During my time as the Conflict Resolution Fellow at Stanford University, I have developed a variety of resources and reports on conflict resolution and navigation. In an effort to maintain these resources and make them available for future use, I have housed them in this online toolkit. By using the tabs above, please explore, learn, and enjoy these materials. If you have any questions, please reach out to Carson Smith (csmith97@stanford.edu).
Please note that while these lessons and activities are useful, they cannot supplement trainings with professional peacemakers and facilitators. Thank you!
Carson Smith, MPhil
(Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma)
In January of 2021, Carson Smith joined Stanford as the Conflict Resolution Fellow. In this position, she supported the Stanford community in conflict resolution and community building efforts. Her background is as a practitioner and teacher of Peacemaking. She’s helped resolve conflicts in multiple settings, including universities and Indigenous communities. Carson recently finished her master's degree at the University of Oxford, where she studied community mediation as a means of navigating conflicts across cultural groups. She also graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Stanford in 2019. Following her time as the Conflict Resolution Fellow, Carson will continue her studies as a JD candidate and Knight–Hennessy Scholar at Stanford Law School.
Below are the objectives of the Conflict Resolution Fellowship:
Please note that objectives 1-7 were a part of my initial fellowship description. Objectives 8, 9, and 10 were added by me over the course of my fellowship.
Develop a campus-wide Conflict Resolution Toolkit which surveys and documents all the systems, offices, policies, and practices available to students, staff and faculty to address harm.
Serve as Staff Assistant to the Law School Conflict Resolution Policy Lab in Spring, 2021, and contribute to research and analysis about conflict resolution in general (and Stanford in particular), including surveying best practices of other institutions, hosting focus groups and strategic interviews with stakeholders, and integrate policy recommendations into the toolkit.
Co-lead an undergraduate interdisciplinary policy lab or course in Spring parallel to the Law School Policy Lab.
Develop a conflict resolution strategy including use of peace circles for staff to resolve conflict and rebuild trust.
Develop a peer conflict resolution protocol, and train undergraduates in it. Work with VPSA (i.e., Res Ed and the Community Centers) and ASSU to pilot this.
Create metrics to capture the scope of reported harm campus-wide.
Report all to the Provost with a series of recommendations based on the above.
Strengthen the connection between conflict resolution entities/practitioners on campus.
Integrate elements of peacemaking across campus and developing best practices.
Build and maintain relationships with community partners in Peacemaking.