As political and social divisions increasingly play out online and in communities, the Rotary Club of Wylie is inviting residents to step away from the noise and meet face to face.

The club will host its inaugural Rotary Peace Summit from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, at the Collin College Wylie Campus Conference Center, 391 Country Club Road.

Designed as a conflict resolution conference, the summit will focus on building unity, encouraging dialogue and helping participants engage respectfully with people whose perspectives may differ from their own.

Wylie Rotary Past President Ofilia Barrera said the idea grew from Rotary’s broader commitment to promoting peace, but with an emphasis on challenges much closer to home.

“As Rotarians, we are committed to peace building,” Barrera said. “For many people, this brings to mind war torn countries. For us, it hits a little closer to home.”

Rotary President Bryan Brokaw proposed the summit as a way to address increasing polarization within the community, added Barrera.

“A lot of what we hear on the news and social media is negative, but when we look to our friends and neighbors, the positives abound,” she said. “We wanted to build on that. We want people to walk away knowing they can disagree and still work together to build a stronger community.”

The summit is open to anyone interested in strengthening the community, Barrera said, including leaders, business owners, educators, volunteers and engaged citizens from Wylie and surrounding areas.

Three featured speakers will guide participants through the day.

Wylie High School graduate Roza Patterson will open the summit. Patterson, an attorney and UCLA School of Law professor, is also a former Rotary Youth Leadership Awards participant. In 2013, she received a Rotary International Global Grant Scholarship to pursue a master’s degree focused on peace and conflict prevention and resolution.

Patterson has worked in employment law and was selected in 2021 for Orrick’s Racial, Social and Economic Justice Fellowship. She currently works as a deputy attorney general with the California Department of Justice.

The Rev. Celestin Musekura, president and CEO of African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries, will bring decades of experience in reconciliation and peacebuilding to the summit. The global nonprofit works toward an Africa without violent racial, tribal and religious conflicts.

Musekura lost family members during the Rwandan genocide, an experience that inspired his work helping leaders and communities move from conflict toward reconciliation. For three decades, he has trained leaders in strategies intended to promote healing and sustainable social change.

Organizational psychologist Heather Hodges will lead participants through a research-based framework examining how people approach challenges and how understanding those differences can help foster innovation and cooperation.

Hodges, who has 25 years of leadership experience, will also explore how culture shapes behavior, perceptions and an individual’s sense of safety.

Rotary organizers say the full-day program is intended to give participants opportunities not only to hear from the speakers but also to practice listening, gain perspective and develop skills that can be used in workplaces, organizations and everyday community interactions.

Doors open at 8 a.m. for check-in and a continental breakfast. Lunch will be served at noon. Following the summit, participants may attend an optional happy hour from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Landon Winery in downtown Wylie.

Registration is $115 per person. A table for eight is $805. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

Parking at Collin College is free.

For registration, sponsorship information or additional details, visit wylierotary.org/page/peace-summit or email to [email protected].

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