HWPL and Shiloh High School in Georgia, US, Launch Peace Leadership Academy for Youth Club

 

 

Launching of a Historic Club Opens a New Horizon for Peace Education

On 12 December last year, HWPL branch located in Georgia and Shiloh High School officially launched the Peace Leadership Academy for Youth (PLAY) Club. The club, which started with 17 students and 20 more waiting to join, operates based on HWPL’s 12 lectures of peace education curriculum. The club, which emphasizes the importance of peace and leadership to youth, will hold regular meetings once every two weeks so that the students and leaders can collaborate to carry out various educational sessions and activities.

The state of Georgia is a historic center of the human rights movement that has embodied the legacy of pursuing peace and justice. In particular, Georgia was where leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. were born and carried out their movement, so the launching of the PLAY club here has a symbolic meaning in that it carries on the tradition of peace in the region to provide hope and change to the youth.

 

 

Successful Start of the First Class

The first class was conducted on 12 December under the guidance of an educator, Kimberly Mamud. She introduced HWPL’s peace education to the principal of the school her children go to and spearheaded the efforts to establish the club. She explained the significance of the first class by saying, “They’re like a sponge, just ready to absorb positive influence and change so that not only does it potentially change their current situation, but they really walk away being peace messengers or advocates and maybe peace ambassadors one day to make a difference in their futures.” The first class taught the students the basic concepts of peace and respect as well as the importance of cooperation and harmony. Through this opportunity, the students learned to understand and respect each other.

 

 

Club Leader Seeks Change Through Leadership

The leader of the club is Samina Mamud, who proposed the vision of creating a culture of understanding and respect among students via various activities and participation of local communities by stating, “I plan to inspire kids by showing them that life can be different and there’s a different way to approach different situation. So then they don’t need to have resort to violence or resort to things that will get you in trouble.”

 

 

Spreading the Message of Peace to Schools and Local Communities

Many of the students who joined the first class showed positive responses to the club activities and showed their willingness to invite more friends to grow the club. The club leader, Kimberly Mamud, was certain that the club will inspire more students in the future and explained, “They loved it. They stated when they left, ‘Oh, we can bring two more people. We can bring.’ So I think the club will grow, because now, through osmosis or word of mouth, they’re going to share the joy, the love, the harmony, the diversity in which we’re engaging with them.”

 

 

A Step Toward the Future

HWPL’s collaboration with Shiloh High School will not stop at simply running the PLAY club. Going beyond, they aim to foster the environment for the youth to bring about changes in the local communities and grow into leaders of peace. The launching of the club is expected to generate positive changes in not only the school but also the local communities, and serve as the starting point for proposing a new standard for peace education.