~~~The 2020 Columbia Obama Scholars generating complexity maps of the factors driving chronic patterns of urban violence~~~

The second cohort of the Obama Foundation Scholars Program at Columbia University is bringing together rising leaders from around the world who have demonstrated a commitment to finding solutions to challenges in their communities, countries, and regions. Over the course of this academic year, the Obama Foundation Scholars have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and skills and to build new capacities and networks that accelerate their impact in their home countries.

MD-ICCCR Director, Professor Peter T. Coleman, facilitated Conflict Intelligence and Systemic Wisdom workshops with the first cohort of Obama Foundation Scholars at Columbia University in 2019. The feedback from this first cohort was overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic—the issues and skills covered clearly resonated with the work these scholars do in the world and the skills they require to be effective.

The workshop with the second cohort has just concluded and the MD-ICCCR is looking forward to continuing the relationship. The Obama Foundation Scholars Program, housed within Columbia World Projects, is a unique cohort of practitioner-scholars who are actively engaged in transformative work within their respective contexts. While their experience is eclectic and diverse, the topics and skills grappled with in the Conflict Intelligence and Systemic Wisdom workshops help to build common ground for the cohort. The workshop provides a rich environment for tackling the broad concepts of conflict management and systemic change dynamics and thinking about their application across diverse contexts. This is a terrific way to learn, a terrific group to work with, and we look forward to following these scholars and their work throughout their lives.