Peace Project Planning Document

Group Members: Your group should have 3-4 individuals. Please fill in your full official
names (as it appears on ManageBac / Teams)

• Member 1:Aaron
• Member 2:Gordon
• Member 3:Julianna
• Member 4: Xuetong (Amy) Zhai
Skills:
 Project management skills development
 Peacebuilding skills development
 Design thinking skills development
 Learning skills development
Evidence:
 Learning journal/Teams
 Peace content
 Project plan and process
 Review and reflection
 …
Class tasks and discussion
 Presentation
 Engagement
 Contribution
 …
Group work and collaboration
 Engagement
 Contribution
 …

Student choice: You can work in this document to do your planning, or,
use your own methods to create materials for your project deliverables.

Put all links (command/control K) to individual research and reflections, and any external
group work here:

Aaron Amy Member 3 Member 4 Group links

Link: crime Individual
exposure
 and Research
education Notes
outcomes
Link: EDUPAM
NGO for
education in
mexico

glasswing
NGO
Link:
Project Management Structure
To ensure the project runs smoothly, each group must follow a project management
structure that includes roles, time management, and communication. This will help organize
your work and keep the project on track.

 Assign Roles: Each group must assign the following roles to ensure accountability:
Project Manager, Research Lead, Communication Lead, and Stakeholder Coordinator.
 Timeline & Milestones: Use project management tools (Teams, Microsoft Project,
Trello, checklists, etc.) to map out tasks and deadlines. Ensure you track your group’s
progress weekly.
 Communication & Collaboration: Set up regular meetings to check on progress, share
updates, and resolve any issues. Make sure you communicate with your stakeholders
(including victims of conflict) for valuable input.
 Stakeholder Input: Actively use what you research about conflict stakeholders (e.g.,
victims, communities, participants, beneficiaries, mediators, advocates, community
leaders, business leaders, funders, government officials, non-governmental
organisations/NGOs, civil societies, international bodies) to understand the impact of
the conflict and gain insights for your peace-building proposal.

Notes:
2024.11.5
Assign Roles
 Project Manager: Aaron
 Research Lead: Gordon
 Communication Lead: Amy
 Stakeholder Coordinator: Julianna
Task 1
Outline the conflict, as chosen by the class, using the Five Dimensions of Conflict, UNSDGs,
Conflict Trackers
Big Topic: Criminal violence in Mexico

UNSDGs:
1:no poverty
3: good health and well-being
11: sustainable cities and communities
16: peace, justice and strong institutions
4: quality education

5 Dimensions of Conflict: five dimensions of conflict

The criminal violence issue in Mexico began since the 1980s, when criminal groups and
drug traffickers became increasingly rampant at large scale, perpetrating violence that
violated human rights. Drug cartels fight over territory and resources using brutal tactics
that impact civilians, communities, and the Mexican government. In 2006, the Mexican
government officially declared war on criminal organizations with the aim of striking
unscrupulous behaviors, yet only escalated violence throughout northern and southern
states. The issue becomes more challenging to overcome as some officials became
involved or intimidated by organized violence. To reduce violence, social programs are
established to address underlying poverty and employment issues, with policies
strengthening laws and security forces. However, achieving significant progress remains
challenging, and violence continues to be a critical issue affecting Mexico’s society,
economy, and political status.

Design Thinking Process

The Design Thinking process guides how you will approach solving the conflict. Each stage
is crucial to developing a viable solution, and you must follow this process carefully.

Empathize Stage (Individual work)

In the empathize stage, you will explore the conflict from the perspective of those affected.
This is the foundation for your solution. You will also choose a specific group affected by the
conflict to focus on during your research. (It is recommended that you use the “Peace
Project – Individual Work” document to keep track of your individual research.) This
section could be done before, during or after the Problem Statement (below) is chosen.

Stakeholder Group Selection:

 Who are the most affected groups in this conflict? Consider marginalized groups such as
women, ethnic minorities, children, or political dissidents.
 How has this conflict continued to affect their lives after the war? For example, how are
political dissidents silenced after the conflict, or how has the displacement of
communities led to loss of resources?
 What are the long-term impacts of the conflict on this group (e.g., trauma, exclusion,
displacement, loss of leadership roles)?

Note: you can approach this task by choosing your focus group first,
or, choose the UNSDG first. Either should work to help you decide on
your ‘stakeholders’.

Group Notes: http://www.chinachristiantimes.com/news/29201/%E5%9C

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%A5%E4%BC%9A%E5%9B%A0%E4%B8%BA%E5%AE%97%E6%95%99%E6%AD
%A7%E8%A7%86%E8%80%8C%E6%97%A0%E6%B3%95%E6%8E%A5%E5%8F
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https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-08-13/mexico-says-5-2-million-
children-dropped-out-of-school-in-pandemic

For us we thought children are the most affected as they are still young, which not only
means they have a long future ahead of them, but they are also mentally less strong than
adults.
This conflict has led to massive numbers of children not going to school and so this has
led to poor quality of education, which causes a national problem for the country.

Long term impacts are that the children are going to grow up with a low-quality
education and result in them having low quality jobs and unable to provide for their
children and family, resulting massive amounts of extreme poverty and a low economic
level of the country, resulting in need for large amounts of aid from foreign countries to
support the Mexico education system which may result in Mexico being in dept that they
are unable to repay.

Research roles:
Amy – relevant organizations for support and past efforts in addressing the issue (to what
extent can organizations and government provide resources)
Aaron – potential solutions to offer extra education resources for students and current
obstacles that need to be overcome
Gordon – poverty issue in regions influenced by the conflict, how severe it is, how it could
be alleviated (what previous measures have been taken?)
Julianna – addressing safety issues of children and youths and investigating the
protection strategies

Consider using one of the following case studies to guide your choice:
 Sexism: Study how women in conflicts like Rwanda or the USSR were active in the war
but were later excluded from political and leadership roles.
 Racism: Explore how ethnic minorities like the Rohingya or Kurds were marginalized
and displaced by the conflict and continue to face racism.
 Loss of Land/Resources: Investigate how indigenous groups, like the Native Americans
or Palestinians, lost their land or access to resources due to conflict and continue to
struggle for recognition.
 Political Exclusion: Analyze how political dissidents or opponents, like in post-apartheid
South Africa or in former authoritarian regimes, are denied positions of power or
silenced.
 Trauma Healing: Focus on how trauma healing is critical for child soldiers in places like
Sierra Leone or how mental health remains a neglected issue for veterans in many
countries.
 Conflict with the Land: Explore how natural disasters (e.g., tsunamis, earthquakes) or
human overuse of land (deforestation, desertification) lead to environmental
degradation, forcing communities to survive in infertile wastelands or be displaced.

Group Notes:
According to the Network for the Defense of Children in Mexico (REDIM),
every day four children and adolescents are disappeared and 3.6 are killed.

Task 2
Problem statement
This will be the focus of your entire project. If you and your group would like to develop
your own problem statement (or revise one of the statements below), you may submit a
proposal to your teacher to give feedback on and approve:

Choose and develop a ‘Problem Statement’

Anytime you see the word “stakeholder/s”, you must define who is included in this catchall
term.

1. How can stakeholders* create an inclusive and equitable political / educational /

social climate? (choose one area to focus on)
2. How can stakeholders establish, promote, and practice community norms that
promote peace?
3. How can stakeholders leverage existing systems to promote peace within the local
community?
4. How can stakeholders build/rebuild trust in order to increase peace within the
community?
5. How can stakeholders develop a diverse community?
 6. How can stakeholders support inclusive policy development?
7. How can stakeholders support individual and community wellbeing, empowering
community members to flourish, and, in doing so, promote peace?
8. How can stakeholders draw on established pathways for transitional justice to
promote peace within the community?

Suggestion: Individuals to come up with 5 to 10 questions on what you want to find out about
your stakeholders (as a group you will develop many questions to share and respond to).

Word your Problem Statement here:

stakeholders: children and youths under the age of 24
How can stakeholders create an inclusive and equitable educational social climate.

Which UNSDG/s have you chosen to focus your topic:

4: quality education
3: good health and well-being

Critical Thinking Tasks

 Identify root causes of the conflict, focusing on the historical, social, political, and
environmental factors.
 Interview stakeholders involved in the conflict and document their perspectives (focus
on trauma, human rights, racism, sexism, loss of land/resources, environmental
damage).
 Use Primary and Secondary sources
 Use tools like the "5 Whys" to go deeper into the reasons behind the conflict.

Notes:
We have found out during the research process that the on average, 36.54 per cent of
people victims of homicide are between 15 and 29 years old, and most who
join criminal organization are school dropout.

Task 3

Define Stage (Collaborative)

In the define stage, you will clearly identify the problem that needs to be addressed,
focusing on systemic issues and your chosen victim group / stakeholders.

Critical Thinking Tasks:

 Analyze interviews and stakeholder feedback to define the problem more clearly,
focusing on how the conflict has affected your chosen group (e.g., sexism, racism,
resource loss, political exclusion, environmental degradation).
 Conduct a SWOT analysis to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and
Threats related to resolving the conflict.
 Refine your problem statement based on your analysis.

Notes:
Re-worded Problem Statement & Divided Research Responsibilities:
How can non-government-organizations (NGOs) and community leaders
worldwide(Amy) help develop a system in Mexico to offer extra education(Aaron)
through assisting poverty (Gordon) and reducing safety issues (Julianna) among youths
and children under the age of 24.

how the conflict has affected your chosen group:

in 2010, 7.2% of Mexico’s students reported that they stopped going to school due to fear of becoming a
crime victim. Moreover, this figure is positively related to the homicide rate in their county of residence.

covering the 1990-2010 period, and estimating fixed effect models, the authors
observe that a one-unit rise in the homicide rate per 10,000 inhabitants increases the
failure rate by 0.027 percentage points

The study shows that individuals exposed to elevated levels of violence achieved less
years of education and were less likely to complete compulsory schooling, possibly
because of economic hardship at the household-level.

SWOT:
Strengths: reducing poverty and low-quality education, which leads to higher economic
living levels
Weakness: This method of resolvent does not have a 100% success rate and is dependent
of NGO’s.
Opportunities: the increase in high quality education results in more basic knowledge
about drugs, which may cause the avoidance of the usage of drugs in general.
Threats: the drug community may influence the children in the region causing them to
still not take advantage of the education given, causing the problem not only to be left
unsolved but also to become a waste of money, which may result in a lack of future
investments.

Task 4

Ideate Stage (Collaborative)

In the ideate stage, you will brainstorm creative solutions. These should focus on long-term
peace-building techniques.

Critical Thinking Tasks:

 Brainstorm possible solutions, focusing on peace-building techniques like transitional
justice, trauma healing, power redistribution, or environmental recovery.
 Compare short-term versus long-term impacts of your solutions.
 Use a cause-and-effect diagram to show how your solution could address root causes of
the conflict.

Notes:
Brainstorm solutions:
1. Supporting digital learning platforms can help adolescents catch up
in various subjects, which can be particularly useful in areas where
safety concerns may limit in-person education.
2. NGOs can partner with organizations like PAHO/WHO to build
systems, capacities, and awareness needed to drive progress in
mobility and road safety.
3. NGOs can generate evidence on different types of violence in school
environments and implement programs for violence prevention,
including gender-based violence.
4. Give laptops to all children in Mexico
5. Give mentoring workshops to parents
6. Create safe environments for children to go to school. (an area where criminal related
shouldn't go)
7. NGOs can offer psychological and social support to students,
especially in areas affected by violence. Programs that focus on
mental health can help students cope with trauma and stress.
8. create safety routes only for students under the age of 24. E.g. Student bus line where
student id is checked
9. Organizations, especially NGOs, can conduct training programs for
teachers and community members on violence prevention, child
protection, and creating safe educational environments.
10. Send out packages to families who are unable to offer education for their
children that include basic educational material.
This could be self-taught by videos or textbooks
Or be taught by parents or community members
11.Publicize the importance of education in different ways, such as
televisions, newspapers and more.
12.Provide free textbooks for children by the Mexico government.
13.Establish a UWC in Mexico

Task 5

Prototype, Present, and Reflect (Collaborative & Individual)

In this stage, you will create and present a prototype of your solution. The presentations
will occur in the final 70-minute class of Week 4. Each group will have “ “ minutes to
present. A word count of “ “ to be decided as a class.

Critical Thinking & Project Management Tasks:

 Develop a prototype (e.g., a policy, framework, or visual solution) and refine it based on
feedback from your peers and stakeholders.
 Ensure all group members contribute to finalizing the presentation. The presentation
should simulate addressing an NGO, international body or peace organization or similar.
A RAFT strategy is a good methodology for this presentation. The RAFT writing
strategy is a powerful tool to use when composing a variety of writing pieces. The
acronym RAFT stands for Role, Audience, Format, and Topic. By considering these
elements, you can create a clear and focused writing piece that effectively
communicates your message to your intended audience.
 • Reflect on the ethical implications of your solutions (e.g., how would it affect different
stakeholders in the long run?).

Notes: 1,
Final solution:
Collaborating with NGOs to implement the following solutions:
 Raising awareness: points 11,
 Providing educational resources:1,
 Ensuring access to education: 1,

1. Supporting digital learning platforms can help adolescents catch up

in various subjects, which can be particularly useful in areas where
safety concerns may limit in-person education.
2. NGOs can partner with organizations like PAHO/WHO to build
systems, capacities, and awareness needed to drive progress in
mobility and road safety.
3. NGOs can generate evidence on different types of violence in school
environments and implement programs for violence prevention,
including gender-based violence.
7. NGOs can offer psychological and social support to students,
especially in areas affected by violence. Programs that focus on
mental health can help students cope with trauma and stress.
9. Organizations, especially NGOs, can conduct training programs for
teachers and community members on violence prevention, child
protection, and creating safe educational environments.
11.Publicize the importance of education in different ways, such as
televisions, newspapers and more.

Role: persuasive and informative

Audience: potential investors and NGOs plus stakeholders
Format: presentation
Topic: How can non-government-organizations (NGOs) and community leaders
worldwide help develop a system in Mexico to offer extra education through assisting
poverty and reducing safety issues among youths and children under the age of 24.

Resolution Draft: 6-year collaboration plan

 If successful, the collaboration will desirably be indefinitely
extended until the criminal violence issue is removed from
Mexico’s regular citizen’s lives.
 Timeline:
o Year 1 establishing collaboration relationship &
comprehensive planning with collaborating NGOs, begin
funding and recruiting team members/staff
o Year 2 fully installing infrastructure and resources (e.g., study
hubs, books, purchasing educational materials, developing
education platforms and curriculum)
o Year 3 beginning with program in the primary states, aiming
to support 500 students; mass promotion for the program;
consistently reflecting and refining programs; education
content starting with personal protection methods and basic
school content (language, mathematics...), mainly directed
towards children
o Year 4 continue to expand coverage of education programs,
aiming for 1000 students; create reports of previous year’s
achievements/results/feedback; education content; expand
educational content to supports youths as well (prevention of
joining drug abuse/organized crime)
o Year 5 fully implement both protection and prevention
methods; begin planning for extension of collaboration; if
successful, arrange further promotion
o Year 6 finalize future collaboration strategic planning (e.g.,
expansion ; maintain consistent education offerings
 Most severe states to start with: Nuevo León, Guanajuato, and
Michoacán states

Program coverage - 2 parts of the issue

 Basic school education (Spanish, Maths, English for older
students)
 Additional safety curriculum
o Self-protection methods from violence
o Preventing children and youths from joining organized crimes

NGOs to collaborate with:

 Children International – where are their current community hubs?
How much new resources are needed? What can we use from
them that already currently exists?
o Continual impacts: utilizing the power of previous
stakeholders of the NGOs, passing down knowledge and
 experience to new community members

Funding?

Presentation Layout
Amy Julianna Aaron Gordon
 Intro: who we are, who are our audiences
 Issue: significance (stats)
 Problem statement: realization, stakeholders, focus on safety and education
 Timeline: 6-year goals
 Program content coverage: subject, resources
o Regular subject courses
o Additional safety curriculum
 NGOs: request for collaboration, in what forms, what current resources to
incorporate
o NGO 1-EDUPAM
o NGO 2 – Children International
 Conclusion: funding, summarize resolution plan, express future insights
 Citations + additional resources

Marking Criteria
For specifics, see Rubrics below.

You will be marked as a group and as individuals. This means that your collective work on
the project will be assessed, but you will also be required to submit individual reflections.

1. Group Assessment: The group presentation will be marked based on the depth of your
research, the viability of your solution, and how well you engaged/researched stakeholders.

2. Individual Assessment: Each student will write ongoing reflection statements and a
report reflecting on their role, contributions, and learnings. You must explain how your
proposed solution addresses the conflict and promotes long-term peace.

Individual notes: Collaborative notes:

Final Deliverables
1. Group aspects:

 Project planning documents (this).

 A collaborative presentation showing the group’s solution, incorporating peace-
building techniques and addressing systemic issues. (and all support materials - digital
and/or physical items)

2. Individual Planning document (research and reflections)

 A document where each student reflects on their role, the group dynamics, and what
they learned through the Design Thinking process. Focus on your critical insights and
how the solution addresses the root causes of the conflict.

Rubric and assessment:

 Design thinking 1 point rubric
 Learning Journal task specific rubric
 Peace Building Skill Development Rubric
 Project Management Skills Development Rubric
 Course Policy and Grade Boundaries (shared on teams files)