What do you mean by “Projects for Peace”?
Davis Projects for Peace is an initiative for all students at the Davis United World College Scholars Program partner schools to design grassroots projects for the summer of 2011 – anywhere in the world – which promote peace and address the root causes of conflict among parties. We encourage applicants to use their creativity to design projects and employ innovative techniques for engaging project participants in ways that focus on conflict resolution, reconciliation, building understanding and breaking down barriers which cause conflict, and finding solutions for resolving conflict and maintaining peace. Through a competition on over 90 campuses, projects will be selected for funding at $10,000 each.
Intentionally, no clear definition is offered so as not to limit the imagination. We leave it up to the students to define what a “project for peace” might be. We hope to encourage creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship focusing on conflict resolution, reconciliation, building understanding and breaking down barriers which cause conflict. The overall program is to be worldwide in scope and impact, but specific projects may be undertaken anywhere and as grassroots as desired, including in the U.S.
And from Ron Liebowitz:
Finally, for those of you interested in applying for Davis Projects for Peace 2011, there will be a Q & A session held at Old Stone Mill on Thursday, October 28, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Students who have been recipients of past Davis Project for Peace funding, as well as students whose projects were supported by the College, will be available to answer questions and speak about their individual experiences. I would encourage any interested students to attend this event. It will be an excellent opportunity to see firsthand what our students have accomplished with the support of this Initiative.
If you can’t make the info session or want to learn more now, there’s more Q & A and the full letter from Ron Liebowitz after the jump.
DAVIS PROJECTS FOR PEACE 2011
Middlebury College
Questions & Answers
What do you mean by “Projects for Peace”?
Davis Projects for Peace is an initiative for all students at the Davis United World College Scholars Program partner schools to design grassroots projects for the summer of 2011 – anywhere in the world – which promote peace and address the root causes of conflict among parties. We encourage applicants to use their creativity to design projects and employ innovative techniques for engaging project participants in ways that focus on conflict resolution, reconciliation, building understanding and breaking down barriers which cause conflict, and finding solutions for resolving conflict and maintaining peace. Through a competition on over 90 campuses, projects will be selected for funding at $10,000 each.
Who is funding this and why?
Davis Projects for Peace is being funded by Kathryn W. Davis, a lifelong internationalist and philanthropist (who earned a B.A. from Wellesley, an M.A. from Columbia, and a Ph.D. from the University of Geneva) who is now over 103 years old. She is the mother of Shelby M.C. Davis who funds the Davis UWC Scholars Program currently involving over 90 American colleges and universities. Mrs. Davis feels some urgency to spark initiatives for building prospects for peace in the world and so is committing $1 million to fund these numerous $10,000 projects for peace. She believes that today’s youth – tomorrow’s leaders – ought to be challenged to formulate and test their own ideas.
What do you mean by “projects for peace”?
Intentionally, no clear definition is offered so as not to limit the imagination. We leave it up to the students to define what a “project for peace” might be. We hope to encourage creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship focusing on conflict resolution, reconciliation, building understanding and breaking down barriers which cause conflict. The overall program is to be worldwide in scope and impact, but specific projects may be undertaken anywhere and as grassroots as desired, including in the U.S.
Who is eligible to design a “project for peace”?
Undergraduate students at any of the Davis UWC Scholar schools (including seniors who would complete their projects after graduation) are eligible – so long as the president of their institution has signed and returned the grant agreement form. While the schools included are restricted to those in the Davis UWC Scholars Program, all undergraduates (not just Davis UWC Scholars at those schools) are eligible. Groups of students from the same campus, as well as individual students, may submit proposals. Note: Because of ongoing special relationships, Mrs. Davis is once again accepting proposals from International Houses and Future Generations.
How does the funding for these projects work?
Mrs. Davis has committed $1 million to fund Davis Projects for Peace in 2011. While Davis funding per project is limited to $10,000, projects with larger budgets are welcome as is co-funding from other sources (such as other philanthropists, a college or university, foundation, NGO/PVO or students’ own fundraising). Note: Additional funding has been committed for projects submitted by International House.
How does a student (or group of students) make a proposal?
To be considered, a student (or group of students) must prepare a written statement which describes the project (who, what, where, how) including expected outcomes and prospects for future impact (not to exceed two pages) as well as a budget (one separate page). Proposals should include pre-approval of all involved parties and organizations involved in the project. The two-page proposal and one-page budget should be submitted electronically to the designated official at Middlebury, Elizabeth Robinson, as outlined below. Students with queries may direct them to Elizabeth Robinson as communication between students writing proposals and the Davis UWC Scholars office is prohibited.
How are these proposals submitted and judged?
Each involved campus has a designated official to coordinate the process on each campus. This official, in ways s/he deems appropriate, will guide the internal campus procedures for: announcing and promoting the opportunity to students; organizing the selection committee to evaluate the proposals submitted; communicating results on a timely basis to the Davis UWC Scholars office; and distributing the awarded grant funds for the winning proposal(s) on campus. Final review and approval of all recommended proposals from individual campuses rests solely with the office of the Davis UWC Scholars Program which will then forward the appropriate grant funds to each school with winning project(s).
How will the grants be awarded?
The intention is to fund 100 projects, with at least one at each of the Davis UWC Scholar schools. Therefore, all involved schools are invited to select and submit one proposal for funding and one alternate proposal that might be funded as well. Final decisions on all grants are made by the Davis UWC Scholars Program office. Grants are made upon assurance that the project proposed will, in fact, be undertaken during the summer of 2011.
What is the timetable for proposals and decisions?
- During the fall of 2010: details of schools’ participation are finalized; promotion on campus by school officials; creation of selection processes and appointment of evaluation committees on campuses; and further communication, if necessary, between the Davis UWC Scholars office and school officials (communication between students writing proposals and the Davis UWC Scholars office is prohibited).
- All student proposals must be submitted to Elizabeth Robinson, Director of the Project on Creativity and Innovation in the Liberal Arts, by emailing the project proposal to robinson@middlebury.edu by Friday January 14, 2011. Please note that the subject line of the email should read “Davis Peace Project Application 2011”.
- Recommended proposals must be determined and submitted (electronically as an attachment) by campus officials to Davis UWC Scholars office (info@davisuwcscholar.org) no later than February 11, 2011.
- Final decisions on all winning proposals rendered by Davis UWC Scholars office to campus officials by March 11, 2011.
- All project funding agreements signed by recipient schools AND student proposers due March 31, 2011.
- Grant payments to the schools will be made shortly after all agreements have been received by the Davis UWC Scholars office.
- Any alternates selected will be finally agreed to in April 2011.
- Projects completed during summer of 2011.
- Final reports due to Davis UWC Scholars office by September 16, 2011.
What is required for each project’s final report?
Each funded project must submit a final report to the Davis UWC Scholars office by September 16, 2011. The final report is to be limited to two pages of narrative using the final report form for 2011 posted on the website. It also includes a separate one-page accounting of the funds expended. Students have the option of including up to 3 digital photos, attaching them to the end of their two-page final report. Final reports are submitted on disk to the Davis UWC office by the authorized campus contact. Reports will be posted on the program’s website for all to see and learn from.
For more information ….
A website for Davis Projects for Peace can be found at the following address: http://www.davisprojectsforpeace.org/about .
Questions on matters of clarification for Middlebury students may be sent to robinson@middlebury.edu. Please type “Projects for Peace” in the subject line of your message. Project ideas and proposals may not be submitted in advance for review or pre-approval.
Message from Ron Liebowitz:
Dear Students,
I am pleased once again to invite you to participate in Davis Projects for Peace, a program funded by, and which honors, Kathryn Wasserman Davis, a 103 year old philanthropist who is interested in finding new ways to advance world peace.
Undergraduate students at more than 90 college campuses across the United States, including those of you who will graduate this academic year, are eligible to design and submit proposals that address the goal of improving the prospects for peace in the 21st century. The top submissions from the participating campuses, including at least one from Middlebury, will receive funding of $10,000 from Mrs. Davis with which to initiate projects anywhere in the world during the summer of 2011.
Mrs. Davis chose to celebrate her then upcoming centennial birthday four years ago by committing $1 million dollars to fund “100 Projects for Peace.” She said, “I want to use my 100th birthday to help young people launch some immediate initiatives that could bring new thinking to the prospects for peace in the world.” We are very excited she has committed to the program for a fifth year.
Because the values that this project represent touches on what I believe are among the most important ones a liberal arts education can impart to its students—clear analytical thinking, excellent communications, self-confidence, problem-solving, creativity, and initiative—I will fund a second proposal from presidential discretionary funds to complement the winner that Mrs. Davis will support.
I want to stress that this is an initiative for all undergraduates, and not those solely interested in politics, the social sciences, or international studies. None of you should feel there are disciplinary boundaries that prevent you from finding ways to tie your skills and talents into a good proposal related to world peace. In fact, I encourage those of you who never thought about the prospects for world peace to pursue this initiative. The creativity that Middlebury seeks to identify and support in implementing this program should be reflected in the way you link your individual strengths to the challenges of world peace.
Submission details are included in the attachment to this e-mail (file: “Davis Projects for Peace Middlebury Q&A”). A successful proposal for Middlebury students will require you to consider and articulate the following in your proposals:
What differentiates you from others who may be applying for this grant in terms of your skills and talents?
How will you translate those skills and talents into a project related to world peace?
How will you draw on the expertise of faculty, staff, and your fellow students here at Middlebury, as well as on networks of relevant people off-campus, including alumni, to develop a project that is both practical and can be implemented within the budget of $10,000?
The College will waive the minimum student contribution for financial aid for the 2011-2012 academic year for students who win a Davis grant, as well as provide a $1,000 stipend to each student (with a $3,000 maximum per project) to offset lost summer wages.
Finally, for those of you interested in applying for Davis Projects for Peace 2011, there will be a Q and A session held at Old Stone Mill on Thursday, October 28, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Students who have been recipients of past Davis Project for Peace funding, as well as students whose projects were supported by the College, will be available to answer questions and speak about their individual experiences. I would encourage any interested students to attend this event. It will be an excellent opportunity to see firsthand what our students have accomplished with the support of this Initiative.
I look forward to working with the selection committee to choose the best proposals from Middlebury, and seeing how well many of you can link your skills and talents to the pursuit of world peace.
Best,
Ron