Peace Studies

Winter Solstice 2007 -

Peace Studies as part of your Community Network Information Framework - Make that Your New Year’s Wish.

Winter Solstice and Christmas 2007 is an important time to discuss Peace with your Friends and Family and to take actions that will ensure Peace Studes becomes part of our School’s Curriculum and part of our Personal Study each week.

Peace Studies has part of RAIN Network’s online learning campus since 1994.

We have been building Peace Studies resources and hosting a yearly Peace Poems Project which has students from around the world sharing poems about Peace.

If you have a Poem or Story to share or want to read what others have sent in from around the world go to: http://www.rain.org/campinternet/peaceworks/ to take part in our PeaceWorks Project.

You may ask what does a Community Internet Network have to do with Peace Studies?

Its simple. The “Framework” which goes to make up a Community’s idea, (or Ideal), of what everyone should expect as far as easily available learning tools and resources, (the same as we expect to have schools, libraries and parks). Community Education Programs, Public Schools and Afterschool Programs must include Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution Studies, for young students, High School students and adults.

As we have sought to find ways to make use of new technology in order to help re-weave the fabric of a traditional, sustainable, American Community, we have seen many, many times how important it is that we help create an expectation of “sustainability” and an expectation of “peace” when we discuss the future of our “community”. Expectation, now “I wish we could” is the key there.

We designed both peace studies and conflict resolution study units into our Smithsonian Award winning Camp Internet online program and our online HomeSchool program.

Hear is a part of the introduction to the Peace Studies online campus:

Through out history People have always had to deal with problems of war and violence.

Today we deal with these kind of problems not only between Countries around the world but also in our neighborhoods and schools.

The Camp Internet Peace Studies Class will give you the Background, Vocabulary and Historical Insight to understand that peace is possible, that it has often been the normal condition of things.

During our study we will work to build skills which we can apply, in our classroom or homeschool, Tools which will help make each of us better able to facilitate or make possible Peaceful Communication and Interaction, (between different peoples and between people and the earth they walk on).

Your study of Peace this year is divided into 2 main units.

First is "Peace Studies". This unit involves history, art and literature, economics and agriculture.

The second part of your Peace Studies is called "Conflict Resolution".

This unit involves the study of why and how to engage in Consensus decision making as well as how and when to engage in conflict resolution or mediation. Useful skills at school, in the community and at home.

Some of the vocabulary, (words) in our Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution classes will be complex words like "consensus". We’ll learn how important “words” can be in building peace. During our studies we will all learn "new words".

Our “Vocabulary of Peace” related words will increase and with the new vocabulary / new words will come an important growth in our ability to "talk about" and "ask questions" about Peace.

To explore our Peace Studies online campus go to http://www.rain.org/peace-studies.