Weekend conference returns to campus for the first time in five years
From Feb. 21-23, 2025, the EMU Peace Fellowship club will host the Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship (ICPF) conference. This student-led weekend conference brings together students and faculty from Mennonite, Brethren, and Quaker colleges across the U.S. and Canada to examine issues of peace and justice.
The theme for the 2025 ICPF is “Building Solidarity: From Turtle Island to Palestine.” Many students from the schools represented at the conference participate in organizations such as Mennonite Action and the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery—organizations that are working to build Palestine and Indigenous solidarities, respectively. The 2025 ICPF will give students an opportunity to learn more about these movements, educate students about organizing and movement-building, and foster connections to encourage activism on home campuses and in home communities.
Keynote speakers at this event include the co-founders and organizers of Mennonite Action, Nick Martin and Adam Ramer, as well as a longtime member of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, Lars Åkerson. Their keynote addresses will be held in Martin Chapel at EMU’s Seminary Building, with different sessions taking place throughout the building.
The conference workshops will provide space for more in-depth conversations with Mennonite Action and the Coalition, as well as a time to hear from other practitioners about the solidarity work they engage in. Some of the workshops include creative approaches to decolonial peacebuilding in South America, Palestine solidarity work in Harrisonburg, and a student panel with a mix of justice-related topics.
Renae Benner, one of the EMU students helping organize the ICPF, looks forward to meeting other students who “care deeply about peace and justice issues.” She hopes those who attend the conference will “leave feeling inspired to take action for peace and be informed about how to do that.” Many faculty and students at EMU care deeply about seeking peace and justice, she added, making the university well-suited to host this conference.
EMU last hosted the ICPF in February 2020 and before that in 2014. Generally, participating institutions take turns hosting the conference every year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference has not been held since 2020. The conference planning committee is excited about restarting the conference and looks forward to building new connections during this time.
Visit the Intercollegiate Peace Fellowship webpage to find more information about the schedule or register for the conference.
Participants at ICPF are expected to come from Mennonite colleges and universities including Hesston College, Bluffton University, Goshen College, Bethel College, Canadian Mennonite University, and Conrad Grebel University; other Anabaptist, Quaker, and Brethren universities such as Messiah College, Elizabethtown College, and Manchester University; and other colleges in the Harrisonburg area such as James Madison University and Bridgewater College.
This event reflects EMU’s commitment to its core value of peace and justice by providing a platform for students and faculty to engage in critical conversations, build meaningful connections, and take tangible steps toward transformative change in their communities and beyond.
Read a preview of the event in the Daily News-Record here.
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