Peace Jam 2014
As part of its 40th Anniversary conference, the Department of Peace Studies is hosting a special, parallel Peacejam Youth Event, with Nobel Peace Laureate Dr Shirin Ebadi, on Saturday 3 May. She was Iran's first ever judge, but lost her post after the 1979 Revolution. She now lives in exile in the UK, due to her defence of women's rights in Iran and criticism of the regime's record on human rights and democracy.
This event is open to all 40th anniversary conference attendees, youth workers, teachers, and teenagers aged 14-18. But you MUST pre-register.
PeaceJam is an international peace education programme, aiming at helping teenagers become active citizens and advocates for peace, justice and human rights. It is directed by a group of leading Nobel Peace Prize winners, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, and Aung San Suu Kyi. See www.peacejam.org
Since 2006 PeaceJam has been based at the University of Bradford Peace Studies department, which has hosted an annual PeaceJam youth conference with different Nobel Laureates. This mini-Peacejam on 3 May will be run by students at the University who act as mentors, facilitators and role models for the teenagers attending. We hope to welcome around 200 teenagers, teachers and youth workers from local schools and youth groups for a fun day of inspiration and practical learning about peace and justice.
The day will include a talk and Q and A session with Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, facilitated small group discussions (in what we call ‘family groups’), fun and inspiring ice-breakers and workshops, and a presentation by young people of their own projects for social changes.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What kinds of young people can attend?
Any! We have youth from all kinds of backgrounds, all kinds of schools and youth groups, from around the country and overseas. We also welcome young people in care, and those with physical or learning disabilities (please contact us in the latter case).
Q. What age range of young people can attend?
This event is open to young people between 15 and 18.
Q Can young people attend on their own?
We do allow this for students over the age of 16, but we do ask that they commit to attending the whole day.. However, in general we ask for young people to be accompanied by a responsible adult. This can be a teacher, youth leader, parent etc. The ratio of young people to accompanying adults is up to you. All our student mentors are trained in the University’s child protection policy. We will also send you a risk assessment relating to the event, if you need one.
Q. What responsibilities does the accompanying adult have?
It is their responsibility to get the teenagers safely to and from the conference venue at the University of Bradford, and continue to have overall responsibility for the young people throughout the day. We specifically ask that adults supervise their group at lunchtime. For the rest of the time, the young people will be all together in the main hall, or supervised by our trained student mentors in the ‘family groups’ and workshops.
Q. What do the adults do whilst the young people are working in groups?
We run parallel sessions for the adults, generally teachers and youth leaders, where you can find out more about PeaceJam, how it runs internationally, exchange experiences with others about how to integrate PeaceJam into youth work or teaching, run a club and so forth. We will also be running freestanding session on conflict resolution and dealing with conflict at school, in youth settings
Q. Can I, or other adults, attend just as observers to see whether PeaceJam would be a good activity for our young people?
Of course – you would be very welcome! The best way to understand the energising impact that PeaceJam has on young people is to see it in action. Just let us know if you want to attend in this way.
Q. When does the event start and finish, and what is on the programme?
Here is a provisional timetable. If bringing a group, please ensure you arrive in time for the start and let us know if you have to leave early.
8.00 Registration opens - breakfast provided
9.00 Opening and introduction to PeaceJam
9.20 ‘Family Groups’ 1/Teacher Track 1
10.15 Shirin Ebadi talk and Q&A
11.45 ‘Family Groups’ 2/Teacher Track 2
12.35 Lunch provided
13.15 Groups present their current/future peace projects to the Nobel Laureate
13.55 Workshops
15.30 Closing Ceremony and Peace Parade to the main conference
16.00 Home
Q. How much does it cost and what does this cover?
The cost per young person is £20 if you register by Friday 4 April, and £25 thereafter. All teachers and youth workers attend, as usual, for free. This does not cover transport to and from the University of Bradford, nor overnight accommodation. We can pass on details of local bunkbarns, youth hostels, scout camps and hotels if you need that.
The deadline for registration is Monday 28 April 2014. We need to know numbers/details of attendees by then so that we can allocate young people to balanced discussion groups and finalise the workshops.
Q. Are there any free or subsidized places available?
Yes, there are.
a) We have 15 completely free places for young people from Calderdale, thanks to the generosity of the Werner Townley Fund for Community Cohesion, administered by Calderdale Community Foundation.
b) Local Rotary and Soroptimists clubs can be approached to help local youth or school groups attend PeaceJam. Contact us for information on how clubs have supported PeaceJam to date – that will help persuade your local club! The subsidies are generally in the region of £100 - £250.
Q. How would you like to receive payment?
Please be sure when you make payment to send e-mail notification to Sally Milne at sally.milne@btinternet.com and state which school or group the payment is from and how many it is for, with your contact details (email and mobile phone number) in case there is any query.
If you want to payby cheque, please make it payable to PeaceJam UK and send it care of Sally Milne, 5 Honor Oak Rise, London SE23 3QY
If you want to make a direct transfer to our bank account, the details are:-
Name of Account: PeaceJam UK
Account No: 65614680
Sort Code: 08 92 99
Q. What do I need to do in order to bring a group?
The first thing you will need to do is contact Tony Myers on tonypeacejamuk@hotmail.co.uk
Mobile: 07772 018571 or Landline 0117 902 9282. He will send you materials, including teaching and learning resources about PeaceJam, and important administrative stuff such as registration forms for yourselves and the young people to fill in, which you need to get back to us as soon as possible. They cover all issues, such as contact details, dietary or medical issues. Tony can also provide a risk assessment which school and youth service heads often want to see.
The next thing you should do is get the young people familiar with PeaceJam , and excited about meeting a Real Live Nobel Peace Prize Winner! There are lots of resources for this…..
Q. How do I find out more?
YouTube clips
The PeaceJam foundation has filmed interviews with participating Laureates and posted them on YouTube e.g.
Introduction to PeaceJam and the Global Call to Action
https://www.youtube.com/user/PeaceJamHQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-ephz-xHCk
Interviews with Shirin Ebadi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvEbsKFNTdE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAp28-Q12QM
Book and DVD There is also an excellent book and DVD published by Penguin USA called Peacejam: A Billion Simple Acts of Peace. You can buy copies through Amazon but they tend to be shipped from the USA and take a little while. We have copies in stock in Bradford and can mail one to you for £10. The book has profiles of all the Laureates, including Betty Williams, and follows them whilst they do social action projects with PeaceJammers (a school from Coventry is featured working with Mairead Corrigan Maguire)
Ambassadors Curriculum
This is really a resource pack that consists of two parts. The first is a set of structured activities, such as role plays, that you can do with your young people, to get them talking about diversity, discrimination and conflict. The second part is focussed on the specific laureate and has lots of information about their background and life. You can dip in and out of this pack and use it as you wish. You can use it both before and after the conference. We will email it to you on request.
So, before they get to Bradford your young people need to:
a) Know something about the Nobel Peace Prize
b) Know something about the visiting Laureate, who they are and what they have done in their life
c) Know something about PeaceJam and the Global Call to Action
d) Have had a discussion about what kind of social action project they would like to undertake and be prepared to tell the other participants about their plans