"The greatest asset is the network and the people I completed the course with. We’ve met regularly ever since."
Marc KöslingParticipant of the part-time course
Marc Kösling successfully completed the part-time training course at the Academy for Conflict Transformation in 2017. Today, he coordinates the ZFD country programme of KURVE Wustrow in Myanmar and is grateful for the network he has gained.
Marc Kösling already came into contact with peace and conflict research while studying social sciences at the Institute for Development and Peace (INEF) at the University of Duisburg-Essen. After two years at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (formerly the Bonn International Center for Conversion), his professional path first led him to the job centre, though, where he worked as an advisor before going on to train as a trainer. This pragmatic decision proved fruitful to his future career, as he was able to directly apply what he had learned during the training and also to draw on the knowledge gained during his studies. “I was in the midst of an exploration phase at the time and was able to make good use of my existing knowledge and experience,” he recalls.
“The course provided a good overview of the different approaches, methods and theories in peace work, with opportunities to explore the content in greater depth between each attendance phase.”
The training did bring challenges with it though. Particularly the practical project proved a good opportunity to uncover stumbling blocks and to learn about the limitations of peace and conflict work.
After 1.5 years as a staff cooperation officer at the Office and Network for International Personnel Cooperation (ALKHÜ e. V.), Kösling, who originally hails from the Lower Rhine region, began coordinating the country programme of KURVE Wustrow. Today, he builds bridges between the partner organisations, the experts in the field and the organisation’s head office. The approaches of Do No Harm and theme-centred interaction covered in the course also come up time and time again in his current coordinator role.
Even today, Marc Kösling still meets regularly with former coursemates, sometimes for entire weekends at a conference centre. “Among others, we’ve already organised peer case consultations among ourselves during which we discuss various topics and individual participants’ cases.” The 38-year-old is certain that, for him, the network he has gained is the greatest asset of the course.
