Peacemaker Academy

What is Peacemaker Academy?

Peacemaker Academy is a nonviolent leadership development program for rising sophomores, juniors and seniors in Fort Wayne Community Schools. The program consists of a three-week summer academy focused on developing leaders who are committed to making peace in their school and community. While the Academy lasts three weeks, we continue to meet with students throughout the year, developing them as leaders and helping them build a culture of peace in their school.

What exactly do students learn?

Our peacemaking curriculum is rooted in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of nonviolent conflict reconciliation. During the three week academy, students learn:

• Principles and steps of nonviolence

• Types and levels of violence and deescalation strategies

• How to analyze root problems and conditions that produce violence

• Skills for organizing a peaceful campaign

• How to apply the nonviolent framework to real issues of violence in the community and school

• And much more!

In addition to our standard curriculum topics, students learn ways to cultivate internal peace through our daily peace circles and mindfulness exercises. Students also hear first hand from several community leaders, including elected officials, Civil Rights activists, FWPD officers, and nonprofit and business leaders.

Expanding Our Reach

Our journey began at South Side High School, a vibrant educational community rich in diversity and forward-thinking leadership. In 2020, at the nearby City Life center, we conducted a transformative six-week nonviolence training primarily for South Side students. This experience was pivotal; we encountered motivated students eager to reshape the narrative surrounding their school and community. Many of them having been personally affected by violence, these students demonstrated immense potential to become influential advocates for peace.

This realization sparked the vision for Peacemaker Academy. Inspired by motivated students and empowered by a school administration open to giving our vision a chance, South Side High School became the natural starting point for our pilot program.

Expansion to All FWCS High Schools

Following a highly successful pilot period at South Side High School, we have reached an exciting milestone in our journey. The effectiveness and positive impact of Peacemaker Academy have not gone unnoticed. We are honored to announce that, in partnership with FWCS, Peacemaker Academy will be expanding to all five FWCS high schools.

This expansion is a testament to the profound impact of our pilot program and marks a significant advancement in our mission to cultivate nonviolence and peace throughout the school district. We are deeply committed to replicating the success of our South Side High School initiative across the FWCS district, bringing our vision of a peaceful school community to even more students.

Central to this expansion is the introduction of Peace Advocates in each high school. These dedicated individuals will play a crucial role in mentoring student peacemakers, collaborating closely with school administrators and staff to cultivate a culture of peace within the schools.

Each Peace Advocate will focus on:

• Guiding and supporting student peacemakers in their journey.

• Working alongside school administration and staff to implement peacemaking initiatives.

• Facilitating communication and understanding between students, staff, and the broader school community.

Join Our Team!

We are currently seeking passionate and committed individuals to take up the role of Peace Advocate in each high school. If you are driven by a vision of peace and nonviolence and wish to make a significant impact in the lives of young people, we invite you to explore this opportunity.

For more details and to apply, please visit our job posting: www.alivefw.org/employment.

What’s the ultimate hope for Peacemaker Academy?

Peacemaker Academy is not just a summer program; it's a long-term investment in building a culture of peace within schools and the broader community. With support from administrators and staff, our peacemakers have made significant progress in building an intentional and peaceful culture within their school. Now with the opportunity to expand this program to every FWCS high school, we will empower even more students to become leaders equipped to navigate conflict and challenges in their community. By investing in training and mentoring peacemakers, we are not only creating a culture of peace within schools, but also equipping future leaders of our city with the skills to navigate conflict and build a more peaceful and just community. This investment will have a transformative impact that extends beyond the school system and into the fabric of our city.