Bridget Brownlow was recognized for her decades of work in conflict management. She has positively influenced thousands of people internationally through her leadership and efforts in connecting former combatants and their descendants in the troubled communities of Northern Ireland, facilitating insight into the root causes of social injustice and conflict.
Ms. Brownlow teaches in the Faculty of Education and in the departments of Political Science and Irish Studies at Saint Mary’s University (SMU) in Halifax, NS where her previous roles have included serving as conflict resolution advisor for 18 years.
She is also the founder and former senior program coordinator of the Northern Ireland Conflict Resolution Program, an initiative with the Canadian non-profit Peaceful Schools International. Over 18 years, the program sent close to 500 SMU student volunteers to Northern Ireland to promote peace education and conflict management skills to elementary school children through creative workshops, impacting thousands of children and youth.
Her work has included collaborating with Indigenous representatives from the Cree and Mi’kma’ki First Nations in Alberta and Nova Scotia respectively, and drafting an agreement on Indigenous-led alternative dispute resolution processes available to physicians and employees of the Nova Scotia Health Authority.
She has been recognized with the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad from Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins in 2021, the World Peace Tartan Award (2020), the Paul Harris Fellow Award from Rotary International (2021), and the Peace Medal from the YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth (2018).
Ms. Brownlow earned a Certificate in Conflict Resolution from JIBC, a Bachelor of Arts from Dalhousie University and a Master of Arts from SMU, both in history.