Pieces for Peace Project
During the spring of 2017, The Curriculum of Hope for a Peaceful World committee, along with other committed people, has been dedicated to the Pieces for Peace project. The committee has collaborated with CITYarts from New York City to bring this opportunity to Northeastern Connecticut. Local schools were invited to participate in Pieces for Peace using the creative process to build bridges of cultural understanding between American youth and their peers from around the world. Student work joined with artwork from 67 countries to become part of the vast collection of CITYarts.
The Pieces for Peace display includes 30 pieces of artwork done by children throughout the world. The pictures are the students’ interpretation of “What does peace look like to you?” The art work has been displayed at E.O. Smith High School in Storrs, CT, J. Eugene Smith Library at ECSU, Bentley Memorial Library, Bolton, CT, and Art Space Gallery in Windham, CT. It was also shown at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford and at the Mansfield Community Center.
On Sunday May 21, we had a Gala Reception at Art Space. Local students from E.O. Smith and North Windham School also shared their incredible work. Tsipi Ben-Haim, the director of CITYarts, was our guest of honor, as well as Mayor Ernie Eldridge and Senator Cathy Osten. Over 50 people attended throughout the afternoon. It was a lovely and successful event!
We are planning to keep the momentum going with our follow up activities. We want to make a 30 piece P4P Traveling Exhibition for the state of CT. It will hang in the Legislative Office Building in Hartford next spring. As suggested by Tsipi, we will call it the CT Pieces for Peace Traveling Exhibition, inspired by CITYarts P4P project of New York City. There is also an ongoing discussion with Tsipi and Mayor Eldridge to build a peace wall in Willimantic, CT. We are excited about the possibilities ahead!!
Visit our Pieces for Peace Project Page
The Pieces for Peace display includes 30 pieces of artwork done by children throughout the world. The pictures are the students’ interpretation of “What does peace look like to you?” The art work has been displayed at E.O. Smith High School in Storrs, CT, J. Eugene Smith Library at ECSU, Bentley Memorial Library, Bolton, CT, and Art Space Gallery in Windham, CT. It was also shown at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford and at the Mansfield Community Center.
On Sunday May 21, we had a Gala Reception at Art Space. Local students from E.O. Smith and North Windham School also shared their incredible work. Tsipi Ben-Haim, the director of CITYarts, was our guest of honor, as well as Mayor Ernie Eldridge and Senator Cathy Osten. Over 50 people attended throughout the afternoon. It was a lovely and successful event!
We are planning to keep the momentum going with our follow up activities. We want to make a 30 piece P4P Traveling Exhibition for the state of CT. It will hang in the Legislative Office Building in Hartford next spring. As suggested by Tsipi, we will call it the CT Pieces for Peace Traveling Exhibition, inspired by CITYarts P4P project of New York City. There is also an ongoing discussion with Tsipi and Mayor Eldridge to build a peace wall in Willimantic, CT. We are excited about the possibilities ahead!!
Visit our Pieces for Peace Project Page
Making Friends and Dealing with Your Enemies
Jeff Veley, a dynamic award- winning youth expert and international speaker, spent a full day on September 12th 2016 at Windham Middle School in Willimantic. The program, entitled Making Friends and Dealing with Your Enemies, helped to combat school bullying and disruptive behaviors that adversely impact a school’s learning environment. Jeff is the recipient of the Golden Rules International Award from the Inter-Faith Peace Building Initiative, has appeared on television and is recognized by the United Nations as a World Peace Ambassador in 120 nations.
In the morning, Jeff presented three assemblies, one for each grade level 6, 7, and 8. He interfaced with students working on strategies for responding to bullies in a positive non-escalating manner which builds personal self-reliance and self-esteem. He addressed all types of intimidation including cyberbullying. Students learned philosophies and techniques to improve safety factors in school and other surroundings. Using a blend of humor, story telling, demonstration and student participation, Jeff introduced a simple two-step model to promote personal resilience coupled with social and emotional skills, with a final result of resolving problems and turning enemies into friends. In the afternoon, Jeff met with the entire staff to address their particular concerns regarding curriculum ideas, classroom management strategies and teaching modifications to help students dealing with social exclusion, physical contact, verbal insults, rumors and any other behaviors presented. In the early evening, there was an ice cream social for parents and students with fun activities that give them the opportunity to work together on skills presented in the morning. Parent concerns were addressed.
The program was sponsored by the Windham Middle School PTO/ Windham Public Schools and Alpha Kappa State’s Curriculum of Hope for a Peaceful World Committee. The Curriculum of Hope has received grants from the Lester E. Foster and Phyllis M. Foster Foundation and the Jeffrey Ossen Family Foundation. Several Curriculum of Hope members attended various parts of the day's events where they received many thanks from staff members, parents and students for providing this service to the school population.
Model UN Invitational, Trumbull High School
Anita Satriano, a 25-year member of the Curriculum of Hope Committee who currently serves as its Chair, and Ann Cavanaugh Grosjean, Delta Kappa Gamma's NGO representative to the UN and CTAUN (Committee on Teaching About the United Nations) were Keynote Speakers at the Model UN Invitational Conference at Trumbull High School. Small groups of students from thirteen schools in New England participated in the day-long event.
Anita welcomed the students, praising them for their commitments to the UN and its programs for human rights, equality, and justice throughout the world. She reminded attendees how critical their voices are in creating a peaceful world and becoming world leaders for tomorrow. Click here for the transcript of her address.
Ann's message updated the students on UN efforts to eradicate child soldiering and other mistreatments of children throughout the world. This topic was particularly relevant as Human Trafficking Around the World was one situation being discussed by the student delegates. Click here for the transcript of Ann's address.
Anita welcomed the students, praising them for their commitments to the UN and its programs for human rights, equality, and justice throughout the world. She reminded attendees how critical their voices are in creating a peaceful world and becoming world leaders for tomorrow. Click here for the transcript of her address.
Ann's message updated the students on UN efforts to eradicate child soldiering and other mistreatments of children throughout the world. This topic was particularly relevant as Human Trafficking Around the World was one situation being discussed by the student delegates. Click here for the transcript of Ann's address.
Global Peace Roundtable
The Curriculum of Hope for a Peaceful World Committee hosted a “Global Peace Roundtable: Worldwide Educational Initiatives” breakout session at the Delta Kappa Gamma International Convention in Indianapolis on July 31, 2014. Sixteen Delta Kappa Gamma members from ten countries participated in the roundtable discussion. The countries participating were Germany, Costa Rica, Estonia, Great Britain, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and the United States. They shared initiatives that promote peace and educate global citizens in their respective countries. They shared common themes such as helping children value other children and the need to integrate or imbed peace education in other subject areas. The participating teachers expressed that teaching the attributes of caring, respect, responsibility, and compassion and skills such as critical thinking, creative thinking, and conflict resolution are essential elements to educating global citizens to live in a culture of peace.
The participants sent written copies of their presentations to the committee. The papers are posted here on the Connecticut DKG website. We hope that many will read the papers and share our hopes for a peaceful world for future generations. Please click on the name of the country to read its presentation.
Other papers presented at the round table:
1. Peace Program at a school in Germany
2. US Forum Chair, LaWalta Turner
3. Judy Fox Jackson, US Forum, Tennessee
4. Kathy Boyer, US Forum, Utah
5. Presentation by Dr. Morag Gundy from Ontario, Canada
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