Founded in 1993 by David Wang, Peace by PEACE is a group of ninety Columbia University students who volunteer their time every week to teach the core curriculum to over 700 fifth-graders in New York's public schools. All volunteers undergo training in classroom management, curriculum methodology, and appropriate interaction. We assign the volunteers to one of twenty-three different classrooms at # of schools. These groups of three to five teachers visit the school every week for an hour-long session. Each year is a dynamic one. Every group maintains contact with the classroom teacher, developing a strong relationship in which both collaborate to shape, form, and customize the curriculum to the needs and abilities of the classroom. This localized relationship is further buttressed by weekly co-group meetings where different groups of volunteers convene to exchange notes, techniques, and experience in order to strengthen the curriculum and optimize the time spent in class. Managing all these relationships, the twenty-member steering committee meets once a week to discuss operations, evaluate classrooms, develop community relations, and offer support for all the needs of the students, teachers, and volunteers. All of these groups operate under the auspices of Community Impact, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to serving more than 16,000 disadvantaged children, adults, and families in the Upper Manhattan area.
Violence claimed the lives of almost 200,000 youths, resulting in an average of 565 deaths each day (World Health Organization, 2000). In light of such frightening realities, Peace by PEACE reaches out to young students in the Upper Manhattan area to foster understanding, promote courage, and prevent violence. We engage children in a creative, mutual learning process based on the concepts of our core curriculum, which are:
Volunteers teach techniques of non-violent conflict resolution to students in fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms in Harlem, Washington Heights, and Morningside Heights (School Districts 3, 4, 5, and 6). These are some of the most troubled school districts in the state of New York. Specifically, the New York City Board of Education reports the following statistics for District 3, 4, 5, and 6 in 2000:
Research shows that conflict resolution programs like Peace by PEACE can be effective in negating these disturbing trends. The New York Times, reviewing the effect of conflict resolution curricula on children, reports that these curricula can “improve performance on achievement tests and instill cooperation, and positive attitudes toward school and self-control.” Citing a University of Washington study, the article also reports that schools that implemented a conflict resolution program saw a “29 percent decline in incidents involving hitting and fighting and a 20 percent decline in verbal aggression like insulting and taunting.” Peace by PEACE makes an appreciable impact on the lives of the children who participate.