OCU's Peace Education Program

OCU staff and facilitators address the need in DC and across the nation for alternatives to violence and peaceful solutions. OCU provides workshops, trainings, retreats, and curriculum for schools, organizations andprivate institutions that immerse youth and/or adults in the principles of peace building through art and media.

We utilize an innovative arts-based peace education model that incorporates diversity training, multicultural education and training in non-violence, all of which are aimed at decreasing the amount of interpersonal violence in the lives of our participants, enabling them to make healthy, holistic, responsible, and positive choices.

Some of the objectives OCU strives to achieve during our many educational activities are:

For Students:

1. To provide students with a greater awareness of how their mind and body interact, and hands on skills to maintain emotional wellness, optimal mental health, and means to circumvent addictive behavior and substance abuse.
2. To teach students how to utilize visualization, deep breathing and meditation to gain greater focus, relieve stress (which often results in making impulsive decisions) and be more calm and relaxed, especially while getting angry.
3. To expose students to dialogue and communication skills that will assist them to proactively deal with potentially volatile situations.
4. To help students heal relationships that have broken and let go of hatred they may have towards others.
5. To instill within students a sense of value and worth. This involves replacing victim consciousness with the power of personal responsibility through positive thinking.
6. To creatively and tangibly allow students to more effectively engage in social justice organizing by exposure to non-violence theory and practice.

For Teachers:

1. To increase each teacher’s understanding of non-violent pedagogies & imparting strategies for creating learning environments (i.e. peaceable classrooms) based in caring, supportive, power-sharing relationships.
2. To show teachers how to manage their own emotions while teaching.
3. To give teachers practice in asking poignant questions which utilize reactions & emotions of students as learning opportunities.
4. To impart teaching strategies which encourage students to pursue learning for their own enjoyment & benefit, rather than to avoid punishment or gain a reward (Fear based vs. Desire based learning).
5. To have teachers make the time to plan and present ideas for implementing these teaching pedagogies at their school.

Bring OCU to your school or program!

Check out our lists of workshop titles (Gemal, link to “Workshop Titles and Themes”) and gifted peace education experts (Gemal, link to “OCU Facilitators”) to see what OCU has to offer your institution. OCU will work with you to create a tailored program, specifically for your institution. You can choose from our existing workshop titles or work with OCU to create a new class and then select the facilitators that would be best for your program.

Please contact us for service fees and program prices.

Contact info@onecommonunity.org to schedule your peace education program today.