John Carroll University's Belfast Institute in Peace Building and Conflict Transformation was established in 2004. Its purpose is to foster knowledge, understanding, and attitudes that will help students to become leaders in peace-building, social justice, and conflict transformation efforts at home and around the world. Through the study of conflict and peace building in Northern Ireland, and through learning from people on all sides of the conflict, students will come to understand broader issues of peace building and conflict transformation and develop skills that will serve them well, later on.

The Belfast Summer Institute is distinctive:

• It focuses on exploring peace processes at the interpersonal, community, and national levels.
• It emphases learning from the people of Northern Ireland in this exploration.
• It is committed to imparting practical peace-building skills to student participants.