DCPEACE

Vision | Why Violence? | Our Program | Why Is DCPEACE Unique? | Get Involved

In Washington, D.C., vast discrepancies exist in the quality of a child's education depending on where he or she lives. Some have opportunities, encouragement, and security, while others are faced with obstacles and neglect, and fear for their own personal safety.

But imagine for a moment an entire community that truly provides a safe space for learning. A place where each student has a teacher who encourages cooperation, understanding, communication and respect through practical, dynamic, and hands-on exercises. Where every classroom is structured to provide children with the means and time to confront and manage the conflicts they are facing in their daily lives. Where parents support these new approaches that their children are learning by also modeling them in the home. At one of the lowest income communities in Washington, D.C., we are seeing this image become a reality through our new program, DCPEACE.

Vision:

• DCPEACE seeks a city where every child, teacher, administrator and parent has a “tool box” of skills to better manage and transform violent recurring conflicts; a city where students will have the space to nurture their ability to be leaders in their schools and realize the power they have to own their feelings, behaviors and, most importantly, their decisions.

• DCPEACE seeks a new understanding of and approach to peace for the 21st century: a peace that is not effusive, but practical, skills-based, and relevant.
  

• DCPEACE seeks a city where the issues of violence prevention and conflict resolution are brought to the forefront of the agenda in the era of Obama; a city where the many different local and underutilized communities, stakeholders, and organizations that possess relevant resources and expertise in peacebuilding are constructively and systematically engaged.

Why Violence?

In late 2008, another gang fight in a series of fights erupted in Anacostia High School in Washington D.C. Kids were arrested, some went to jail, others went to the hospital, and DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee convened a press conference. She reflected on the challenges that she faces as an administrator in addressing a problem that has plagued the city for years. She could have called for more security guards, more metal detectors, stricter disciplinary codes, but instead she said that "DCPS must completely rethink its approach to preventing school violence… by teaching students to manage conflicts before they spiral out of control.” She then went on to admit that her administration did not have the resources to address the issue of violence alone and that she needed creative help from the NGO community. Read the Washington Post Article here.

Statistics from DCPS website reveal what most teachers and school administrators already know – violence and delinquency in schools are pervasive. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, of the D.C. students surveyed over the course of the 2007 school year, “21% carried a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club, 11% had been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property, 43% were in a physical fight, and 14% did not go to school because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school.” Additionally, students are presented with pressures and challenges at increasingly younger ages. Name-calling, bullying, intimidation and physical fights are just some of the ways that violence manifests itself within our schools. Regardless of whether the source of this violence begins in the home or in school, these incidents have ripple effects beyond those immediately involved, impacting each member of the school community.

Our Program:

To address these challenges, UPEACE/US has partnered with educators, administration, and parents in the District of Columbia Public School system to design and implement an innovative peace education and conflict prevention program for the 2008-2009 school year, which is comprised of:

Educator Trainings: UPEACE/US offers high quality professional development opportunities for educators. By conducting an initial needs assessment, we are able to offer teachers the skills, tools, and concepts necessary to address the challenges they are immediately facing in their classrooms. Our trainings aim to encourage the transfer of peace and conflict resolution skills to the students so they can effectively serve as peacebuilders in their schools and communities.

Skills for Understanding Modules: These modules enable students to learn conflict resolution concepts and skills through concise and interactive workshops conducted by outside facilitators or teachers with the requisite training. This component offers students hands-on skills training and practice with important concepts spanning from effective communication and identity to understanding and global awareness.

Curriculum Enhancement: UPEACE/US equips educators with the appropriate materials, activities, and exercises necessary to successfully incorporate peace and conflict resolution methodology into their existing classroom curriculum. Each weekly curriculum enhancement lesson ties in with monthly program themes and builds sequentially upon the weeks prior, with the goal of encouraging repetition and solidification of these important concepts.

PeaceRooms: Additionally, UPEACE/US has developed an innovative virtual platform called PeaceRooms, in which students will be able to connect with an overseas partner schools for a year long collaboration and experience the tenets of conflict resolution education and explore themes such as multiculturalism, diversity, mutual understanding and world citizenship.

Peace Club: Students meet after school to work on their conflict resolution and leadership skills with DCPEACE facilitators. During these workshops, students explore and discuss what kind of future they would like to see, what it means to be a leader in their classroom, how they think they can be a peacemaker, and much more. This past year, students worked on creative peace projects that were highlighted at the Malcolm X Celebration In Peace on May 19th! Every week we end our club with a big group "FOR PEACE"!

Parent Workshops: UPEACE/US staff will also coordinate high-quality training opportunities for parents to ensure that they are adequately equipped with the necessary skills to serve as positive role models, demonstrating the kind of communication we are striving for in the school system and at home.

What Makes DCPEACE Unique:

DCPEACE takes a holistic approach to educating children on the basic tenets of peace and conflict resolution and was designed to build a network to support peaceable decisions in the most influential elements of a child’s life. We do this through the utilization of learning opportunities, which arise through student interactions in the classroom, by creating an encouraging environment at school though teacher and principal support, and by promoting the nurturing of skills in the home through parent involvement.

Below are six principles that make our approach truly unique:

1. Long-term Commitment: Too often projects fail because they are short term in nature and orientation. We commit to working with fewer schools for at least an entire academic school year and in most cases longer. This allows us to engender trust with the community and see real change evolve.

2. Focus on Elementary Schools: We make a conscious decision to work with elementary schools because that is where we believe we can make the most difference. Fostering core understandings of peace and conflict prevention when children are young ensures that those skills and outlooks have time to sink in as they mature into young adults.

3. A Truly Comprehensive Approach: Schools aren’t just about students. Our program is the first in DCPS to take a school and work with all members of the community: students, educators, parents and administrators alike for an entire year to create a culture of peace.

4. United Nations Networks and Expertise: UPEACE/US as an organization enjoys a unique relationship with the United Nations community through its parent institution the United Nations University for Peace, a global leader in education for peace. UPEACE/US and by extension its DCPEACE program are completely distinct from the UN and yet we have access to a number of professionals, materials, and expertise through this connection.

5. Focus on Technology and Digital Literacy: Solid foundations in technology and digital literacy are extremely important for students to thrive in the 21st century. Teaching students how use cameras, camcorders, and computers creatively, effectively, and responsibly is a central objective of our program. By integrating themes of social justice and global citizenship into this digital space, students feel empowered and connected to other students and other cultures in ways that were not possible even 5 years ago.

6. Creation of Coalition to Bridge Worlds of Washington: We recognize that oftentimes partnerships with schools fail because organizations do not have a good sense of what other organizations are doing in parallel or similar capacities. So we created a coalition of organizations, individuals, and universities that are working in DC schools to combat violence and promote practical strategies and solutions for peace. After finding that a number of organizations in D.C. that deal intimately and aggressively with international conflict, peacebuilding and violence prevention were eager to get involved and share their expertise with local schools, we extended a platform for them to become involved as well. The coalition meets on a regular basis to discuss best practices, collaborate on strategy, and collectively advocate the DC government to focus on violence prevention. With our unique connection to the United Nations, UPEACE/US as a function of the DCPEACE program is uniquely suited to convene and sustain the coalition.

Opportunities to Get Involved

We are actively looking for partner organizations, sponsor businesses, and volunteers to engage with us as we expand this program. If you are interested in learning more and/or getting involved please email DCPEACE Program Manager Indhika Jayaratnam at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .