NEWS

Peace Games Los Angeles is excited to announce the Los Angeles Citywide Peace Games Training Series beginning on March 2, 2007. The series consists of up to four hours of low-cost professional development and is open to any individual or organization that serves young people in Los Angeles. For more information, contact Program Specialist, Nicole Sanz at or (213) 443-3115.

The Peace Games workshop “Peacemaking 101” will be featured at The International Center for Tolerance Education’s workshop series for parents and junior high students in Brooklyn. The workshop will begin on January 11, and be offered on consecutive Thursdays from 4-6pm through February 8. Workshops will train youth and parents to celebrate diversity, to learn peer mediation skills, and to gain a foundation in conflict resolution by integrating cooperative games derived from various cultures represented by the group. It will also lay the groundwork for exploring how to make peacemaking an active part of one’s life. For more information, contact Peace Games New York Regional Director, Richard Cardillo at or (646) 330-5401.

Peace Games Boston welcomes a new Regional Director, Cherie Craft. Cherie brings her deep-seeded knowledge of the Boston community and much experience in partnering and collaboration as we move forward with our Boston growth plan. A Roxbury native, Cherie's community organizing and training background includes creation of an innovative patient education program at Boston Medical Center, serving as a national trainer for Head Start, and consulting work with a number of school systems and social service agencies.

Thanks to the generous support of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation, Peace Games will launch a Peace Games Training Series for two Boston Public Schools, the Boston Center for Youth and Families, and the Boys and Girls Club of Boston. By offering intensive training and support to staff working with children and young adults everyday, Peace Games hopes to impact more than 5,000 young people. The series will begin in December 2006 and conclude in June 2007.

Peace Games has a new Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Lissack. After launching government programs, working as an executive at three start-up companies, and as a strategy consultant to nonprofits, Jeff brings his talents to Peace Games. To read an interview with Jeff click here.

For the 2006-2007 school year, Peace Games welcomes three new schools to the Peace Games Network. Our New York City region continues to grow with the addition of PS 208 in Harlem, where Peace Games Coordinator Elbert K. Sanders will launch the Peace Games partnership. And in Boston, former Peace Games volunteer Meghan Fugate will be the Peace Games Coordinator at Cathedral Elementary School, and St. Patrick's Elementary.

Thanks to the generous support of the Germeshausen Foundation, Peace Games sponsored its first National Conference in July, welcoming teachers, families, and administrators from its four cities to Boston for three days of sharing best practices and supporting the work of peacemaking. Peace Games also hosted a Community Day at Lesley University, offering free workshops and networking opportunities to 40 practitioners from across New England. Cklick to read the Bay State Banner article about Peace Games board member and panelist, Chike Ibeabuchi here.

The work of Peace Games continues in Colombia. In June, Peace Games concluded a tremendously successful pilot program through which 45 teachers in rural Norte de Santander taught the Peace Games curriculum. Thanks to the support of the Ministry of Education and Magisterio Publishing Cooperative, next year will see more schools using Peace Games. Read more about our work in Colombia here .

More than 150 young people from 65 cities around the world convened in Ankara Turkey in June for the Fifth Annual Glocalization Conference, and Peace Games was there. In partnership with the Glocal Forum, Peace Games offered workshops and coaching on creating a culture of peacemaking in their schools, communities, and municipalities.

In collaboration with the City of Boston, Peace Games hosted a training in conflict management and peacemaking for more than 500 teenagers this June. The young people were working as counselors and mentors at the Boston Center for Youth and Families, the city’s largest human services agency. On-going trainings and partnerships with BCYF and the City are planned for the coming school year.

Peace Games partners with America Learns. Peace Games is excited to embark on a new partnership with America Learns, an on-line network that connects tutors and mentors with proven strategies for working with students, reaching over 10,000 children nationwide. In an effort to provide strategies for working with students' social-emotional growth and academic success, America Learns has chosen to add selected Peace Games activities to their growing database. In addition, America Learns has agreed to provide Peace Games with consultation as we develop on-line support systems to maintain communication and learning among Peace Games schools across the country.

You can visit America Learns at www.americalearns.net

"Humankind" is a weekly documentary series produced by Public Radio International. In the fall of 2004, two episodes of the program focused on teaching nonviolence to children, highlighting the work of Peace Games at the Nathan Hale Elementary School in Roxbury, MA. Both episodesare available for purchase here.

ARTICLES

The Norwood Elementary Peace Games School Featured in the News! Read about Peace Tales at the Norwood and the successful partnership with University of Southern California as they offer their students volunteer opportunities and course credits as Peace Games teachers read more.

Peace Games is featured in Greater Good magazine as a model for the Social and Emotional Learning movement. Work in our schools in Los Angeles is profiled here.

Christian Science Monitor article highlights Peace Games as key contributor in national reduction in school violence. Visit http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1206/p01s01-ussc.html to read more about early violence prevention efforts throughout the country.

Peace Games is featured on a profile of "239 Good Ideas from 239 Cities" in the "Kid Friendly Cities Report" on the Population Connection website. Check out the article here.

After participating in the First National Conference on Citizenship Education in Bogota, Colombia, Steven Brion-Meisels shares an overview of the meeting, his reflections and insights that can inform work in citizenship education in the United States more.

Civic Engagement and Service-Learning with Young Children, an article written by Peace Games staff and volunteers. view word document

Peace Games Program Specialist James Noonan shares his thoughts on school climate and safety. view pdf

Banker and Tradesman editorial on Peace Games as one proactive solution to the violence plaguing the Boston area more.

Peace Games is presented as a teacher of alternatives to violence for youth more.