so this is a pretty amazing program that i had the total fortune to teach while i was in college. now a days, i just get to try and spread the word about the program. in this day and age...kids need to play these games. actually, maybe adults need this program too...:) regardless the people who have brought peace games to kids and their parents are some pretty amazing people that I have also had the good fortune to get to know over the years. so, due to the rather insane schedule i have had as of late...i am LATE posting this newsletter and most importantly wish list (keep scrolling down to check it out) while the newsletter is a wee bit lenghty it also contains a bunch of EXTREMELY cool websites that make it BEYOND easy for you to give what you can in whatever way feels good to you...yet again all of those smart cookies out there...;) they never cease to amaze me that is fo' sho'!
if you happen to know of how this program might be able to get some of these very useful and relatively simple things together and you are looking for a lovely tax credit...:) (they roll over right?!) i would suggest you hit these lovely folks up!! soooo...you know what comes next...
CHECK IT! (dude you can even myspace friend them now. WAY TO GO RICH & ERIC!)
PEACE GAMES
IN THE NEWS!
Peace Games partner Cathedral Grammar School is featured in Boston's South End News. To read the article, click here
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Peace Games President, Eric D. Dawson, is featured on Massnonprofit.org
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Shop with Barefoot Books Online to benefit Peace Games
Peace Games will receive 30% of the total retail value on all purchases of the new Barefoot Books title, One City, Two Brothers. It is a beautifully illustrated folktale of love, generosity and peace and it’s just in time for holiday giving. In addition, Peace Games will receive 20% of the retail value of any other purchases from the entire line of Barefoot Books’ award-winning books and gifts.
Purchases must be made through cmatte.mybarefootbooks.com
and reference the
special event code EV25.
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Peace Games is now on MySpace.com! Add Peace Games as your friend here: www.myspace.com/peacegames
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How to get involved
• Host a house party
• Host a breakfast at your place of work
• Join the Peace Rocks Event Committee
• Go on a site visit to one of our schools
For more information contact:
carrie@peacegames.org
National News:
Program Evaluation at Peace Games
This month, we focus on the Peace Games Institute’s evaluation work. Using tools that integrate quantitative and qualitative measures to measure outcomes and implementation, data is collected in every Peace Games school in every region, during each phase of the program.
These evaluations include surveys completed by students and staff members, interviews and focus groups, and field notes that capture the ways in which students are practicing peacemaking. Using this data, the Peace Games Institute creates school, regional, and national reports to gauge how programming addresses a particular school’s and region’s needs and how they can be improved.
This is also the second year of a partnership with the National Center for Schools and Communities (NCSC) based at Fordham University. The NCSC is responsible collecting, imputing, and analyzing data for the New York Region. “This provides a wonderful opportunity to pilot region-based evaluation teams for our work,” says Casey Corcoran, a Program Specialist who coordinates the evaluation process at Peace Games.
The Peace Games Institute also continues its long standing partnership with the Harvard University Graduate School of Education (HUGSE). This year, HUGSE interns Yvette and Urska are conducting qualitative interviews and doing coding work to determine what peacemaking and peace breaking looks like at different stages of student development.
Members of the Peace Games Evaluation Team: Steven Brion-Meisels, Ph.D., HUGSE intern Urska, Program Specialist Casey Corcoran, and HUGSE intern Yvette.
This year, our national findings include data from students, staff, and family members at 17 Peace Games partner schools and network schools. Students reported high levels of peacemaking and low levels of peace breaking across all four regions; students’ responses were similar across all schools, with slightly higher scores in the phase of the program where there is a full-time Peace Games staff member on site. Our recent national findings show that students feel safe in their schools, and that they continue to act as peacemakers in their daily interactions with peers.
Across our four regions, our findings reflect:
Peacemaking behavior continues to improve: (ok this is my creative license here WHOO FREAKIN" HOO!!!)
• 75% of students reported that they can walk away from a fight without feeling like a coward
• 52% of students reported that they offer to help other students in class
• 48% of students reported that they invited other students into recess games.
Peace breaking behavior is low:
. 75% of students reported that they are rarely pushed or shoved by other students
• 61% reported that other students rarely try to hurt or hit them
Our data indicates that peace breaking behavior, such as fighting and name calling, stays low even after Peace Games no longer has a full-time presence at the school. However, “there continues to be gap between peace breaking and peacemaking” says Casey. Levels of peacemaking behavior—students helping their peers—tend to reduce after this period. Peace Games is developing strategies to best support our partner and network schools to promote these important pro-social behaviors.
As Peace Games continues to deepen and expand its reach, while also improving the delivery of our program, evaluation remains a vital part of our mission to empower students become peacemakers in their schools and communities.
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Shop and Raise Money for
Peace Games at iBakeSale.com
iBakeSale is a website that help organizations turn everyday savings into local fundraising. iBakeSale offers you big savings at hundreds of your favorite stores, so you can shop, save, and automatically donate to PEACE GAMES. To begin shopping, click here.
New York Edition
Volume 1, December 2007
Welcome to
PEACE-mail,
the Peace Games
monthly e-newsletter.
We created this newsletter so that we may keep you up-to-date by sharing news, events, and other recent happenings with you...
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Everytime you search
the Internet at:
www.goodsearch.com
our cause earns money.
a search engine powered by Yahoo
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:
1. Go to www.goodsearch.com
2. Type Peace Games in "I support" box and click "verify"
3. Seach Goodsearch like any other search engine
4. Every time you search, you'll be earning money for Peace Games!
______________________
Peace Games Wish List
We are always in the need of a few items and will be grateful for your donations of the following:
• School Supplies
(construction paper, glue, scissors, tape, crayons, markers, etc.)
• Office Supplies
(copy paper, file folders)
• Toner Cartridge for
Sharp AM90 Printer
• Desktop computers for the Peace Games offices in schools
• A year of services subscription to VOLGISTIC (online volunteer data system) that will cost the entire agency $100/month
• Sundry gifts for volunteers
and teachers:
(movie passes, gym/spa passes, etc.)
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New York News:
Spotlight on PS 191 and Hudson Honors Middle School
This month we highlight PS 191 and Hudson Honors Middle School, which have been Peace Games Partner Schools since 2005. Peace Games Coordinator Sasha Medina, along with school staff, parents, and volunteers are working to prepare the schools to run the Peace Games program independently at the conclusion of the school year.
“The schools are definitely taking ownership of the program and take pride in being a part of Peace Games” says Peace Games Coordinator Sasha Medina.
In fact, last month, Principal Maria Verdesoto, volunteers, and a few middle school students “branded” their school by painting the Peace Games logo on the school’s staircases, the main entrance, and various doors. They also painted a “peace bench” outside of the principal’s office to allow students to mediate instead of being sent to the office.
Peace Games volunteers paint the Peace Games logo outside of PS 191 and Hudson Honors Middle School. Peace Games is taught in every classroom, which means that roughly 700 children at PS 191 and Hudson Honors receive weekly Peace Games lessons. Fifteen volunteers and interns from Fordham University, New York Institute of Technology, and New York University support the program by teaching these classes.
The school’s Peace Games Leadership Team holds parent workshops the first Friday of every month to ensure that what students learn at school is being reinforced at home. “These workshops are just like Peace Games curriculum lessons,” says Sasha. “We talk about anger triggers, how to escalate and deescalate family situations… we also talk about violence in the media, and we do a lot of skill building.”
Middle school teachers are also incorporating Peace Games into electives such as Current Events, Gender and Culture, Human Rights and Immigration. Connecting Peace Games with subjects they normally teach “will help prepare teachers to keep Peace Games going next year,” says Sasha.
Additionally, Peace Games continues to execute successful extra programming with students such as a 5th grade Peace Leaders program, a Middle School Peace Leader program, and daily morning meeting with 3rd -5th graders which includes Tai Chi lessons. Peace Games congratulates all of the peacemakers in the PS 191 and Hudson Honors Community on their peace building work.
PEACE GAMES
581 Avenue of the Americas
Floor 5
New York, NY 10011
T: (646)330-5401
F: (646)383-8609
www.peacegames.org
while it might be a tad redundant...
peace.
jaylaan
