Choosing Peace in the In-Between. Member Spotlight: Courtney Friesen

“We’re all a little bit ‘works in progress’,” Courtney Friesen says. It is a simple statement, but one that quietly anchors the way she moves through the world. For Courtney, peacebuilding is not about having all the answers. It is about staying open, staying curious, and showing up with compassion, even when things feel uncomfortable or unclear.

Born in Winnipeg and having lived all across Canada, Courtney still proudly calls herself a “true Winnipegger.” The city is home, both geographically and emotionally. Her background is Irish, German, and Mennonite, a mix that has shaped her sense of community and belonging. Winnipeg is where her roots are planted and where much of her peacebuilding work now unfolds.

At the heart of Courtney’s life are five values she is actively trying to embody in both work and life: creativity, curiosity, compassion, confidence, and kindness. “These are things I’m trying to bring into the world and into everything I do,” she says. They are not fixed traits, but ongoing intentions.

Finding Her Way Through People

In high school, Courtney was a theatre kid. Being on stage gave her confidence, communication skills, and the ability to speak in front of others without fear. At the time, she did not see this as preparation for her future. She originally planned to pursue nursing because, as she puts it, “I liked helping people.”

Although she did not follow that exact path, the motivation never left her.

Courtney eventually went to college and studied business, specializing in marketing. It was there that something clicked. “I realized it was something that worked for me,” she says. Marketing allowed her to do what she enjoyed most. “Talking and learning from people and the world around me .”

In 2024, Courtney met Somia Sadiq and began working as her Executive Assistant at Narratives. Alongside that role, she supported the early development of Kahanee. She was there for the launch, a moment she now describes as deeply formative. “I have deep roots to Kahanee because I was there from the beginning.”

At the time, Courtney never imagined she would work in peacebuilding. Yet once she became involved, it felt inevitable. “I never thought I would work in peacebuilding,” she says, “but I was so passionate about so many things within it.”

From Activism to Softness

Activism has always been central to Courtney’s identity. “Activism feels so deeply rooted in who I am,” she says. She has long been vocal about standing up for women’s rights and for marginalized communities. Early on, that activism was loud, urgent, and fueled by hope.

Peacebuilding shifted something in her.

“It took the loud activist part of me and made me softer in my approach to peace,” Courtney reflects. She began to understand that peace does not always come from confrontation or certainty. Sometimes it begins quietly. “Peace can start small. Maybe a conversation.”

Through this work, Courtney learned to live in what she calls the grey. “There isn’t always a right versus wrong,” she says. Learning to sit with complexity, and helping others do the same, became central to her approach.

“There is so much grey we cannot see,” she says. In a world where everything moves quickly, including our judgments, Courtney believes peace lives in slowing down. “We are quick to judge, quick to react, quick to everything. Peace comes in the softer moment.”

Bringing People to the Table

Today, Courtney is the Director of Partnerships at Kahanee, a non-profit that uses storytelling and story listening as a tool for peace . Her role focuses on expanding connections, both within Winnipeg and globally, and bringing people together in meaningful ways.

Her work centers on three major initiatives. The first is Community Conversations, created in partnership with Compassionate Winnipeg. These gatherings bring people together to talk openly about what is happening in their city. The second is Laachi, also known as Cardamom, a series of nine events centered on the theme of belonging. The third is Between the Threads, a podcast developed in collaboration with Narratives that explores stories, dialogue, and connection.

Peacebuilding comes with its challenges. Bureaucracy can slow progress, and the term itself can feel overwhelming. “People hear peacebuilding and they do not know what it means,” Courtney explains. “It feels like such a big concept.”

Social media adds another layer of complexity. “It is a double-edged tool,” she says. While it allows organizations to reach people across the world, it also contributes to exhaustion. “People are tired. They are craving value again, something real and tangible, rather than sitting and scrolling.”

Courtney believes this moment calls for creativity and adaptability. Peacebuilding, she says, must meet people where they are which is why Kahanee has focused on small intimate events, and a podcast people can listen to anywhere.

Trust, Built Over Time

For Courtney, trust is built slowly. At Kahanee, the approach is rooted in listening and long-term commitment. “Come with the willingness to listen,” she says. Trust grows when people show up consistently and genuinely care.

“A lot of people underestimate the work,” she adds, “but you build trust by building the long game.”

Some of Kahanee’s most meaningful collaborations have emerged this way. One standout example is the commissioned play “Pass the  #%&!@* Potatoes!”. Set around a dinner table, the play repeated the same scene multiple times, inviting audiences to reflect on how conversations unfold at home.

“It made people see their dinner tables as a place to start,” Courtney says. The play encouraged curiosity instead of reaction, helping audiences approach difficult conversations with more openness. “That play is one of my favorite examples of what our work is doing. It makes peace accessible.”

Another meaningful partnership involved a series of dialogues with Compassionate Winnipeg, where people from all backgrounds gathered to talk about what they care about in the city. For Courtney, these moments are reminders that collaboration is possible, even when it feels daunting.

Hope, Growth, and the Future

Some days, Courtney admits, the world feels dark. Hope often comes from small things. Listening to people share their stories. A good cup of coffee. Seeing her cats when she comes home. Calling her grandma on the drive home.

Success, for Courtney, is not about grand outcomes. “Success for me is opening people up to different ways of thinking and listening,” she says. She wants to challenge perspectives, not out of conflict, but out of curiosity. “I want to challenge people’s ways of thinking because I am curious.”

Ultimately, Courtney dreams of a world where people do not feel hatred or exclusion. “A world where people feel like they belong and can just live.”

Looking ahead, she is excited to keep learning and growing, both personally and through Kahanee. “Meeting people and learning their stories,” she says, is what continues to drive her.

Peace, Courtney believes, is not about perfection. It is about choosing softness, curiosity, and connection, again and again, in a world that often pushes us to do the opposite.

Article by Shamailah Islam, MBBI Writer