Plan for Peace is delighted to announce a stellar lineup of guest speakers for Changemakers in Turbulent Times, our unique 10-week programme with seed grants for changemakers in six UK cities. From iconic peacebuilder John Paul Lederach and Scottish activist Selina Hayles to boxer-turned-campaigner Mark Prince, the programme speakers are well-known names on the frontlines of social change in the UK and globally. Supported by the National Lottery, the programme supports changemakers in Cardiff, Belfast, Bradford, Glasgow, Slough and Newham in London.
John Paul Lederach
John Paul Lederach is a living legend in the field of conflict transformation and peacebuilding, working with and championing the power of the grassroots to bring about lasting change. He has won many prestigious awards, including the Martin Luther King Order of Peace Medal in 2006.
He is a professor at the University of Notre Dame and works extensively in conciliation processes in Latin America, Africa, Southeast and Central Asia. He is widely known for the development of culturally appropriate approaches to conflict transformation and the design and implementation of integrative and strategic approaches to peacebuilding. He is a widely published author and editor of 24 books and manuals, including Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies and The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace.
Ryad Khodabocus
Ryad Khodabocus is an Integrative Health and Wellness consultant, specialised in lifestyle medicine and energy psychology. He created the P.E.A.C.E system for health and wellness inspired by his work in peace and reconciliation.
Ryad heads a non-profit working around peace and reconciliation and community development for the last 15 years. In 2018, he was awarded as one of the 21 leaders for the 21st century as agents of reconciliation in the UK, supported by the Prime Minister’s Office. In 2020, Ryad’s charity won the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services, the only one to win in Luton for the county of Bedfordshire.
Jo Berry
Jo Berry is an acclaimed global leader, speaker and expert in conflict transformation and empowering positivechange. She is the founder of “Bridges for Peace”, a charity dedicated to promoting peace and conflict transformation around the world. She has been involved in resolving areas of conflict in countries including Lebanon, Rwanda, Ireland, Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Myanmar, Australia, Mexico, USA, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and throughout the UK as well as Northern Ireland.
Rob Deeks
Rob Deeks is a renowned social cohesion expert in the UK and CEO at Aik-Saath- Together as One, the multiple award-winning young people’s charity based in Slough that is widely credited with ending bitter intercommunal violence in the area. For 20 years, Rob has supported young people to move their ideas and aspirations forward, leading to his involvement in diverse spheres of work, including race, identity, conflict resolution, specialist services for young carers and young people from various backgrounds, and the arts and heritage.
Selina Hayles
One of Scotland’s best-known activists, Selina Hayles is the founder and CEO of Refuweegee, a community-led charity in Glasgow providing a warm welcome to forcibly displaced persons. Her passion is to create social change through Refuweegee.
Dr Mark Prince OBE
Dr Mark Prince is a much-loved inspirational speaker and former professional boxer turned award-winning charity campaigner. All too familiar with overcoming adversity, the once drug-abusing youth became a world-renowned fighter, to later reinvent himself once more as a campaigner after the death of his son by knife crime.
For more information about the programme, or to apply, visit www.planforpeace.org.
