Melvin Sharty - on his experience at RPCP

Hello. My name is Melvin Sharty. I'm from Sierra Leone, completing a master's program in global affairs with concentration in international peace studies at the University of Notre Dame — Kroc Institute for International Peace Talks. Before beginning the program I worked on human rights and health justice issues for three and a half years in Sierra Leone to a social accountability program.

Currently, I'm a student in time at the Center for Peace Building, completing a six month free immersion experience. I chose the RPCP because of its vision. I feel that RPCP work facilitates a committee based approach to peacebuilding rooted in solution-base and strategies. My experience here in training has exposed me to the knowledge of restorative justice practices, trauma healing, social and emotional learning and dialog.

What I hope to gain out of this program is not only to learn from the practitioners in the field, but to contribute to the mission of the organization. While at the same time, conducting research and development capstone projects. One of the goals of my project is to contribute to the broader question of what can we do to build sustainable peace that prevents violence and repair harm.

Each day when I come to the office, I see the iceberg on the wall. It is a fun reminder that human relationships are very complex. And as Paulina Rusch said, we are in a web of relationships. So when volunteer calls instead of asking, “How do we punish the person who committed the crime?” We ask, “How do we help the person understand the impact of his behavior?”

And how do we create opportunity for dialog rooted in accountability and reconciliation? I think RPCP’S work is unique from my perspective because of the innovative focus on repairing and preventing violence, rather than focusing on punishing us in response to incidents of harm. Finally, the hallmark of my experience here is the long term relationships I'm building with the staff and meeting new friends, and I hope to take these lessons and practices to inform my long time peacebuilding work back home in Sierra Leone. Thank you very much.