Fantastic Introduction to Colombia and Its peace process

Looking back on my time during the Peacebuilding in Colombia course evokes a great sense of accomplishment and appreciation for what I have learnt about the complexities of building peace. As the program is structured with morning lectures which provide a historical and theoretical background and afternoon field visits to governance agencies and NGOs, it was able to provide a fantastic introduction to the dynamics and challenges that Colombia will face to create a sustaining peace. The quality of teaching was top-notch and carried out by very knowledgeable academics and practitioners so it felt identical to being in a university setting but far more fun!

Personally, I was particularly impressed with how the course engages with all the major parties to the conflict including former guerrillas members from the FARC, ELN and EPN and ex-combatants from the paramilitary group AUC. I found this very interesting as I was able to learn about the different experiences of armed actors which gave me an insight into the social-psychological impact of the conflict and how it affects the day-to-day lives of people.

More generally, studying abroad has given me the opportunity to develop a new language and learn about a different culture and the many fruits it brings. One key takeaway that will stick with me is how happy, friendly and resilient Colombian people are despite the hardship many have been through. This was a truly immersive experience which I throughly recommend to anyone interesting in peacebuilding, politics and history. However, it was taught In such a way that anyone, regardless of their background, would be absolutely fine even without prior knowledge of the subject area.