Second annual peace award nominations are open. PHOTO CREDIT: Connor Zisk | Staff Photographer
The University of Rhode Island’s Center of Nonviolence and Peace Studies is holding the second annual Peace Award to honor community members who have aided nonviolence, peace or human rights.
Thupten Tendhar, a specialist for the Center for Nonviolence & Peace Studies, said that the award was created last year to encourage more URI students, staff and faculty to promote nonviolence and peace through services, teaching or research.
The winners will be determined by Tendhar and Brendan “Skip” Mark, an assistant professor of political science and director of the Center for Nonviolence & Peace Studies.
“We are looking for nominations of students as well as faculty and staff who either render services for community, peace and nonviolence or teach or conduct some research related to the field so that it becomes more prevalent in society,” Tendhar said.
Kristin Johnson, interim vice provost for Global Initiatives and former director of the Center, mentioned that Tendhar is a great person to decide the winner of the award because of his own background in nonviolence and peace.
“He has been a facilitator, a trainer, an organizer and the director for the Summer Institute, which has trained nonviolence trainers around the world,” Johnson said.
This award is a way to recognize the underappreciated work of passionate individuals, and Johnson said that Tendhar strives to do this often in his career.
“He [Tendhar] is often at the intersection of those multi-institutional, on-campus, student, faculty, staff and organization efforts,” Johnson said. “It’s not about him doing it, it’s about him finding a way to offer support so someone else can have that issue. And those are often the most powerful, and create galvanizing support in our community.”
Tendhar said there are two awards to be given out, one for a student and one for a faculty member, and anyone at the University can nominate someone in the URI community.
There is a Google form for nominations that can be submitted twice by anyone, once for a student nomination and another time for a faculty or staff member. There are a few identifying questions about who is being nominated and who is nominating them, along with a longer form question about why they should receive the award.
Tendhar said the award is a great way to recognize this type of work because it gives the winners platforms to share their experiences and acknowledgement through physical and monetary prizes.
“We do promote the winners’ work and their services through the center website, as well as on our social media,” Tendhar said. “And we invite them to do a small, short podcast or written piece [about their work] and we feature them on our website and social media.”
The winners also receive a certificate and $500, which the winning student will receive as a scholarship and the faculty or staff member will receive as a professional development fund or additional pay.
“Nonviolence and peace is crucial for well-being in our society, community and campus,” Tendhar said. “So we hope more people do participate in this nomination and recognize someone they see as fit for this recognition.”
“[People] who contribute to peace in peace and nonviolence in society are often overlooked or they’re unrecognized,” Tendhar said. “Those who are contributing to nonviolence and peace are not in the limelight. Those engaged in violence are covered in the media and so on. So therefore, we hope that with this recognition, we just shed no more light on those who contribute towards the constructive and positive side of society.”
Specific examples of contributions from last year include Hilda Lloréns, associate professor of anthropology and marine affairs at the University of Rhode Island, who won the faculty and staff award for “her tireless work for human rights, environmental protection, nonviolence, and peace for the Afro-descendant communities in Puerto Rico and other places,” according to an article written about the first Peace Award in 2022 by The Center.
The Center also published an article about the student winner, Sidney Pimental, who was a fourth-year student last year majoring in communications.
“Sidney won this award for her student leadership and nonviolent work, bringing awareness to societal issues, mindfulness, and inner peace to the URI campus and neighboring communities,” according to the article.
Tendhar said that the Peace Award is one of the many different things offered by the Center and he hopes that anyone interested in nonviolence, peace and mindfulness can reach out and collaborate with the Center.
The deadline for nominations is March 1 and the Center plans to announce the winners on Wednesday, March 8.