Summer 2007 Program

Participants in the Youth Peace Makers program often decide from their dialogue process to undertake a community development project or address a pressing concern in their community. Among past accomplishments are the following:

Girard Street Playground
Youth Peace Makers chose to focus on the development of safe recreational areas in the neighborhood and to bring about changes within the school system to ensure that all groups of students had equitable opportunities. They advocated for, and participated in, the Friends of Girard Street Playground Committee, to plan the cleanup and development of the Girard Street Playground and buildings adjacent to the playground, an area that has been the site of several murders. In 2002, then Mayor Anthony Williams submitted a $4 million reprogramming request to the City Council, which was approved, for the rehabilitation of the playground and buildings. To complement the work of the committee, one of the buildings was designed as a recreation center to serve the needs of young people in the neighborhood.

DC Philanthropy Project
MCS was selected by the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region as a community partner to run the DC Philanthropy Project. Three of the youth from the MCS Youth PeaceMakers Program sit on the Community Foundation board, participating in making funding decisions for the youth philanthropy program, called Urban Uplifters.

Children's Trust Anti-Smoking Campaign
MCS and the Youth PeaceMakers group were selected by the Children's Trust as the Ward 1 representatives in the Way Too Cool To Smoke Leadership Initiative, in which city youth run smoking prevention campaigns among their peers. Two youth from the MCS program participating in the campaign were chosen to sit on the citywide board, where one of their responsibilities was to review proposals from city groups representing diverse populations (Latino, Vietnamese, gay/lesbian) who wished to participate in the campaign.

Mayor's Youth Advisory Council
Two MCS youth participated in the Mayor's Youth Advisory Council, where they helped to plan a citywide Youth Summit and were instrumental in the Mayor's and City Council's approval of the City Youth Council.

DC Mayor's Youth Summit
MCS trained several of the participating youth as dialogue facilitators, and they assisted with the flow of table discussions during the DC Mayor's Youth Summit 2000.

In addition, MCS Youth PeaceMakers planned, prepared, and led PeaceGames, a role-playing workshop designed to facilitate discussions on race relations during the DC Mayor's Youth Summit. During the PeaceGames, 16 of the Youth PeaceMakers, working in pairs, moderated seven PeaceGames discussion tables and then led a plenary session at which student spokespersons reported on followup ideas for the Summit.

Dropout Prevention Workshop
Youth PeaceMakers convened a dropout prevention workshop for 50 youth. The discussion panel included older youth who had quit high school.

Diversity Training
Youth PeaceMakers planned and implemented "Diversity in My Community," a training workshop for youth about diversity issues in DC's Ward 1. A major component of this workshop was based on the documentary film, Tutu and Franklin:  A Journey Towards Peace.

City Advocacy
Youth PeaceMakers have met with community leaders, and school and city officials, including former Washington DC Mayor Anthony Williams, DC City Council Member Jim Graham (Ward 1), DC Parks and Recreation Director Neil Albert, and DC Public Schools Chief of Staff Steven G. Seleznow, on issues concerning youth in the community.

Personal Growth
In addition to these specific accomplishments, participating youth have demonstrated signs of significant personal growth, learning to be sensitive to youth from other ethnic, socioeconomic, and national backgrounds, gaining self-confidence, acting as ambassadors to other youth and adults, and moving forward to take hold of opportunities in their lives. One 13-year-old participant determined, after a year of being involved with the program, that his primary responsibilities were his education, his school work, and his academic success. These, he stated, were the assets he could rely on to bring him greater and longer lasting returns in his life. Another of the participating youth has been accepted at Stanford University. Another was recently honored by Men Against Rape for his outstanding contribution in preventing teenage pregnancy in his school.

For more about peacemaking  -- for example, the theoretical basis of the Youth Peace Makers Program -- go to the links on the Facilitation and Mediation page.

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