is dedicated to
Dr. Houda Abadi
the Founder and Executive Director of Transformative Peace
whose tireless work for peace has been and continues to be an inspiration.
​
​ With appreciation for
Dr. Charity Butcher​​​
the Director of the Kennesaw State University School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding, and Development for her many years of help running our National Security Council Simulation.
​
We are especially grateful to the​
Emory University Center for Ethics​
for hosting us these past ten years.
​
​
And a special shout out to​
​
Ms. Kristen Embry
AP/IB Teacher from Decatur High School ​
and
Ms. Derya Aydin
AIDL Intern & Program Coordinator
​
for their invaluable help with the 10th Cohort.
​​​​
A sincere note of appreciation to our distinquished speakers:
Leadership and Citizenship​
​
Civil Discourse: Rules for Healthy Engagement
Ms. Natasha Derricks / AP Teacher at Dekalb School of the Arts
​
MLK, Jr.’s Life and Legacy
Ranger John Jenkins / MLK, Jr. National Historic Site​
​
Servant Leadership
Dr. Edward Queen / Director, Ethics and Servant Leadership, Emory University Center for
Ethics
​
Introduction to Ethics
Dr. Jonathan Crane / Associate Professor of Medicine & Religion, Emory Univ. Center for
Ethics
​
News Literacy
Dr. Kaiser Lough / Professor in UGA College of Journalism and Mass Communication​
​
Importance of a Free Press
Mr. David Plazas / Atlanta Journal Constitution Opinion Editor
​
Faith Forward Democracy
Ms. Dana Smiley / The Carter Center
​
Georgia Government
Mr. Omari Crawford / Georgia House of Representatives
Diplomacy
​
Atlanta's Diplomacy & Diplomatic Protocol
Ms. Ana Petrova / Mayor’s Office of International Affairs & Immigration
​
Economic Diplomacy
Ms. Coryn Marsik / Georgia Department of Economic Development
​ ​
International Diplomacy
Ms. Alana Lomonaco Busto / Consul General of Argentina to Georgia and the Southeast​
​
Peacebuilding
EcoPeace Middle East (Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize)
Ms. Danni Reches / Advocacy Officer for EcoPeace Middle East​
​
Lessons from the Good Friday Agreement
Rev. Dr. Gary Mason / Founder of Rethinking Conflict​
​
Hand in Hand Schools
Mr. Lee Gordon / Founder & Executive Director of Hand in Hand Jewish-Arab Schools of
Israel​
​
Seeds of Peace
Ms. Monica Baky / Director of Egyptian Programs
​
Importance of Inclusion
Dr. Heval Kelli / Cardiologist and Former Refugee from Syria
​
Peaceful Coexistence
Ms. Sara McKlin / Site Operations Coordinator for the Cannon Chapel​​
​
Humanitarian Crisis in South Sudan​
South Sudan Humanitarian Crisis & US National Security Council
Dr. Charity Butcher / Professor and Director of the School of Conflict Management,
Peacebuilding, and Development at Kennesaw State University
​
​ UN Mission in South Sudan
Ms. Maureen Nealon / Former Assoc. Humanitarian Affairs Officer, UNMISS, South Sudan;​ Former USAID Officer in Washington D.C.; Current Program Manager: Somalia
Stabilization Fund
​
Life of a Refugee
Mr. Ngor Mayol / Former Lost Boy of the Sudan​​
​
Activism​​​
Civic Engagement and Starting a Nonprofit
Mr. Maurits Acosta / Freshman at Harvard & Founder of Virtutem Populo
​​Student Sharing: Opportunities​
Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange - Calla / Georgia Tech
Seeds of Peace Camp - Ayomida / Texas Christian University
Georgia State Capital Internships - Natasha / Law student
​
Special Guests
IVLP Visitors from Eurasia / Guests of the US Department of State; hosted by the GCIV
Featured Keynote Speaker​
Peacebuilding
Dr. Houda Abadi / Founder and Executive Director of Transformative Peace; 2018 AIDL Peacebuilder Award Recipient; 2019 ISB Women of Influence Award
​
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More coming soon!
The 10th AIDL Summer programs were very successful. The first week of the Institute was virtual and was attended by thirty-nine students. Twenty-nine of them were able to drive to Emory University the next week to complete the second week of the Institute. Over the course of the two weeks, the 10th Cohort (those who were a able to attend both workshops) heard and interacted with twenty-six different speakers who talked about peacebuilding, civil communication, conflict resolution, civic engagement, and diplomacy at the national and international levels. Speakers zoomed with us from Northern Ireland, Kenya, Morocco, Egypt, Paris, and Brussels. We were blessed to hear from some of the most successful and amazing peacebuilding organizations in the world, including: Transformative Peace, EcoPeace Middle East, Hand in Hand Jewish/Arab Schools of Israel, Rethinking Conflict, and Seeds of Peace. Other topics during the Institute were: the Importance of Freedom of the Press, News Literacy, an Introduction to Ethics, Civic Engagement at the local and state levels, Servant Leadership, Starting a Nonprofit, and Nonviolent Social Change. The international issues addressed focused on the Humanitarian Crisis in South Sudan and the Conflict in the Middle East. The speakers for the two week Institute included two former refugees, a Georgia state representative, college professors, nonprofit leaders, and a visiting group of Eurasian IVLP leaders, who were here in Atlanta at the invitation of the US Department of State. In between speakers, the students worked in groups on community-based projects such as Gun Violence, Financial Literacy, Civic Engagement, Sustainable Development, and Digital Literacy. The highlight of the in-person week for many of the students was the National Security Council simulation, which dealt with the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan. Due to the growing popularity of the AIDL (over 175 students from around the world requested applications), we added an extra virtual week in July, in which 18 students participated. This group consisted of different metro Atlanta students than the Institute, but also added students from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, California, and even from Kazakhstan and Qatar.