Bogota was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Firstly, the quality of the academic content of this course was simply second to none. It covered such a wide range of topics such as the history of the conflict in Colombia, narco-trafficking, politics and progressive ways of addressing the victims of conflict. We received lectures from world class academics from the Universidad de los Andes, many of whom played important roles in the peace process and subsequent transitional justice mechanisms. We also engaged in discussions and conversations with ex-combatants who had reintegrated back into society, and heard about their experiences from within the conflict. This meant that we were exposed to a range of perspectives on the conflict which really gave an in-depth, personal learning experience that is usually difficult to achieve in an academic program.
The Red Tree Study team did a phenomenal job of organising social activities during the evenings and weekends, such as a bike and food tour, graffiti tour, a waterfall hike and nights out. The coordinators were in no way overbearing and they also encouraged us to explore independently. The fact that many coordinators were from Bogota or elsewhere in Colombia meant that they could advise us on places to go or eat or even help us plan trips away at the weekend, which was so helpful. Even before I flew to Bogota the Red Tree Study Team, particularly Alex, were so organised and helpful with everything from booking flights, to obtaining additional funding from my university and other sources.
I honestly cannot recommend this program enough!

The lectures are incredibly humbling experience that give a fantastic insight into the history of Colombia and the conflict is has experienced. With topics such as the economic factors that have caused and elongated the war, the narcotics issue and illegal mining that have helped fund the war and the stages of the peace process that have got us where we are today. All were taught by incredibly insightful and intelligent lecturers who had honed their knowledge of their subject over years of study
There were also incredible guest lectures from such people as former combatants that told humbling and powerful speeches about their experience that moved everyone in the room as they spoke.
As well as this we made many onsite visits including the UN where we discussed their role in the peace process, the JEP where we learnt about the institutional processes in regards to transition to peace and how a nation needs to get those who have been affected from the war on both sides.
Aside from these, we had many curricular activities that gave a fantastically rounded experience of Bogota leaving me with a love of the city and desire to go back as soon as possible!

The course was so engaging and fascinating - There were lectures covering so many different angles of the conflict and peace-building such as its impact on children, the role of women in the armed conflict and transitional justice, the FARC reincorporation process, drug policy throughout the conflict and historic memory building. It was incredibly enriching to be taught by experts in their field. We spoke to Presidential candidates, ex-guerrilla members and social and human rights leaders who were at the forefront of Peace building efforts. It was intense and at times very moving but I've never learnt so much nor changed the way I think in such a short space of time.

The field visits reinforced what we had learnt in class and allowed us to see and learn about the conflict in a different way for example visits to the Centre for Memory Peace and Reconciliation as well as photo exhibitions brought the conflict down to a human level as I considered the millions of different experiences people had and the scale of the suffering that has happened and is still happening.

The Red Tree study team living with us were supportive made us feel very welcome the moment we arrived and the social activities were so fun! There were cycling tours and salsa lessons, nights out and hikes as well as hot chocolate and cheese movie nights. I have made so many friends and happy memories.

I'm so grateful for everything I have learnt as it has reinforced my decision to study Politics and motivated me to further study Peace-building and live in Colombia for my year abroad. I understand how Peace and forgiveness is an individual as well as collective process and how powerful it can be to work from the bottom upwards.

This course with Red Tree Study is fascinating. Learning about Colombia and its interesting history, with the top academics in the world on the subject lecturing, was a privilege. History, social science, law , and even the economy of the narcos industry are all things that you learn in entertaining lectures and visits. Bogota is an amazing place to explore and immerse yourself into the culture with it's excellent museums, great good stops and perhaps a few good bars to try... The campus in which you learn is in the Los Andes University which is a sight to behold. Built into the side of a mountain the modern, sleek design of the campus really added to the important content you were learning about. The skills learnt on this course are skills that I will cherish and use for the rest of my academic career and my life! What's also included is to actually see the peace process happen through visits to government to speak with officials to even meeting and listening to ex-combatants speak. This allows you to see history come to life and give you that feeling of reality which really aides your understanding of the conflict thus allowing you to really get to grips with the course content. Im so grateful to Red Tree Study to have been given the chance to go and I honestly had the best time meeting friendly, fun and interesting people.

An amazing learning experience for anyone interested in the politics and history of Colombia. First class academic teaching staff and course content, as well as unbelievable site visits which really bring the learning experience to life. My favourite was definitely the visit to the UN verification visit.

The only possible improvement to the course would be that it could seriously benefit from being slightly longer. The amount of course content is insane and amazing and yet you’ll still feel like you’ve only scratched the surface before you know it’s time to go home. Also, very accessible for those who had zero prior knowledge of the conflict before the course, I definitely didn’t but I definitely do now!

Would seriously recommend for anyone with a passion for peace building, conflict resolution, and transitioning from a deeply divided society.

Those three weeks in Colombia have absolutely been one of the greatest times in my life. The course itself, while intense, spans almost every imaginable academic discipline there is to study conflicts and peace processes from political science to history, economics, sociology, law and international relations, all delivered by world-class academics from the university as well as other institutions. We covered the conflict's long history (early 20th century to the present), its political economy, the role of narcotics, the social impact on women and children, the Colombian political system, the centrality of land distribution, the content of the peace accord, the transitional justice system, the social challenges activists still face in the country... We also got the chance to talk to the UN and government agencies such as the victims reparation unit and the JEP to learn firsthand from them both the work they do for peace building as well as the challenges they face. Furthermore, by hearing the emotional story from an excombatant and from an environmental activist as well as visiting a photographic exhibition of the war, we moved beyond the "ivory tower" of academia and reminded us just how impactful conflict can be for all and of the urgency to work for peace.

Even though the course started with students who had a range of knowledge, from Colombians studying abroad who decided to participate, to Latin American enthusiasts and even to those who had no prior knowledge whatsoever, by the end of the three weeks there was almost no distinction. We all had learned so much that we could all engage in an educated manner about the topic and draw our own conclusions. What was further very pleasing to me was just how much I, as a Colombian, got challenged to confront and critically evaluate the views I had been cultivating throughout my life. When you grow up hearing your friends and relatives passionately talking about the conflict it can be difficult to effectively challenge your biases, yet I believe this course was able to do just that.

Beyond academia this brilliant course offered a healthy and perfect balance by having us engage with social activities to immerse ourselves in the Colombian culture. We had a salsa class, a movie night (watching an engaging and thought provoking Colombian film of course), and a bike tour of the city. We got to play a traditional Colombian game of tejo, ate at traditional restaurants as well as Colombian fast food chains and even trekked to a waterfall on a weekend. Local students from the University also helped the participants integrate by bringing us to their favourite bars and even night clubs (entirely optional I may add). All in all it was, I repeat some of the best three weeks of my life. If you are passionate about history, wars and peace building, love to travel, discover a new culture (or appreciate your own surrounded by foreign friends) and learn about the challenges and hopes at implementing one of the best most ambitious peace deals in the world, then this course is absolutely for you.