Rebecca Janke
Peace Notes: Tools for building a culture of peace and human rights
As the executive director of Growing Communities for Peace, one aspect of my job is to find the latest resources regarding peace education for PreK-12 educators. I am heartened to discover them in increasing numbers. It means that we are truly moving to developing a culture of peace and human rights. May they prove to be helpful in your corner of the world. If you have a peace resource that you would like featured in a future article please send it to peace@umn.edu to enrich this emerging worldwide culture.
Science
Climate Change, Wildlife and Wildlands Toolkit—Seven federal agencies worked to develop the new Climate Change Wildlife and Wildlands Toolkit to aid educators in teaching how climate change is affecting our nation’s wildlife and public lands, and how everyone can become “climate stewards.” The free downloadable kit is designed for classroom teachers and informal educators in parks, refuges, forest lands, nature centers, zoos, aquariums, science centers, etc., and is aimed at the middle school level and includes the following:
- A 12-minute video introducing climate change issues as they affect wildlife and wildlands
- An overview of the science of climate change
- Case studies on 11 ecoregions highlighting regional impacts to habitats and wildlife, and information on what people can do to help
- A glossary of climate change terms to build vocabulary
- Classroom activities keyed to national science standards, developed by participants in the 2008 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship program
- Additional hands-on activities and formal and informal educator resources.
www.globalchange.gov/resources/educators/toolkit
The Little Earth Charter—Little Animation released its latest animated series for early education—The Little Earth Charter.
What do the words “life,” “interconnected,” “family,” “past,” “Earth,” “peace,” “love” and “future” mean? To respect and care for life, human rights, the environment and a sustainable future on earth are shown with loveable Planet Earth and Little Rosie.
The Little Earth Charter was created to help teachers integrate universal environmental values into their classrooms. It is a compelling program produced in consultation with the Earth Charter Initiative and Manitoba’s Ministry of Education Citizenship and Youth.
www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/articles/260/1/The-Little-Earth-Charter-animated-file://C:/DOCUME-1/winuser/LOCALS-1/Temp/edu5C:htmshorts/Page1.html
KidEarth—This is a children’s environmental movement started by Aitan Grossman, a 6th grader from California. Aitan wrote “100 Generations,” a ballad he says is about “the integrity of nature we’re taking for granted” and sent it to schools on six continents in search of children like him who wanted, through the power of music, to fight global warming. Children from countries threatened by droughts, fires, rising sea levels and melting glaciers—Botswana, France, Taiwan, Venezuela, Ethiopia and the United States—eagerly volunteered to be part of Aitan’s global music project.
Aitan posted the “100 Generations” anthem on his kidEarth website and is inviting school children around the world to add their voices to its chorus. All they need to join in is music from the website, a digital video camera and lyrics sung in their language about local natural landmarks they hold dear. KidEarth kids hope their message will go viral so that all kids, who are about to inherit an earth vastly different from their parents’, will learn what they can do to turn the world’s climate around.
The efforts of these kids, along with the “amazing things adults are doing to un-endanger endangered species and to save the planet from the bad effects of global warming,” Aitin notes, are cause for optimism.
But just in case adults need some help, Aitan wants people who share his concern to “plunk” down 99 cents and buy the “100 Generations” song. He plans to give the song’s profits to environmental groups that are doing their part to save the planet. Two of Aitan’s favorites are the World Wildlife Fund, which echoes kidEarth’s international global warming message with its work in 100 countries, and the Alliance for Climate Protection, whose mission is to teach the world about climate change, started by Aitan’s hero, Nobel laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore. To purchase the song, search for “kidEarth” on iTunes or Amazon MP3. You can view video of children singing at www.youtube.com/group/kidEarth.
www.kidEarth.us
Language Arts/Media
MyPeace.TV—This is a social networking site for people to unify and co-create peace through media.
www.MyPeace.TV
Peace-building Storytelling Guide—The preface is written by Dr. Jane Goodall and the foreword by Ralph Summy and is suitable for children ages 7-15. It is available at the organization’s website. Each chapter will introduce the reader to the different peace-building elements defined by the Teaching and Learning for Peace Foundation in Australia as being important to peace-building stories. It presents strategies for using peace-building stories in classrooms and invites children to write their own. Examples of children’s stories are provided.
www.tlpeace.org.au
Poetry
The Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Awards—This contest encourages poets to explore and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human spirit. The poetry awards are offered in three categories: Adults, Youth 13-18 and Youth 12 and under.
The contest is open worldwide.
www.wagingpeace.org
President Barack Obama’s Speech on Race—For in-depth lesson plans and activities based on President Barack Obama’s historic speech on race.
www.teachingtolerance.org/magazine
Click on “Our Challenges as a People.”
Service Learning
Pennies for Peace—This is a service-learning program designed to help students broaden their cultural horizons and learn about their capacities as philanthropists. The program educates students about the world beyond their experience and shows them that they can make a positive impact on a global scale—one penny at a time. In Pakistan and Afghanistan a penny buys a pencil and opens the door to literacy. Lesson plans, study guides, maps, video and other resources are available.
www.penniesforpeace.org
O Ambassadors—This is a joint project of Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network and Free the Children that inspires young people to become active, compassionate and knowledgeable global citizens to create lasting change in the world. The program connects students in North America with people around the world to work toward the Millennium Development Goals. Educators are invited to form an O Ambassadors club at their school, either as part of classroom programming or as an extracurricular activity. To apply, visit the website.
http://oambassadors.org
Sister Schools Program—More than 60 percent of the 250,000 people living in refugee camps in eastern Chad are children. The Sister Schools Program Initiative links American middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities with schools in Darfuri refugee camps. The program’s goals are to improve the education of Darfuri students living in camps through the construction and rehabilitation of school buildings, teacher training and provision of sports equipment and other school supplies; and to foster cross-cultural relationships and mutual understanding between American and Darfuri refugee students through letter exchanges and video blogging.
A donation of $82 will provide a Darfuri refugee student with textbooks, school supplies, teacher kits and sports equipment. You can register your group to participate at the website. Also at the site you can find links and information on additional ways to get involved and make a difference.
www.darfurdreamteam.org
Social Studies
Educators for Social Responsibility (ESR)—ESR has an online teacher center. After registering, you can view lessons and activities by grade level and theme.
www.esrnational.org
Global Education Motivators (GEM)—This is a nonprofit education nongovernmental organization in association with the United Nations Department of Public Information. GEM was founded in 1981 to help schools meet the complex challenges of our changing world. Emphasizing human rights, GEM is educating a second generation to global awareness and responsibility in an interdependent world.
www.gem-ngo.org
Starting Small—Teaching Tolerance in Preschool and the Early Grades—This free professional development resource from Teaching Tolerance has been released on DVD.
Teaching Tolerance has a wealth of resources for all grade levels—visit their website and become a subscriber to Teaching Tolerance Magazine (free).
www.teachingtolerance.org
Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers—Visit the website for the latest news and opportunities regarding peace education. As the president of Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers I have posted the September/October issue of the Global Education Newsletter under President’s Memo found on the right side of the home page.
www.mapm.org
Continued good work in connecting students to the culture of peace and human rights.
For ongoing access and purchase opportunities and state-of-the-art resources visit
www.humanrightsandpeacestore.org.
Rebecca Janke, M.Ed. is co founder and executive director of Growing Communities for Peace and the President of the Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers which represents 77 peace and justice organizations. She is the recipient of the 2009 Outstanding World Citizen Award and is one of the co-founders of the Human Rights and Peace Store on-line at www.humanrightsandpeacestore.org. She served several years as a Montessori teacher in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Public School Montessori Programs and was the founder of a private Montessori School in Hudson, WI.
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