PeaceJam, a year-long international education and leadership program for youth, directly links high school-aged students with Nobel Peace Laureates. Eleven peace prize winners sit on the board of directors. Their goal is to teach skills in peacemaking, leadership, and conflict resolution, in order to empower youth to bring real change on a global scale.
The PeaceJam Northwest Conference (PJNW), held annually on the Oregon State University campus, is a two-day event convening high school-aged youth from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Hawaii. Participants develop leadership skills, network with like-minded peers, take part in a service project, and connect with adult mentors who can assist them in planning and implementing community engagement efforts in their community.
Oregon State is one of 15 PeaceJam affiliates around the world, only three of which are housed at universities. The work of PeaceJam NW embodies the mission statement of the University: “Oregon State University, a land grant institution, promotes economic, social, cultural and environmental progress for people across Oregon, the nation, and the world.”
This year's PJNW will be held on April 25 and 26. 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi will work directly with about 250 youth and their college mentors, telling her personal story, working beside them on service projects, and hearing what work they are doing to make the world a better place. Ebadi will also present a public talk open to the community on April 24 at 7:30 in the OSU Memorial Union Ballroom.
Each year, in preparation for the conference, about 40 OSU students train in the curriculum and process of engaging the PJNW participants. These trained OSU students work in pairs with groups of 10 participants for the entire conference weekend, helping the teens engage in thoughtful discussions and plan for meaningful civic engagement once they return home.
Additionally, the service project that participants will take part in was organized by OSU’s Service Center. Through this project, PJNW anticipates between 600 and 800 hours of service to be logged. The PeaceJam conference committee works closely with the OSU Service Center to create a university-wide service initiative that can link the volunteer activities of students with the Nobel Laureates’ Global Call to Action.
Launched in 1996, PeaceJam is the only foundation worldwide to have such a large number of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates (currently 11) working together continuously on one cause, empowering youth.
The goal and spirit of PeaceJam and the PeaceJam Northwest Conference is to inspire today's youth to peacefully transform their local communities, themselves, and the world. To find out how to get involved as an individual, organization, or educational institution, or to sponsor a student participant contact the PeaceJam NW office at peacejam@oregonstate.edu or (541) 737- 3172 at Oregon State University.
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