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We've been spreading our message of peace and nonviolence throughout Chicago's communities. From Rogers Park to South Chicago, our Peace Builders and university interns continue our three programs: Peace Builder, Speaking Peace and Peace Explorers. Since our South Dakota trip we have screened our documentary film Mitakuye Oyasin, The Peace Exchange in South Dakota to over 1,245 young people throughout Chicagoland. #SpeakingPeace #LeadersofNow |
Nov 30, 2021 We're thrilled to share the just-completed documentary of our August trip to South Dakota! We want to give a special thanks to producer Chad Rispalje. This is his sixth Peace Exchange documentary!
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August 2021 Our five Peace Builders traveled to South Dakota to visit Native American reservations. They visited the campus of Augustana University, Lower Brule, the Badlands, and Rapid City communities to continue their learning in restorative justice and traditional practices from First Nation people. |
July 15, 2021 Our 2021/2022 Peace Builders have been busy in leadership development training sessions. Today we spent the day training and learning about Indigenous women at the Field Museum. We toured the Apsáalooke Women and Warriors exhibition and learned about their history, community, healing and art. All agreed: It was a powerful experience studying the sacred objects and warrior society culture. We ended the day with a peace circle reflection. |
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June 19, 2021 The Peace Builder class of 2021/2022 has kicked off! Our Peace Builders have been taking part in virtual and in-person trainings since May. This year's Peace Builders will visit Indigenous communities on Native American reservations in South Dakota. Peace Builders have been learning about BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) traditions of peacemaking and nonviolent social change. Our Peace Builders celebrated Juneteenth at UCAN in North Lawndale. Pictured at left are Peace Builders Diana, Casper, Taylor and Eric with West Side Alderman Michael Scott Jr. |
Sept 2, 2020 Henry Cervantes and Demitria Pates discuss our Speaking Peace program in this interview with Different Drummers' moderator Jann Ingmire.
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August 11, 2020 Telemundo Chicago aired this Making A Difference segment featuring our very own Henry Cervantes!
Today we recognize Henry Cervantes resident of La Villita neighborhood and manager of The Peace Exchange, in the neighborhood of North Lawndale. Cervantes trains young people in leadership and international travel to study global non-violent movements and thus promote peace and justice. He has coordinated exchanges and training with young people around the world. Henry has served as a volunteer for the past 3 years at Cook County Jail in Chicago, teaching the jailed community as part of the Sheriff's Anti-Violence (SAVE) effort, and is an adjunct professor at North Theological Seminary Park at Stateville Prison teaching conflict resolution classes. He is one of 40 Human Rights defenders at the permanent exhibition ′′ Take A Stand Center ′′ at Illinois Holocaust Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. Thank you Henry Cervantes for making the difference! |
July 13, 2020 Speaking Peace in the time of pandemic: Masks and social distancing were seamlessly incorporated as our instructors kicked off Peace Summer Camp at the Holy Family Ministries Center.
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May 27, 2020 Henry and Shaina used the Memorial Day weekend to record this 15-minute video of the Speaking Peace session on nonviolent communication. We're grateful for the talents of Free Spirit PRO filmmakers Chad Rispalje and Lily Qi who filmed and produced this piece.
May 6, 2020 Launched in early 2017, our Speaking Peace program equips children with skills and tools to peacefully avoid and resolve conflicts.
We're pleased to share the just-completed white paper "Speaking Peace in Chicago's Multicultural Communities: Peace Education in Inner City Elementary Schools." Written by Program Manager Henry Cervantes, the paper discusses the need for peace education in urban schools and describes the evolution of our Speaking Peace program. Along with an overview of each of Speaking Peace's four sessions, Henry provides an in-depth explanation of our approach to teaching nonviolent communication (NVC).
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April/May 2020 We've moved online! Recent programs with the Illinois Holocaust Museum and DePaul University have been conducted via Zoom.
April 17, 2020 During these long days of social distancing and self-isolation, we were thrilled to hear that 2017/18 Peace Builder Jaylen McBride received an award from Wartburg College.
From Wartburg's Facebook post:
Our next honoree for the Dell Awards for Peace and Justice: Peacemaker Award is second-year student Jaylen McBride. The Peacemaker Award honors a member of each class for noteworthy contributions to peace and justice.
Her nominator writes: "Jaylen has served the campus in several ways related to advocacy and facilitation of conversations around race and general experiences of marginalized students on Wartburg's campus and in the world. ... Since taking on the responsibility of BSU president, she has put on a month of Black History Month programming and has shown a passion for further connecting black and other multicultural students to BSU as a support system.
"Jaylen has also helped serve her peers on the Clinton/Complex RA staff team. She contributes important perspectives and thoughts to the group regarding her experience as a black student on Wartburg's campus. ... She has been awesome at helping her students learn, grow, change, and become more aware of what their peers experience at Wartburg."
Jan 17, 2020 1000! That's the total number of neighborhood children the 2019 Peace Builders have met with during their outreach phase of their one-year program. Peace Builders Emmanuel Allison, Roneisha Jackson, Cristo Panfilo, and Patricia Joyner got the team to the finish line with sessions at Morton Elementary, Haines Elementary, Mount Vernon Elementary, and Dore Elementary. At each school, the Peace Builders screened Amahoro | The Peace Exchange in Rwanda, discussed forgiveness, and fielded questions from children. |
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Dec 16, 2019 Peace Builder Alexis Foldes and Program Manager Henry Cervantes discussed their Peace Exchange experiences and summer trip to Rwanda with 100 students at Hinsdale Central High School.
The freshmen were well prepared to discuss the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and had excellent questions for Alexis and Henry. |
Dec 5, 2019 Program Manager Henry Cervantes is an adjunct professor for North Park University in its master's degree program at maximum security Stateville Correctional Center. To learn more about the program and Henry's work, click on this link. |
Nov 20, 2019 Peace Builders Emmanuel Allison, Alexis Foldes, and Cristo Panfilo discussed their Peace Exchange experiences and summer trip to Rwanda with Breakthrough Urban Ministries Boys Mentoring Group. |
Nov 14, 2019 Thursday was a great day for peace building with four separate events! Event 1: 2019 Peace Builder Alexis Foldes conducted an outreach session with 40 classmates at Josephinum Academy. Event 2: 2019 Peace Builders Jaylan Coleman-Tutt and Micah Baker shared their experiences and the documentary Amahoro with 100 Holy Family School students. Event 3: Our Speaking Peace team shared model for nonviolent communication with 7th grade peacemakers at Daniel Webster Elementary School in North Lawndale. Event 4: WTTW/Channel 11 premiered Amahoro | The Peace Exchange in Rwanda at 10 pm. |
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Oct 18, 2019 During the 3rd and final phase of their yearlong leadership program, Peace Builders share what they've learned, along with their Free Spirit PRO-produced documentary, with at least 1,000 neighborhood youth.
Friday afternoon, 2019 Peace Builder Roneisha Jackson made a powerful presentation to 200+ classmates at Chicago Hope Academy. Ronnie shared some wonderful lessons on forgiveness she learned in Rwanda. |
Oct 12, 2019 We spent a fun Saturday evening sharing Amahoro | The Peace Exchange in Rwanda with film enthusiasts at Collected Voices: Chicago's Ethnographic Film Festival! It was great connecting with Free Spirit PRO’s Darren Sanders and Peace Builders Micah Baker and Cristo Panfilo! The documentary was well-received by audience members. In one heartfelt exchange, a viewer said this about the segment we call "Maria's Story", "I’m not sure if I feel heartbroken or heart warmed.” |
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Friday, Oct 11, 2019 In a Friday morning ceremony at Cook County Jail, Henry Cervantes was recognized by Sheriff Tom Dart for his work with the Sheriff’s Antiviolence Effort (SAVE). Cervantes, Program Manager for the Peace Exchange, teaches twice-weekly classes in the medium-security and maximum-security wings of the jail.
In the citation accompanying the award, Dr. Jane Gubser, Executive Director of Programs for the county’s Department of Corrections, stated, “The strong partnership between the Cook County Department of Corrections and the Peace Exchange allows us to produce a program that focuses on preventing violence through education. The primary goals of the program are to end the cycle of violence that many detainees are entrapped in and prevent recidivism by offering detainees a curriculum centered on conflict resolution and anti-violence techniques.” Born and raised in Little Village, the 31-year-old Cervantes is a well-known community organizer and peace activist. As chief instructor for the Peace Exchange’s Speaking Peace program, he’s a familiar face in elementary school classrooms across Chicago. In addition to his outreach in schools and the Cook County Jail, Cervantes teaches a college-level course on restorative justice at the Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, IL. |
October 5, 2019 Peace Builders Micah Baker, Roneisha Jackson, and Cristo Panfilo traveled to Maywood to conduct an outreach session with member of the Maywood Youth Mentoring program.
Following a delicious breakfast prepared by students from the Proviso East Culinary Arts program, the Peace Builders overviewed the Peace Exchange program, screened the documentary Amahoro | The Peace Exchange in Rwanda, and engaged in a lively Q & A with the 30 people in attendance. |
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Week of Sept 23, 2019 Our Speaking Peace instructors traveled to southwest Archer Heights to conduct peace training with student peacemakers at the Academy for Global Citizenship, 4647 W 47th St. Eight classes--two each in grades 5-8--heard how each Peace Builder instructor was called to peace work. They received an overview of the Peace Exchange's two programs. Nearly all 200 students participated in the always-popular pipe cleaner icebreaker in which participants use a single pipe cleaner to create a shape that represents him/her. |
Sept 20, 2019 Peace Builders Micah Baker and Jaylan Coleman-Tutt together with Program Manager Henry Cervantes were interviewed by LaShondra Stephens for an episode of Different Drummers. The young leaders talked about attending Rwanda's 25th commemoration of the 1994 genocide. They shared stories about Rwandans they met, including other young peace leaders and residents of a reconciliation village. Finally, they recapped some of the lessons they've brought home to their Chicago communities. |
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June 25-July 8, 2019 Our two-week trip to Rwanda was a resounding success! Visiting Rwanda on the 25th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi made this a very special journey. Our visits to genocide memorials, conversations with survivors and génocidaires (the perpetrators), peace classes at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center, meetings with Rwanda youth leaders, two-night home stays, a safari, attendance at the Liberation Day commemoration, and living together 7 x 24 for two weeks has had a profound effect on all of us. Throughout the our time in Rwanda, each Peace Builder—Micah, Jaylan, Emmanuel, Patricia, Roneisha, Cristo, and Alexis—were present, engaged, adaptable, and supportive of one another. They were terrific!
Some of the lessons learned we'll share in our outreach and Speaking Peace programs will include the power and importance of forgiveness in achieving sustainable peace. We'll share stories of people like Maria who forgave Philbert for murdering members of her family during the genocide. We'll incorporate the continuums of violence and benevolence discussed at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Peace School into our curriculum. We're also excited to share stories and anecdotes about the wonderful people who made us feel so welcome: Amen, Olive, Mama Benny, Peter, Damas, Johnson, Robinson, Evelyn, Enock, Natascha, Egidia, Bonheur, and others. They all appear in our powerful Free Spirit PRO-produced documentary Amahoro | The Peace Exchange in Rwanda. Lastly, a sincere thank-you to our supporters who made this trip possible. Murakoze! (Thank you in Kinyarwanda) |
June 7, 2019 With the completion of today's session at Marcus Garvey Elementary School in Washington Heights, our Speaking Peace program for the 2018/2019 school year comes to an end. Our instructors have conducted the four-part program at 17 Chicago elementary schools; nearly 1,400 students have participated.
Surveys, classroom observations, and faculty feedback describe a program that's making a difference. 70-80% of participants report feeling equipped to act as peacemakers in their schools and with family and friends. We're pleased with the success of our model for nonviolent communication (NVC), adapted from important work by Marshall Rosenberg. The four-step process we teach is simple to understand, repeatable, and effective. A counselor from a Pilsen elementary school shared this, “[As a result of Speaking Peace] my 5th and 6th grade self-referrals for 'problems with another student' were cut in half! From Sept-Jan, I averaged 1.1 per week. For February, I averaged .5 per week. Thank you!” |
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June 1-2, 2019 With 24 days before we depart for Rwanda, we're taking part in a Saturday/Sunday retreat.
Parents joined us for overviews of our past six months' training and our itinerary for Rwanda. After watching Carl Wilkens's documentary I'm Not Leaving, we spoke with Carl at length in a video chat. We spent the rest of Saturday and Sunday at Camp Bullfrog Lake in Willow Springs. We participated in team building exercises, dined on Henry's wife Kat's wonderful cooking, read passages from Carl's book I'm Not Leaving, and watched Hotel Rwanda before ending the day at midnight. On Sunday, after a substantial breakfast prepared by Kat, pairs of Peace Builders presented on topics related to Rwanda. Our Free Spirit Media Pro team gave us the ABC's on how they'll approach making our documentary, then gave each of our Peace Builders time in front of the camera. We're ready to go! #Rwanda2019 |
May 30, 2019 "A lot of times, we think, 'Oh, it happens over there or it doesn't really matter,' and I think oftentimes if we share an individual story, talk about one individual, it can have a great, great impact. I've seen it, particularly with the Holocaust." Kelley, the Vice President of Education and Exhibitions at the Illinois Holocaust Museum, spoke at length about the factors leading up to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Estimates range from 800,000 to 1,000,000 for the number of people killed over the course of 100 days.
Of particular interest to the Peace Builders was Kelley's discussion of the eight stages of genocide: classification, symbolization, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, extermination, and denial. |
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May 23, 2019 Kiel Majewski, who is organizing our June 25-July 8 trip to Rwanda, gave us an excellent overview of Rwanda this evening.
Kiel covered Rwandan history, the events leading up to the genocide against the Tutsis, and Rwandan culture and customs. Kiel covered our two-week itinerary which includes visits to genocide memorial sites, conversations with genocide survivors, and a two-night home stay with Kigali families. In Rwanda, we'll be joined by Carl Wilkens, the only American to stay in the country during the 1994 genocide that cost the lives of over 800,000. We're excited! @Rwanda2019 |
May 9, 2019 Our evening workshop was conducted by Nathaniel Viets Van-Lear from ADL Midwest. Peace Builder Cristo Panfilo shares this recap:
This week’s peace training was conducted by Nathaniel Viets Van-Lear from ADL Midwest. The Anti-Defamation League is the leading anti-hate organization which fights to secure justice and fair treatment for people of all backgrounds. The peace builders learned methods to interrupt bullying such as stopping the behavior immediately, asking questions that cause the perpetrator to consider their actions, communicate the impact of the behavior, and asking an adult to intervene. The team also participated in the pipecleaner get-acquainted exercise now used with great success in our Speaking Peace program. |
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"Conflict is inevitable, combat is avoidable."
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April 27, 2019 Attorney and professional mediator Howard Epstein led a workshop on conflict management and mediation. Howard, who serves on the Center for Conflict Resolution Volunteer Council, led our team in discussions that helped us understand our leadership and problem-solving styles.
We learned about the importance of understanding needs in a thought exercise involving two people and a orange! |
April 20, 2019 The topic was Kingian Nonviolence as our Peace Builders met with Pam Smith, a co-founder of the Addie Wyatt Center for Nonviolence Training. As part of the workshop, we discussed Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Pam also shared her experiences as a teacher in Burundi in the early 90s. Burundi's located next to Rwanda, the destination for our summer trip. |
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h April 13, 2019 Our Peace Builders had a very productive Saturday! They spent the morning with our film crew from Free Spirit Media recording vignettes for their upcoming crowdfunding campaign. They then traveled to the Open Center for the Arts in Little Village for a conversation with formerly incarcerated men who are now doing powerful peacemaking with the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago and Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation.
The three speakers, each of whom had spent 20 or more years in prison, talked about their youth, how they ended up in jail and prison, and underscored the importance of mentoring and encouraging young people.
The three speakers, each of whom had spent 20 or more years in prison, talked about their youth, how they ended up in jail and prison, and underscored the importance of mentoring and encouraging young people.
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April 6, 2019 Peace Builder Roneisha Jackson shares this summary of today's training:
This week the Peace Builders learned the basics of how to help treat gunshot wounds before the ambulance arrive to the scene. The presenters were Raven, Journey and Martine of Ujimaa Medics. Three key points that were discussed were 1)how to call 911, 2) how to address the victim, and 3) useful items we should carry in our first aid kit. Journey and Martine both shared their personal testimonies of how they each helped a gunshot wound victim survive. It was powerful. |
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April 1, 2019 Charles Henderson Elementary School Counselor Ylonda Ware shares some thoughts on the importance of peace education with Peace Exchange Program Manager Henry Cervantes. Henry has been conducting the Peace Exchange's four-part Speaking Peace program with 5th and 6th graders at this West Englewood school.
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March 28, 2019 UCAN's Jacob Dancer spent the evening familiarizing our Peace Builders with trauma, its causes and treatment. In his very informative presentation, Jacob touched on the following:
- The four "R's" of trauma-informed care: realization, recognize, respond, resist re-traumatization
- The three "E's" of childhood trauma: events, experiences and effects
- Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and how they impact learning
- The importance of resiliency factors
- The Universal Precautions Approach to trauma-informed care
- Strategies for a trauma-informed environment
March 21, 2019 We gathered Thursday evening for a session on compassion. Our instructor was Burrell Poe, Compassion It Chicago's facilitator. |
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March 10, 2019 We traveled to Am Shalom in Glencoe for a presentation by Claire Mukundente. Claire was just 15 years old when she was forced to run from her home in Rwanda with her sister, Clemantine, not knowing if she’d ever see her family again. Claire shared what it was like to escape genocide, war, and her eventual journey to the United States in 2003. Our thanks to the Teen Committee of the Midwest Region of the United State Holocaust Memorial Museum and Larry Leck for our invitation to hear Claire's powerful story.
Peace Builder Micah Baker shares this reflection: On Sunday, March 10th, we went to a Jewish Synagogue to hear guest speaker Claire Mekundente speak. In her story of surviving the Rwandan genocide, Ms. Mekundente mentioned that while she was in her grandmother’s home, Rwandan officials popped up at her house, forcing her and her sister to leave through the back door and hide in banana leaves. She also mentions how she had to work at multiple camps to earn money, and eventually had to flee the country along with her sister to get to safety. Afterward, we had a Q & A with Ms. Mekundente, and a discussion at our own tables, where we will talk about topics that we care about, and people that we consider heroes. To conclude our training session, each peace builder wrote a thoughtful letter to our hero, explaining with they are inspiring. |
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March 7, 2019 Together with other peace leaders from Gage Park and Brighton Park, our Peace Builders spent the evening with Phil Andrew, a retired FBI agent and hostage negotiator, and the Director of the Archdiocese of Chicago's Violence Prevention Initiative. In a fascinating session, Phil shared tips and techniques useful in crisis management and conflict resolution.
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March 3, 2019 We spent part of Sunday morning and afternoon with Karina Gil, Education, Prevention & Policy Specialist with the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center. Karina addressed four themes in our session: 1) Understanding child sexual abuse, 2) Responding to behaviors & disclosures, 3) Preventing abuse by creating safe environments, and 4) ChicagoCAC's role. She also guided us around the remarkable ChicagoCAC facility at 1240 S Damen Ave in Chicago.
We learned that 1 in 10 children will be abused by age of 18, that 96% of children know their abuser, and that no more than 20-40% of abuse is reported to the authorities. Annually, the ChicagoCAC sees 2,000 cases of child sexual abuse. Peace Builder Lashawn Dotson shares this reflection: We took a child sexual abuse training at Chicago's Children Advocacy Center. Our presenter was Karina Gill. The training was good because I now feel that younger children (and youth) should know about sexual abuse. It could happen to the next child or human being. Part of the training was uncomfortable because I have little cousins and the info made me think about them and their awareness. We also took a tour. |
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Feb 20, 2019 Program Manager Henry Cervantes discussed grassroots strategies to end violence with Phil Andrew, Director of Antiviolence Initiatives for the Archdiocese of Chicago, and Gwen Baxter, founder of Sisterhood. Sun-Times and ABC 7 correspondent Laura Washington was the panel's moderator.
All eight Peace Builders were in attendance at the Illinois Holocaust Museum for the thoughtful, powerful discussion. Each panelist shared deeply personal stories about what brought them to peace work. |
Feb 16, 2019 Guillermo Gutierrez with First Defense Legal Aid and Jesus Salazar with ENLACE Chicago shared their powerful personal stories and led a discussion on how young people become gang-involved and how to support them if and when they want to leave the "life."
2019 Peace Builder Cristo Panfilo shares this reflection: Hearing both Guillermo Gutierrez's and Jesus Salazar's personal stories are examples of change. They dedicate their time to counseling at-risks and troubled youths, including gang members who are incarcerated. Their personal stories made me realize the importance of having a role model in a community. It is essential, and has an astounding effect on the lives of young people in our society. A role model has the ability to positively or negatively shape the views, ideals, and actions of a young person. These men use their life experience to promote change to those considering or living the gang “life.” |
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Feb 9, 2019 Guided by docent Cheryl Bradford, our eight 2019 Peace Builders toured the Illinois Holocaust Museum.
The team visited the Take a Stand Center featuring holograms of Survivors telling their stories. They also had a chance to view the Upstander Gallery where Program Manager Henry Cervantes appears. 2019 Peace Builder Patricia Joyner shared this reflection: Going to the Holocaust Museum, I ultimately learned that there is inspiration for the future in resolving violence, specifically leading to genocide. The peacemakers had an amazing opportunity to be guided by Cheryl. She was able to answer all of our questions, and specifically, teach us the importance about why learning about the Holocaust matters. Towards the end of the tour, we were able have a virtual reality Q&A session with a Holocaust Survivor. We were able to get a much more personal insight of the effects of the Holocaust. |
February 2, 2019 Peace Builder Alexis Foldes shares this reflection on today's training on domestic and teen-dating violence: On Saturday, February 2nd,Dr. Ozella Barnes conducted a workshop about Domestic Violence. It was fantastic! Because Dr. Barnes is a psychologist, she was able to give us anecdotes from survivors, which really resonated with all of us. We learned that violence is learned and that no one is ever born violent. It comes from the environment we are surrounded in when we are young, and it effects our problem solving skills. Moreover, we learned that violence is a vicious cycle that can plague entire families or communities. To help us recognize violence, she gave us many warning signs and how to help people out of those unfortunate situations. I personally learned that there is no simple answer to domestic violence; it is a highly complex issue that requires a carefully thought out solution. Dr. Barnes was really friendly and engaging, and leveled with us to make sure we understood the concepts. Thank you Dr. Barnes for enlightening us!
January 19, 2019 Snow and frigid temperatures did nothing to dampen enthusiasm or attendance at the kickoff of our 2019 leadership development program! Eight new Peace Builders and parents/guardians gathered for a three-hour program at the Holy Family Ministries Center in North Lawndale.
The group then traveled by bus to the Chicago Cultural Center for a WTTW-sponsored screening of two Free Spirit Media-produced films, including Ahimsa: The Peace Exchange in India. Program Manager Henry Cervantes joined a panel in discussing the use of film in social justice. |
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December 5, 2018 In a remarkable day at Cook County Jail, Program Manager Henry Cervantes discussed the Sheriff's Anti-Violence Effort (SAVE) with Sheriff Tom Dart and three Division 6 inmates. The three young men are among 40 who participate in Henry's weekly classes on peace and conflict resolution. This video captures Henry's conversations with Sheriff Dart and 25-year-old inmate Devonta about the importance of teaching peace in schools.
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November 9, 2018 In this short video, Program Manager Henry Cervantes takes 5th graders at Legacy Charter School in North Lawndale through the ABC's of peacemaking. At Legacy, Henry is conducting a modified version of Speaking Peace with added emphasis on peace circles, respectful listening, and practical ways to avoid and resolve conflicts. |
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October 25, 2018 Speaking Peace was in full swing as instructors Henry Cervantes and Shaina Jones met with 125 5th and 6th graders at Southeast Area Elementary School as part of the School's Peace Week activities. This four-minute video contains highlights from the program's third session which focuses on nonviolent communication. All four modules of Speaking Peace were conducted the week of October 22. |
Sept 2018 Congratulations to Stefany Rendon, Jocelyn Durán Martínez, Jaylen McBride, and Jailene Valenzuela for earning three college credits from the College of Lake County. This summer, the four Peace Builders completed an independent studies program based on their Peace Exchange experiences. A special thanks to Professor Larry Leck for developing this program. The four leaders are college students. Stefany attends Vassar, Jocelyn is at Pomona College, Jailene attends DePauw, and Jaylen is at Wartburg. |
July/August 2018
We were thrilled to be able to conduct Speaking Peace at Holy Family Ministries's Adventures in Learning summer camp. Campers met for four sessions over the course of four weeks with Shaina Jones, Jailene Valenzuela, Jaylen McBride, and Jennifer Resendiz.
We were thrilled to be able to conduct Speaking Peace at Holy Family Ministries's Adventures in Learning summer camp. Campers met for four sessions over the course of four weeks with Shaina Jones, Jailene Valenzuela, Jaylen McBride, and Jennifer Resendiz.
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June 23, 2018 Here are some highlights of our just completed spring semester Speaking Peace program. Over 900 students at seven schools participated. |
Our 2017/18 Peace Builders have trained, traveled, and are now sharing their India documentary and tips on peaceful practices with youth from their neighborhoods. Their goal is outreach to at least 1,000 children. They're happy to report that they've met their goal! |
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May 15, 2018 Our friends at ADL Midwest taught us this nifty icebreaker: In session 1 of Speaking Peace, students and teachers are each given a pipe cleaner with which they create a "sculpture" that describes something or someone important to them. As one can see from these photos, "show and tell" is always fun! Kudos to the 4th graders at Rowe Elementary School for sharing their creations.
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May 13, 2018 It's been a busy and wonderful few weeks of outreach and Speaking Peace!
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April 18, 2018 One of the important topics our Peace Builders studied during their year-end trip to India was nonviolent communications.
Using a short, 20-minute drawing exercise, our Speaking Peace instructors take students through the four steps of nonviolent communications:
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April 17, 2018 Speaking Peace, our four-part in-school program, and our Peace Builder-led outreach initiative are in full swing. Speaking Peace is currently taking place at three Chicago elementary schools: Legacy Charter, Dore, and Columbia Explorers.
On Monday, April 16, Peace Builders Jaylen McBride, Tony Green, and Shaina Jones held a one-hour outreach session with middle school students from Holy Family School. In addition to sharing the documentary Ahimsa: The Peace Exchange in India and tips on peaceful practices, Jaylen and her fellow Peace Builders fielded excellent questions from the audience |
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March 22, 2018 The "West Side World Premier" of Ahimsa: The Peace Exchange in India was a smashing success! Held on the 14th floor of the historic Nichols Tower | the original Sears Tower, the event was attended by over 80 guests. Attendees viewed Ahimsa, the most recent Peace Exchange documentary, and engaged Peace Builders in a lively Q & A. Program Manager Henry Cervantes kicked the evening off and Program Assistant Shaina Jones concluded things with a wonderful a cappella version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." A good time was had by all! |
March 8-11, 2018 We had a wonderful weekend at the Peace on Earth Film Festival at the historic--and beautifully renovated Davis Theater in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood.
Following the screening of Ahimsa: The Peace Exchange in India as part of the shorts program on Saturday evening, we presented Nick and Milissa, co-founders and directors of the Festival, with an award for their creative use of film to educate and inspire Chicago students. Peace Builders also volunteered at the Festival. We're thankful once again for their contributions. |
March 6, 2018 We joined 250 students from six schools at the Chicago Cultural Center for the Student Voices for Peace Showcase. Schools included McKinley Lakeside Leadership Academy, Universal School, McNair School of Excellence, McCutheon Elementary, John D. Shoop Academy, and Joseph Brennemann Elementary.
Our team--Anthony, Shaina, Henry, and Yarnome from Free Spirit PRO--shared Ahimsa: The Peace Exchange in India, then fielded excellent questions from the audience. Our thanks to Nick and Milissa from the Peace on Earth Film Festival for inviting us to participate.
Our team--Anthony, Shaina, Henry, and Yarnome from Free Spirit PRO--shared Ahimsa: The Peace Exchange in India, then fielded excellent questions from the audience. Our thanks to Nick and Milissa from the Peace on Earth Film Festival for inviting us to participate.
2017/18 Peace Builder Anthony Green shared a powerful reflection
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March 1, 2018 Our time at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center is very meaningful to us. Our tours, discussions with Survivors, and interactions with staff are an important part of our leadership program. We're always thrilled when we get a chance to support their excellent programming and outreach efforts.
We're very appreciative of this letter from Director of Education Kelley Szany. In it, Kelley recaps our involvement with the museum and mentions Program Manager Henry Cervantes. Henry is one of 40 Upstanders featured in the Museum's new Goodman Upstander Gallery.
We're very appreciative of this letter from Director of Education Kelley Szany. In it, Kelley recaps our involvement with the museum and mentions Program Manager Henry Cervantes. Henry is one of 40 Upstanders featured in the Museum's new Goodman Upstander Gallery.
Our documentary! Ahimsa: The Peace Exchange in India
Dec 26, 2017 to Jan 8, 2018 India! We spent nearly two weeks making friends and collaborating with youth-led organizations in Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra. Our Free Spirit PRO-produced documentary Ahimsa: The Peace Exchange in India overviews the trip with rich cinematography and powerful reflections. Our travel blog provides considerable detail about daily activities.
We can't wait to begin sharing our experiences, tips on peaceful practices, and our documentary with children from our neighborhoods! |
Dec 14, 2017 With our Dec 26 departure just around the corner, we gathered with family and guest speakers for an evening of discussion, Q & A, and Indian food. Rhea Mahanta [center of photo holding tee shirt] spoke about growing up in India and her work with United Nations Peacekeepers on conflict resolution, mediation and negotiation. We're excited! |
Nov 18 & 19, 2017: We spent the weekend at the Loyola University Retreat Center in Woodstock preparing for our Dec 26, 2017 to Jan 6, 2018 trip to India. Over the course of two days, we focused on team building, the life and work of Gandhi, Hinduism, documentary film making, and the history, politics and, customs of India. We've got our packing lists, have submitted our visa applications, and are excited about our day-after-Christmas departure! |
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November 2017: Together with partner Peace on Earth Film Festival, we conducted our four-part, five-hour Speaking Peace program with 120 5th and 6th graders at James Ward Elementary School in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood.
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Oct 22, 2017: Karina Gil, an Education, Outreach, and Prevention Specialist at the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center provided instruction on preventing child sexual abuse and a tour of the remarkable CCAC facility.
Anthony Green shares this:
We visited the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center where Karina Gil talked to us about how to notice if a child is showing signs of sexual abuse. She also informed us of proper ways to report incidents. Child sexual abuse and any sexual abuse can be a hard subject to talk about but it needs to be done. We must show compassion towards the subject. The knowledge we've gained from this training can help us to inform others about child sexual abuse and help prevent children from being sexually abused. An important number we learned to report suspected abuse in Illinois is 1-800-25-ABUSE (1-800-252-2873). Outside of Illinois is 1-800-422-4453.
Anthony Green shares this:
We visited the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center where Karina Gil talked to us about how to notice if a child is showing signs of sexual abuse. She also informed us of proper ways to report incidents. Child sexual abuse and any sexual abuse can be a hard subject to talk about but it needs to be done. We must show compassion towards the subject. The knowledge we've gained from this training can help us to inform others about child sexual abuse and help prevent children from being sexually abused. An important number we learned to report suspected abuse in Illinois is 1-800-25-ABUSE (1-800-252-2873). Outside of Illinois is 1-800-422-4453.
Oct 21, 2017: We met with the Center for Conflict Resolution's Howard Epstein and the Chicago Police Dept's Dr. Rafael Yañez.
Jailene Valenzuela's reflections: I personally would like to express how much I enjoyed the training on conflict mediation and resolution because I found it to be extremely helpful in strengthening my character as a Peace Builder. I am excited to implement what I have learned about resolving conflicts using the new skills that I now possess. I can also say with confidence that I am more aware of how conflict arises and the everyday uses to confront it. The passion and dedication that Officer Yañez puts into his work along with the experiences he shared were definitely inspiring to us all. Officer Yañez is a role model who has uplifted each of the Peace Builders to continue to help others, make a difference, and better their communities by spreading peace. |
Oct 14, 2017 UCAN's Jacob Dancer helped us become "trauma-informed." We discussed symptoms, the impact of trauma on individuals and communities, and what's involved in trauma-informed care.
We learned about childhood trauma is caused by witnessing or experiencing an event that poses a real or perceived threat to the life or well-being of the child or someone close to the child. This traumatic event overwhelms the child's ability to cope and causes feelings of fear, helplessness, or horror, which may be expressed by disorganized or agitated behavior. We discussed trauma's effects on youth and adults, including narrowed scope of attention, hyperarousal, hypervigilance, fatigue, and reduced functionality of the immune and digestive systems.
Jacob also described the impact of trauma on the development of the brain and introduced us to the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACES). We concluded the training with a group exercise on developing strategies to help youth calm down.
Oct 14, 2017 Peace Exchange program leaders Henry Cervantes and Shaina Jones were among a dozen exhibitors at the first ever Obama Foundation Youth Training Day. Held at the Gary Comer Youth Center, the day was devoted to coaching the 150 young adult participants on how to craft and tell their own stories, organize residents for a cause and take their message to a larger audience. Along with the other exhibitors, the Peace Exchange was there to help youth find ways to sustain their enthusiasm and enhanced leadership capacity and civic interest.
Meeting President Obama at the end-of-the-day debrief was the icing on the cake! |
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In this recording by StoryCorps, Holocaust survivor Aaron Elster and peace activist Henry Cervantes talk about their work in teaching peace to young people.
Born in Poland in 1931, Aaron was one of only twenty-nine people that survived out of the original 5,000 Jewish people who lived in Sokolow, Poland. Aaron now speaks about his experiences and the lessons learned as part of the Illinois Holocaust Museum's outreach program. Henry is the Program Manager for the Peace Exchange and a widely-respected community organizer and peace activist in Chicago's West and Southwest Sides. Both Aaron and Henry will appear in the Illinois Holocaust Museum’s new Take a Stand Center. |
Sept 30, 2017 Peace Builder Jaylen McBride shares this reflection on today's meeting with Terry Rynne, author and founder of the Marquette University Center for Peacemaking:
As I reflect on the training with Dr. Rynne, I appreciate Gandhi’s life, leadership, devotion and passion. It was interesting to hear that Dr. Rynne bought a whole collection of Gandhi’s works because he was so committed to learning about him. Listening to Dr. Rynne caused me to reflect on why I want peace and justice. I also thought about what am I willing to sacrifice and do for it. The followers of Gandhi all stood in line and watched the people in front of them get beat, knowing they were next. I realized it’s important not only to be a great leader but a great follower for the right causes. The movement for India’s independence worked because everyone was fighting together, united for the greater good of everyone. I believe that’s what’s necessary today, we all have to be united, despite our religion, background, sexuality, gender, likes and dislikes we have to all do what it takes to have peace and equality.
As I reflect on the training with Dr. Rynne, I appreciate Gandhi’s life, leadership, devotion and passion. It was interesting to hear that Dr. Rynne bought a whole collection of Gandhi’s works because he was so committed to learning about him. Listening to Dr. Rynne caused me to reflect on why I want peace and justice. I also thought about what am I willing to sacrifice and do for it. The followers of Gandhi all stood in line and watched the people in front of them get beat, knowing they were next. I realized it’s important not only to be a great leader but a great follower for the right causes. The movement for India’s independence worked because everyone was fighting together, united for the greater good of everyone. I believe that’s what’s necessary today, we all have to be united, despite our religion, background, sexuality, gender, likes and dislikes we have to all do what it takes to have peace and equality.
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We turned our attention--and appetites--to India in two recent trainings.
On Sept 16, we lunched on Indian food at Uru Swati on Devon Avenue. Afterwards, we wandered the aisles of Patel Brothers market to see what our meal's raw ingredients look like. On Sept 23, we attended the exhibit and lecture "Beyond Bollywood: Indian-Americans Shape the Nation" at the Field Museum. |
Sept 22, 2017 Shaina Jones and Henry Cervantes were prominent participants in the Peace Day in Chicago celebration held at Daley Plaza.
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Sept 9, 2017 Jennifer Resendiz provides this recap:
The Peace Builders met with Master Kim, Lydia Howe, and Jennifer Kim from Chicago's The Peace School to work on building peaceful skills using yoga and meditation. The Peace Builders spent an hour physically doing yoga and an hour learning about the history of The Peace School and World Peace meditation. The Peace Builders also were informed about the festival for Peace Day, in which hundreds of youth and adults get together, as well as many country ambassadors, to promote peace in each country. Jaylen McBride had this to say about the yoga, "I enjoyed the yoga because I was able to stretch more than I do in my daily life. We learned to breathe properly and debunked they myth that we have to clear our minds to get into yoga. It's okay to think." |
August 31, 2017 We spent the afternoon and evening in two activities.
Event 1 was an afternoon workshop on nonviolent and compassionate activism at the Weinberg/Newton Gallery. The training was conducted by Compassionate It Chicago trainer Burrell Poe and our very own Henry Cervantes. The gallery's current exhibit Bold Disobedience - Nonviolent & Compassionate Activism is a call to participate in civic action, to identify and speak out against injustices, and to disrupt the systems that so deeply impact lived experiences.
Peace Builder Jaylen McBride shares this:
As I reflect on our training at the Bold Disobedience exhibit, I leave feeling hopeful and confident in my journey as a Peace Builder. During this training we had various ages in the room to reflect and engage with us. We talked about what it meant to participate in civil disobedience and how the same social injustices impacted each of us in a different way. We learned how to be civilly disobedient but also compassionate. If we aren’t compassionate while we are fighting injustice we become everything we are fighting against. Fighting social injustice takes compassionate, wisdom and moderation.
Here's a reflection from Peace Builder Jailene Valenzuela:
Peace Builders met to discuss bold disobedience and nonviolent activism. The training began with introductions and was then followed by a hearing and discussion of Tupac and Elton John's "Ghetto Gospel." The next portion of the training involved a conversation about compassion and socio-political issues that concerned the people involved in the training. After speaking about topics such as immigration and police brutality, I learned that being knowledgeable about social issues and having the desire to create social change through such awareness is fundamental to strong leadership. It was a privilege hearing about the issues that people were concerned and passionate to speak about, and it was these conversations that truly inspired me and the rest of the Peace Builders to continue to take a stand against injustice. I also learned that we as a society need to be compassionate now more than ever, as compassion has the power to unite us and lead us towards taking action to help others.
For Event 2, we adjourned to the rooftop of the new Arts and Recreation Center in Ellis Park, site of that evening's Chicago Onscreen's local films showcase. Ubuntu: The Peace Exchange in South Africa was screened along with four other films.
Event 1 was an afternoon workshop on nonviolent and compassionate activism at the Weinberg/Newton Gallery. The training was conducted by Compassionate It Chicago trainer Burrell Poe and our very own Henry Cervantes. The gallery's current exhibit Bold Disobedience - Nonviolent & Compassionate Activism is a call to participate in civic action, to identify and speak out against injustices, and to disrupt the systems that so deeply impact lived experiences.
Peace Builder Jaylen McBride shares this:
As I reflect on our training at the Bold Disobedience exhibit, I leave feeling hopeful and confident in my journey as a Peace Builder. During this training we had various ages in the room to reflect and engage with us. We talked about what it meant to participate in civil disobedience and how the same social injustices impacted each of us in a different way. We learned how to be civilly disobedient but also compassionate. If we aren’t compassionate while we are fighting injustice we become everything we are fighting against. Fighting social injustice takes compassionate, wisdom and moderation.
Here's a reflection from Peace Builder Jailene Valenzuela:
Peace Builders met to discuss bold disobedience and nonviolent activism. The training began with introductions and was then followed by a hearing and discussion of Tupac and Elton John's "Ghetto Gospel." The next portion of the training involved a conversation about compassion and socio-political issues that concerned the people involved in the training. After speaking about topics such as immigration and police brutality, I learned that being knowledgeable about social issues and having the desire to create social change through such awareness is fundamental to strong leadership. It was a privilege hearing about the issues that people were concerned and passionate to speak about, and it was these conversations that truly inspired me and the rest of the Peace Builders to continue to take a stand against injustice. I also learned that we as a society need to be compassionate now more than ever, as compassion has the power to unite us and lead us towards taking action to help others.
For Event 2, we adjourned to the rooftop of the new Arts and Recreation Center in Ellis Park, site of that evening's Chicago Onscreen's local films showcase. Ubuntu: The Peace Exchange in South Africa was screened along with four other films.
August 17, 2017: "Compassion"--the recognition of suffering and feeling the need to help, and then acting on that instinct--was the subject of Thursday's training with Compassion it instructor Burrell Poe. Burrell started the three-hour session with a mindfulness exercise and went on to lead a discussion about compassion, self-compassion, loving kindness, and empathy. We talked about practical ways to practice compassion. |
August 10, 2017 Diversity, tolerance, and bullying were the topics for our afternoon training with Nathaniel Viets-VanLear from ADL-Chicago.
Peace Builder Jailene Valenzuela provided her reflections on the session:
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August 8, 2017: In a "camp within a camp", Peace Exchange program leaders Henry Cervantes and Shaina Jones are teaching peaceful practices to campers at Holy Family's Adventures in Learning Summer Camp. |
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August 3, 2017: Restorative justice was the evening's theme as Susan Motycka Rex trained our Peace Builders on peace circles.
Peace Builder Jailene Valenzuela shares this reflection: As I reflect on the meeting about peace circles with Susan Rex, I can confidently say that I learned new material and skills that will allow me to foster peace within my communities, myself, and others. I am grateful to have had the moment to share my story, experiences, and interests to the Peace Builders and hear what they had to say as well. I also learned how to facilitate a peace circle and create a safe space for people to discuss peace, stories, and problems, and the way in which those problems can be restored through peace. At the end of the meeting, Ms. Rex gave each of us our very own talking piece, and I am looking forward to the day that I get to use and share it during the peace circles that we facilitate in the future! |
July 27, 2017: Program leaders Shaina Jones and Henry Cervantes held a Speaking Peace outreach session with 50+ 7th-9th graders at Malcolm X College's Westside Learning Center. Students watched, then discussed documentaries of our trips to SE Asia and South Africa. At the conclusion of the session, each student received a Peace Exchange bookmark with tips on peace practices and lessons learned from international travels.
A special note: This session was organized by L'Rae Robinson, the former director of Holy Family's Little Learners Academy. |
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July 22, 2017: Our visits to the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center are always unforgettable, but today's was especially meaningful. Docent Cheryl Bradford gave us a wonderful tour, including a look at the newly opened "Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution" exhibit. We then attended a very powerful presentation by Holocaust Survivor Magda Brown who survived Auschwitz-Birkenau and Buchenwald.
Mrs. Brown shared this with us: My message to all of you young people is: 1. Protect your freedom. Be happy living in a free society. 2. Think before you hate. I am not telling you to hate or not to hate, but to think about the reason why you are hating some one. 3. Stand up to the deniers. Unfortunately, the Holocaust was very real in every aspect. Finally, Peace Builder Anthony Green reflects on the day: Visiting the Holocaust Museum was a great experience. Before going, I never knew that many of the holocaust survivors settled in Skokie. I really enjoyed meeting with Magda and hearing her story. Although she had been through such a unimaginable tragedy, she still was able to smile and crack a joke or two. I truly admire how many of the Holocaust survivors are spreading peace through education on the topic. This ensures that their history is never forgotten and that a tragedy such as the holocaust never happens again. |
July 19, 2017: As part of Community in Schools of Chicago's Summer Institute, program leaders Henry Cervantes and Shaina Jones met with other CiSC partner organizations to overview the Peace Exchange program. Under the theme, "Teaching with a social justice lens", Henry and Shaina outlined some of the practices used in our four-session, five-hour Speaking Peace program conducted with partner Peace on Earth Film Festival.
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July 15, 2017: Peace Builder Juwan McClain provides this recap of Saturday's session:
The Peace Exchange Class of 2017-2018 had their first training session. The topic the Peace Builders learned about was Dating Violence 101 *special emphasis on Dating Violence. This session was taught by Dr. Ozella R. Barnes who specializes in domestic violence and is the Director of Programs at A Safe Place. The Peace Builders learned what Domestic Violence was, the Warning Signs and Cycle of Violence, Statistics and Myths about Teen Dating Violence, Victims Blaming and The Barriers to leaving, and the different types of Domestic Violence and the importance of Safety Planning. The Peace Builders were able to ask questions about Domestic Violence, answer questions about Domestic Violence, and link scenarios of Domestic Violence to their lives. The Peace Builders later watched a video on teen dating violence and were able to identify red flags in teenage relationships. The Peace Builders walked away having learned a great deal about teen dating violence from Dr. Barnes and made a new friend whom they can turn to for help. |
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June 23 & 24, 2017: Parents and 2017/18 Peace Builders gathered Friday evening at Inspiration Kitchens, 3504 W Lake Street, for a get-acquainted dinner. Over a delicious meal, program leaders Henry Cervantes and Shaina Jones, along with parent advisor Pat Jones, overviewed the Peace Exchange program, shared stories, and answered questions.
Peace Builders Jennifer Resendiz and Jailene Valenzuela authored these recaps of Saturday: On Saturday, June the 24th, the Peace Exchange’s Class of 2017-2018 had their first Peace Builder Retreat at the Holy Family School. The Peace Builders were able to break the ice by playing a few name games and speaking about the expectations and responsibilities of being a Peace Builder. Later in the day, the Peace Builders received a few special guests from the Latino Policy Forum’s Multicultural Leadership Academy including Maritza [Rocha], Carrie [Brown], and Kimeco [Roberson]. These powerful role models spoke about their life and how it has impacted them to help others. At the end of the day, the Peace Builders and the special guests were able to create a meaningful bond and experience with each other that will last a lifetime. Jennifer Resendiz On behalf of the Peace Builders and leadership team of the Peace Exchange, we would like to thank you, Maritza, Carrie, and Kimeco, for taking the time to spend the day with us and allowing us to participate in engaging activities and discussions. It was a pleasure meeting each of you and speaking with you on racial diversity and multicultural leadership. Not only did we learn more about each other, but we also learned of the importance of inclusion, diversity, unity, and the awareness of social issues. The Peace Builders can confidently say that your work and experiences have inspired and motivated us to make a difference in our communities and the world in our year with Peace Exchange and beyond. We are very pleased to have worked with you, and we look forward to seeing you all soon! Jailene Valenzuela |
March - May 2017: More than 700 students at six Chicago elementary schools participated in the pilot of our expanded four-session, five-hour Speaking Peace outreach program. With partner Peace on Earth Film Festival, our Peace Builders were able to a much deeper dive into tolerance, conflict prevention and resolution, and nonviolence.
As we reflect on the sessions and the feedback received from surveys of students, we make these five observations:
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May 31, 2017 The fourth session of our Speaking Peace outreach program is a film festival hosted by partner Peace on Earth Film Festival. At this morning's festival, POEFF co-founders Nick Angotti and Milissa Pacelli screened three short documentaries--Three Bridges, We Shall Not Be Moved, and Historia--with 200 6th and 7th graders at Nathan Hale Elementary School in Chicago's Clearing West neighborhood. Milissa moderated lively pre- and post-viewing discussions, some of which are portrayed in this short video.
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May 2, 2017 Two hundred 6th & 7th graders at Nathan Hale Elementary School, 6140 S Melvina Ave, Chicago, took part in an expanded Session 2 of Speaking Peace. Shaina and Henry shared the Peace Exchange documentaries on trips to SE Asia and South Africa. Guest speakers Maritza Rocha, Azalea Acuna, Kimeco Roberson, and Carrie Brown from the Multicultural Leadership Academy participated in a panel discussion on racial diversity and tolerance.
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March 2017 225 students from three CPS elementary schools--Armour, Bell, and Mt. Vernon--participated in the launch of our expanded four-session, five-hour Speaking Peace program. With partners Communities In Schools of Chicago and Peace on Earth Film Festival, our Peace Builders are training 5th-8th graders on violence prevention, conflict resolution, and peaceful practices.
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March 11, 2017 As part of the Peace on Earth Film Festival at Chicago's Music Box Theater, the Free Spirit Pro-produced documentary Ubuntu: The Peace Exchange in South Africa was screened. Following a post-viewing discussion with Free Spirit Pro filmmakers Chad Rispalje, J'mme Love, and Danielshè Rodgers, 2016 Peace Builders Shaina Jones and Mariah De La Fuente fielded questions from the audience.
That same evening, the Peace Exchange received the Festival's 2017 Community Action Award. The citation reads: The Community Action Award is presented to the Peace Exchange, a Chicago organization that is taking significant steps in its community to promote peace, nonviolence, understanding, tolerance and a greater awareness of the issues facing its community and its residents. Presented on this eleventh day of March, 2017 during the Peace on Earth Film Festival at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Signed Nick Angotti, Executive Director Milissa Pacelli, Director |
March 3, 2017 An expanded Speaking Peace program is being piloted with students at Philip D. Armour Elementary School, Mount Vernon Elementary School, and Alexander Graham Bell Elementary School. Intended to give youth a deeper understanding of peace and more peacemaking tools, Speaking Peace now consists of four sessions:
- Session 1: Peace Exchange Introduction (45-60 min) -- Peace Builders introduce peace building as an option for dealing with conflict.
- Session 2: Peace Exchange Film Screening (45-60 min) -- Peace Builders will serve as community role models of peaceful behavior and provide practical ways that students can do the same.
- Session 3: Peace Exchange follow-up session (45-60 min) -- Peace Builders will share three tips on how students can peacefully resolve conflicts.
- Session 4: Film Festival (90 minutes) -- Led by partner Peace on Earth Film Festival, students watch two short films and engage in small group discussions led by Peace Builders.
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In this short video, 8th graders at Armour Elementary School silently mirror one another as a way to practice their concentration and nonverbal communication skills.
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January 27, 2017 WTTW aired all three Peace Exchange documentaries along with Nia & Kim, another powerful film by media partner Free Spirit Media. The documentaries of our trips to Thailand, Myanmar, Nicaragua, and South Africa are available at the News tab of our website www.peacex.org/news. |
January 9, 2017 We're thrilled to announce an expansion of our Speaking Peace outreach program. In concert with the Peace on Earth Film Festival, our Peace Builders will conduct multi-session trainings with CPS students. Topics to be covered include anti-bullying, tolerance, and peaceful practices. We're very thankful to Communities in Schools of Chicago for introducing us to its network of 135 schools.
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Dec 7, 2016 Peace Builders Joceyn Durán Martínez and Mariah De La Fuente met with nearly 200 fellow students at Josephinum Academy. In an abbreviated Speaking Peace outreach session, Jocelyn and Mariah overviewed the Peace Exchange program, shared their documentary film Ubuntu: The Peace Exchange in South Africa, and answered a few questions.
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Dec 1, 2016 Speaking Peace: The Peace Exchange and The Peace on Earth Film Festival joined the students, parents, and teachers at Hendricks Community Academy in the Bronzeville neighborhood. Students hosted a community movie night with the theme of Creating a More Peaceful Society. The event was a great success with 60 participants from the school community.
We kicked off the event with an overview of the message of Ubuntu and screened our documentary film Ubuntu: The Peace Exchange in South Africa. Peace Builders Mariah De La Fuente and Jocelyn Duran shared their personal stories of being trained in peace, traveling to South Africa and coming back to Chicago communities promoting peace. After the film and presentation from the Peace Builders, Hendricks hosted their own panel of student experts on peace making. Special thanks to Hendricks Principal Sandee McDonald and Peace on Earth Film Festival Executive Director Nick Angotti for hosting these important community film discussions. |
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Oct 16, 2016 In this episode of Different Drummers, taped at CBS Chicago, Peace Builders Tyler Matthews and Shaina Jones share their reflections on peace, personal transformation, and their summer trip to South Africa.
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Oct 17, 2016 Peace Builders Tyler, Andrew, Jocelyn, Shaina, and Mariah met with 135 students at Holy Family School, 3415 W Arthington in North Lawndale, in a powerful Speaking Peace outreach session. After an icebreaker--"...and this is how I jigga"--Peace Builders shared individuals reflections on their South African experience, screened both the safari video and Ubuntu: The Peace Exchange in South Africa, and fielded questions. Students were especially interested in the home stay experiences and asked excellent questions about the friendships that were formed during the trip.
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October 11, 2016 An Evening with the Peace Exchange
Ubuntu: I am what I am because of who we all are. 120 friends, family members and fans of the Peace Exchange gathered with the 2016 Peace Builders in the Jensen Room of the beautiful Garfield Park Conservatory. Following a 6:30 to 7:00 dessert reception, the Peace Builders presented their Speaking Peace program. The young leaders screened the film Ubuntu: The Peace Exchange in South Africa, shared personal reflections, and conducted a guided meditation. Free Spirit Media filmmakers and South African diplomats Terrence Tshisevhe and Tshepiso Matlala joined the Peace Builders for a lively Q & A session. The evening ended at 8 pm. |
Sept 23, 2016 As part of Namaste Charter School's Peace Week celebrations, Shaina Jones met with 80 seventh and eighth graders to share stories, screen the documentary Ubuntu: The Peace Exchange in South Africa, and answer questions. Shaina concluded the session with a few minutes of guided meditation and a song.
Later that evening, Shaina, Mariah De La Fuente, Jocelyn Duran, and Jessica Disu attended the South African Consulate's Heritage Day Celebration. Jocelyn spoke about the trip to South Africa and Jessica performed the poem, No Turning Back. |
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August 10, 2016 Young leaders from The Resurrection Project's One Summer Chicago leadership program hosted Peace Builders Ashley Carreon, Jocelyn Duran Martinez, and Shaina Jones for a noontime Speaking Peace outreach session. The most recent edition of the trip documentary from Free Spirit Media was screened and the Peace Builders shared stories about their home stays with Imagine Scholar students in Kamhlushwa, South Africa. Peace Builder Ashley is sponsored by The Resurrection Project.
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August 9, 2016 Gratitude, humility, and being the peace that you seek in others were among the themes expressed by 2016 Peace Builders in their kickoff Speaking Peace meeting with 70 campers at Holy Family's Adventures in Learning summer camp. Shaina, Jocelyn, Tyler, and Drew kicked things off with intros and a very fun icebreaker, then screened a draft of the Free Spirit Media-produced documentary. There were lots of questions to be answered and plenty of reflections to share.
June 15 to July 3, 2016 South Africa! During nearly 2-1/2 weeks of travel, the 2016 Peace Builders had a series of unique experiences that are certain to be life changing. Ashley, Mariah, Jocelyn, Shaina, Tyler, and Andrew also earned accolades for their adaptability, leadership, and receptiveness to unfamiliar settings, new ideas, and different foods.
The trip involved collaborations with three organizations in different provinces of South Africa:
Other highlights include tours of Soweto (including a walk through a Kliptown shantytown), the Apartheid Museum, the Mandela House, the Hector Pieterson Memorial, a visit to Constitution Hill, and an overnight stay in Swaziland. We also sampled the local foods: pap, samp, chakalaka, bunny chow, mealie bread—the list goes on and on! The Peace Builders have witnessed poverty, food insecurity, and inadequate housing on a scale staggering to us. Moreover, they’ve heard first hand accounts of crime, xenophobia, genocide, domestic violence, the inadequacies of the educational system, and drug and alcohol abuse. However, the most important lesson they’re bringing home to Chicago is the power of like-minded individuals, using primarily human capital, to work together to bring about change. We know they'll draw inspiration from the remarkable leaders they met. We’ve very excited about the Peace Exchange’s third phase in which the 2016 Peace Builders share their stories, a documentary film from partner Free Spirit Media, and tips on peace making with at least 1000 Chicago children. |
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June 27, 2016 Peace Builders Lizbeth Sanchez and Corey Aaron shared their stories of adventure and new perspectives on peace from their trip to Nicaragua with 50 1st to 6th graders in a Peace Camp at Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church. In the end, the young campers were able to share what peace meant to them and how they will carry on peace in their lives.
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May 28 & 29, 2016 With our June 15 departure for South Africa less than three weeks away, the 2016 Peace Builders gathered at the Cenacle Retreat Center for two busy days of training and trip preparation.
Program advisor and peace circle trainer Susan Rex spent Saturday morning with us as each Peace Builder got an opportunity to lead a circle discussion. We anticipate sharing this restorative justice technique with our new friends in South Africa. Saturday afternoon included a "blue sky" session on ways to achieve peace and an extended discussion with earlier Peace Builders who shared their stories, experiences, and tips. Henry Cervantes, Jessica Disu, Sergio Melgarejo, Stefany Rendon, and Corey Aaron are great examples of young leaders committed to peace and nonviolence. We wrapped up Saturday with movies from South Africa and a Skype call with Jessica Work.
We were back at it bright and early Sunday morning with a 9 am Skype call with Imagine Scholar students. Following that, the Peace Builders presented to one another and guests the results of their research into South African history, culture, customs, politics, and current events. Members of the Free Spirit Media Pro team who will accompany us discussed documentary film making--"pretend we're not there." Program advisor Sharon Naylor ended the day with a session on mindfulness and meditation and her own stories of traveling and working in South Africa.
Program advisor and peace circle trainer Susan Rex spent Saturday morning with us as each Peace Builder got an opportunity to lead a circle discussion. We anticipate sharing this restorative justice technique with our new friends in South Africa. Saturday afternoon included a "blue sky" session on ways to achieve peace and an extended discussion with earlier Peace Builders who shared their stories, experiences, and tips. Henry Cervantes, Jessica Disu, Sergio Melgarejo, Stefany Rendon, and Corey Aaron are great examples of young leaders committed to peace and nonviolence. We wrapped up Saturday with movies from South Africa and a Skype call with Jessica Work.
We were back at it bright and early Sunday morning with a 9 am Skype call with Imagine Scholar students. Following that, the Peace Builders presented to one another and guests the results of their research into South African history, culture, customs, politics, and current events. Members of the Free Spirit Media Pro team who will accompany us discussed documentary film making--"pretend we're not there." Program advisor Sharon Naylor ended the day with a session on mindfulness and meditation and her own stories of traveling and working in South Africa.
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May 14, 2016 Impact Youth 2016 is the Peace Hub’s 2nd annual conference designed specifically for youth and youth advocates. Held at Chicago’s Gary Comer Youth Center on May 13th and 14th, we attended the Saturday session.
The highlight of the day was a presentation by Charles Jones, a "Know Your Rights" campaign organizer for First Defense Legal Aid. First Defense Legal Aid provides free, 24-hour legal representation to people in Chicago Police custody and educates Chicagoans about how to protect their constitutional rights. Mr. Jones spoke powerfully, and from personal experience, about how to deal when encountering the police: respectfully and with full knowledge of one's rights. Charles advised us that if stopped by the police, one must give them his/her name, address, phone number, and date of birth. Beyond that, the only thing one should say is, "I will not talk. I want my lawyer." https://www.first-defense.org/ |
May 7, 2016 We kicked off a busy Saturday with a half-hour Skype conversation with students from Imagine Scholar, one of the organizations that will host us during our June trip to South Africa.
Diplomats Tshepiso Matlala and Karabo Letlaka from the South African consulate in Chicago provided Peace Builders and their families a comprehensive overview of their country. Over the course of two hours, they covered South Africa's history, economy, politics. culture, and current events. Both Ms. Matlala and Mr. Letlaka shared personal reflections of growing up under apartheid. Mr. Letlaka fondly recalled his encounters with Nelson Mandela. The diplomats presented the Peace Builders with gift bags and copies of Mr. Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. |
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April 30, 2016 Peace Builders Mariah De La Fuente, Jocelyn Duran, Shaina Jones, and Tyler Matthews attended Awaken Chicago, a weekend event within a movement to change the conditions causing violence, isolation, and inequality in Chicago, through connection, learning, and action. We spent much of day at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hyde Park in peace circles led by members of Circles and Ciphers. Shaina performed a song on Friday evening.
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April 16, 2016 The Peace Builders packed a lot into a busy Saturday:
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April 3, 2016 The statistics are disturbing. In the United States, an estimated 1 in 7 girls and 1 in 25 boys are sexually abused before turning 18. Abuse occurs in all neighborhoods and communities, regardless of economic class, ethnicity or religion. Unfortunately, only 20 to 40 percent of child sexual abuse is ever reported to authorities. In more than 90% of sexual abuse cases, the child knows their perpetrator personally
The Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center and its partners are the front-line responders in Chicago to reports of child sexual abuse, as well as reports of physical abuse of children under age 3. CCAC the city’s only not-for-profit that coordinates child protection staff, law enforcement professionals, medical experts, family advocates and mental health clinicians under one roof. For three hours on Sunday afternoon, CCAC educators Julia Strehlow and Traneeku Mikell overviewed child sexual abuse for our Peace Builders, gave us a tour of the remarkable CCAC facility, and impressed upon us the importance of a trauma-informed approach to treating children who have been abused physically, emotionally, sexually, or through neglect. To report suspected abuse in Illinois, call 1-800-25-ABUSE (1-800-252-2873). |
March 12, 2016 One of our favorite days of the Chicago phase of our training is a visit to the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie. Hosted by docent and Peace Exchange supporter Cheryl Bradford, 2016 Peace Builders and guests toured the Museum, met with Holocaust survivor Frank Stern, and learned that genocide continues to this day. The Museum's founding principle, "Remember the Past, Transform the Future," always resonates with our young leaders.
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March 5/6, 2016: Our 2016 Peace Builders volunteered at The Peace on Earth Film Festival, held over the weekend at the Chicago Cultural Center. The Peace Exchange documentary Hacia Adelante: Moving Forward was featured Sunday afternoon. Free Spirit Media Filmmakers Chad Rispalje and J'mme Love made an appearance and Peace Exchange program manager Viggy Alexandersson appeared on a peacemakers' panel discussion. Nick Angotti, the Co-Founder/Executive Director of the Peace on Earth Film Festival, had this to say about our Peace Builder's participation at last weekend's festival: Please pass on to your amazing Peace Builders that they indeed helped to build the peace throughout the weekend. What wonderful dedicated group of individuals - no matter what we needed or asked of them they were there and taking it even beyond had been requested. I look forward to a continued collaboration with The Peace Exchange. Time spent lending a hand to other nonprofit organizations, like the time our Peace Builders spent volunteering at the Film Festival, are included in the 80 hours of training and community service that comprise phase 1 of the Peace Exchange program. |
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February 27, 2016 Back-to-back sessions with two dynamic speakers made for a wonderful afternoon!
Our first presenter, Holy Family School Principal Cheryl Collins, discussed ways to create a peaceful school climate and the roles that we as Peace Builders and student leaders can play. She described Holy Family's journey from a punitive "consequence continuum" to programs that reward and reinforce positive behavior. She spoke about the School's STAR program (Safety, Take Responsibility, Attitude of a Christian, Respect), the student body's morning meditation, and the use of classroom-based peace circles. Principal Collins also encouraged us to read How Children Succeed by author Paul Tough. In our second session, Dr. Ozella Barnes, Director of Programs at A Safe Place and a Peace Exchange advisory group member, gave us an overview of the nature and dynamics of domestic violence. She detailed The Cycle of Violence, outlined the characteristics of a domestic violence victim and perpetrator, and described the barriers that impede a victim's ability to leave an abusive relationship. Dr. Barnes also shared some data on domestic violence: Globally, 1 in 3 women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, while studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic abuse annually. As disturbing: 87% of men who are abused as youth grow up to become abusers. |
February 20, 2016 Peace Builder Shaina Jones penned this overview of Saturday's session with Nick Angotti:
Nick took us through exercises that showed us how to express our emotions properly. In the first exercise we sat in a sacred circle and shared times when our peace was disturbed, while also effectively listening to one another. After this particular exercise, we watched a short film about a boy losing his mother to the London Bombings. The film gave a glimpse into the stages of grief and how aggression is one of the main ways people decide to deal with pain. Immediately after the movie, we wrote letters to people who have caused pain in our life, shredded them, and proclaimed a peace oath. Instead of turning to anger, we learned to shred the problem in our mind and not let the it take over our hearts. In the short time Nick spent with us, he made a very positive impact. NIck is the Co-Founder/Executive Director of the Peace On Earth Film Festival, and Transcendence Global Media. The 2016 Festival takes place March 3-6 at the Chicago Cultural Center. |
February 20, 2016 “Target, aggressor, bystander, confronter, ally.” These are roles played by individuals and groups in bullying and bias incidences. Guided by Jessica Gall, the Education Project Director at the Chicago Anti-Defamation League, Peace Builders participated in a 90-minute workshop on anti-bullying and anti-cyberbullying.
We learned that bullying is the repeated actions or threats of action directed toward a person by one or more people who have or are perceived to have more power or status than their target in order to cause fear, distress or harm. Cyberbullying is the intentional and repeated mistreatment of others through the use of technology, such as computers, cell phones and other electronic devices. |
February 13, 2016 Peace Builder Joceyln Duran shares this summary of today's training on Restorative Justice and Peace Circles led by Susan Rex:
We learned the main parts of a peace circle like what materials we need, and how to start it. We shared what we thought a person should be like during a peace circle. People said that we should have the following: respect, honesty, empathy, trust, and an open-minded. We also shared some important moments like a time when we felt embarrassed and the time when we knew we wanted to become a peace builder. We also shared a time when we felt like we were ignored and how that moment helped us grow. Most of us said that it helped us grow into a more independent person. At the end we had to lead a peace circle with a situation where two students had a fight because they didn't want to share a basketball. We were able to learn and practice how to lead it. |
January 31, 2016 Peace Builders from 2013, 2014, and 2015 gathered with the seven 2016 Peace Builders to talk about the Peace Exchange and their shared commitment to nurture peace and nonviolence in their Chicago neighborhoods. Peace Builder and community activist Henry Cervantes introduced Peace Circles to the new Peace Builders. Peace Exchange co-founder Jessica Work shared her insights on leadership, group dynamics, and achieving personal and interpersonal peace. We also shared the calendar of nearly 80 hours of training and community engagement the 2016 Peace Builders will participate in before their international trip, destination to be determined! |
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January 14, 2016 Over 15,000 viewers tuned into a WTTW/Channel 11 half-hour special on the Peace Exchange. Following an introduction by Peace Builders Stefany Rendon and Tim McBride, both documentaries were aired.
December 10, 2015 Peace Builder Sergio Melgarejo met Friday morning with mothers from the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Many have children who are students at Seward Communication Arts Academy at 46th and Hermitage. These remarkable women have come together to explore ways to nurture peace and prevent violence. Sergio spoke with them about ways they might engage and protect their children.
November 7, 2015 The program for today's 2015 Youth Peace Summit included this paragraph: Each year, 200 Chicago youth ages 10-25 are killed by gunfire, with vastly disproportionate numbers of African American and Hispanic children and teens killed. The social costs of gun violence in Chicago are estimated at $2.5 billion per year, or $2.500 per household. It costs more than $70,000 per capita per year to incarcerate a juvenile offender in Illinois.
We were honored to be the keynote group at a morning workshop, "Choosing Peace: Pursuing & Choosing Peace." Peace Builders Lizbeth Sanchez, Edward White, and Sergio Melgarejo introduced the Peace Exchange, screened the documentary of their trip to Nicaragua, and shared their personal stories and connections to violence and peace. |
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October 7, 2015 Sergio Melgarejo, Stefany Rendon, and Lizbeth Sanchez met Wednesday evening with members of the Rotary Club of Chicago Cosmopolitan. After introductions and an overview of the Peace Exchange, the Peace Builders screened their Nicaragua documentary and fielded excellent questions.
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September 18. 2015 Peace Builders Sergio Melgarejo and Stefany Rendon met with nearly 500 K-8 students as part of Namaste Charter School's Peace Day Celebration. Namaste, located at 3737 S Paulina St in Chicago's McKinley Park neighborhood, is well-known for a groundbreaking educational model that combines health and wellness with academic rigor in a peaceful environment.
In their two Speaking Peace sessions, Stefany and Sergio introduced themselves, overviewed the Peace Exchange, and conducted an icebreaker—three pairs of students doing the “Nicaraguan handshakes”! They shared both the three-minute trailer and the documentary Hacia Adelante: Moving Forward. The sessions ended with a Q & A, and the Namaste students were not at a loss for questions! |
August 28, 2015 This 3-minute trailer for our Nicaragua documentary provides a wonderful overview of the Peace Exchange program. It contains highlights from our two documentaries and introductions by the 2014/2015 Peace Builders. www.peacex.org
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August 6, 2015 Just released: The documentary of our June 2015 trip to Nicaragua!
Filmed during our June 16 to June 27 journey to Nicaragua, this 17-minute video by Free Spirit Media captures many of our favorite moments during our visit to that Central American country. It lovingly captures our interactions with community members from Los Quinchos and El Lagartillo. The video is an integral part of the Speaking Peace outreach meetings our Peace Builders will hold with neighborhood youth. We'd love to get your reactions and comments. Please email us at peacexchicago@gmail.com. |
July 31, 2015 Campers from Holy Family's two-week Speak Peace summer camp toured the Illinois Holocaust Museum and participated in a presentation and discussion with Holocaust survivor Walter Reed. They also performed original spoken word compositions in front of a live audience in the Museum's Goodman Auditorium.
From July 20 to July 31, Peace Builders Stefany Rendon, Arielle Russell, Liz Sanchez, Corey-Aaron Thomas, and Edward White served as counselors, mentors, and coaches. Ranging in age from 9 to 13, the 16 campers represent the Better Boys Foundation, KIPP, and Holy Family Ministries. Lead instructor Viggy Alexandersson developed an interactive curriculum that included training by Susan Rex on peace circles, a discussion on human and civil rights with Amanda Friedeman from the Illinois Holocaust Museum, and appearances by spoken word artists K.W.O.E. and Savi. Iliana Figueroa from Rape Victims Advocates hosted a two-part workshop on respect and self-esteem. |
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July 28, 2015 As part of their Speaking Peace outreach efforts, Peace Builders met with 16 campers who are part of Holy Family's Speak Peace summer camp. Separately, Sergio and Corey met with 30 young leaders who are part of The Resurrection Project's summer program.
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July 10, 2015 Over 130 Adventures in Learning summer campers, ages 4-13, met with our Peace Builders during today's kickoff of the Speaking Peace outreach phase of the Peace Exchange program.
To take the place of the unfinished documentary film, the Peace Builders put together a slide show capturing some of the most memorable moments in their June 16-27 trip to Nicaragua. To that they added introductions, an icebreaker, and plenty of time for questions and discussion. Over the course of five sessions held at the Holy Family Ministries Center in North Lawndale, the Peace Builders shared these personal reflections:
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June 30, 2015 Two days after their June 28 return from Nicaragua, the 2014/2015 Peace Builders visited Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel at City Hall. They chatted with the Mayor about the trip and their peace building efforts, and presented him with a Peace Exchange tee shirt.
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Peace Builder and Josephinum student Stefany Rendon is featured in this two-minute film that will premier at the Aspen Ideas Festival (June 28th-July4th) in Colorado.
Stefany and four other exceptional students from the Chicago area will appear in individual videos played before Aspen Ideas keynote speakers and panelist discussions. At each session there are comment cards provided where attendees can write advice to the young people featured in the film they saw. All five videos can be found here: Allstate.com/GoodStartsYoung |
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May 23-24, 2015 We spent Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend at the Cenacle Retreat Center undergoing training and preparing ourselves for our June 16-27 trip to Nicaragua. Slide show at end of article. Guest speakers and topics included:
Our personal and collective goals—and this list will evolve in the coming weeks—include:
1. Bring back stories to share with my family and neighborhood youth.
2. Reflect on all the things we have in America as we travel through Nicaragua.
3. Appreciate every moment I am there.
4. Try new things, overcome fears—step out of my comfort zone.
5. Be safe.
6. Interact with youth and community leaders and compare our experiences.
7. Be supportive of one another.
8. Have fun!
- Rudy Sosa, a Little Village youth counselor and peacemaker, spoke on native traditions of healing and reconciliation. He shared both his personal story—twice a victim of gunfire—and insights into working with young people. Rudy closed his workshop by smudging (cleansing) each of us with burning sage, a Native American ritual. We were inspired by Rudy’s comment, “The Peace Exchange is powerful medicine.”
- Pam Brockman from the International Association for Human Values shared her knowledge about the breath, stress, the mind, and meditation. We practiced “victorious” or “ujjayi” breathing followed by a guided meditation session. One important takeaway: for every emotion, there’s a corresponding breathing rhythm: to effect emotion, change the breath.
- Free Spirit Media Pro’s Chad Rispalje and J’mme Love screened the documentary they produced of our 2013/2014 trip to Thailand and Myanmar and discussed how they go about making a documentary. The documentary of our trip to Nicaragua will be a key component of the Speaking Peace outreach meetings we’ll hold with neighborhood youth.
- Storytellers Amanda Dimond and Margaret Marion from 2nd Story conducted the first of two workshops that will help us craft the stories we’ll share when we return from Nicaragua. The interactive session included exercises involving completing the sentence “If you knew me…”, and sharing memories arrayed along a “lifeline.” They presented a journal to each of us and encouraged us to use them to capture significant moments from our trip.
- The Peace Builders presented to one another and to the larger group their research into Nicaragua’s economy, history, culture, customs and food. We can’t wait to try the plantains!
Our personal and collective goals—and this list will evolve in the coming weeks—include:
1. Bring back stories to share with my family and neighborhood youth.
2. Reflect on all the things we have in America as we travel through Nicaragua.
3. Appreciate every moment I am there.
4. Try new things, overcome fears—step out of my comfort zone.
5. Be safe.
6. Interact with youth and community leaders and compare our experiences.
7. Be supportive of one another.
8. Have fun!
April 9, 2015 Peace Builders Sergio Melgarejo and Edward White spoke with CLTV's Monica Schneider about the Peace Exchange and their commitment to nurturing peaceful communities.
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April 3, 2015 Together with staffers from Erie Neighborhood House, SGA, and International Association for Human Values, Peace Builders participated in a full-day workshop on restorative justice practices. Henry Cervantes was front and center as the day's principal trainer.
In his overview, Henry explained, Restorative justice peace circles are research-based practices proven to prevent and reduce violence in schools and communities. Peace making circles have a long history and rich tradition of settling disputes and building community. Many indigenous cultures throughout the world use this simple yet profound method to solve problems through collective decision making. Topics the group discussed included:
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February 28, 2015: “Target, aggressor, bystander, confronter, ally.” These are roles played by individuals and groups in bullying and bias incidences. Guided by Jessica Gall, the Education Project Director at the Chicago Anti-Defamation League, Peace Builders participated in a three-hour workshop on anti-bullying and anti-cyberbullying.
We learned that bullying is the repeated actions or threats of action directed toward a person by one or more people who have or are perceived to have more power or status than their target in order to cause fear, distress or harm. Cyberbullying is the intentional and repeated mistreatment of others through the use of technology, such as computers, cell phones and other electronic devices. Jessica used a series of group exercises to help us reflect on common perceptions and misperceptions about bullying. She also provided a safe forum for us to share our own experiences with bullying. Jessica noted that 60% of adults said that they still think about being bullied as a child. We discussed ways in which Peace Builders can act as confronters and allies--"upstanders" as we learned at the Illinois Holocaust Museum. The national ADL website has a wealth of information on combatting bullying and cyberbullying . Jessica concluded our workshop with a powerful anti-cyberbulling video: “This Line is Mine.” |
"This Line is Mine"
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February 7, 2015: Our Peace Builders packed a lot into a busy Saturday. They started the day with Chad Rispalje and J’mme Love from Free Spirit Media videotaping each of them as part of a crowdfunding campaign we’ll launch in March. The three-minute video will provide a brief overview of the Peace Exchange and a compelling case for support. Chad and J’mme will accompany our Peace Builders to Nicaragua and film them there.
Following the taping, Dr. Ozella Barnes from A Safe Place met with the team for a discussion on domestic/gender violence. Dr. Barnes, a clinical psychologist and Director of Programs at ASP, spoke passionately about the nature of domestic violence, provided facts about the scope of the problem, and shared research and her professional experiences about what it takes to transition from victim to survivor. It was startling—and disturbing—to hear that one in four women will experience abuse and that it typically takes eight attempts before a woman can permanently leave an abusive relationship. Knowing what can be done and what resources are available to people being abused were key lessons for our Peace Builders. Pat Davenport, A Safe Place’s Executive Director and a native of Nicaragua, joined us for an overview of her homeland. Pat, who left Nicaragua in 1976, gave our team a historical perspective on U.S. involvement with Nicaragua. We learned that the U.S. occupied Nicaragua from 1912 to 1933. Pat spoke briefly about the Somoza dynasty and the Sandinista insurrection. Pat also described her childhood and gave our Peace Builders practical advice on culture, customs, weather and food, including drinking bottled water! Dr. Barnes is also a member of the Peace Exchange’s advisory group. |
January 24, 2015: An abbreviated group of Peace Builders met with Julia Strehlow from the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center to learn about trauma through the CCAC's program, "The Road to Resilience." The Peace Builders were introduced to the types of trauma (acute, chronic, and complex) and received an overview of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. Julia also talked about trauma-informed care and environments. She impressed upon us the importance of 1) safety, 2) trustworthiness, 3) peer support, 4) collaboration, 5) empowerment, and 6) considerations of culture and history in developing appropriate approaches to treating trauma. Annually, CCAC deals with 2000 cases of child sexual abuse.
Following Julia's presentation, Sharon Naylor took the group through a series of mindfulness exercises that she uses in her role as a occupational therapist specializing in mental health. Mindful breathing, drumming, passing around brimming cups of water (without spilling), and a mindful walk down the corridor of Holy Family School were all part of the exercises. We ended the day by constructing a paper chain of our "wishes" for ourselves, mankind and the earth.
Following Julia's presentation, Sharon Naylor took the group through a series of mindfulness exercises that she uses in her role as a occupational therapist specializing in mental health. Mindful breathing, drumming, passing around brimming cups of water (without spilling), and a mindful walk down the corridor of Holy Family School were all part of the exercises. We ended the day by constructing a paper chain of our "wishes" for ourselves, mankind and the earth.
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January 19, 2015: Our 2014/2015 Peace Builders, with guidance from Program Manager Henry Cervantes, conducted a half-day “teach-in” focused on the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
After introductions, Peace Builders Stefany Rendon and Edward White took participants through Dr. King’s life, beginning with his birth in 1929 and ending with his assassination in 1968. Many of us were astonished at how much Dr. King accomplished by the age of 35, including being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Peace Builders then read Dr. King’s 1965 Nobel lecture, “The Quest for Peace and Justice.” Sergio Melgarejo facilitated a discussion that focused on this passage, “This problem of spiritual and moral lag, which constitutes modern man's chief dilemma, expresses itself in three larger problems which grow out of man's ethical infantilism. Each of these problems, while appearing to be separate and isolated, is inextricably bound to the other. I refer to racial injustice, poverty, and war.” Following, Peace Builder Arielle Russell led a peace circle discussion—the first one for several of us. After a lunch break, we reconvened to discuss the six principles of Kingian nonviolence. The teach-in concluded with a short and very powerful film about the 1963 Birmingham Children’s Crusade. |
December 22, 2014: Race, the Holocaust, and modern genocide were the topics explored by Peace Builders and their guests at today’s visit to the Illinois Holocaust Museum.
We started our day with a look at the temporary exhibit, “Race: Are We So Different?” Thousands of area students have toured the interactive displays, including eighty 7th and 8th graders from four CPS schools who were accompanied by our very own Henry Cervantes. As she did with our 2013/2014 Peace Builders, docent Cheryl Bradford guided our Peace Builders and their guests through the Karkomi permanent exhibition. We wrapped up the day with a powerful discussion with Holocaust survivors Ida and Adam Paluch. Ida, who was adopted by a Polish Christian family, reconnected with her long-lost brother after 50 years of separation. Adam survived two years in the notorious Majdanek concentration camp in Poland where he was the subject of medical experiments. |
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December 6, 2014: Our Peace Builders spent Saturday morning with Tracy Siska, executive director of the Chicago Justice Project, and Cheryl Collins, principal of Holy Family School. Tracy shared insights and data on media coverage of crime and violence in Chicago. Cheryl shared thoughts on Holy Family's "consequence continuum", STAR program (Safety, Take Responsibility, Attitude of a Christian, Respect), and restorative justice initiative. Cheryl led the group in a three-minute meditation to end the session.
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October 20, 2014: The 2014/2015 Peace Exchange got off to a strong start with a weekend retreat, October 18 and 19, at the Cenacle Retreat and Conference Center in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Over the course of two very full days, our seven new Peace Builders participated in the following:
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August 5, 2014: Reporter La Risa Lynch features the Peace Exchange in her article, "Turning Youth into Peace Builders."
August 1, 2014: Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago Park District announce that the Peace Exchange documentary will be featured as part of Chicago's Movies in the Parks series. On Friday, September 5 it will be shown at Ping Tom Memorial Park at 1700 S. Wentworth. On Saturday, September 6, it will appear at Northerly Island, 1521 S. Linn White Drive. Click here for the press release.
June 7, 2014: ABC 7 Eyewitness News features the Peace Exchange's visit to St. Agnes of Bohemia Elementary School.
May 8, 2014: Fox 32 News features The Peace Exchange and The Young Women's Leadership Charter School
February 20, 2014: Fox 32 News Co-Anchor Robin Robinson interviews Peace Builders Tim McBride, Dennis Johnson and FM Supreme about their journey to Southeast Asia.