 FROM THE DIRECTOR
Imagine...
Imagine a community initiative that adopts full schools, reaches every student with educational, experiential, and inspirational actions that help youth succeed.
Imagine that these activities raised average grades from D's to B's, reduced physical and verbal incident reports by 81%, and helped youth stay out of trouble.
Imagine a teacher telling this program, "After you worked with all my 4th grade students, I noticed they were no longer telling on each other over conflicts. I started asking them what was going on and they told me that Peace Learning Center had taught them how to take care of things themselves so they were solving conflicts as they happened."
This is not a dream - these are all documented results of Peace Learning Center - now entering our fourteenth year.
While we are successful with youth we have opportunities to serve, we touch only 10,000 out of 180,000 Indianapolis youth.
Will you help us reach more youth by volunteering or giving financially?
Thank you for your interest and support of Peace Learning Center.
Tim Nation
Cofounder and Executive Director
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| PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
 K-12 Programs
The Youth Services team is busy working with a variety of youth groups from all parts of central Indiana. By the end of the summer, the team will have served groups from Boys and Girls Club Units, Dayspring Center, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful's Youth Tree Team, DREAM Alive, YMCA camps, Indy Parks camps, Shortridge Magnet High School, the Muslim Alliance of Indiana, and many other community centers and churches. Through hands-on and community-focused activities, summer program participants learn skills for healthy communication, conflict management and emotional literacy. While these topics can sound pretty dry, Peace Learning Center's Youth Services team focuses not only on education, but also on meaningful fun - each young person has a chance to smile, enjoy nature, and connect with one another. Our outcomes are best described by the words of our participants - check out some recent evaluation remarks:
- This Session=Epic Win!!!
- Peace Learning Center calls kids (and adults) to higher awareness of social justice.
- We had a great teacher and had a great time!
- This program can inspire youth to be a positive influence.
While the Youth Service Team has many programs scheduled to visit in the coming months, some dates remain available. We offer scholarship support on an as-needed basis. Contact Kirsten Eamon-Shine at keamon-shine@peacelearningcenter.org to find out more!
Corporate & Community Programs  Please check next month's issue of Peace Learning News for information regarding the 2010-2011 programs.
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 International Interfaith InitiativeInternational Interfaith Initiative has been busy with working with partners at the Center for Interfaith Cooperation (CIC). On June 1st III helped host a film about a group of African Americans who established a community in Ghana, West Africa. Then on June 12th we co-hosted a wonderful event for the newest member of the CIC partnership OBAT Helpers. OBAT, www.obathelpers.org, works tirelessly to assist Bihari refugees living in Bangladesh. On June 25th we partnered with the International Center to host a delegation of academics from India for a discussion about interfaith dialogue. They were an enthusiastic group as they spoke about the urgent need to work in a cross-cultural and multi-faith environment to effectively address both local and global issues, and they were very supportive of our work at the CIC.
On July 1st we partnered with American Friends Service Committee to host a discussion with Najlaa Al-Nashi. Najlaa fled the violence in Iraq in 2003 with her mother and sister and became a refugee in Jordan. She has turned her tragic circumstances and unimaginable challenges into motivation to become a passionate activist for peace. In 2008 III's interfaith delegation visiting the Middle East met with Najlaa and learned about the fate of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who are living as undocumented and largely unwanted "visitors" in Jordan. Najlaa's story is similar to millions of innocent Iraqis who lives have been completely upended due to the ongoing war in Iraq- Najlaa implores us to be mindful of this ongoing crisis, to consider the fate of orphaned Iraqi children in Jordan and elsewhere, and to become stronger voices for peace.
Najlaa (center right) met with an Indianapolis interfaith delegation that traveled to the Middle East in June 2008  |
Please visit us anytime at the CIC, here is an event planned for later in July:
Discussion on Ethics and Globalization with author Kelsey Timmerman on Thursday July 29th 7:00-8:30 pm Krannert Rm. Interchurch Center Kelsey Timmerman is the author of the popular book, Where Am I Wearing: A Global Tour to the Countries, Factories, and People that Make Our Clothes. Tracking a T-shirt, underwear, jeans, and flip-flops leads him from Honduras to Bangladesh to Cambodia and China. It is not surprising that he encounters heart-wrenching poverty or gains an eye-opening view of how
much the average piece of American apparel is marked up. He confesses, "There isn't a single worker who makes my clothes who lives a life that I would find acceptable." He is surprised at just how much harm is done to workers when overseas manufacturers are boycotted. Timmerman's interviews with numerous factory workers make it clear that taking away their jobs is akin to creating a poverty tsunami. Timmerman's humorous yet thought-provoking book challenges us to confront how our consumption contributes to - and perhaps can help reduce - global poverty.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Time: 7:00-8:30 pm
Location: Krannert Rm. Interchurch Center, 1100 W. 42nd Street, Indianapolis
Discussion on Ethics and Globalization with author Kelsey Timmerman sponsored by International Interfaith Initiative
Kelsey Timmerman is the author of the popular book, Where Am I Wearing: A Global Tour to the Countries, Factories, and People that Make Our Clothes. Tracking a T-shirt, underwear, jeans, and flip-flops leads him from Honduras to Bangladesh to Cambodia and China. It is not surprising that he encounters heart-wrenching poverty or gains an eye-opening view of how much the average piece of American apparel is marked up. He confesses, "There isn't a single worker who makes my clothes who lives a life that I would find acceptable." He is surprised at just how much harm is done to workers when overseas manufacturers are boycotted. Timmerman's interviews with numerous factory workers make it clear that taking away their jobs is akin to creating a poverty tsunami. Timmerman's humorous yet thought-provoking book challenges us to confront how our consumption contributes to - and perhaps can help reduce - global poverty. For more information on this event, please contact Charlie Wiles at cwiles@peacelearningcenter.org. |
PLC SUPPORTERS
Peace Learning Center welcomes two new board members to the organization: John McShane, Jr. and Cherrish Pryor. Both are very talented individuals and we look forward to working with them.
We would like to recognize those board members who transitioned off of the board this year. We thank them for their years of service and dedication to Peace Learning Center. They are as follows:
Kiahna Davis
Will Friedman
Anne Frye
Benjamin Hunter
Vanessah Ng
Angela Plank
Kelly Wood |
 GET INVOLVED WITH PLC
There are several ways to be a part of Peace Learning Center - - whether making a donation or volunteering. For more information, please click here
TO DONATE PLEASE CLICK HERE
Donate via designated payroll contributions through Annual Employee Campaigns.
If you work for an employer that has a workforce campaign, Peace Learning Center can be designated by writing the name of our agency if it is not listed as a choice. Contact your employer's human resources department or payroll representative about making designated payroll contributions to PLC if you have questions. Peace Learning Center receives contributions given through campaigns associated with the United Way of Central Indiana and others.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Volunteer Opportunties
There's a new opportunity for you to help children in Indianapolis - Peace Coaches. We are recruiting dedicated volunteers to work with students building conflict management and emotional literacy that will benefit them in the classroom, neighborhood and future.
As a Peace Coach you will lead small groups of elementary or high school students through an interactive and highly participatory curriculum. Teams of volunteers visit a classroom for six 1 ½ hour sessions after receiving a two hour orientation.
This new offering allows Peace Learning Center to bring professionals into classrooms, offering students real-world perspectives on the value of critical communication skills and civility.
Peace Coaches was piloted this spring with five attorneys from the Indianapolis Bar Association leadership program at Shortridge Magnet High School. Teacher Mary Nolan said her students benefited greatly through the work of caring adults.
Peace Coach orientation is scheduled for August 10 from 5:00-7:00 at PLC Eagle Creek Park.
In addition to Peace Coaches, Peace Learning Center volunteer opportunities include:
- Corporate and Community events - Help us present Tuesdays @ PLC and other events while learning.
- Landscaping and beatification at PLC Eagle Creek Park - Maintain historic building and grounds.
- Shout Out Crew - Publicize PLC through email and social media.
- Office and Clerical
Contact Lisa Jones, Human Resources Director at 317.327.7144 or ljones@peacelearningcenter.org for all volunteer positions. Another opportunity is coming in August - - Peace Learning Center Ambassadors - - Stay tuned for more information. |
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