Peacemaker Corps Workshops
Education
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LEARNING
The Peacemaker Corps uses education to empower our youth to become actively involved in peacemaking activities in the community. At its core, the curriculum is designed to teach conflict resolution, ethics and accountability. These lessons provide a springboard for the youth into peacemaking activities such as mediation, community organizing and peer mentoring. As illustrated by the SPARTA Consulting survey, the results of the initial training launch were a resounding success.
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COMMUNITY
The Peacemaker Corps recognizes that youth are not isolated within the community and therefore seeks to direct its education programs not only at teens but also at the adults within the community by employing them as facilitators for the Peacemaker workshops.
Curriculum
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conflict resolution
The core Peacemaker Corps curriculum was developed under the close supervision of University of Virginia professor Dr. Robert D. Harris along with numerous leading conflict resolution experts, ICSV representatives, Carole Sumner Krechman, conflict resolution educator Bob Burley, SPARTA Consulting Corporation also supplied valuable assistance based upon their experience working with youth and within the public housing communities.
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books
The Core Curriculum is composed of three published books: These will be professionally produced into film then broadcast through our Peace App.
1. The Peacemaker Curriculum Manual
2. The Facilitator Curriculum Manual
3. The Facilitator Training Script.
These books are designed for use during the interactive trainings and (provided) as an on-going resource once the workshops are concluded. They are also hard copies which augments the videos seen through the mobile app. -
Manual
Participants in the Peacemaker training receive the Peacemaker Curriculum Manual on the first day of training. The comprehensive curriculum is comprised of seven modules, focusing on the various elements of being a Peacemaker
The Peacemaker Curriculum Manual
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1. Issues in Youth Violence
Facilitators and students discuss the prevalence of different types of offenses; patterns of teen offense and victimization; plus topics such as domestic violence, date rape, youth gangs, urban terrorism and other current issues relevant to today’s youth. Additionally, participants discuss perceptions of youth crime, terrorism and crime reduction programs.
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2. Tolerance & Diversity Training
Participants discuss attitudes within their communities and take part in bias awareness exercises. Students participate in exercises that highlight how their own prejudices affect relations with others. Students also examine how cultural conflicts affect their dealings with others and how these conflicts can lead to resentment, continuing problems and terrorist activities.
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3. Ethics
Participants are asked to identify ethical behaviors. Scenarios are discussed among the participants to develop a consensus on proper reactions to difficult situations in which their ethics may be challenged.
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4. Mentoring
Participants discuss the important components of mentoring programs and are exposed to available peer mentoring programs. Through this training, participants learn methods for establishing their own effective programs.
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5. Conflict Resolution
Students learn conflict resolution skills by enacting and critiquing mock conflict situations. They acquire the necessary skills in cooperation, bias awareness, communication, and problem solving to become successful community Peacemakers.
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6. Peer Mediation
Peacemakers learn negotiation and communication skills that are essential for amicably settling disputes between their peers. Through observing model mediation sessions and by working through mock mediations, students learn to take responsibility for their actions and make choices that will, in turn, reduce the traditional disciplinary role taken by schools.
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7. Community Organizing
Students learn the nuts and bolts of community organizing. In this session, participants learn to develop programs, attract and keep participants, and rally support from within their communities. Students present their own plans to local community members and receive constructive feedback on their approach to community organizing.
Training
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2 days Training
Workshops take place over two days in a shopping mall or safe specific space in refugee camps. This neutral ground, considered by conflict resolution professionals as a “safe space” where teenagers can leave their cliques, gang affiliations and community biases at the door. Creating these zones helps them create an environment that is conducive to learning and sharing. Invited students register and receive their Peacemaker Kit; which consists of their laminated identity card, Table tent card, and the professionally bound training manual. They are then seated in a half circle and are encouraged to actively participate in discussions. This hands-on, active learning approach generates thought- provoking conversation that has a lasting effect on the students’ mindsets and behaviors.
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consistency
On the initial day of training, the facilitators are given the Facilitator Curriculum and the Training Script manuals. The Facilitator Curriculum is an abridged version of the youths’ curriculum and contains extensive training resources such as role-playing scenarios, potential discussion topics and preparation strategies. The Training Script is a detailed timeline of the two-day Peacemaker training that functions as an agenda for the facilitator during training sessions they lead. Additionally, the facilitator guidebook and training script ensure uniformity and consistency in the method of teaching Peacemakers around the globe.
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reactions to conflict
The first day consists of town-hall interactive discussions about diversity, terrorism, conflict, and youth violence. Students then participate in awareness activities to identify their own reactions to conflict. The second day consists of interactive exercises focusing on mentoring and ethics and concludes with a workshop on community organizing.
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Graduation Ceremony
Following the intense workshop, a graduation ceremony honoring the Peacemakers is held in center court of the mall. This ceremony serves two purposes. The first is formal recognition of the students’ achievements and second is to provide a forum for the graduates to meet local governmental officials and organizations that support their efforts to better their community. Graduates are awarded a Peacemaker Corps graduation certificate, a beautiful multi-colored custom designed medal, and a T-shirt identifying them as members
of the Peacemaker Corps. Past graduation ceremonies and Festival award ceremonies have received extensive media, radios, TV, Cable and a very robust Social Media presence. we have over 2.5 million followers on Twitter with all of our supporters, The first two year our global TV, cable and Dish TV brought us to 350 million households, expanding our film makers potential TO A WORLD-WIDE AUDIENCE. With the move into our Peace in the Streets Global Film Festival, the bully pulpit of the United Nations has a great effect on our audience. Learning to reach youth through electronics; Website, Mobile App and our many media partners is our pathway to teach our core program with our unique skills.
FACILITATION
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Domestic
The Peacemaker Corps recruits trainers for its programs from the local community, primarily women from low income backgrounds – people who know first-hand the issues of violence and conflict that young people have to face every day. The volunteers complete a comprehensive two-day interactive program under the tutelage of the Association’s senior trainer, Bob Burley. At the conclusion of the workshop, the newly trained facilitators spend two more days honing their budding peacemaking skills by participating as junior facilitators in the next youth training. As graduates of the facilitation-training program, they become consultants for the Peacemaker Corps and are compensated for each youth training session they facilitate.
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alliances
Original alliances were been formed with organizations such as Jim Brown’s Amer-I-Can/Unity One, Parents of Watts, Chrysalis and Younglife Urban to find adults who are eager to be trained and help the Association accomplish its mission of empowering the young through the art of making peace.
PCA expanded alliances now include three United Nations agencies: UNICEF, UNAOC and the IOM, Unity Foundation the leading amalgamated organization celebrating the UN Day of Peace, In Madrid the Programme for the Culture of Peace, Plural+. Our media exposure PCA has a global marketing partnership with iHEART RADIO, CBS TV, UN TV produced by Bill Miller, Dish Network and South South News. In Kind sponsors include Sony Creative Software,
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International
The Peacemaker Corps curriculum is transferable across regions, countries, cultures and religions, the Peacemaker mission can be brought ANYWHERE in the world. Therefore, the Peacemaker Corps has formed and will continue to form alliances with international organizations to recruit trainers from the local region to educate peacemakers around the world. These groups, such as UNICEF and other UN agencies will utilize our curriculum to educate and empower youth worldwide. We have developed a mobile strategy and will be developing our Peace app for the 2016 Festival Launch. This will expand our reach with the youths of our globe, who have access to smart phones or access to a mobile device.
Mentors and Volunteers Apply Now
The goal of the training is to empower the staff to understand and live the principles of leadership and peacemaking, so that they can apply them in their organizations and model them for the youth with whom they are working.
Apply for Training