The Brandywine Peace Community (BPC) is a peace activist group located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. They were founded in 1977 as a response to the Vietnam War. BPC is committed to war resistance, disarmament and public education. They are known for holding several nonviolent, direct action campaigns against Lockheed Martin, the world’s #1 weapons corporation. Throughout the year they conduct several nonviolent protests, civil disobedience workshops and meetings to promote peace and encourage disarmament. I learned about the BPC while attending one of their meetings over Spring Break in Philadelphia, PA.
The BPC is a community resource for all ages because everyone should be aware and involved in the peace movement. Majority of their meetings consist of older people who are well-known in their community however their organization is open to the public. In addition, they have several committees such as the educational committee who reach out to students in the community and try to educate them on peace education and war resistance.
As a community member you could join a peace organization in your own neighborhood or establish your own peace organization group. If you don’t live in Pennsylvania you can use the Brandywine Peace Community as a resource/network for peace activism. They have a website where they post all their events and how to get involved in the peace movement. Whether you join a peace organization or start your own organization group it does require some time, research and commitment on your part. Obviously if you start your own peace organization it may take more time and research then just joining an existing peace organization.
Participatory and direct action are types of peace education supported by the Brandywine Peace Organization. This resource does require some time, commitment and physical action. By attending one of the Brandywine Peace Community meetings you will gain knowledge on civil disobedience, weapons disarmament, and how to become a peace activist. If you are interested check out their website or attend on of their meetings!
http://www.wherepeacelives.org
“How do I get the students interested and excited about learning?” is a question that every teacher in their career asks. The question posed by “Where Peace Lives” is how can we foster peace and cultural understanding through art and media? Well the organization answered both questions with remarkable and inspiring results. For students to learn and be inspired their creative spark must be ignited, voices heard, and self-confidence drawn on.
Where Peace Lives mission statement is to inspire a generation of peace by “instilling a context for a future that creates a new possibility-a culture of peace that is alive and real for everyone”. This is accomplished by teaching young students negotiation techniques, leadership skills, and communication skills focused around reducing aggressive behavior and increasing cultural awareness. The organization has created a program that is being enjoyed in grades first through twelfth all around the world called the Peace Mural Exchange Program. Schools participate by bringing the Where Peace Lives facilitators to the school and having their students get inspired. It is preferred that the school supplies paint; paper, workspace, and other materials specific to their students needs or desires. Something that is great about the program is that it can be participated in after school hours. The workshop is flexible to the schools needs. I think it would be most beneficial if it was an in school activity, but if not all students want to participate then after school would work better.
The peace mural exchange program allows students to express their own values and ideas for peace and in doing so communicating through mutual respect with their fellow classmates all while putting together a beautifully artistic mural that displays their thoughts, feelings, and ideas about peace. In the process students focus on peace in their own lives which continues outward concerning others, community, and society. If you think that is great just wait. The schools exchange their peace murals with other schools. Once they have received their mural they get to ask questions and reflect on how the mural has affected them and their original ideas on peace. The website says that dialogue between the two schools is possible, but I am sure that it is not always considering the projects come from many communities where the technology may not be there. How fantastic is this? You have to check out the murals on the website they are absolutely amazing. You can tell just by looking at them there is hope for the future and that kids get peace and they want peace. Through this project “students learn to create a powerful and lasting context for peace in their lives” (Where Peace Lives). I think teachers and students would benefit from this experience. Teachers would be able to examine the process and later incorporate the knowledge and skills in the schools pedagogy.
The personal benefits that students gain from this experience are immeasurable. Creating something that gives them a voice to share with the world while becoming globally minded people is a giant step in creating a peaceful future.
Checkout the website the murals are Awesome! This blog post cannot even begin to explain this wonderful experience for students all over the world.
America loves social media, and it’s not just us! The entire world has been connected and arguably addicted to social media networks. Through sites like Facebook and Myspace we’ve created another world in which we are able to identify with one another. No surprise there. What is surprising is the only recent emergence of non-profits on the social media scene. Sure, every non-profit has a webpage. It’s highly likely that most non-profits are now connected to their members through Facebook and even Twitter. Some non-profits have even expanded into developing their Tumblr and/or their StumbleUpon pages; potentially even posting things on Pinterest.
This week, the entire world was taken captive by a now, very well known video called Kony 2012 (which, I will post below) put together by a nonprofit called Invisible Children.
As a non-profit, you might be thinking- so what?
Actually, this is an outstanding example of what you can accomplish with something as simple as connecting all of your social media sites simultaneously. This video, DESPITE the fact that it is an incredible thirty minutes long; grabbed the attention span of an entire nation, and then world. 76 MILLION people have now viewed this video. Half of these viewers probably had no idea who Joesph Kony and/or the LRA was. Now, the 76 million viewers are both educated and passionate about a cause they knew nothing about. Within 24 hours the video went viral on Youtube and facebook while simultaneously becoming a popular world twitter trend… Even more importantly, how many people have donated or become involved in a cause they knew nothing about until they saw it on their facebook page?
You may not agree with this video and you may not care about the message that Invisible Children is trying to spread; but ask yourself- how can my non-profit utilize social media and videos to educate millions of people around the world? It’s a fantastic opportunity to challenge and excite those who work with you in your non-profit while also revitalizing your members’ interests in your cause. The best part about these videos is that they have the potential to unify millions of people for one cause; and so do you.
I found a great resource for non-profit education on social media and video feeds called See3 which introduces ‘Media with a Message’ videos. This website also includes free webinars and resources to help you get started on your journey in attracting members and (potentially) donors. I really love this website, they use videos to teach their audience about ways to use video in order to connect with their donors and members (talk about in your literal education…).
Never fear if you are not a non-profit; this resource can also be incorporated into a lesson plan for high school and college students. Challenge your classes to create educational videos about a subject that they are passionate about and find a way to spread them through social networks to educate people, instead of writing a typical paper about the same subject in which only you (their teacher) sees it. It could be a great way to see creativity come alive, and also find out about your student’s interests in a way that doesn’t bore you (hopefully…) 😉
I hope you find this as challenging, motivating, and as exciting as I do! Good Luck!
Connecting with people across lines of difference is a fundamental goal in conflict resolution and this process has, in some ways, become more accessible due to the presence of the internet and social media tools. Through a course I am taking focusing on Art as a means of social change, I came across the online resource visualpeacemaker.org. This site is essentially a host for the collaborative project coordinated by the International Guild of Visual Peacemakers. Working with such partners as Peace Catalyst International, the Guild of visual artist and photographers challenge stereotypes and prejudices by capturing the beauty of diversity.
The International Guild of Visual Peacemakers resource consists of collections of photographs, documentaries, and photo blogs that work to promote the message of the Guild as described in their manifesto. By capturing the human elements of cultures, the project seeks to build peace.
Throughout history people have fallen into the trap of making enemies with, demonizing, stereotyping, and fighting the “other.” There has been a flood of conflict based on ethnic, cultural, and religious identity in the post-cold war era that has ended the lives of millions, destroyed economies, and torn apart families.
Much of this has been fueled by the growing availability of technology, especially photography and videography. While the written word carries an expectation for honesty, there is a void regarding the ethics of images due to their subjective nature. This void has opened the door for photographers to exploit people’s desire to confirm their thoughts about the “other”—mobilizing innumerable people towards slander, violence, and other fear-based responses.
Since 9/11, conflicts between Muslim cultures and western cultures have been growing in intensity. There are deep misunderstandings and stereotypes that are producing widespread fear and anger.
The International Guild of Visual Peacemakers (IGVP) was created to build bridges of peace across ethnic, cultural, and religious lines through visual communication that is both accountable to an ethical standard and created by those who authentically care about people.
This resource can be used in both the formal and informal learning space due to its accessibility and the intelligible nature of the content. Visually the images are powerful and the stories that the pictures tell are worth sharing with students and learners of all ages. This resource can incite discussions about toleration, diversity, and the beauty and dignity of human life which is aptly illustrated in this project. This approach to facilitating understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures while also educating the international audience about global issues is creative response to the political, social, and religious conflicts that are prolific in our contemporary landscape.
Using this resources students will not only be exposed to global conflict as humanized by the International Guild of Visual Peacemakers, but will also gain insight into the varied approaches experts in the field of Conflict Analysis and Resolution are tackling and implementing.
As United States citizens, who have had the opportunity to express their opinions through the (peaceful) democratic electoral process; we often fail to recognize that this opportunity is not available to a vast majority of the global populace.
There are several non-governmental and international organizations who work in countries across the globe in order to guarantee that this opportunity be made available to their citizens. One group, the United StatesInstitute for Peace (USIP), recently served to be an effective facilitator in helping the country of Nigeria to prepare for their April 2011 elections, and safeguard their citizens’ opportunity to exercise their voice in a democratic matter. The reflection of the processes utilized by USIP (found here) proves to be an effective case study in analyzing the means to which countries can utilize to in order to protect their electoral processes, in a country which has historically experienced much turmoil during election season (i.e. the elections of 2007).
The complexity and comprehensive nature of this particular example would be best suited for a more experienced crowd (college level). It can be used as a part of a conflict resolution and international relations curricula, as a tool to understand processes required to promote nonviolence in traditionally violent regions of the world. In this setting, it also serves as a tool of analysis, which can be manipulated by students, in order to understand what (if anything) made USIP’s plan successful. Furthermore, students should be encouraged to critically think about the word “successful” through open dialogue, in order to understand the broader picture of what exactly makes something a “success” in the realm of peace education.
An activity which can compliment this activity is a variation of the View from Windowactivity, also found on USIP’s site. Doing this activity prior to the introduction of the case study provides a smooth segue into understanding why violence often erupts in several countries due to elections; through the realization that everyone has a different perspective, especially in violent situations.
Goal:
A large issue with several educational materials is its applicability to real-life situations (or lack thereof). One can have several tools in their toolbox, but if they don’t know what tool to use with a pan head screw (for example), then their entire toolbox is useless. Utilizing this case study will aid in the development of both critical and analytical skills necessary for real life application, a necessary element to “liberating education” as Paulo Freire mentions in his book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1968). Thus, the goal with using a recent case-study in an educational environment will help to provide more concrete skills, for its applicable to situations that can often be very tense and violent in nature.
So, as the Nigerians preached leading up to the April 2011 elections, “B some 1”, and educate for more peaceful (and fair) elections.
I had only ever seen “Challenge Day” on MTV, but after participating in a Challenge Day activity I wanted to read more into the program and see what it has to offer young people in the public school education system. I went online to the official Challenge Day website and read up on the program and how it is actually implemented. http://www.challengeday.org/index.php
Does something like Challenge Day really work to bring peace awareness and education to youth? I found the answer to this question to simply be, yes it does. I had never thought something such as a Challenge Day or even one of the activities from it would have an effect on me or allow me to open up to my peers so they could genuinely understand who I was. Then again, you never know what you are personally capable of until you allow yourself to move outside of your comfort zone and discover yourself.
Challenge Day is best suited for young adults starting at the middle school age and can be used from there on up, in my opinion. One thing I do believe for Challenge Day to be effective is that the people participating have to be able to understand their emotions. A reason I don’t think Challenge Day would have as much of an impact on young elementary aged children is because they may not be as developed in comprehending and expressing their emotions. Challenge Day goes through a series of activities that allows students who have never talked to one another to share stories, laughter, and a range of emotions throughout the day. These activities can sometimes start out as weird or uncomfortable because you never know how deep someone will actually go, but the end results are so amazing!
I believe every middle school, high school, and even college level professor should implement at least one challenge day during the semester because of how much time it requires. It does take 6.5 hours at least, so the professors would have to set aside an entire day to successfully complete Challenge Day. Here is how it works: http://www.challengeday.org/how-challenge-day-works.php.
So here is what I’m going to do…I’m going to challenge teachers that come across this blog to plan and execute a Challenge Day with their schools, whether it’s this year or next year. I never thought I’d be a believer of the phenomenon “Challenge Day” that was aired on MTV, but it does work. It gives students the chance to dive into a form of Peace Education that doesn’t require reading books and articles, but gives them the first hand experience in seeing peace at work and them being the peacemakers.
I really wish that Challenge Day existed when I was in middle school and high school. It is something I strongly believe should be implemented into the public school educational system. I believe it can bring change and help develop peace education and conflict resolution techniques at an early age.
Some of you may be surprised to find out that the answer is partially YES! In recent years, reports have been made claiming that adults exiting school and entering the work force are not meeting the demands of their employers. Employers are complaining that young workers do not have the writing capabilities and the critical thinking and analysis capabilities that are crucial to be successful in the world today. Our economy is extremely vulnerable and employers need workers who are able to adapt to constant fluctuations and still turn some type of profit. Why are people leaving school today and not being able to fill the needs of their employers? What must our educators do in order to change this trend of students leaving school who are ill equipped to be successful in today’s economy? Well, its simple…put the fun back into learning!
The International Reading Association (IRA) has proposed an alternative form of writing other than the standard book reports that all grade school students are required to write at some point. The IRA suggests teachers to have students to create their own comic strips for books instead of writing a standard book report. Asking students to create their own story line for a comic strip regarding the books they read for school will enhance their critical thinking and analysis skills far more than a book report could. Through creating their own comic strips, students will be forced to access the creative thinking parts of their mind in order to symbolically depict the characters in a way that is congruent with their portrayal in the original text.
The education system that is used in the United States and majority of the world today has been the same for centuries now; a very structured student-teacher classroom where the teacher relays information to their students that the students need to report back to the teachers verbatim in order to achieve “success.” In his book Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative, Ken Robinson refers to this as the banking method of education. However, this removes any opportunity for students to develop critical thinking and analysis tools from a young age. As you grow older, these tools are harder to develop. In order to start promoting this type of creative thinking that is necessary at an early age, we must start using alternative ways of learning.
This type of “alternative book report” can be a key alternative form of learning in the coming years. It could be used successfully at any grade school level; first grade all the way through twelfth grade. The amazing thing about asking students to write a comic strip instead of a book report is that the teacher is still providing students with a structured assignment. The comic strip would have to depict the major scenes of the novel and the assignment would still have a due date such as any other traditional school assignment. The difference is you are providing the students with creative ownership over the final outcome. How they choose to depict each of the major scenes is entirely up to them. Thinking of interesting and innovative ways to portray the characters will force them to think in ways they never have thus sparking their critical thinking and analysis tools. Also, providing student with this type of alternative assignment can allow them to be excited about their work again. I know that I am more likely to put effort into an assignment that I feel passionate about and that I feel I have ownership over. This type of assignment provides exactly that for our students. Why shouldn’t we provide them with an opportunity to have fun with their homework?
Theripplesguy.com was created by Paul “The Ripples Guy” Wesselmann with the mission of inspiring others to achieve their full potential in life. He does this by traveling around the country giving presentations on interpersonal, leadership and motivational skills. Many companies and organizations contact him to give group presentations on: personal and professional growth, interpersonal skills and motivational skills. I learned about theripplesguy.com while attending one of his presentations at George Mason University but anyone can review his presentations on his website for free. In this blog I will discuss his presentation, Reaching Out: Achieving High Levels of Interpersonal Effectiveness and demonstrate how it is related to peace education.
Reaching Out: Achieving High Levels of Interpersonal Effectiveness is a presentation about how to get along with others, especially those you don’t like by using effective interpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills are essential to peace education because how you communicate and interact with others matters! Therefore by using effective interpersonal skills you can prevent conflict, promote peace and make the world a better place.
I recommend that all resident directors or supervisors use this resource to ehance their staff’s interpersonal skills. Wesselmann’s presentations should be taught at a conference or at a weekend retreat. This allows employees to step away from their work and really absorb the material. In my opinion, his presentations should be taught to high school students and above because effective interpersonal skills are needed when working with others on teams, projects, jobs and organizations.
In Reaching Out: Achieving High Levels of Interpersonal Effectiveness, Paul gives us three techniques to improve our interpersonal skills: Vegetables are Gross, Create Deposits and Get out of Your Chair. Veggies are Gross is a theory that explains that to stay healthy you have to eat vegetables. However you don’t have to like vegetables to eat them; you just have to eat them to stay healthy. When applying this concept to interpersonal skills in the workplace it means to work with people you don’t have to like them; you just have to work with them. Creating deposits is the concept that explains what you put in something, is what you get out of it. When applying this concept to interpersonal relations we can say that we invest more in people we like then people we don’t like. With that said, if you don’t like someone try depositing more in them, try building a relationship with them and see if your attitude towards them changes. The third technique is Get out of Your Chair in other words make an effort to interact and get to know people you don’t like, instead of writing them off. In addition, by learning to work with other more effectively you are better equipped to prevent and resolve conflicts and inequalities in the workplace. With that said, there is no guarantee that these techniques will prevent conflict in the workplace because conflict is inevitable but in some cases these techniques will help.
Ways to use this resource is to contact Paul “The Ripples Guy” Wesselmann to come and do a presentation. However, if you have already attended one of his presentations, you can shared the information with others by visiting his website. As a supervisor, I would incorporate this presentation after your employees are well acquainted with each other. During this time, it will help strengthen their current relationships as well as challenge them to interact with other co-workers that they don’t necessarily get along with. It will also encourage them to step outside of their comfort zones and enhance their interpersonal skills. This resource should be used along with team builders, ice breakers and group outings to check the temperature of the group and the group’s dynamics. Paul’s presentations are useful because they help employees grow on a personal and professional level.
Participatory and experiential peace education methods are most supported by this presentation. By utilizing this resource employees will enhance their communication, interpersonal and leadership skills as well as develop a change in attitude towards interacting with people they don’t like. For more information on how to build peace in the workplace you can check out the 7 Pillars of Peace Education by clicking on the hyperlink.
Seriously though, grab your Nikon or whatever other photographic device you’ve got (I personally prefer my iPhone on the hispstamatic, ya dig?) and let your voice be…seen? You can do it all with a little help from IGVP, International Guild if Visual Peacemakers. They are a group of visual communicators who are dedicated to breaking down barriers and stereotypes in order to create peace. They strive to display the dignity and beauty of cultures all around the world. Once again, I have to accredit my find to Google.
So listen up photography teachers, cultural studies teachers, and just about any other teacher that can tie this into their curriculum. Regardless of your students’ ages, this one’s for you. Make it an in-class thing and just give your students a couple of cameras and a couple of minutes. Or make it a homework assignment and give em the weekend to do it on their own and show you what they came up with. What’s peace in their eyes?
It’s an easy way for students to think creatively, do something a little outside the box, and really involve the community. It’s an application of what they learn, how they feel, and what they think. It’s their perspective and dammit I like it! There’s no right or wrong answer.
Once you’ve got the pictures just create a gallery by creating an account on the IGVP website and post em for all to see! But that’s not all ladies and gents, you can spread the peace in other ways. After your students snap a few shots, they can talk about it by submitting entries for the guest blog! They can even start a discussion on the IGVP blog. Blogging’s all the hype.
This snazzy-so 21st century medium is a simple way to teach people to embrace and accept others. With so many colorful galleries to look through it’s easy to see beauty and common humanity through other’s eyes. Seeing pictures full of so many emotions and truths it’s hard not to empathize with other cultures. Not to mention it teaches students how to express themselves in ways other than in writing.
So, find a day to take that camera out when the sun rays are a blazing. Or not. Hey, it’s your artistic eye and your iconic representation of peace. I’m just the messenger.
Actor turned filmmaker Jeremy Gilley founded Peace One Day after realizing that there was no starting point for peace, no day of global unity, no day for intercultural cooperation, and no day for when humanity came together. Gilley felt that if we united as one then that might be the key to humanity’s survival. He started his advocacy for his Peace Day by writing letters to every state leader, their ambassadors, Nobel peace laureates, NGOs, faith based organizations, and other various organizations. Then in 1999 his dream of Peace One Day came true. In 1999 all the member states of the United Nations adopted the 21st of September as Peace Day. This day is recognized as an annual global ceasefire and non-violence day.
Jeremy Gilley’s Peace One Day is recognized every year, but unfortunately the day hasn’t gotten the full attention it deserves. Gilley was to make a statement with Kofi Annan on September 11, 2001 to advocate for his event, but because of the attack on the World Trade Center the statement never happened. However, the events on September 11, 2001 made Gilley work even harder. He was even more empowered and inspired to move forward with Peace One Day. This led to Gilley, along with actor Jude Law, to start work for peace in Afghanistan. Because of the pair advocating for Peace Day the Taliban sent him letter and said they would observe the day, and not engage in violence. The Taliban doing this led to 1.6 million people vaccinated for polio and violence on that day was down by 70%.
Due to this success Gilley has initiated a new plan for 2012, a Global Truce Day. This day will show younger generations that we can make a stop to violence with small acts of non-violence in our everyday lives. Gilley wants to utilize all kinds of resources from dance to social media and globally network with government, intergovernmental, and education leaders.
Gilley’s idea of utilizing education into his plan for 2012’s Global Truce Day helped persuade me to write this blog post about his event. Gilley wants to get young people to be the driving force to inspire individual action, so he has complied an educational resource for teachers to implement non-violence and other peace concepts into the classroom.
I can see this educational resource implemented in almost every formal grade level classroom. The students would need a little background on what conflict is, so because of this, starting at the fourth or fifth grade level would probably be best. However, this could fluctuate determined on how the students are influenced by conflict in their everyday lives. By implementing these resources in a classroom setting these children can practice non-violence in their schools, and also bring what they learn outside of the school setting and teach others.
Ways to use this resource:
Gilley includes many different types of lessons in his educational resource. This comprehensive resource includes 21 one-hour lesson plans for exploring issues of peace, nonviolence, and the protection of the environment, with extended projects for Peace Day on September 21st. I think this resource would be best integrated by first starting with showing Gilley’s documentary for one day of class, doing the lesson that corresponds to that, then moving on to the individual lessons maybe once a month until the actual Peace Day on the 21st. The students could help plan how they want their school to recognize and celebrate the event. In addition to using Gilley’s lesson plans I think it would be important for each teacher to incorporate their own discussion in their classrooms on non-violence, and other peace education areas. This would help each individual classroom relate to what types of conflict are going on in their societies.
The goal of each lesson, whether it be with Gilley’s lesson plans or the teacher’s, would be to spread knowledge about ways to bring about peace in small ways. These can be from their knowledge on non-violence to their knowledge of eco-resolution. Each lesson will more than likely encourage a student to go out and spread what they learned to another, and therefore spread the movement of peace.
“We should oppose violence in all situations and of course there’s no better way of bringing that about than through the power of education.”-Jeremy Gilley
Peace Learner 