BYUH students return from the Global Peace Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, with inspiring visions of local and global harmony
Six BYU–Hawaii students who attended the fourth Global Peace Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, from Jan. 15 to 17, said peace is about finding light and hope amidst adversities, choosing communication over waging wars and overcoming differences through humanity and compassion. They said peace is about taking self-improvement as the first step towards enacting meaningful change and establishing justice and autonomy for people.
The student delegates shared they walked the halls of the United Nations Conference Centre and stood together with changemakers from all over the globe to discuss conflicts, historical events and ways they can champion peace for the current and next generations. These students are Rosalind Pedron, Sophia Rolie, Vilai Ilolahia, Jr., Taylor James Lagaaia, Maania Spooner and Kobi Hough. They said Dr. Rand Blimes, an associate professor in the Faculty of Business & Government, made it possible for them to attend the conference.
Light, hope and strength amidst adversities
“Peace is about navigating our trauma, pain and hurt into goodness and compassion,” shared Pedron, a Samoan senior studying political science and Pacific Studies. She said she was moved most by the light saw from the conference speakers, a few of whom had experienced some of humankind’s worst atrocities.
“These are people who survived genocides, wars and death of loved ones, but they spoke to us with so much light, hope and strength,” she expressed. She said she realized peace is a conscious choice and action, seeing how these people chose peace despite it being completely justifiable for them to act on their grief and hatred.
She also shared an important lesson from Dr. Manal Omar, founder and CEO of Across Red Lines, and Dr. Steve Killilea, founder of the Global Peace Index, about staying in one’s circle of influence. “There are a lot of problems out there, and it can be tempting to be pulled towards saving the whole world, but that is just not realistic or effective,” she said. She shared Killilea counseled everyone to remember leaders must not think they will be leaders everywhere.
She talked about the tendency of people to think meaningful change has to be something grandiose and revolutionary. She said, “We can’t expect ourselves to save the whole world, but we can expect ourselves to be more aware of our neighbors and how we can help them.” They should focus on uplifting those in need, investing in helping others and advocating their rights, fostering love and empathy and sharing their light with those within their reach, she explained.
Pedron expressed her devotion to the Pacific, especially Samoa. She said as a political science major, she believes in making the world a better place, but she seeks to start with where her heart is. Learning about storytelling as a form of restorative justice, she said, “That is exactly my goal: publishing stories, expanding our written literature in the Pacific and developing stronger data collection systems to help restore justice and peace to our islands.”
When ideas are censored and shut down and when voices are silenced, we are limiting our growth. We should allow people to discuss differences rather than hold onto those and cause problems.
Choosing dialogue over violence
“We can make peace. Peace is not impossible,” said Lagaaia, a senior from Samoa studying political science. He shared he attended the conference to learn from peace activists and find more inclusive ways to resolve conflict rather than going straight to war, and he said he went home with exactly what he needed.
He emphasized the importance of communication in peacebuilding. “When good people don’t speak up, evil prospers,” he stated. He said being open to dialogue and communicating one’s message clearly can help cultivate a place of understanding. “When ideas are censored and shut down and when voices are silenced, we are limiting our growth. We should allow people to discuss differences rather than hold onto those and cause problems,” he explained.
Lagaaia said hearing the stories of genocide survivors from Darfur, Rwanda, Cambodia and Bosnia, and learning about the atrocities inflicted on them by fellow human beings were particularly eye-opening. “It helped me have a better view of the world and the evil that men are capable of,” he expressed. He shared he realized how blessed he is for growing up on an island where that kind of conflict is not present. He added, “It compelled me to think of solutions for such acts of violence to prevent history from repeating itself.”
“These conflicts usually come from division,” he said. He emphasized the dangers of polarization, saying humans divide themselves into groups and perceive others as different and inferior to them. “It’s concerning how you can have negative attitudes towards your neighbor just because you are members of different groups,” he explained. He said humanity’s history of conflict based on racial, political, ethnic and socioeconomic differences should be ended to attain peace truly.
“Peace is a choice,” Lagaaia stressed. He shared he wants to be able to share his knowledge with his fellow students, the community, and even with the next generations. “We should strive to find common ground and understand that we are all part of the same race: the human race,” he said.
Breaking barriers through humanity and compassion
Rolie, a senior from Oregon studying political science and intercultural peacebuilding, shared it was a blessing to hear unique perspectives from human rights activists and advocates all around the globe. She said, “They did an amazing job advocating for a cause with so much compassion and without polarizing.”
She explained, “When we label ourselves identifying us as members of a specific group, then stand for causes against another group, we are separating ourselves.” She shared talking about labels and depolarization reminds her of President Russell M. Nelson’s talk about humans’ true, enduring identifiers: children of God, children of the covenant and disciples of Jesus Christ. “These labels do not separate us from anybody. They just bring us together and unify us,” she said. Understanding these identities will help people recognize one another’s mutual humanity despite conflicts and differences, she emphasized.
She shared conversations around the presence of hate and compassion in the political realm, saying these emotions highlight women’s role in politics. “A woman’s touch can bring down conflicts. We have seen that in the family and lots of other scenarios. Their compassion is what makes them irreplaceable,” she expressed. She said kindness and compassion can transform politics and even society as a whole. “Peace is restorative. It has no bias. It is compassionate,” she added.
Rolie said throughout her study of peacebuilding for four years, she realized understanding peace means also understanding conflict. “You have to confront the hard facts and the things you sometimes want to turn a blind eye to. I think that’s going to really humanize us,” she voiced. She said in a world full of dehumanization, of people constantly demeaning others’ humanity and creating justifications for it, facing the hard truths and breaking down those justifications will bring peace.
Starting with the man in the mirror
Ilolahia, a senior from Tonga studying political science, said growing up on an isolated island did not give him much knowledge and perspective concerning global affairs, so he has always sought opportunities to hear special insights from prominent figures in peacebuilding, diplomacy, human rights activism and international relations. “What I gained from the conference widened my outlook on what I want to do with my studies and in the future. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to learn about a new country, new culture and global perspectives on what happens in the world,” he expressed.
Echoing Dr. Manal Omar, he shared, “Peace is personal — it starts with you.” He said Omar referenced the song “Man in the Mirror,” emphasizing the importance of being able to look into one’s self if they want to make positive changes in the world. Ilolahia shared he maintained this mindset as he listened to the lectures of peace advocates and stories of war survivors. “There’s a lot more happening in the world that should matter. That’s why young leaders of tomorrow are being educated to develop themselves and become voices for peace,” he added.
He also shared the impact of the stories he heard during the summit. “While we worry about school, tuition and housing, those people out there are worrying if they’re going to live another day,” he expressed. He said it was humbling to realize all the privileges he can enjoy compared to those stuck in the heart of conflict. “It gave me a sense of how the laws and policies I live with are different from people who had their rights and liberty taken away,” he shared.
“I want to start small, then spread awareness, especially about global peace,” he voiced. He said they were taught to choose one perspective and use that as a guiding point to reach the others, and he expressed he plans to invest in going for an angle that will facilitate his growth as a young leader and peace advocate. “I believe peace is important for us, especially as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints whose eyes are single to God’s glory,” he said. He shared he seeks to start with being a good neighbor and disciple of God, then build on these traits to develop what it takes to educate others about things worth fighting for.
Quoting Claude Gatebuke, a Rwandan genocide survivor who spoke at the conference, Ilolahia added, “True peace can only be achieved when there’s justice, and justice can be achieved when there’s truth.” He said this gave him a new definition of peace: it is not the absence of war or conflict but the inclusion of justice and truth.
Standing up and taking action
“History is not made by those who sit back,” said Spooner, a junior from New Zealand studying political science and finance, quoting from the summit. She said she learned to think about what breaks her heart whenever she does not know where to start due to the overwhelming number of conflicts emerging around the world. “I realized I don’t really need to start in Asia, Afghanistan or Israel. I can start in my own home, with my own people,” she shared. She said her heartbreaks have everything to do with her people.
“I have been trying to think of ways to get people to come here and engage our Maori community on campus while we’re away from New Zealand,” she expressed. She said the summit inspired her to create something that would boost their social or political involvement with their homeland despite the geographical disconnection. “I am trying to get a ball rolling with how to educate people here to help our people back home,” she shared.
“Peace is a very active thing,” she expressed. She said it is important for people to take a stance, as harmony is not pieced together by just sitting around and waiting for things to happen. “It is standing up for yourself and establishing justice,” she added.
Among her learnings from the conference, she emphasized, “Peace is not the absence of conflict. It’s the presence of justice.” She said peace and justice are about enjoying autonomy on their own land and maintaining the right to dictate what happens to their own soil and people. “For me, it’s not necessarily about being equal in everything. It’s about being treated equally and fairly in our own space within society,” she explained.