PEACEJAM HISTORY

PeaceJam was conceived on the gritty, gang-infested streets of northwest Denver in the summer of 1994. Suvanjieff, an artist, musician, and relentless dreamer was talking with Latino gang members at the corner of 13th and Wyandot when he discovered that these rough-and-tumble youth not only knew who Desmond Tutu was, they appreciated his nonviolent efforts toward change.

Suvanjieff was blown away. In a prevailing atmosphere of disaffection, apathy, and hopelessness among young people, there was also an acute awareness of and appreciation for human greatness. The dreamer in Suvanjieff emerged and he envisioned Nobel Peace Prize Laureates working shoulder-to-shoulder with youth. It was an idea so brash that some scoffed. Could he entice the laureates to jump on board? Could he really help young people regain a sense of meaning and integrity in the world?

Suvanjeiff's vibe was infectious, though, 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, and she and Suvanjieff spoke with unabated passion about their brainstorm. The Dalai Lama liked the idea and suggested they bring in other Nobel Laureates. One by one, twelve Laureates-The Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, President Oscar Arias, Aung San Suu Kyi, Jody Williams, Máiread Corrigan Maguire, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Bishop Carlos Belo, José Ramos-Horta, Betty Williams, and Sir Joseph Rotblat-learned about the PeaceJam vision and asked, "Where do I sign up?"

Since its launch in 1996, more than 600,000 youth have participated in the PeaceJam program. Over one million service projects have been created and implemented by participating youth, and over 140 PeaceJam youth events have taken place in 10 different countries throughout the world.

PEACEJAM CHRONOLOGY

Click here for a complete PeaceJam Chronology.

PEACEJAM HEADQUARTERS

• EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
• Ivan Suvanjieff - President, Founder
• Dawn Engle - Executive Director, Founder
• ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
• Jes Ward - Director of Administration
• Joanna Rau - Administrative Associate/Accounting
• Ryan Hanschen - Fundraising and Grants Coordinator
• LeRoy Lemos - Director of Development
• PROGRAMMING STAFF
• Kate Cumbo - Director of Programs
• Rudy Balles - Special Programs Coordinator
• Jes Ward - Rocky Mountain Region Affiliate Director
• COMMUNICATIONS STAFF
• Gary Blackwell - Director of Communications
• SUPPORT STAFF
• Pantea Beigi - Rocky Mountain Region AmeriCorps VISTA
• Penpa Dolma - Executive Assistant

PEACEJAM FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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.

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

• Beverly Keene (representing Adolfo Pérez Esquivel)

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Liz Bernstein (representing Jody Williams)
• Michele Bohana (representing Aung San Suu Kyi)
• Aury Luxe (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)
• Robert Van Lierop (representing José Ramos-Horta)
• Monica Willard (representing Betty Williams)
• Dawn Engle (representing Mairead Corrigan Maguire)
• Tashi Wangdi (representing the Dalai Lama)

IRS STATUS

PeaceJam Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered in the State of Colorado

FUNDING SOURCES

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: