"The mission of the PeaceJam Foundation is to create young leaders committed to positive change in themselves, their communities and the world through the inspiration of Nobel Peace Laureates who pass on the spirit, skills, and wisdom they embody."
What vision of heartbreaking misery, what manner of dire poverty, what degradation of the human spirit must we all see before we stand up and actually commit to doing something about it?
This website is your personal invitation to become part of one of the most exciting youth movements of our time: PeaceJam and The Global Call to Action. PeaceJam is bringing young people together with Nobel Peace Laureates to tackle the toughest issues facing our planet - issues ranging from basic needs, such as access to water, to basic rights, such as social justice and human security. Change starts here, and we are inviting you to become a part of it. How will you answer the call?
For Dawn Engle and Ivan Suvanjieff it took a very long time to realize that some kind of "call to action" was even possible. They are the children of Detroit factory workers, average and flawed people from very ordinary backgrounds. They say that "There is absolutely nothing fancy or outstanding about either one of us." Dawn financed her college education by waiting tables and applying for scholarships; Ivan worked on the line at Ford Motor Company and played in a rock and roll band. Dawn worked her way up the ladder as a policy maker in Washington, D.C; Ivan became a writer and an artist and a very accomplished busboy. Somehow they both ended up living in Colorado in the summer of 1993 (call it fate).
Watch Dawn and Ivan tell their story or read it below
That summer, in the rough and tumble barrios of Northwest Denver, gang activity hit a record high. There were so many drive-by shootings, so many young people dying, so many tragic cases of innocents caught in the cross-fire, that the media dubbed it ‘The Summer of Violence'. One day, as he was leaving his apartment to go to work, Ivan saw four young boys carrying guns. He called them over to talk and he discovered that these rough-and-tumble youth not only knew who Desmond Tutu was, they appreciated his nonviolent efforts toward change.
That urban encounter proved to be the genesis of PeaceJam. Ivan was on fire—if these guys could get excited about the idea of non-violent change, he thought, anyone could. He had a huge brainstorm—maybe what Denver needed was to put young people together with Nobel Peace Laureates like Tutu, to inspire young people to use their energy to work for positive change. Maybe this was what the world needed.
Suvanjeiff's vibe was infectious and he soon sold Dawn Engle on the concept. Engle, a former Washington politico and cofounder and chair of the Colorado Friends of Tibet, was granted an audience with the Dalai Lama. They had to borrow money from friends to fly to India but somehow made it, and the Dalai Lama liked the idea and he said yes, I will do this. But he also told them to involve some of his other Nobel Peace Laureate friends, so young people could study their lives and get many different perspectives on the world. They ended up back in Ivan’s unheated loft in Denver, cold-calling Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, so incredibly fired-up about the idea that they didn’t realize just how impossible it really was.
Before long, the PeaceJam program was launched, and to date over 600,000 young people have participated in the USA and around the world. PeaceJammers have created almost one million service projects designed to address problems in their own schools and communities. Archbishop Tutu recently commented on the creation of PeaceJam, saying, “It seemed like a crazy idea at the time, but it has gained an incredible kind of momentum and it has made a huge, huge difference in the lives of many young people by giving them hope and direction.” One person really can make a difference, and PeaceJam has proven it repeatedly by empowering young people to become agents of change, all over the world.
PeaceJam's program is built on a pyramid of three simple ideas: Education, Inspiration, and Action.
Education:
The process starts with education, as the students participate in PeaceJam Programs focusing on the lives of the Nobel Peace Laureates. Programs are available for youth ages 5-29 and each program includes components which stimulate critical thinking skills, strengthen research skills, build skills in leadership and nonviolence, and promote personal reflection and growth. Each program teaches specific content around the lives and work of the participating Nobel Peace Laureates including an exploration of the issues that affect communities – both locally and globally. In this section of the site you will find more information on all PeaceJam Programs and how to Get Trained.
Inspiration:
Education is followed up by Inspiration, which comes from meeting the Nobel Laureates at conferences, and connecting with other people working on projects for their communities. Through the first-hand stories provided by the Nobel Laureates, youth will get to know each Nobel Peace Laureate on a very personal level - each story emphasizing the Laureates choice to stand up for social justice, human rights, nonviolence, and peace. In the Inspiration section of the site, youth can learn about the Nobel Laureates, find upcoming PeaceJam Events, share and look at pictures and videos from PeaceJammers all over the world in the Gallery, and talk to their fellow PeaceJammers on the Message Boards.
Action:
After being properly inspired, Jammers get out of their seats and into the streets! They get to work by taking on PeaceJam's Global Call to Action - an ambitious campaign to create and track ONE BILLION projects addressing ten of the most pressing issues facing our world. This section will also give you specific ways to create and implement a Global Call to Action Project, and will be where you can register your project so that it can be counted toward the one billion project goal.
Each Laureate member of the PeaceJam Foundation appoints someone to serve on the PeaceJam board for a two-year term. Below are the current members of the PeaceJam Board.
Chairwoman of the Board
Liz Bernstein (representing Jody Williams)
Board of Directors
Cecelia Valegra (representing Adolfo Perez Esquivel)
Michele Bohana (representing Aung San Suu Kyi)
Aury Cuxe (representing Rigoberta Menchú Tum)
Ana Yancy Espinoza (representing President Oscar Arias)
Sally Milne (representing Sir Joseph Rotblat)
Dr. Ali Moiin (representing Shirin Ebadi)
Naomi Tutu (representing Archbishop Desmond Tutu)
Claudia Abate (representing José Ramos-Horta)
Monica Willard (representing Betty Williams)
Mairead Corrigan Maguire (representing herself)
Lobsang Nyandak (representing the Dalai Lama)
PeaceJam Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered in the State of Colorado.
A large percentage of PeaceJam's funding comes from individual donors who make regular or one-time contributions to support our work. Almost 90% of funding goes directly to programming and PeaceJam relies on the generosity of over 1,000 volunteers each year to deliver its services to youth around the world.
The PeaceJam Foundation also receives funding from a variety of sources including the following:
The Fetzer Institute
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation
National Service Learning Partnership / Academy of Educational Development
The Gill Foundation / Gay and Lesbian Fund
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment / Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program | The Daniels Fund
The Denver Foundation
The Rose Community Foundation
The Ford Foundation
The Colorado Department of Education
The El Pomar Foundation (EPYCS) |
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