The Peace Portal has recently launched the Stories of Peace Challenge. Too often we hear about war and conflict but not enough about the stories of initiatives effectively promoting peace and dialogue. The ‘Stories of Peace’ challenge promoted by the Peace Portal wants to give your stories the opportunity to get heard, and maybe even published.
If you are an individual or represent an organisation working in conflict prevention, send us your short story on peacebuilding and get a chance to win a publication of your story in a book. The 25 best stories will be published in 'People Building Peace 2.0' and all winners will receive ten copies of the book.
You can submit your stories in July and August only. Click here to participate and to receive more information about the contest.
Explore the new Peace Portal
The new version of the Peace Portal is now live. With this new version the Peace Portal has improved many functionalities, usability and the design, ready to be used to its full potential.
How can you use the Peace Portal?
Every day we hear news of longstanding violent conflicts, where solutions seem difficult to even imagine. Local communities in conflict regions are under-represented in the media, only visible when calamities occur. The haste with which stories need to be covered often mean that the stories of people on the ground are overshadowed - including the day to day economic, political, social and spiritual dynamics of a community, which are crucial factors in creating or solving conflicts. It is the people within these communities who understand best the local context, opinions, hopes and worries. However, policymakers usually do not hear these local voices, and instead depend on external information and analysis. The Peace Portal aims to have these local voices heard.
The Peace Portal is a unique online platform for cooperation, learning and action in the conflict prevention and peacebuilding field. It aggregates the newest digital technologies allowing communication via the participatory-web and twitter. The Portal is a tool to support more decentralized and people-centred initiatives aimed at detecting of early signs early warning of conflict. Built on open source internet technology, it includes features such as social networking capabilities, real time information and communication, and user-generated information. The project gives a voice to people that directly work with and in communities in conflict areas through social media tools that stimulate dialogue, empowering sources from the ground with on and offline tools to become reliable peace reporters and lastly applying these skills in ensuring that the voices of local communities living the consequences of war are heard.
The Portal is different from a traditional website in that it is a collaborative endeavour and the content is produced and shared by its users and partners. Register now and start using the Portal to support your work in the field of conflict prevention and peacebuilding and have your voices heard.
Interested in working with the Portal, or for more information please send an email to info@peaceportal.org.
