In summary, as an output of our recent conferencing, we (Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace – an informal network of peace educators across Canada) are focusing on the following important initiatives, which we wish to bring to Winnipeg and all communities:

• Development of a Community Culture of Peace Program and Network (evolving from the United Nations Culture of Peace Program, which Canada is a signatory to)
• Annual Provincial Peace Education Conferences to engage all key stakeholders, including Ministries of Education and Municipal Government (our goal is to get peace education integrated into all curricula)
• Peace Marketing Strategy and Communications Strategy (i.e. How to “Sell” Peace)
• Community Assessment (vis a vis Culture of Peace; i.e. how does our community rate?  This is a necessity to establish where we are, to be followed by a visioning exercise to determine where we want to be in ten or twenty years, so we can then come up with an action plan of how we get from where we are to where we want to go.)
• Community Centre for Teaching Peace and Peace Café (a home and focal point for activating the above initiatives; explained more below)
• A “How To” tool box of the best processes we have found (how to build peace at the individual, family, community and world levels)
• Raising community resources (people, money, information) for peace education

Our ultimate vision is to build a Culture of Peace in our communities, by raising peace knowledge (my simple definition is “learning the skills, attitudes and behaviours to live together more successfully), awareness and consciousness levels.  Our milestones (goals) on the journey is to significantly reduce the incidence and costs of direct and indirect violence in the community.

Details

During the latter part of September and beginning of October 2008, we have had 3 meetings in Winnipeg about a Winnipeg Centre for Teaching Peace/Peace Café.  These meetings included representatives of Menno Simons College (which has one of the largest peace studies programs at a University in Canada) and Lloyd Axworthy, President of U. Winnipeg (who indicated his enthusiastic support).  This was followed up with 4 meetings in Winnipeg at the end of November.  I am writing to bring you up to date, and to open the door with respect to your possible participation in some form (of which there are many options).

I am the Director of Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace, a network of peace educators across Canada and around the world, that specializes in peace education resources and services.  One of our initiatives is the creation of Community Centres for Teaching Peace/Peace Cafés.  We started our first one last December 2007 in Hamilton, Ontario.  A second developed in Walkerton, Ontario in September 2008 and we are about to open our third one in Calgary (where I am located).  We are also conducting meetings with interested parties in Winnipeg, Nelson (BC) and Toronto.

The concept is that it will be an education centre with amenities to make it comfortable, such as the availability of café type offerings.  The theme is peace – and by that we mean building peace at the individual level, family level, community level and world level.  The mission is to raise social intelligence (i.e. the skills, abilities and behaviours to live together more successfully).  Our approach is “constructivist” (i.e. a positive, building approach modeling the principles of peace set out by the U.N. Culture of Peace Program).  The goal is to significantly reduce the incidence and cost of violence in the community (which is a hot topic in Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto these days).  We recognize Winnipeg as an enterprising, energetic area with a significant community of peace workers/educators.  With the peace education programs at University of Winnipeg/Menno Simon College, University of Manitoba and the Central Mennonite University, we think Winnipeg is an excellent location for our initiative, and will provide a model for other communities.  Our plan is for community centres across the country and around the world.  We know our initiative will be beneficial to Winnipeg.  Our “products and services” would be books, videos, peace art, peace music and live music periodically, peace arts and crafts, conversation cafés, guest speakers, film nights, internet access, workshops, conferences, consulting, etc.  We would initially take a simple approach to the café side of the business depending upon local regulations, and grow into it with experience (eg. maybe relying upon catering from outside to get around food preparation issues).  We will be working with the Universities (and other local educational institutions) to attract people from across Canada and beyond to Winnipeg and area for peace education programs.  We will carry literature from existing peace-related organization in Winnipeg and area, and provide a focal point for any individuals and organizations that would like to meet and network.  It will be governed by a local Board and use local skills (assets).  It will also provide jobs for students of peace of all ages, who will act as guides to help people find related resources they require.  Ours is a model that Winnipeg could consider and tailor to its local needs and assets.

We are a not-for-profit organization, and our budget is limited.  We recognize that it is a challenge to start up a new “business” such as this from scratch.  We expect we will have to rely to a fair extent on volunteer efforts in staffing the centre from 7 am to possibly 11 pm, but over time and with creativity we expect to pay a fair wage to all involved and create “net income” which will be reinvested into peace education activities and infrastructure.  No one is “personally profiting” from the centres.  If you are interested to learn more, our Peace Café web site at http://www.peacecafe.ca  - it is specific to the Peace Café/Community Centre for Teaching Peace initiative and will give you more information on our “philosophy”  (specific references: http://www.peacecafe.ca/protocols ; http://www.peacecafe.ca/prospectus ; http://www.peacecafe.ca/how-to).

In reality, there is no limit to the possibilities and I believe most readers can appreciate this simple but powerful idea.  This really is an idea who’s time has come.

I believe the Winnipeg Centre for Teaching Peace/Peace Café and local organizations could have a mutually beneficial relationship.  I put this forth and ask if you would kindly discuss this with others of like mind who might see the potential – so that we may better achieve our significant potentials to build peace in our community and world. 

We have created 2 Yahoo groups for discussion, networking and information dissemination.  One for the Winnipeg Peace Café (ref. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/winnipegpeacecafe ; to subscribe send an email to winnipegpeacecafe-subscribe@yahoogroups.com) and the other one for Manitoba Peace Educators and the Annual Manitoba Peace Education Conference (ref. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/manitobapeaceeducation ; to subscribe send an email to ManitobaPeaceEducation-subscribe@yahoogroups.com) .

For those interested to look at our list of recommended books to read, please go to www.peace.ca/topten.htm .  At the meetings, we had specifically mentioned these:

Social Intelligence by Karl Albrecht http://www.peace.ca/socialintelligence.htm

Servant Leadership by Richard Greenleaf http://www.peace.ca/servantleadership.htm

We invite you to read the document titled Paradigm shift in education which is an example of how one can model a culture of peace in schools. http://www.peace.ca/PARADIGMSHIFTINEDUCATION.doc

We are looking forward to meet with you again in the new year to bring into action our collective vision of peace education in Winnipeg.

Feel free to email or contact us by phone 403-461-2469 at any time.  Anne-Marie Collette amcollette [at] mts.net ; Bob Stewart stewartr [at] peace.ca

Regards,
Bob Stewart, C.A., C.M.C.