Illustration from the Internationally Acclaimed, Award Winning Book Why Is Everybody Always Picking On Us? Understanding the Roots of Prejudice
The Center for Applied Psychology, Inc. cites Dr. Terrence Webster-Doyle as an "eloquent leader of the movement to combine principles of education, psychology, and the martial arts to teach young people to resolve conflict peacefully."
Model Programs
The need for a model program is obvious in that it can give one the expertise of what has been worked out in the process of implementing such programs. Two examples of Youth Peace Literacy model programs are as follows:
The Russian Program
Are We Born Hardwired for War? Is Combat in our DNA?
“Most honest combat vets will tell you, perhaps not eloquently but in their own way, the same thing: essentially that combat is in our human DNA and demands to be exercised...The question is, Can we humans evolve peacefully, or will we succumb to instincts we can’t transcend?” – Quote from a former Marine Corp helicopter pilot in Vietnam
In today’s world there is conflict the world over – at home, at school, in offices, among nations. There are ongoing attempts to stop the fighting, stop battles, and stop wars, yet they still go on. What creates this conflict? What is its origin? Is it possible that we are genetically hardwired for war? Is combat in our DNA? Is this what prevents peace?
Samara State University in Samara, Russia has trained and certified students in this program created by the Atrium Society USA
Causes of War
Samara State University in English
Samara State University in Russian
The Liberian Program
Children of War – Brave New Child – Liberating the Children of Liberia and the World
Out of one of the most violent civil wars in recent history comes the inspiring and courageous story about twenty children of war and their dedicated teacher at their peace school in Buchanan, Liberia. These children were raised in war; they know nothing else. Their teacher, Marvin Davis, having had to flee Liberia because his life was in danger came back to teach the children of this war torn country about what caused the war they just had gone through. Putting his own life on the line, and with his father having died in the war, he decided that he had to help these young people to understand and resolve conflict nonviolently lest there be another and perhaps worst civil war out of the ashes of the recent one.
The Halifax Program
Youth at Risk
There is a critical need for youth living in residential care to learn how to solve conflict peacefully. These young people are surrounded by conflict in their home, school, peer group and surrounding communities. Due to disadvantaged life circumstances, youth living in residential care are at an increased risk of becoming either the bully or the victim. Although conflict education is a needed resource for this population, the MAPSTARS program was launched during a time when both the media and police reported an increase in youth becoming involved in, and victimized, by swarmings in their communities. The main goal of the project was to educate and prevent crime related incidents including, assaults, uttering threats, property damage, substance use/abuse, as well as decrease the number of calls placed to the Halifax Regional Police (HRP). In 2003, the Reigh Allen Centre placed 257 calls to the HRP for many of the above-mentioned crime related incidents.