The PeaceJam Foundation PeaceJam is an international educational program built around leading Nobel Peace Prize Laureates who work personally with youth.

The PeaceJam Foundation

PeaceJam is an international educational program built around leading Nobel Peace Prize Laureates who work personally with youth to pass on the spirit, skills, and wisdom they embody.Nobel Peace Laureates Rigoberta

Menchú Tum and the Dalai Lama

Our Mission

The mission of PeaceJam is to

create a new generation of young

leaders who are committed to

positive change in themselves,

their communities and the world

through the inspiration of 12 Nobel

Peace Laureates. PeaceJam Founders Dawn Engle &

Ivan Suvanjieff

Members of the PeaceJam Foundation

The Dalai LamaArchbishop Desmond TutuAung San Suu KyiShirin Ebadi

Betty WilliamsAdolfo Pérez EsquivelPresident Oscar AriasMáiread Corrigan Maguire

Jody WilliamsSir Joseph RotblatRigoberta Menchú TumJosé Ramos-Horta

Ivan Suvanjieff conceived of the idea for PeaceJam in the summer of 1994 when talking to some gang members from his neighborhood in North Denver. He discovered that they not only knew who Archbishop Desmond Tutu was, they also appreciated his nonviolent efforts toward social change. Suvanjieff realized the power of connecting disaffected youth with Nobel Peace Laureates, as new role models for positive change. His colleague, Dawn Engle, had met the Dalai Lama during her years of working for the U.S. Congress. Engle and Suvanjieff were granted an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who liked the idea.

The PeaceJam Story

The Need: Youth in Crisis• Most youth do not identify themselves as people

who can generate greatness in the world. • Our young people are plagued with overwhelming

feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness. • These feelings are universal and transcend racial,

political and economic boundaries.

For Example:For Example:

• 37% of high schools and 30% of middle schools nationwide report disciplinary problems due to gang activity.

• Bullying in schools has increased from 1999 to 2003 with 43% of middle schools reporting disciplinary problems due to bullying.

• 33% of youth reported being in a physical fight one or more times in the past 12 months.

• 20% of Africa American youth and 22% of Hispanic youth report feeling afraid at school or on the way to school.

(U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics; Center for Disease Control)

The PeaceJam Foundation

was founded in 1996 in Denver,

Colorado to address

these needs.

PeaceJam Facts

• Over 650,000 youth worldwide have participated in PeaceJam programs.

• Through the PeaceJam program, more than 350,000 new service projects have been developed and implemented.

• Each student has had an average of 45.5 contact hours with their teacher, mentor, community leader, or PeaceJam staff member.

• 60% of high school age participants attend a PeaceJam Youth Conference with a Nobel Peace Laureate and 35% have a personal interaction with the Laureate.

• Thousands of new volunteer opportunities for youth have been created worldwide.

PeaceJam Ambassadors: The PeaceJam Ambassadors Program is designed for youth ages 14-19 and

explores issues related to peace, violence, social justice and oppression. Youth study the lives and work of Nobel Peace Laureates and the strategies they use to address pressing global issues. Participating youth create and implement their own Global Call to Action Projects, becoming creative leaders who are committed to solving the most difficult problems facing our world.

The program also includes an annual PeaceJam Youth Conference where youth spend a weekend with a Nobel Peace Laureate giving them an unprecedented opportunity to share with, learn from, and be inspired by a world leader for peace.

PeaceJam Evaluation Plan In 2005, PeaceJam launched a comprehensive evaluation plan

to document the impacts of the program on youth participants at the K-12 and college levels, as well as the institutions and educators that work with them. The annual PeaceJam Evaluation is conducted by RMC Research Corporation.

Methods• Quasi-experimental design consisting of pre-post surveys for

PeaceJam participants and comparison groups of youth who do not participate in PeaceJam.

• Data are also collected at the program level including descriptive statistics of participants, program structure, and quality of program implementation.

Evaluation Findings

In general, PeaceJam participants have higher measures of school, community, and civic engagement than their peers that did not participate – past results also indicate that they scored higher levels of proficiency on State Education Standardized Tests.

Community EngagementPeaceJam participants’ scores on measure of community engagement such as, “I feel proud of my neighborhood or town” increased from pre to post survey while the scores of non-participants declined.

Civic SkillsPeaceJam participants’ scores on measure of civic skills such as, “I listen to other people even if they have different ideas” and “I know how to work well with other students” increased from pre to post survey while the scores of non-participants declined.

Civic KnowledgePeaceJam participants rated increases in civic knowledge as one of the primary outcomes of their PeaceJam experience as measured by questions such as, “I learned about global issues and/or international policies” and “I learned about national issues and/or policies.”

Evaluation Findings (continued)

Peace/Nonviolence (including conflict resolution and problem-solving) PeaceJam participants’ scores on measure of peace & nonviolence such as:

– “Most problems in the world can be solved without using violence”– “Doing things that help people in other countries is important for everyone, even

young people”– “I learned how to solve problems and conflict in peaceful ways” – “When I get older, I want to help stop wars and fighting”

increased from pre to post survey while the scores of non-participants declined.

College• 34% of respondents indicated that participation in PJ positively impacted their

decision to go to college.• 61% of respondents indicated that their choice about what to study in college was

influenced by participation in PJ.

Social Justice & Human Rights• PeaceJam participants increased knowledge of social justice and human rights one of

the primary outcomes of their PeaceJam experience as measured by questions such as, “I know and care more about social justice and human rights.”

PeaceJam Impacts

93% of those who participate in PeaceJam believe that “one person can make a difference,” and 97% feel that because of their experience in PeaceJam, they will be peacemakers for the rest of their lives.

» Equal Access to Water and Other Natural Resources

» End Racism and Hate

» Stop the Spread of Global Disease

» End Extreme Poverty

» Ensure Social Justice & Human Rights for All

» Ensuring Rights for Women and Children, and Recognizing their Role as Leaders

» End Environmental Degradation

» Ban Nuclear Weapons and End the International Arms Trade

» Disarm our Armed Consciousness

» Focus on Human Security to Create True Security