A brand new program!

This spring I developed a brand new program with Virginia, the counselor at Conerly Road Elementary School. The program, which we are christening Reel Peace: Kids Teaching Kids Peace Through Moviemaking, is a really fun new way to train kids in conflict resolution and problem solving. For 12 weeks I went to Conerly Road Elementary every Monday morning and worked with 25 third and fourth graders. They chose five topics that were common problems kids their age deal with everyday. The topics were Bullying, Getting Along with Brothers and Sisters, Gossip and Rumors, What to do When Parents Fight, and Help I'm Hooked on Video Games. Then we spent several weeks doing improvisational acting to work out scenes and even more important, solutions to those problems. The kids then wrote scripts that included a scene that showed the problem and at least three solutions for the problem. We spent an entire Saturday from 10 in the morning to 6 pm videotaping the movies the kids wrote. Each movie starts with a teacher talking about the problem, then goes to two documentary-style interviews with kids who've had the problem themselves. After that the scene that was scripted was acted out and that was followed by different students giving suggestions for solutions to the problems. The videos and a workbook were given to each counselor in the school district to use to help the kids in their school. Plus the kids in the Moviemakers' program spent a week going from class to class at Conerly Road Elementary, showing the video and discussing the topics with the kids in the class. It was a great experience for everyone involved! So much fun and lots of learning involved! --Donna

An Unveiling!

Last Tuesday we unveiled one of our newest Peace Murals!! It was an awesome night of art, camaraderie and inspiration at West Orange High School where 25 teens from the art club and Ms. Tol's Art 3 class worked on the activities and mural all year. They even had a team of artists/taggers from the local area and New York City helping them (they spray painted the background of their mural. Well, as they say a picture's worth a thousand words so I think the best bet is to post a few photos to introduce you to the newest mural.

PEACEWATER names Where Peace Lives June Donation Recipient

PeaceWater, located in Montana, has been created to help fund non-profit organizations actively participating in both local and global efforts. Peacewater has chosen Where Peace Lives to be the recipient of 30% of their June water sales as a donation to our organization. Please visit their web site to find out more about this incredibly inspiring startup company.

The Founders
Patrick Collins and Greg Gould came across each other by chance and ended up sparking a revolution.

Greg Gould
Greg likes to think he’s pretty smart, and we know this because, well, he is! As a recent graduate from Carroll College in Helena Montana, Greg is dedicated to making an impact on our world through progressive thinking and more importantly, progressive action. Greg is dedicated to setting the bar for responsible organizational practices and becoming a leader on the forefront of change. In collaboration with Patrick Collins, the two decided it was time for a change.

Patrick Collins
Patrick, what can we say about him? Patrick has a difficult time keeping his head on his shoulders as great ideas constantly spring up and down. He balances his vivacious imagination with his uncanny ability to know what people want. After leaving San Francisco and moving to Helena, Patrick has developed a burning desire to change the world by becoming an active peace advocate and developing the image for PeaceWater.