Learning Exchanges Team
Carmen Olaechea has been working with the Latin American civil society for over 32 years, in NGOs, networks and in an international donor foundation. Her responsibilities have included: the design, development and supervision of projects and programs; knowledge and risk management and the promotion of networks. She has developed conceptual and strategic frameworks; led institutional change processes; designed and implemented collaborative learning architectures; evaluated local and international projects and managed risks at both operational and strategic levels. Her publications include two co-authored books on art and social transformation, and three children's books. Carmen is chairwoman of Fundación Cambio Democrático, an NGO specialized in dialogue and conflict transformation, member of the advisory board of Crear Vale La Pena, a leading Latin-American NGO in the field of arts for social transformation and co-responsible for IMPACT Learning Exchanges, and a member of ITAC knowledge sharing camp; digital learning Advisory Committee.
In addition, Carmen offers workshops on art and social transformation, sustainability and how to respond to a paradigm shift in Argentina, Spain, and Latin-American countries. Also works as an independent advisor to individuals, social, and business leaders and their organizations, helping them integrate new perspectives in their thinking and action. As an expert in sustainability, she accompanies individuals, organizations and schools in the development of programs for their transformation processes towards sustainability.
Mary Ann Hunter works as an educator, facilitator and researcher in creative change in educational and peacebuilding contexts. She has worked in policy, media, creative industry and community-based roles internationally, and before living in Hobart, she was coordinator of meenah mienne, a mentoring and alternative learning program lead by Tasmanian Aboriginal elders for young people in the justice system. Mary Ann has held lecturing positions at the National Institute of Education, Singapore, and the University of Queensland where she was a research associate with the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies.
As a senior lecturer in education at the University of Tasmania and national evaluator for various arts programs, Mary Ann is the recipient of numerous teaching and research awards and co-author of "Education, the Arts and Sustainability: Emerging Practice for a Changing World" (Springer, 2018) and "Education and the Arts" (3rd ed, OUP, 2018). Mary Ann has been deeply involved in peace and the arts initiatives with early involvement in the Acting Together initiative and as a co-coordinator of e-learning exchanges for IMPACT with Armine Avetisyan and Carmen Olaechea.
In 2019, Mary Ann formed Peacethink, a facilitating, training and consulting initiative to bring processes of peacethinking to everyday life in communities and workplaces. Her caring and cared-for teenagers, animals and families of belonging across the world bring a stable heart to her work.
Armine Avetisyan is a peacebuilding practitioner focusing on creative approaches in transforming conflicts. She has been involved in building trust and creating platforms for diverse groups from Armenia and Turkey, including local communities, artists, non-profits, local authorities and others to work together for building more just and peaceful societies. She co-directed the documentary "Haven't We Shared Much Salt and Bread?" where conflict transformation, food, gender perspective on building peace intersect. Armine holds an MA degree in conflict resolution and coexistence from the Heller School at Brandeis University, and another MA degree in cultural management from Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey).