The Center for Community Engagement COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Two hands hold up an archival portrait of two people.

The Justice of Being Heard: Acknowledgment, Memory, and the Work of Peace

What do people seek when they seek justice? A judgment may establish responsibility. A truth commission may create a public record. An oral history may give someone the opportunity to tell a story that has long gone unheard. Although these processes have different powers and purposes, each can provide something fundamental: acknowledgment. Drawing on her work as a human rights lawyer and co-founder of Rerooted, Anoush Baghdassarian, along with her co-founder Ani Schug, will explore acknowledgment as the connective tissue among law, memory, storytelling, and peacebuilding.

Axinn Center 229

Conflict Transformation Experiential Programs Reflection Dinner (by invitation)

This will be an opportunity 1) to share your experiences and learning and insights; 2) to hear from your peers about their experiences and learning and insights; and 3) to enjoy a tasty meal together.

By invitation

Wilson Hall, McCullough Student Center

Woman smiling

Interactive Peacemaking and Coordination in Complex Peace Processes

The Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs Global Fellows Program presents “Interactive Peacemaking and Coordination in Complex Peace Processes” with Susan Allen.

Robert A. Jones '59 Conference Room

Open to the Public

Soaring with the Kuaka: Migrations of Knowledge and Future Making from Aotearoa to Addison County

This public event will welcome a delegation of Maori and Pasifika colleagues visiting Middlebury College from Aotearoa/New Zealand. Panel members will discuss the role of purakau (storytelling), waiata (song), and whakatauki (proverbs) in Indigenous Maori and Polynesian practices of wellbeing and planetary stewardship. Through the teachings of the kuaka, a shorebird known for its remarkable migration from Aotearoa to North America, this event invites attendees to explore the idea that journeys are collective and community futures can soar in spaces of mutual learning, responsibility, and relationship.

Dana Auditorium (Sunderland Language Center)

Open to the Public

Projects for Peace Alumni Award Keynote: Dr. April Edwell, M.D.

Dr. April Edwell (she/they) is the 2025 Projects for Peace Alumni Award recipient. Projects for Peace is a global program of the Center for Community Engagement at Middlebury, and the award, now in its third year, offers $50,000 to support the ongoing peacebuilding efforts of a past Projects for Peace grant recipient who demonstrates innovation and persistence in working for peace and transforming conflict. An Associate Professor of Pediatrics at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, Dr. Edwell works as a Pediatric Intensivist helping critically ill children and their families. In this keynote, Dr. Edwell will address how they approach and transform conflicts in the healthcare setting in an approach that includes the integration of trauma-informed care with anti-racist frameworks.

Wilson Hall, McCullough Student Center

33rd Annual Patrick J. Durkin '79 Public Service Leadership Awards (PSLA)

Center for Community Engagement’s 33rd Annual Patrick J. Durkin ‘79 Public Service Leadership Awards ceremony.  A gathering of students, staff, faculty, alumni and CCE’s community partners.  This event has grown from the wish of one alumnus to recognize students who spend their lives serving others to an annual celebration of service and learning across our communities.  (RSVP event)

Wilson Hall, McCullough Student Center

Open to the Public