AUGUSTA — The 2016 Maine PeaceJam Youth Leadership Slam, a one-day conference for students in grades 8 through 12 and college-age mentors, will take place from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine, 46 University Drive, on The University of Maine at Augusta campus, according to a news release from PeaceJamMaine.
The event, hosted by PeaceJam Maine, the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine and the Unity College PeaceJam Scholar’s group, has a theme is called “See Me As I Am: Overcoming Bias, Prejudice, and Stereotypes.”
Through guest speakers, mentor-led discussion groups, and workshops on cultural differences, homelessness and diversity, the event will provide an opportunity to equip youth with the inspiration and resources to engage in peaceful, productive dialogue. Youth and adults will assess their own relationships to stereotypes and participate in interactive activities as they relate to the world of daily conflict and constant social media interaction.
The event will also feature a live video conference with Nobel Peace Laureate Betty Williams. Williams won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for her calls to end violence in Northern Ireland during conflicts between Protestants and Catholics, after witnessing the tragic killing of three children in her hometown.
She will address students from her home in Ireland — alongside her daughter, who also witnessed the violence — about her experience with grassroots, community activism and the need for individual youth leadership.
The mission of the PeaceJam Foundation is to create young leaders committed to positive change in themselves, their communities, and the world through the inspiration of Nobel Peace Laureates who pass on the spirit, skills, and wisdom they embody. The 13 participating Laureates — which includes Williams, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmund Tutu, and other leaders — have worked together to create PeaceJam curriculum and programming, and individually attend PeaceJam events across the world to speak directly to youth.
The event is open to students in grades 8 through 12, college-age mentors, and adult advisers or adults interested in starting a PeaceJam group.
The cost is $18 per person or $15 per person in a group of 10 or more. Scholarships are available. Lunch will be provided.
For more information or registration, visit peacejam.org/events, call 589-3451 or email maine@peacejam.org.
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