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Hope for the Future
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January 2016
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Quick Links
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"Never give up. Have hope. Expect only the best from life and take action to get it."
- Catherine Pulfiser
At PLC we know the power of hope and the effect it can have on a person. On the days that others question why we continue to work towards peace when all seems bleak, our answer is hope.
There is so much to be hopeful for in 2016 and we at PLC know that we will contribute to turning those hopes into reality.
This month's new
sletter is focused on hope because sometimes all we need is the spark of hope to be the catalyst for change in someone's life. Hope is catching, and we hope you catch ours!
This issue of PLC News includes:
- Volunteer of the Month
- Modeling Peace for Our Children
- "Hope Builds Futures" in Tim's Peace Update
- Empower Youth for a Hopeful Future
- Upcoming Events
Peace on,
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VOLUNTEERING AT PLC
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Volunteer of the Month
This month we would like to recognize the 50+ volunteers who came together to ensure that our 18th Annual Martin Luther King Community Festival was an incredible success!
Volunteers helped with registration, workshops, activities, arts and crafts, lunch duty and more!
As always, PLC volunteers are busy making a difference everyday! Thanks to all of you who've helped support our mission to educate,
inspi
re and empower people to build peaceful communities this past month.
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Peer Mediators in Training
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Peacemaking can be a funny thing. Sometimes the less we do, the more children learn. Carving out the time and space to let children be the natural peacemakers they are can feel foreign to adults. We are used to having control and setting all of the parameters to keep our children and our students safe. Many teachers and parents, however, have discovered that sometimes the best thing for us to do is to get out the way. Often this means offering some basic skills and tools before they are needed (by practicing how to handle emotion, communicate (especially listen, and how to problem solve) then getting out the way so that children can practice those conflict resolution skills.
Maria Montessori said, "[a]verting war is the work of politicians, establishing peace is the work of education." Montessori classrooms employ a peace table where children can talk through conflicts in a safe and productive way. Training peer mediators, circle keepers, and youth facilitators are all ways that Peace Learning Center uses to help schools harness the wisdom of youth and their power as peace makers. Think back to a time when, as a child, you had a conflict. Think of what it felt like when an adult solved it for you. Now, if you can, think of a time when you were given the ability to solve it for yourself. We all benefit with our toolboxes containing better skills to address conflict. We challenge you to carve out some time to show the youth in your life what it looks like to resolve conflict peacefully. Literally, demonstrate what it looks like to disagree in a healthy way. Let them practice it with a generic scenario so that they are calm when they practice. Then, let go and let your children or students navigate some of their own conflicts. We get to witness these types of interactions every day. Despite all we see that is going wrong in our schools and our communities, it is hard not to have hope for the future when you see just how wise and powerful our young people can be.
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"What's wrong with kids these days?" I am often asked.
Which kids do you mean? There are so many you never hear about who are doing amazing things. They are full of positive character values, optimism and hearts of service.
If you mean the kids you see on television news who are involved in violence and mayhem, there are a few of them who get most of the attention for their generation.
We serve over 12,000 youth per year in classrooms, camps, juvenile centers and at our Eagle Creek Park location serving pre-school thru high school students.
Young people who fall into trouble most often are missing what other kids seem to have - hope for the future. Some kids do not even know what hope is.
By building positive relationships with young people in trouble, we help them open up and share their stories. Often we hear tales of victimhood and regret. We help steer their attention to their own power to determine their destinies while not getting stuck on other people's actions, "The only thing controlled by you is what you say and what you do," they repeat. Nobody makes you say or do anything - you are in charge.
An amazing process then happens once they realize their personal responsibility for the future - they start having hope. Once they have hope, they take ownership over their education and begin to turn their lives around.
How do we know it works? We've documented grades rising from D's to B's and 75% reductions in disciplinary actions in the youth we serve. Hope makes this happen through caring Peace Learning Center facilitators and volunteers who are making a real difference in Indianapolis.
Please help us by volunteering, spreading the word and donating to help build hope and peace in our community. You are needed.
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GROW YOURSELF
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Empower Youth for a Hopeful Future
Youth are the individuals determining our future and the future of our grandchildren as well as our country.
With that being said, we, as adults need to offer them the tools they need to succeed. Parents, teachers, leaders, guardians and mentors can do this. We, as a whole, can do this as well. We need to take steps and offer programs and opportunities to educate and empower youth so they have hope for the future. We need to provide the right places, the right sources and the right environments for them to progress. If we do this now, our future and their future will be successful.
Peace Learning Center is doing this and you can too. Give your time as a volunteer, donate to support programs, mentor a youth.... Get involved somehow, somewhere
(of course,we prefer you get involved with the PLC), Give our youth the hope and skills they need to create a future of equality, justice, kindness, less violence and hope. They deserve that.
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SUPPORT PEACE
Make Good Changes Happen!
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Please help us thank some of our donors this past month who are helping make peace possible!
Business/Organization Donations:
- National Bank of Indianapolis (18th Annual MLK Community Festival Sponsor)
- Insight Financial, LLC (18th Annual MLK Community Festival Sponsor)
- Pacers Sports and Entertainment (18th Annual MLK Community Festival Sponsor)
Individuals:
- Judge David Dreyer
- Gregory Hahn
- Judith Burke
- Trudy Pierce
- Matt Horan
- Barbara Townsend
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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Beyond You: Youth Empowerment Symposium
WHAT:
A symposium for youth ages 12-18 that will help youth explore ways to become more involved in their community based on their passions, how to set goals, and create change, sponsored by DMHA. More details will be available in the February newsletter.
WHEN: Wednesday, April 27th at 9 am from 3 pm
WHERE: The Athenaeum, 407 E. Michigan St., Indianapolis, IN 46204
For more information about bringing youth the symposium contact
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