Inter-American Summit on Conflict Resolution Education
March 14th - 17th, 2007
Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Global Issues Resource Center, Office of Community Continuing Education at Cuyahoga Community College and The Organization of American States will host a four-day Inter-American Summit on Conflict Resolution Education in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. This event will bring together government representatives from among the 50 states and 34 countries of the Americas and their non-governmental organization partners who have legislation or policies in place to deliver conflict resolution education at the K-12 level and in colleges of teacher education.

This first-ever Summit offers a dynamic opportunity to develop a hemispheric infrastructure throughout the Americas to advance the work in the fields of conflict resolution education and peace education. The Summit will bring together policymakers and educators representing regions across the United States and select member countries of the OAS representing North, Central, South America and the Caribbean. These national and international educators will exchange program best practices, evaluation methodology, creation of policy implementation structures, and consideration of obstacles to success. This event offers a needed opportunity for college students, college faculty, university scholars, K-12 educators, public health officials, prevention specialists, and state, local, and national policy makers in the Americas and beyond to convene in one location to learn more about the most current work being undertaken.

March 14th and 15th: The general Summit event is open nationally and internationally to anyone who wishes to attend. Presenters will share examples of best practices within their states and nations, implementation models, and evaluation results.

March 16th and 17th, 2007: During this time there will be closed policy meetings engaging teams of state and federal government agencies and their NGOs/University Partners. This portion of the Summit is by invitation only. State and country teams will work on – evaluation, creation of policy, and best practices in creating the structures for K-12 and Higher Education policy implementation.

A compilation of the work in the states and countries will be published for distribution to all attendees and other interested policymakers in the United States, the Americas, the Caribbean, and beyond.

Keynote Speakers include:

March 14th, 2007

Dr. Gonzalo Retamal (Chile), Visiting Professor on Education in Emergencies and Post Conflict, at the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University. Former Senior Research Specialist, UNESCO Institute for Education and former Senior Education Officer, UNHCR. Co -Head of the Ministry of Culture for the Joint Interim Administration of United Nations in Kosovo (UNMIK). UNESCO representative in Iraq for the ‘Food for Oil’ programme. Senior Education Advisor for Humanitarian Assistance at the UNESCO International Bureau of Education in Geneva and with UNESCO in Eastern Africa. Chief of the School Education Programme of UNRWA in the Middle East.

March 15th, 2007

Dr. Janet Patti (USA), Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Hunter College. Co-Director of the Leadership Center at Hunter College and Coordinator of the Education Administration and Supervision Aspiring Leaders Program. Member of the Leadership Team of the Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Vice President of Affiliate Affairs of the New York State Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. Faculty member of the City University of New York’s Graduate Center doctoral faculty and the School of Professional Studies faculty of Social, Emotional and Academic Education.

Summit Features:

Launching of the International Conflict Resolution Education Website
Association of Conflict Resolution Education, Research, and International Section Meetings
International Network on Conflict Resolution Education and Peace Education Advisory Committee Meetings
Workshops and panels led by experts, showcasing best practices in the hemisphere
Exhibits of current international resources
Special sessions during which Ministry of Education officials from countries around the world will share their current national efforts on conflict resolution education, including guests from among the 34 countries of the Americas, Armenia, Australia, Bulgaria, Israel, and more.

Who Should Attend:

College faculty, staff and students; k-12 educators and administrators; public health officials; prevention specialists; state, local and national policymakers in the Americas and beyond.

Credits Offered: CEU, Social Work, Counselor, CHES, RCH, Graduate (one credit hour available for an additonal $200 and the completion of an assignment one month after the conference from Ashland University).

For more information including a registration form, please see the attached preliminary conference program, call 216-987-2224 or e-mail Jennifer Batton at: Jennifer.Batton@tri-c.edu