By Phill Gittins, World BEYOND War, November 2026
From October 26 to November 4, 2026, World BEYOND War’s Education Director, Dr. Phill Gittins, visited Romania, Bulgaria, and Belgium to meet with peace activists, speak with students and educators, and join discussions on peace, security, and youth participation.
Romania: Chapter Members and University Students
On October 28 in Bucharest, Phill met with Hans Hedrich and George Epurescu of the World BEYOND War Romania Chapter. They discussed local peace and anti-war organizing and ways to stay connected.
Later that day, Phill gave a presentation and joined a discussion with an international group of master’s students at the University of Bucharest’s Faculty of Political Science, hosted by Associate Professor Luciana Alexandra Ghica. Drawing on WBW’s forthcoming book, From the War System to a Global Peace System, he explored different approaches to security, alternatives to war and militarism, and the role of civil society in building peace.
Phill Gittins with George Epurescu and Hans Hedrich of the World BEYOND War Romania Chapter in Bucharest.
Bulgaria: Peace Education and Practical Action
On October 30, Phill spoke at Sofia University with Bulgarian and international students, doctoral researchers, and faculty members. The presentation drew further on the forthcoming book and led to a lively discussion about non-military defense, including how countries facing armed aggression might protect themselves without relying solely on military force.
Afterwards, Phill spoke with Professor Tatyana Dronzina and Dr. Denitsa Hinkova who expressed interest in possible collaboration, including a summer school for young leaders from Central and Eastern Europe. The idea is to combine peace education, dialogue, and practical training with support for participants to develop projects afterwards.
That afternoon, Phill met with Denitza Vidolova of the Sofia Platform Foundation to learn about its work in civic and history education, including helping teachers address Bulgaria’s communist past and polarizing issues.
Students and colleagues at Sofia University.
Phill Gittins with Denitza Vidolova of Sofia Platform Foundation.
Belgium: Youth Participation and Dialogue
The final stop was Brussels, where Phill contributed to the Voices of Change Final Conference at the European Parliament on November 3. The Erasmus±supported event, delivered by World Scouting and the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), brought together young people, youth organizations, civil society representatives, and policymakers to discuss democracy, participation, and peacebuilding.
In a fishbowl discussion titled “Neutral or silent?”, Phill considered when neutrality protects dialogue and when it becomes silence in the face of injustice. As he put it: “We are clearly not neutral about war and militarism. We have a position. But having a position does not mean closing down dialogue.”
Conversations with participants from Georgia and Ukraine raised further questions about whether non-military defense could protect societies facing armed threats. The exchanges were challenging but friendly, showing how experiences of war and insecurity shape different views of what keeps people safe.
Phill also spoke with ESN and WOSM representatives about possible contributions to future regional and international student gatherings, including peace education workshops.
The visit was also a chance to reconnect with Donna-Marie Fry, a WBW Advisory Board member and longtime contributor to its education courses, and Maria Belen, who took part in a peace education program Phill led in Bolivia in 2014 and now works in digital policy.
Many thanks to everyone who hosted the visits, joined the discussions, and shared their ideas.
Meeting Erasmus Student Network representatives.
Phill Gittins with Donna-Marie Fry.
Phill Gittins with Maria Belen.
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