Dear All!
Please see a message on a special meeting to organize a National Culture of Peace Program in Canada further down.
Most warmly!
Evelin

A special invitation for our American friends.
I believe you will find our Canadian conference very helpful in giving you ideas for conferencing in the U.S., and the initiation of a National Culture of Peace Program.

There are 4 days left to take advantage of the Early-Bird Registration Fees (i.e. until October 31). Information on the conferences is shown below. We are expecting over 200 students at our Youth Day this year on Thursday November 18. Also, I include a special invitation from Douglas Roche as follows:

A very special meeting to organize a National Culture of Peace Program in Canada will be held November 21-23, 2004 at McMaster University, Hamilton, and you are cordially invited to attend or to send a delegate.

This will be an opportunity to set in motion plans to develop in Canada a Culture of Peace Program as first set out by UNESCO, which defined a culture of peace as an approach to life that seeks to transform the cultural tendencies toward war and violence into a culture where dialogue, respect and fairness govern social relations. An exciting idea of great potential, the culture of peace seeks to replace the culture of war. There are important roles for government, education, religion, civil society, women, industry, media, youth, to name just a few components of society.

In conjunction with the annual Peace Education Conference (November 19-21), the Culture of Peace Program Meeting will open November 21 at 4 p.m. and continue to 5:00 pm November 23. Your presence at this ground-breaking meeting can be a vital contribution to new Canadian strategies. For more information, see http://www.peace.ca/nationalcultureofpeace2004.htm or contact Bob Stewart stewartr@peace.ca (telephone 1-800-574-7126).

Hon. Douglas Roche, O.C.
http://www.douglasroche.ca

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The National Culture of Peace Program Symposium will be of particular interest to those organizations and individuals wishing to advance their programs within a framework of the United Nations Culture of Peace Program (eg. the Hague Appeal for Peace 50 agenda areas, including human security, gender issues, religion, racism and tolerance, human rights and responsibilities, U.N. reform, sustainable development and ecology, justice, corporate and other ethics, conflict transformation, education, healthy communities, globalization, foreign affairs, national defence, international peace, etc.)

----- Original Message -----
From: Robert Stewart
To: Robert Stewart
Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 2:36 AM
Subject: Annual Peace Education Conferences in Canada at McMaster Nov 15 - 23, 2004
I would like to take this opportunity to bring you up to date with the developments, and invite your feedback, etc. This year we have expanded the program and we are hosting 3 major upcoming events at Mac:

1. Peace and Leadership 3-day workshop November 15 - 17, 2004 http://www.peace.ca/leadershipworkshop.htm ,

2. Third Annual Peace Education Conference in Canada November 18 - 21, 2004 http://www.peace.ca/CanadianAgenda2004.htm , followed by a

3. National Culture of Peace Program Symposium November 21 - 23, 2004 http://www.peace.ca/nationalcultureofpeace2004.htm .

As you might imagine, it has taken some effort to put together programs that I think will catch people's interest, and provide good value to participants in terms of benefits (eg. educational, networking, information, action planning, etc.). Leadership in our countries' governments, peace and other organizations, and peace education leadership is of vital importance in building a Culture of Peace, as is the initiation of a National Culture of Peace Program. So you have a lot more to choose from this year. I have also attached a copy of our latest press release below.

I hope that you will be able to join us again this year, and help advance peace education in Canada.

I would appreciate any assistance that you can provide in spreading word about our conference. It is an excellent event.

I would be pleased to respond to any questions or provide further information.

Regards,
Bob Stewart
http://www.peace.ca
ANNUAL PEACE EDUCATION CONFERENCE IN CANADA http://www.peace.ca/CanadianAgenda2004.htm

"The world is dangerous not because of those who do harm, but because of those who look at it without doing anything." - Albert Einstein

WHAT FUTURE WILL YOU CREATE?

Making an Impact: Your gift to the Canadian Peace Education Foundation will do much to reduce the human cost of violence in our communities and world through education about peace and the future in classrooms. Your gift will have a critical impact on future generations. You will enable youngsters to widen their sights by exploring alternate paths to transforming conflicts and building a better world. Gifts of cash, securities, and planned gifts are welcome and may be sent to the Canadian Peace Education Foundation, Box 70, Okotoks, AB, Canada, T1S 1A4. For more information, visit the website at http://www.peace.ca/foundation.htm
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Press Release
Peace Education Conference brings International attention to McMaster University

HAMILTON, ON, October 7, 2004 – If there is to be peace in our time, it is up to the educators to teach it to future generations. Of course, who will teach the educators? This is the main purpose behind the Third Annual Peace Education Conference in Canada at McMaster University, presented by the Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace this November.

This four-day conference has been a much-needed gathering place for the last two years – for not only peace researchers, educators, and activists – but people from all backgrounds, who recognize that the responsibility to cultivate a culture of peace in society belongs to all. Participants in the past have ranged from those who live in residence at McMaster to guests flying in from places as remote and distant as Cyprus.

This year’s conference is preceded by a three-day “Leadership and Peace Workshop” and is followed by a two-day “National Culture of Peace & Canadian Peace Initiative Symposium” totalling an unprecedented nine-day period of peace education seminars, discussions, workshops, and more.

Previous years’ conferences have led to the initiation of provincial and regional conferences across Canada over the last two years. Guest speakers have included: David Adams (http://www.culture-of-peace.info/adams.html), Shall Sinha (http://ssinha.com/bioss.htm), and Senator Douglas Roche (http://www.douglasroche.ca/) – all of whom are returning this year, with many other speakers.

Not only are established peace researchers and established educators attending, but many students from across the country attend, including many McMaster students from its undergraduate Peace Studies programme. “Two years ago, this conference sold me on my decision to go into peace studies at McMaster”, says Rob Porter, a Mac student in Honours Peace Studies and Theatre & Film Studies. “The conference attracts the international theorists and activists that helped craft peace studies into an academic discipline, who conceived the materials we read from first year and on in peace studies – and meeting them is an amazing experience.”

The conference has been organized by the leadership of Robert Stewart, a McMaster alumnus who graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Commerce. He is now a Chartered Accountant in public practice and Certified Management Consultant who has held many senior management positions in business and government over the past 31 years. Robert developed his 'passion for peace' through his membership in the Rotary Clubs.

“I believe we could easily have over 500 participants this year”, says Stewart, who since founding the Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace (CCTP) in 1997, has devoted himself to using his professional skills as a general manager and information manager to help advance peace education in Canada and internationally. “Promotion is where we need the most help right now…our conferences are really good, but they are still relatively unknown to the many who would be interested in coming.”

The Third Annual Conference on Peace Education in Canada will run from November 18 through 21, preceded by the Leadership and Peace Workshop from November 15 through 17, and followed by the National Culture of Peace & Canadian Peace Initiative Symposium from November 21 through 23.

Early-bird registration is $200 (or $25 for students, $50 for retirees) if submitted before October 31, 2004. Fees are used to pay the costs of the conference, and any surplus is contributed to the Canadian Peace Education Foundation to support future peace education efforts. Participants (*) will be also given a complimentary copy of Senator Douglas Roche’s book, The Human Right to Peace – regarded by CCTP as a must-read for all peace educators.

For those interested, more information can be obtained on the CCTP website at http://www.peace.ca/, or by contacting Bob Stewart at stewartr@peace.ca or the McMaster Peace and Conflict Students’ Society at pacs@mcmaster.ca.
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(*) - participants paying $200