The Peace Technology: Connecting Locally, Linking Globally seminar (of
the Peace Prize Forum) has created this pre-conference on-line forum enabling
all interested persons to post their thoughts and experiences about peace,
violence, and healing, and read what others say about peace and violence.
See our WebBoard conversation links pages.
We will reflect on these pages as we make our face-to-face presentation at St. Olaf College, in
Northfield, Minnesota, USA on Saturday, February 19, 2000.
Bruce Roberts <roberts@stolaf.edu>,
Professor of Psychology and Co-Director Intercultural Email Classroom Connection
(IECC)
Howard
Thorsheim <thorshm@stolaf.edu>,
Professor of Psychology and Co-Director IECC
In October, 1999 we six presenters of this Peace Prize Forum seminar worked together on an on-line international conference for educators focused on
schools and the impact of war in Kosovo. Our participation in this
global conversation allowed us to observe means for activating world peacemaking
efforts with the help of technology.
The potential for good from cross-cultural classroom connections is powerful. As one participant said during the recent Kosovo project,
perhaps the classrooms of the world should have a foreign policy because they bridge the very differences which often divide us and serve as seeds
of war.
One of our paradoxical concerns is that the young in some parts of the world have become so accustomed to peace, that they can not even imagine
consequences of war. They have difficulty understanding that peace "allows" normal life to happen --
classes, homework,
relationships, family time, and career possibilities. The presence of war disrupts those
pursuits, just as domestic violence or violence in schools or the workplace does when that happens.
Could an on-line forum be a tool to educate hearts; to bring people
close to victims themselves and let empathy take hold, we wondered? To that
end, three web pages follow which we hope will connect people worldwide and let
their stories be heard.
2. Freedom from
Fear:
Strategies for Peace
Classrooms around the world, from Kindergarten through higher
education
will join in small group discussions about issues of peace, war and making
connections.
Persons who have been victims of violence and war tell their personal
stories of healing or of the trauma itself.
Any person who has personally experienced the trauma of violence
and/or
the healing processes which can follow, are encouraged to write their
story
on-line. The stories of trauma and healing can include
Stories from War, Stories of Healing, Stories from Schools, Stories from
Home, Stories from
Neighborhoods, Stories from Work, etc.. The purpose of such
stories is to connect emotionally with readers, so that they can gain
a
meaningful understanding.
Log into our message boards and enter the Victims of Violence
conversation to submit a story or
read the stories of others. Stories are listed in categories,
please be sure to
post yours in the appropriate conversation thread. If you happen to
submit your story in error or
you would like to change its status please email the Head
Moderator so changes can be made.
To log in to read the VICTIMS/VIOLENCE STORIESpage,
click here.
If you want to tell an experience of healing or violence, or join an
ongoing conversation, please become a registered user first (See TO BECOME
A REGISTERED USER below).
Classrooms are encouraged to link together in small groups with other
schools to carry on informal conversations about peace and violence.
It is assumed that the students who are talking to each other will
take
the time
to get to know each other's names, hobbies, interests, and perhaps
something about their family, and expectations for the future.
Some classroom-to-classroom conversations could, for instance also
talk
about:
(1) preventive strategies for emerging conflicts,
(2) cross-cultural understanding, and
(3) new insights into differing perspectives on issues of peace and
violence, or
(4) they could focus on questions such as "What do I hope
will happen in my future?" followed with a question like
"What
difference would
it make to me if war, domestic violence in my family, or other kinds
of
trauma, were to happen to me, and prevent my dreams (hopes, plans, etc.)
from happening?"
Possible conversations can take place among students in grades K-6, 6-9,
9-12 and among students in colleges and universities,
We suggest that one or two representatives from a class be the initial
on-line contacts for their class -- to converse with similar
representatives from the
other schools/college classrooms within a given Peace-group
Conference.
To log in to read the CLASS-TO-CLASS STORIES page,
click here. If you want your class to
join a conversation, please become a registered user first (See TO BECOME
A
REGISTERED USER below).
Academic
Reflections on the Roots of Violence is a web page where
you can read what students at St. Olaf College
have identified as some of the research-driven
understandings of the sources of violence and war. These
students
have
provided this academic content to serve as a resource for
understanding
why and how violence is initiated and thus gain insights into possible
means for its reduction.
To post your reflections on what has been written in the
ROOTS/VIOLENCE COMMENTS pages, please become a registered user
(See TO BECOME A REGISTERED USER below) and then
click here.
TO BE A
REGISTERED USER: Log into the Peace
Prize Forum WebBoard
Guests feel free to log in and read through the discussions anonymously.
To post you must be a registered user. All are welcome to become
registered users and join in the conversations (click on New Users to
register). To access the Peace Technology Conversations just click on the
appropriate heading to read the opening statement, all previous posts, and
post replies relevant to the topic. The discussion moderators reserve the
right to modify or remove posts, if necessary.
Guests entering conferences are
limited to read-only access
New users click here to create
a personalized profile
The purpose of our "Peace Technology: Connecting Locally, Linking
Globally" seminar is to help others understand a way to use technology to
foster peace and healing in their own lives, homes, communities and
nation.
We need your reaction to what we are doing. We will, in turn, pass on
your comments to others. Please send your comments to
Bruce Roberts. Thanks.
