As we have learned in class, peace education is possible in many different venues, areas, as well as ways. But, one area that we may not even consider are places close to home. By this I mean our own campus at Mason! On the Prince William Campus there is a great tool that can be used for peace education called The EDGE. It is defined as an hands-on experiential learning, team building, and organizational training in the Northern Virginia/DC area.

The EDGE is a tool that could be used for any subject, age level or community, and it can also be used in a formal or informal setting. The staff at The EDGE is able to customize the experience based on the audience, and due to this dynamic feature it is able to be applied to a wide variety of educational settings. There are four main categories that groups are described as for their training: Professional, University, School, and Community.

• For the Professional groups, the focus is on developing as individual professionals, growing as high functioning teams, and excelling as innovative organizations through the use of team building programs, professional development workshops, and consulting relationships.
• For the University groups, the focus is on applying what is learned to everyday activities. This is done through experiences that will evolve into clear and effective communication, trust and relationship building, self-awareness, and a powerful shared experience.
• For the School groups, the focus is on experiential learning done in small groups with facilitators who help students with the learning process through challenge course activities and the development of their thought processes as well.

• For the Community groups, the focus is to “challenge members of the global community to better understand themselves, those around them, and their world by using innovative approaches that educate, inspire and empower.” This is done through various activities based on the Community Education program.

The overall goal of The EDGE is within their Mission Statement:

The EDGE challenges the members of the global community to better understand themselves, those around them, and their world by using innovative approaches that educate, inspire and empower.

The EDGE provides programs that will:

• Energize your team with active and engaging programs
• Develop skills for effective communication, collaboration and problem solving
• Grow individual and group leadership functions through practical experience
• Excel at identifying and capitalizing on your strengths for profound transformation

From personal experience, I have seen the effectiveness of The EDGE when I went there one Sunday afternoon with the National Pan-Hellenic Council members from Mason. We worked on building trust and an overall sense of community through out the afternoon in small groups. Even though all of our internal issues of the NPHC were not fixed in that one afternoon, it was definitely a foundation for what we have become today.

For more information, please be sure to visit the website: http://www.edgeatmason.com/