This update on Peace Education Program activities in Canada and the Alberta Restorative Justice Conference is brought to you by volunteers Annelies Bertsch, (British Columbia), Marielle Comeau (Quebec), and Michel Klamph (Ontario).
Warm salutations to you all!
The confinement of 2020 brought different challenges to the volunteers involved with the Peace Education Program in Canada as facilitation of the course moved to virtual platforms.
By December 2020, over 37,000 people have participated in the courses internationally. Compare this to the end of 2019 when 36,000 people participated in the course primarily in live classroom settings. There has been great support as we moved to the virtual platforms and we have shown that we have adapted to the new climate of facilitating the program.
Our Canadian volunteers have continued in their efforts to promote the Peace Education Program. We attended the Inner Game Institute conference in July, Correctional Educational Conference in August, and the American Probation and Parole conference in September.
In November, the three of us participated at the 2020 virtual conference of the Alberta Restorative Justice Association. This national conference attracted delegates from throughout Canada as well as representatives from Brazil, New Zealand, and Germany. The Peace Education Program had a virtual exhibit booth at the conference with video, graphic and print materials about the course and a drawing to win copies of the book, “Peace is Possible” by Prem Rawat.
Our presentation, “Collaboration for Humanity,” reinforced the Alberta Restorative Justice Conference theme and introduced the course content and scope of the program to the delegates. As a result of this effort, nine people have signed up to participate in the program starting in January which will be hosted by a team of experienced facilitators from Victoria BC.
Your support allowed us to participate in correctional conferences over the past three years and gave us the opportunity to maintain professional relationships as we continued to meet volunteers and professionals involved in the criminal justice community. We continue to submit proposals for 2021 and 2022 to international conferences and journals which focus on education, corrections, and peace. The Peace Education Program continues to be recognized as a positive contributor in these venues.
Wishing you all new opportunities and magical moments in 2021.
