On September 10, 2011, the Annapolis Peace and Justice Center hosted a conference to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11. At the conference, the APJC offered a grant to the student, or group of students, that could come up with the best idea to make the next ten years safer.
Five highschool students from the Key School in Annapolis listened to a presentation by Colman McCarthy. They realized that schools traditionally teach about wars and famous battles and military heros, but don’t often focus on famous peacemakers or successful conflict resolution sessions. These students outlined a curriculm and won the grant from APJC.
This effort is now known as the Teaching Peace Initiative (TPI). Begun and continuing since 2011, this project has led to field tested workshops for area fourth through sixth graders, and has focused on helping these young students become personally sensitive to the signs and effects of bullying in the schools, while also providing them with tools to allow a greater awareness of what it takes to become “peacemakers” in our communities.
To learn more about the initiative and see the current curriculum, please visit the Teaching Peace Initiative website.