WMU Home > WMU News

WMU News

WMU News on Twitter

Great Lakes PeaceJam seeking volunteers

Oct. 14, 2010

KALAMAZOO--Great Lakes PeaceJam is recruiting volunteers to serve as mentors to high school students for a one-day conference in November on social issues.

Volunteers ages 18 to 28 are needed to facilitate discussions, activities and games for the organization's annual kickoff event, PeaceJam Slam, Saturday, Nov. 6, at Western Michigan University. Volunteer mentors will join 200 high school students in the PeaceJam Ambassadors program.

Event participants will spend the day examining racism and racial healing, visiting the exhibit, "Race: Are We So Different?" at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum and listening to a keynote address by Sharon Davis of the National Resource Center for the Healing of Racism. They will also engage in dialogue and discussion.

Two training sessions are required to mentor at the PeaceJam Slam in addition to attending the actual event. Volunteers may choose between one of two preliminary training sessions.

Tuesday, Oct. 19, 6 to 9 p.m. at Kalamazoo College's Olds-Upton Hall, Room 408

Tuesday, Oct. 26, 6 to 9 p.m. at WMU's Faunce Student Services Building Kiva Room

The second training session, required for all, will be Thursday, Nov. 4, 3 to 9 p.m. at WMU in Room 158 of the Bernhard Center.

A limited number of mentors are needed. Sign up at greatlakespeacejam.org or for more information, contact Carolyn DeChants at cdechants@greatlakespeacejam.org or (269) 492-7750.

PeaceJam is an international education program built around 12 Nobel Peace Prize winners including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jody Williams and the Dalai Lama. The laureates work personally with youth. Since 1996, more than 500,000 teenagers worldwide have participated in PeaceJam. Participants have developed and implemented more than 300,000 community service and peace projects.

Great Lakes PeaceJam is based in Kalamazoo and serves Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. More than 2,700 young people have participated in Great Lakes PeaceJam since its inception in 2002.

Share |

Media contact: Deanne Puca, (269) 387-8400, deanne.puca@wmich.edu

WMU News
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA
(269) 387-8400
www.wmich.edu/news