Horizontality in practice
“As soon as you put on your Peace Brigades vest, you become a part of PBI’s 40-year relationship with each community and each human rights defender”
Anuja Pathak recently returned to Birmingham after a year volunteering with PBI in Guatemala.
We asked her to share some reflections on her experience
I joined PBI’s field team in Guatemala a year ago. One of the reasons I was drawn to the organisation was its horizontal structure and emphasis on consensus-based decision-making. In the beginning, it all seemed very idealistic to me, and yet I was equally aware of PBI’s impressive track record and global impact in peacebuilding. I was curious to see what non-hierarchical organising could look like in practice, and what impact it could have on an organisation’s internal and external relations.
In PBI field teams, decisions are made by consensus. In Guatemala, I was part of a team of eight, so our meetings were long. But at the same time I quickly started to see that, when decisions depend on everybody, everyone is given their space to express their perspectives and everyone must listen. I also saw how consensus-based decision-making brings about more accountability. Since I had played a significant role in making each decision, I felt a greater responsibility to enact our agreements. Differences in opinion did happen, frequently, but working through those tensions and creating solutions that worked for everyone made us a stronger, more empathetic team.
The thing that struck me the most about PBI’s horizontality is its impact on the relationship between the field team and the human rights defenders it accompanies. As soon as you put on your Peace Brigades vest, you become a part of PBI’s 40-year relationship with each community and each human rights defender. You get to know everything about the organisations that PBI supports - their resistance, their members, their structure, their work, and the risks they face. You become available 24/7 to answer the phone, meet for coffee, and respond to every emergency - whether you are on call or not. Since each person in the team has the same responsibilities, you are automatically trusted by the human rights defenders, as they share sensitive information with you and you accompany them in their vital work.
Horizontality is what makes PBI so resilient and adaptable to different contexts. Each team member shares the same starting point, which brings people of different ages and experiences to work together at the same level, meaning that the project never depends on one person; rather it can be kept alive by any group of volunteers. Working with PBI, you have no boss so you work at the rhythm that works for you, gradually moulding and adapting the project to each volunteer’s modus operandi.
Being a member of the Guatemala project, I felt like I was simultaneously part of a family and a movement. Leaving behind those close relationships that I had built was difficult, especially the round-the-clock connection with the inspirational people and organisations that PBI supports. But I am leaving as a more empathic and patient person, reflective of the further potential of solidarity work, and with the knowledge that PBI will continue empowering the voices and work of Human Rights Defenders.
If you’d like to join PBI in the field, please check the next deadlines for application
