INVITATION TO THE ROTARY PEACE PROGRAMS WORKSHOP
Dear
Rotarians,
In
conjunction with our Fourth Annual Peace Education Conference in
Our
overall public Conference (more detailed information is available below and on
our web site at http://www.peace.ca/CanadianAgenda2005.htm
) goes from November 21 to 28, however participants may select parts thereof
that suite them best. You will be interested to know that on Friday,
November 25 (‘Best Practices Day’), I will be leading a half day workshop on
“Rotary and Peace – Helping Rotary Achieve Its Peace
This peace
education conference is not like other conferences. It fills a vital gap
in building a Culture of Peace, by focusing on root causes, systemic change, and
a long term perspective with a bias for action now. We do not employ a lot
of keynote speakers because we promote the wisdom in all our varied participants
– in other words, everyone is a keynote speaker. We believe we offer a
lot of value to individuals and organizations, while living within a shoe-string
budget (I am pleased to say that the Conference is sponsored by the Rotary Club
of Okotoks,
This is
the only venue where people get together to work on a Canadian Peace Education
Strategy and a Rotary Peace Education Strategy. I believe you know
the need for a Canadian Peace Education Strategy, to get peace education on the
Canadian Agenda, and to get peace education integrated into all schools
throughout
I know you
are very busy, but would you (or your Club’s Rotarian responsible for Peace
Programs) be able to join us? We would love to learn more about your
Rotary Club’s peace programs and plans. For more information, see below
and our web site at http://www.peace.ca/CanadianAgenda2005.htm
(the Registration Information and Form are available at http://www.peace.ca/registration2005.htm
). Please also feel free to contact me at stewartr [at] peace.ca
. I hope to see you and/or your Club’s Rotarian responsible for Peace
Programs at McMaster.
Click on this link to see a copy of the Powerpoint Presentation used in the Workshop.
Regards,
ANNUAL
PEACE EDUCATION CONFERENCE IN
"The
world is dangerous not because of those who do harm, but because of those who
look at it without doing anything." - Albert Einstein
WHAT
FUTURE WILL YOU CREATE? - The
Canadian Peace Initiative (“CPI”) is a process to simply provide the venues,
support and guidance to ‘Open Space to Open Minds to Peace’. The
CPI process is open, transparent, patient and committed, drawing people from all
walks of life, freeing them from their stasis and mobilizing them. All
members of the Culture of Peace movement have to be leaders in their own right,
drawing on their own potential and inner strengths, galvanizing, inspiring and
energizing the peace movement. Everyone is a peace leader and peace
educator. Every day we must take ownership of ourselves and our
relationships: we can do anything we set our minds and hearts to; we do no harm,
expect and demand no harm be done to us or others; no one is better than
another; we are critical thinkers, finding our own truths; education is
our best investment and information our most important resource.
Building a healthy culture is about building healthy relationships – we can do
that. As we take ownership of peace others will follow – because
it will be uplifting and empowering, it will be infectious, and lead to sudden,
massive, cultural change.
(As in all things peaceful, this enlightening statement is the result of many
contributors and supporters. The CPI process has led to the Canadian
Culture of Peace Program . http://www.cultureofpeace.ca
)
Making
an Impact: Your gift to the Canadian Peace Education Foundation will do much to
reduce the human cost of violence in our communities and world through education
about peace and the future in classrooms. Your gift will have a critical
impact on future generations. You will enable youngsters to widen their
sights by exploring alternate paths to transforming conflicts and building a
better world. Gifts of cash, securities, and planned gifts are welcome and
may be sent to the Canadian Peace Education Foundation,
From:
Robert Stewart [mailto:stewartr [at] peace.ca]
Subject: FW: ANNUAL PEACE EDUCATION CONFERENCE IN CANADA Nov 21 - 28,
2005 at McMaster U. in
To Canadian Peace
Promoters,
We need your help.
There is more wisdom in crowds and we would like to attract as many people as
possible to share the value in this important forum.
Please find a copy of
the poster at http://www.peace.ca/canadianposter2005.htm
and press release (copy below) announcing our upcoming Fourth Annual Peace
Education Conference in
This is a wonderful
conference. The greatest compliments we receive is when past participants
tell us their lives were changed for the better as a result of participating, or
they have implemented things that they have learned at the conference with good
results. The registration fee has been reasonably priced to cover our
limited costs (this year we have instituted self-assessed registration fees in
order to be open and accessible to everyone; we also try to help with home
boarding; see http://www.peace.ca/registration2005.htm
), and we would be delighted if you would join us for whatever part of the
conference interests you the most. We would also appreciate it if you
would forward this email and tell your friends and colleagues about this event,
urging their support. (We would adore you if you would print and post the
poster. :-)
This National Peace
Education Conference is part of a larger vision for building a Culture of Peace
and Non-violence in our lives, families, communities,
I invite you to look at
the vast array of topics to be covered on our “Best Practices” day (Friday,
November 25; see http://www.peace.ca/bestpractices2005.htm
) and the main part of our weekend Conference (Nov 26-27; see http://www.peace.ca/worldcafe2005.htm
). November 21 – 23 we provide a Leadership and Peace Workshop, and
November 24 is our Youth Conference Day, for those who can attend. We have
registrants coming from other areas such as
I realize that you are
extremely busy, and challenged to meet your peace goals, without having to go to
“another conference”. However, I suggest that this is not just another
conference. We are leading edge technology in the professionalization of
peace promoters. As you will see from the topics, we are addressing
systemic change, leadership (big picture, institutional and self-leadership),
psychology and education necessary to transform a Culture of Violence to a
Culture of Peace. Peace people are grappling with the rapid, societal
changes taking place – this Conference is designed to help fast track our
development as peace professionals to capitalize on such change.
I hope to see you at the
Conference. Thank you in advance for your support – it is vital to us to
blaze a new path to a Culture of Peace. We need your involvement.
Regards,
ANNUAL
PEACE EDUCATION CONFERENCE IN
"The
world is dangerous not because of those who do harm, but because of those who
look at it without doing anything." - Albert Einstein
WHAT
FUTURE WILL YOU CREATE? - The
Canadian Peace Initiative (“CPI”) is a process to simply provide the venues,
support and guidance to ‘Open Space to Open Minds to Peace’. The
CPI process is open, transparent, patient and committed, drawing people from all
walks of life, freeing them from their stasis and mobilizing them. All
members of the Culture of Peace movement have to be leaders in their own right,
drawing on their own potential and inner strengths, galvanizing, inspiring and
energizing the peace movement. Everyone is a peace leader and peace
educator. Every day we must take ownership of ourselves and our
relationships: we can do anything we set our minds and hearts to; we do no harm,
expect and demand no harm be done to us or others; no one is better than
another; we are critical thinkers, finding our own truths; education is
our best investment and information our most important resource.
Building a healthy culture is about building healthy relationships – we can do
that. As we take ownership of peace others will follow – because
it will be uplifting and empowering, it will be infectious, and lead to sudden,
massive, cultural change.
(As in all things peaceful, this enlightening statement is the result of many
contributors and supporters. The CPI process has led to the Canadian
Culture of Peace Program . http://www.cultureofpeace.ca
)
Making
an Impact: Your gift to the Canadian Peace Education Foundation will do much to
reduce the human cost of violence in our communities and world through education
about peace and the future in classrooms. Your gift will have a critical
impact on future generations. You will enable youngsters to widen their
sights by exploring alternate paths to transforming conflicts and building a
better world. Gifts of cash, securities, and planned gifts are welcome and
may be sent to the Canadian Peace Education Foundation,
NEWS
RELEASE
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Robert A.
Stewart,
Tel: (403) 461-2469
Email: stewartr [at] peace.ca
To
Reach Peace, Teach Peace
Annual
Peace Education Conference brings International attention to
This
four-day conference has been a much-needed gathering place for the last three
years – for not only peace researchers, educators, and activists – but
people from all backgrounds, who recognize that the responsibility to cultivate
a culture of peace in society belongs to all. Participants in the past have
ranged from those who live in residence at McMaster to guests flying in from
places as remote and distant as
This
year’s conference is preceded by a three-day “Leadership and Peace
Workshop”.
Previous
years’ conferences have led to the initiation of provincial and regional
conferences across
Not only
are established peace researchers and established educators attending, but many
students from across the country attend, including many McMaster students from
its undergraduate Peace Studies programme. “Three years ago, this conference
sold me on my decision to go into peace studies at McMaster”, says Rob Porter,
a former Mac student in Honours Peace Studies and Theatre & Film Studies.
“The conference attracts the international theorists and activists that helped
craft peace studies into an academic discipline, who conceived the materials we
read from first year and on in peace studies – and meeting them is an amazing
experience.”
The
conference has been organized by the leadership of
“I
believe we could easily have over 500 participants this year”, says Stewart,
who since founding the Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace (CCTP) in 1997, has
devoted himself to using his professional skills as a general manager and
information manager to help advance peace education in Canada and
internationally. “Promotion is where we need the most help right
now…our conferences are really good, but they are still relatively unknown to
the many who would be interested in coming.”
The Fourth
Annual Conference on Peace Education in
Early-bird
registration is $200 (or $25 for students, $100 for retirees and
non-professionals) if submitted before November 9, 2005. Fees are used to pay
the costs of the conference, and any surplus is contributed to the Canadian
Peace Education Foundation to support future peace education efforts.
For those
interested, more information can be obtained on the CCTP website at http://www.peace.ca/
( http://www.peace.ca/CanadianAgenda2005.htm
), or by contacting Rob Porter at the McMaster Peace and Conflict Students’
Society at pacs@mcmaster.ca.
- 30 -
Contact:
Robert A.
Stewart,
Tel: (403) 461-2469 (toll free )
Email: stewartr [at] peace.ca