PeaceJam Northwest: Youth Leadership for a Diverse World
PeaceJam was a two and a half day leadership summit designed to bring youth leaders (ages 13-20) from Oregon and Washington together to network with one another, gain new leadership skills, and develop a "home team" plan for youth leadership/ community service projects back home. It was a youth-designed & youth-led conference, and the theme was: Embracing leadership & diversity: making it real...not a cliché.
About the Attendees
81 youth (aged 13-20) plus 30 young-adult mentors (aged 18-24) attended the conference, supported by 23 adult advisors. The young people came from all over the state of Oregon and SW Washington; the diversity was awe-inspiring! We had young people representing traditional and alternative middle and high schools, in-school youth, out-of-school youth, and youth from community and government organizations. 20 different schools and community entities brought youth to the conference including (from Oregon): OCHA, IRCO, Roosevelt High School, Franklin High School, OR Dept. of Health & Human Services-Foster Care Services, Linn County Peer Court, The Environmental Middle School, YEP, Malheur Co. Commission on Children & Families, Multnomah Co. Commission on Children & Families, Tongue Point Job Corps, Central Latino Americano, SMRYC, and (from Washington): Skyview High School, Columbia River High School, Service Learning NW, Vancouver School of Arts & Academies, Hudson Bay High School, and Jason Lee Middle School.
About the Summit
The summit was a rich and potent weekend filled with dynamic youth-led workshops, inspiring service projects, vital community action planning, and powerful connecting across all kinds of difference. During the weekend, youth learned how to facilitate cross-cultural dialogues, created a 'zine that voiced their perspectives on being "conscientious objectors" to all kinds of injustice, created masks that illustrated their values, dreams, and desires, and created electric poems that demanded freedom from war and solidarity across difference.
Conference Impact
The weekend was a momentous experience for youth and adults alike. Two young people summed up the conference well. The first youth said that they enjoyed most, "the people, friendship, different experiences, dropping prejudices & stereotypes and just being able to be yourself." And a young Latino man, at the closing, looked around the room and said to the group, "We all represent our different cultures and communities coming together for change...I dub us the 'justice league'."
Sponsors
The following organizations have helped make PeaceJam 2004 possible by their support and funding.
- Oregon Commission on Children and Families
- ESD 112
- Blazers Community Builders Youth Corps
- Portland Public Schools
- Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Work Force Development
- Work Force Investment Fund
- State Farm Insurance
The following people and organizations have provided food, scholarships, transportation, staffing, and supplies.
- Vancouver School District Foundation
- Northwest Service Academy
- Human Services Council's VISTA Program
For more info, contact:
Keisha Edwards, NW Regional Educational Laboratory edwardsk@nwrel.org · 503-275-0663
