In 2002, Rupa was invited to Macedonia to teach Peace Dance and to inspire two groups of Macedonian, Albanian and Roma teenagers to their own ethnic dances. Having a passion for Balkan Dance made Rupa an appropriate "elder." While there she witnessed many transformations as she photographed and helped to document the camps. Her mentors all had studied at the School For International Training under Paula Green who works internationally doing Peace Building through the Karuna Center for Peacebuilding. Susie Belleci, Vahidin Omanovic, and Jan Passion skillfully opened the hearts and minds of these teens, Rupa got them to dance. In 2004 and 2005, Rupa went to Bosnia to a Peace Camp with The Center for Peacebuilding, an NGO that Vahidin founded in Bosnia.

Peace Building in Bosnia

Vahidin Omanovic

Having witnessed the power of "Conflict Transformation," Rupa was given permission to bring some of the processes she learned at the camps. In workshops and talks with a slide show, Rupa has presented "Conflict Transformation, from Revenge to Reconciliation," to groups in Putney, to the Associated Psychologists of Vermont and to the annual Conference on Rubenfeld Synergy.

With building peace a passion, Rupa has become a community leader in the Tikkun Community, look to the fall for announcements of Vermont events in "Spiritual Activism" and Interfaith Celebrations.