Cultivating Restorative Peace through Cross-Cultural Competence: Practitioner Insights from Education, Evaluation, and Global Advocacy

• In Event: Language, Technology, and Cross-Cultural Competence for Inclusive, Equitable, and Peace-Oriented Education

Proposal

In a world increasingly shaped by division, conflict, and polarization, the role of education in fostering peace remains urgent and contested. This paper examines how cross-cultural competence—understood as the capacity to navigate cultural differences through attitudes, knowledge, and skills (Deardorff, 2006)—serves as a foundation for restorative justice, conflict prevention, and peacebuilding across formal education, informal education, and domestic and global advocacy contexts. Drawing on personal practitioner experience as a K-2 English Language Learner (ELL) educator in the United States, a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for global exchange programs, a Global Goals Ambassador with the United Nations Association, and a UNESCO Santiago Fellow, the author argues that cultivating cross-cultural competence is critical for re-examining and advancing education for peace in a divided world. The theoretical framework of this study is guided by Darla Deardorff’s intercultural competence model (2006), which emphasizes the interconnected development of attitudes (openness, curiosity, respect), knowledge (cultural self-awareness, deep cultural understanding), and skills (listening, observing, interpreting, and relating) to foster effective and ethical interaction. When applied to peace education, this framework illuminates how micro-level competencies translate into macro-level outcomes, including intergroup understanding, social cohesion, and the promotion of human rights.

This study contributes practitioner-based insights and empirical evidence to the discourse on peace education. By bridging theory and practice, it highlights how cultivating cross-cultural competence prepares individuals not only to coexist amid difference but to actively construct the “defenses of peace” envisioned in the UNESCO Constitution (UNESCO, 1945/2020). It concludes with recommendations for educators and policymakers to integrate intercultural frameworks into curricula, support evaluation of global learning outcomes, and apply restorative approaches that promote human rights and global solidarity in a divided world. The author draws upon over 300 in-depth interviews and surveys conducted across several professional capacities in international education, program evaluation, and grassroots peacebuilding. In addition to key findings from these data, the practitioner selects case studies that illustrate how cross-cultural competencies are developed and mobilized in diverse contexts. 1) In the formal education setting (Education Support Professional for K-2 English Language Learners, U.S.), the practitioner saw firsthand how, through working with immigrant and refugee children, language learning is not only a cognitive process but also a social-emotional bridge to inclusion. Practices such as dual-language story exchanges, culturally responsive pedagogy, and restorative classroom circles demonstrated how fostering respect for linguistic and cultural diversity supports peace at the interpersonal and community levels. 2) In informal education contexts (Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for global exchange programs, U.S.), the practitioner assessed the impact of study abroad and cross-cultural exchange projects, one of which centered on refugee educational inclusion. Findings highlighted that participants who developed intercultural communication skills and critical empathy were better equipped to navigate tensions, engage in respectful dialogue, and serve as cultural mediators upon returning home. Additionally, participants noted the positive impact of cross-cultural competency on their personal, academic, and professional lives. 3) Through domestic and global advocacy campaigns and community-based dialogues (United Nations Association Global Goals Ambassador, U.S. and UNESCO Santiago Fellow), the practitioner found that youth-led grassroots sustainable development initiatives fostered intercultural learning, global solidarity, and underscored communities’ roles in building peace beyond the classroom.

Evidence from these data and case studies suggests that intercultural competence contributes to peacebuilding across scales: in classrooms, by creating inclusive environments where immigrant and refugee students feel valued and engaged (Gay, 2018); in international exchange, by equipping students to navigate cultural tensions and foster mutual understanding (Vande Berg, Paige, & Lou, 2012); and in grassroots advocacy, by linking community experiences to global movements for human rights and sustainable development (UN, 2015). These findings underscore that education for peace is not confined to formal schooling but extends across non-formal and informal contexts, where individuals learn to listen, empathize, and engage constructively with difference. The author discusses how restorative practices are strengthened when learners possess the intercultural skills to acknowledge harm, rebuild trust, and foster reconciliation (Zehr, 2015), which further demonstrates that competencies cultivated in everyday classroom and exchange settings can ripple outward, shaping intergroup relations, national dialogue, and international solidarity. In line with the CIES 2026 conference theme, “Re-examining Education and Peace in a Divided World” (CIES, 2026), this study argues that embedding intercultural competence into educational practices and policies offers a concrete, scalable pathway to mitigating division and promoting social cohesion. By placing practitioner-based case studies and empirical data in the foreground, this study seeks to contribute to a deeper theoretical and practical understanding of how education can foster peace in divided societies, provide practical insights for educators, policymakers, and practitioners on embedding cross-cultural competence into peace education initiatives, and calls for societal accountability towards building a culture of peace through modeling cross-cultural competencies within our communities.

Authors

• Caroline Natalie Rakus-Wojciechowski, The George Washington University

• Jacqueline Hatch, GWU