QPSWCC 25 April 2026

Quaker Peace & Social Witness Central Committee (QPSWCC) considered and reviewed two major areas of work, our peace education programme and our support to East African peacebuilding and nonviolence. It also considered what process we would like to undertake to review the QPSW strategy, which runs out at the end of 2027.

What is this committee responsible for?

QPSWCC oversees national Quaker efforts to build a sustainable and peaceful world and helps shape Quaker positions on public affairs.

What did it do at this meeting?

The committee heard about the work of the peace education programme, including the advocacy work with Quakers in Scotland which has led to the incorporation of Peace Education into Global Citizen Education (GCE) in Scotland. We have established peer mediation work in 50 schools, equipping young people with the skills needed to deal with conflict both in their current lives and in later years.

Aware that the current (extended) QPSW strategy will run out in 2027, the committee discussed how to make new strategy development as inclusive of the wider Quaker community as possible, and will return to this at future meetings.

The committee heard about the Turning The Tide East Africa programme in Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi, which empowers communities to prevent violence and build peace. Each country programme has different specialisms, as each country faces different challenges. We also considered how this work fits with reparation emerging principles, including listening to the people we want to work with, long-term commitment, focusing not just on money but about relationships and working together. We also considered how this type of work is evaluated, and how we can hear about the outcomes and difference the work is making.