Founded 1996 (1996) Area served Global | Location Denver, Colorado | |
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Type Foundation (United States law)
(IRS exemption status): 501(c)(3) Focus Water, Equal Rights, Disease, Poverty, Human Rights, The Environment, Weapons, Ending Violence Method Educating Youth and Activism | ||
The PeaceJam Foundation is an international organization whose mission statement is "to create young leaders committed to positive change in themselves, their communities, and the world through the inspiration of Nobel Peace Laureates who pass on the spirit, skills, and wisdom they embody." The PeaceJam program was launched in February 1996 by co-founders Dawn Engle and Ivan Suvanjieff to provide the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates with a programmatic vehicle to use in working together to teach youth the art of peace.
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To date, 13 Nobel Peace Laureates, including the 14th Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, President Oscar Arias, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Betty Williams, José Ramos-Horta, Aung San Suu Kyi, Sir Joseph Rotblat (Emeritus), Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi, and Leymah Gbowee, serve as members of the PeaceJam Foundation. On September 15, 2006, 10 of the Nobel Laureates launched the PeaceJam Foundation's Global Call to Action with the youth of the world as a part of PeaceJam's 10th Anniversary Celebration.
The PeaceJam Foundation has been nominated eight times for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In May 2014, the PeaceJam Foundation launched the 'One Billion Acts of Peace Campaign', a global citizen's campaign designed to tackle the toughest issues facing humanity. In January 2015, the campaign and organizers Dawn Engle and Ivan Suvanjieff were honored with seven Nobel Peace Prize nominations.
History
The story of PeaceJam began in the summer of 1993 when Ivan Suvanjiff had a discussion with four neighborhood youth who were carrying guns. Suvanjieff found out that these youth were inspired by the Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu, and had an idea to bring Nobel Peace Prize Laureates to youth in the Denver area. Dawn Gifford Engle, a colleague of Suvanjieff's, had contacts with the Dalai Lama. They began creating a business plan to present to the Dalai Llama. They flew to India and presented their idea to the Dalai Lama, who agreed to help them. Engle and Suvanjieff's idea became PeaceJam.
Officially founded in 1996, PeaceJam has had more than one million young people participate in the United States and in countries around the world. PeaceJammers have created almost two million service projects designed to address problems in their own schools and communities.
Global Call to Action
In September 2006, 10 leading Nobel Peace Laureates and more than 3,000 young people traveled from all over the world to Denver, Colorado, to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the PeaceJam Foundation. The 14th Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, President Oscar Arias, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Mairead Maguire, Betty Williams, José Ramos-Horta, Jody Williams, and Shirin Ebadi came together in the largest gathering of Nobel Peace Laureates ever held in U.S. history. They announced plans for a 10-year campaign, now known as the One Billion Acts of Peace campaign, designed to tackle what they perceive as the 10 greatest challenges to the survival and well-being of our planet today.
The 10 Global Call to Action issues are:
Education
Each of PeaceJam's award-winning programs includes activities that enhance the academic, civic, and social-emotional skills of youth, fostering the essential leadership skills and character traits necessary to create positive change in the world and addressing issues such as bullying, racism & hate, poverty, and apathy.
Each Curriculum Guide is aligned to educational standards and engages students in a high quality service-learning process aligned with PeaceJam's One Billion Acts of Peace - designed to build 21st century skills, anti-bullying, global citizenship, and community engagement.
Peacejam Juniors serves ages 5–11, Peacejam leaders serves ages 11–14, PeaceJam Ambassadors serves ages 14–18, PeaceJam Scholars serves university aged youth. and the Peacejam Juvenile Justice program serves at risk youth at all ages.
Nobel Legacy Film Series
Working with the 13 inspiring Nobel Peace Laureates who make up PeaceJam’s board, the PeaceJam Foundation is developing a series of films highlighting the cutting edge work being done by the Laureates as they fight to create a better future for all of humanity. Directed by Dawn Gifford Engle, Children of the Light, Rivers of Hope, and Daughter of the Maya are the first three award winning documentary films in PeaceJam's Nobel Legacy Film Series.