Democracy Politics and Conflict Engagement
In every democracy, advocates for change arise, and simultaneously become products, producers, and resolvers of conflict. By joining together through thoughtful engagement, their members affirm the positive, creative role that conflicts play in transforming social, environmental, political and community conflicts at their roots. DPACE offers constructive alternatives to the destructive conflicts that undermine social, environmental, political and community change efforts. Conflict is a fundamental part of social, environmental, political, and community impact spaces, yet they are plagued with their own conflicts, both internal and external. These conflicts are often handled in negative ways that undermine the movements’ aims and values. Our collective of conflict practitioners and thought leaders offer an alternative.
Our Mission
The Democracy, Politics, and Conflict Engagement Initiative (DPACE) is committed to enhancing the capacity of social, environmental, political, and community impact spaces to engage with conflict creatively and constructively in order to strengthen democracy and create a more just society.
Our goal is not simply to increase civility but to explore our differences without losing touch with our common humanity. To turn our passions in the direction of social, environmental, and community problem-solving, making change easier, more effective, more inclusive, and less painful.
Our Story
The Democracy, Politics and Conflict Engagement Initiative was founded in 2017 by conflict practitioners, activists, organizers, thought leaders and peace builders as a way of generating innovative ideas and strategies to expand conflict literacy and build conflict resilience both at the grassroots and organizational levels. They saw the potential for social, environmental, political, and community impact groups to gain tools for not simply preventing or resolving conflict, but also transforming these conflicts, and in turn, achieving their missions.
Learn More about DPACE
Impact Spaces and Professional Services
Practitioner Collective
BUILD Community of Practice
Conflict Literacy Framework