Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue—it is a systemic driver of global conflict, vulnerability, and social tension. In this episode of Bridges and Beacons, guest host Dr. Michael Shank (Director of Programs at the Albert Einstein Institution and Carter School professor) sits down with Carter School PhD candidates Engy Said and Ashton Rohmer to explore the intersection of environmental policy, systemic conflict analysis, and climate action. Drawing from frontline crisis response, international policy, and urban planning, the panel examines how peacebuilding principles can transform our response to global climate disruptions.

Together, the panel discusses the necessity of applying systems thinking to climate solutions—from ensuring climate finance is conflict-sensitive to challenging traditional paradigms around green technology and urban mobility. They unpack how community-led initiatives, like neighborhood bike buses, shift the climate narrative from sacrifice to positive visioning. This conversation serves as a compelling call to action for future peacebuilders to apply their analytical tools, cross-disciplinary skills, and thought leadership toward building a more resilient, peaceful, and sustainable world.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Systems Thinking in Climate Action: How peacebuilding diagnostic tools uncover unintended consequences in technical solutions like EV adoption and carbon pricing.
• Conflict-Sensitive Climate Finance: The importance of designing policy and investments that learn directly from local communities to prevent resource-based tensions.
• Reimagining Public Spaces: How community-driven mobility models serve as a peaceful rehearsal for a fossil-free, human-centered future.
• The Peacebuilder’s Role: Why skills in mediation, stakeholder engagement, and cross-disciplinary translation are vital for climate adaptation and governance.

In Their Own Words:

• Dr. Michael Shank: "Climate change and global warming and the heating of our planet is impacting every single issue every Carter School student is focused on... Peace builders really have an opportunity to play an important role because we can't do any of this sustainability or climate action work if we're so fragmented."
• Engy Said: "Peacebuilders already have valuable skills that they bring to the table in this field: conflict analysis, mediation, dialogue facilitation, stakeholder engagement... Do not think that you have to be a climate scientist to work in climate change."
• Ashton Rohmer: "If you cannot picture the world you want, you will not build it... Thinking about a future from a peacebuilding perspective helps us imagine that a future is actually better than maybe what our present could be."

Peacebuilding is not a static set of rules; it is an evolving, highly adaptive craft that requires bridging academic rigor with frontline practice. In this episode of Bridges and Beacons, Kellye Richardson brings together guest host Dr. Alpaslan Özerdem (Dean of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution) and distinguished alumnus Dr. Jaco Cilliers (UNDP/PAPP Special Representative of the Administrator). Drawing on over two decades of international field experience across South Africa, Bosnia, Ukraine, and Gaza, Dr. Cilliers reflects on how his educational journey at the Carter School provided him with an adaptable "toolbox" grounded in Edward Azar's Protracted Social Conflict theory and John Burton's Basic Human Needs framework.

Together, Dean Özerdem and Dr. Cilliers examine the non-linear realities of international diplomacy, development, and crisis response. They explore how conflict resolution practitioners must operate concurrently across interpersonal, institutional, and geopolitical levels. From building cross-community youth centers in post-war Bosnia to coordinating urgent survival mechanisms in Gaza, Dr. Cilliers details the necessity of grounded local experience, systemic analysis, and moral endurance. This conversation offers an indispensable masterclass for aspiring peacebuilders, highlighting how deep academic foundations enable practitioners to navigate volatile, highly sensitive international crises while maintaining a steadfast commitment to human dignity.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The Carter School Toolbox: How foundational theories like Basic Human Needs translate into real-world crisis response and conflict analysis.
• Multi-Level Intervention: Strategies for balancing bottom-up community efforts with top-down political diplomacy.
• The Non-Linearity of Peace: Understanding conflict resolution as a cyclical process requiring patience, adaptability, and resilience.
• Practitioner Well-Being: Practical strategies for avoiding burnout and sustaining emotional health while serving in active conflict zones.

In Their Own Words:

• Dr. Jaco Cilliers: "There's always something that comes up which I have the privilege to pull out of my George Mason toolbox that has relevance in terms of how I understand the context… The way that we build peace is not linear. It is cyclical. It’s constantly changing."
• Dr. Alpaslan Özerdem: "Peace is one of humanity's greatest achievements, yet one of its least understood… A university's greatest impact is measured not only by the knowledge it produces, but by the people it prepares to serve others."

Genocide doesn't just happen overnight. It requires an entire infrastructure of societal indifference. So, how do we train the people on the front lines to recognize the warning signs before it's too late?

In this episode, peace influencer, Kellye Richardson brings together guest host and political theorist Professor Doug Irvin-Erickson and Carter School alum Jamie Wise (Holocaust Educator at the Zekelman Holocaust Center). They discuss a revolutionary curriculum designed to teach future US military leaders (ROTC) and law enforcement officers how to navigate complex moral dilemmas, defy peer pressure, and lead with moral courage in active conflict zones.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The Scheidt Fellows Impact: How a unique master's fellowship brought global change-makers together at the Carter School.
• The Warsaw Ghetto & Camp Ritchie: Incredible historical case studies of resistance fighters and unexpected upstanders.
• Reversing the Dynamic: Moving from conformity to ethical leadership within rigid chains of command.

In Their Own Words:

Jamie Wise "One of the best parts of being a student... was being able to bridge the academic study of genocide studies and peacebuilding to these very practical needs to take action to build a better world."

Professor Doug Irvin-Erickson: "The ability for people to think ethically about the world around them actually is a key driver of both the violence that we see in genocide, but also how you would talk about prevention."

In the first episode of Bridges and Beacons, Kellye Richardson and Professor Antti Pentikainen delve into the urgent need for reconciliation in today's polarized world. Joined by Dr. Nicholas Sherwood and Cameron Cassar, alumni from the Carter School, they explore the mission and impact of the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation. The discussion covers trauma-informed and restorative practices in reconciliation, personal journeys, and professional insights. The episode emphasizes the importance of self-care, deep self-reflection, and understanding trauma in building a more harmonious society. Listeners are encouraged to consider how they can integrate reconciliation practices into their daily lives and communities.

Welcome to Bridges & Beacons

Bridges & Beacons is a podcast from the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, featuring multigenerational conversations with peacebuilders, practitioners, mediators,leaders, and changemakers working toward justice, and resolve.

Moderated by Kellye Richardson, each episode explores how dialogue, connection, resilience, and community leadership can help transform conflict into opportunity.

Rooted in former President Jimmy Carter’s legacy of moral clarity and thoughtful mediation, Bridges & Beacons shares real stories and practical wisdom from practitioners shaping peace locally and globally.

Whether you're a student, educator, practitioner, nonprofit leader, mediator, peacebuilding professional, or simply passionate about humanitarian values, this podcast offers insight, hope, and actionable perspectives for creating a space for conversation aimed at bridging divides and shining a light forward.

Peace isn’t passive - it’s built.

Learn more about the School’s work, research and academic programs at The Carter School.