Our 3rd Annual CREATING A PEACEFUL SCHOOL CONFERENCE FOR EDUCATORS K-12 was held on Saturday, February 1, 2014 at Seven Hills School in Walnut Creek. It was a standing-room-only crowd for our keynote speaker, Victor Rios, Ph.D. and over 150 registrants were in attendance.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Victor Rios, Ph.D.,
Assistant Professor of Sociology, UC Santa Barbara, motivational speaker and author of "Poverty, Gangs and a Ph.D." and "Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys ."
Rios' presentation was: It Takes a Village to Make a Doctor: The Power of Educators to Motivate All Students for Success
Rios grew up in Oakland, California in a single parent household, in poverty and on welfare. He joined a gang at the age of thirteen and by age sixteen had dropped out of school and been incarcerated. Having witnessed the tragic murder of his best friend by gang rivals, Rios hit a critical juncture in life at which point he made the decision to transform.
With the support of educators and mentors, Victor redirected his attitude towards life, and returned to school to eventually acquire a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. He told his personal story, and his research experience, to discuss how personal and institutional "illusions" contribute to academic failure. More information about Rios' research and life-story may be found on his website.
Assistant Professor of Sociology, UC Santa Barbara, motivational speaker and author of "Poverty, Gangs and a Ph.D." and "Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys ."
Rios' presentation was: It Takes a Village to Make a Doctor: The Power of Educators to Motivate All Students for Success
Rios grew up in Oakland, California in a single parent household, in poverty and on welfare. He joined a gang at the age of thirteen and by age sixteen had dropped out of school and been incarcerated. Having witnessed the tragic murder of his best friend by gang rivals, Rios hit a critical juncture in life at which point he made the decision to transform.
With the support of educators and mentors, Victor redirected his attitude towards life, and returned to school to eventually acquire a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. He told his personal story, and his research experience, to discuss how personal and institutional "illusions" contribute to academic failure. More information about Rios' research and life-story may be found on his website.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS INCLUDED:
JAN-ELISE SELLS, M.Ed., M.A., M.F.T. Author/Counselor/Lecturer
Participating in The Albatrossian Greeting Ceremony: a cross-cultural simulation
The Albatross is an experiential learning exercise developed by Peace Corp trainers – a cross-cultural simulation with “actors” who will take participants through a greeting ceremony in the Albatross culture. Participants will have the opportunity to experience this different culture, and then discuss their experience with an anthropologist (played by the presenter).
About the Presenter: Sells is a licensed psychotherapist and a Lecturer/Supervisor in the Graduate Counseling Program at St. Mary’s College. She is the author of “Lost and Found: Healing Troubled Teens in Troubled Times” which chronicles true stories of youth who were helped by the unique counseling program she developed at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School (where the book takes place) between 1986 and 2006. The program includes individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, conflict resolution, and a Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA); it is still going strong at King and has spread to the two other public middle schools in Berkeley.
FRANKLIN HYSTEN – Senior Associate, Be The Change Consulting
Building Intentional Communities
This session explores strategies to establish a school culture based on core values, and a social justice analysis. Given the right social conditions every young person has the opportunity to flourish. Building this environment is a complicated and nuanced art – one that requires cultural awareness, knowledge of social justice principles, and the practice of deep democracy. Together we will explore the complexities of social context, cultural competency and curriculum selection to build intentional communities.
About the Presenter: Hysten is committed to creating transformative experiences that strengthen youth and their communities. Drawing on 18 years of experience developing leaders in youth development, philanthropy and government -based organizations, he supports Be the Change Consulting’s organizational consulting portfolio, which includes program design, logic modeling, and strategic planning for organizations state-wide. He also manages the youth development portfolio for high-school aged-youth, with a focus on restorative practices. His strong background in youth development has afforded him the opportunity to train and coach emerging non-profit professionals and share best practices with staff, managers and funders.
HOLLY FULTON – Teacher/Facilitator, The Tracing Center on Histories and Legacies of Slavery
Using the Film ‘Traces of the Trade’ in the High School Classroom
Participants will watch part of a 90 minute documentary film about the Northeast’s complicity in the slave trade. They will then hear about and discuss ways to facilitate class discussions and other exercises addressing the film and history it highlights. The films shows a group of ten cousins retracing the slave trading triangle taken by their ancestors, the De Wolfs, the largest slave trading family business in the U.S. This session can help faculty with more ideas on facilitating sensitive classroom dialogues on topics like slavery, racism, privilege and connection with ancestors.
About the Presenter: Fulton is one of the cousins who participated in the making of this film. She is a high-school teacher who takes every opportunity to facilitate discussions on the film and its implications. Fulton will also be facilitating a multi-week class/discussion group White People Challenging Racism: Moving From Talk to Action at the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center this coming Spring.
DEBORAH GODNER – Teacher, Berkeley High School;
LGBTQIA Panel Discussion
Creating a classroom and school that is truly safe for and inclusive of LGBTQ youth requires a commitment to unlearning our own homophobia/transphobia as well as providing the ongoing personal and institutional support teens need from us. This workshop will provide you with an opportunity to deepen your own understanding and commitment to making school a place where LGBTAQ youth and others impacted by homophobia can thrive and teacher and student allies have a clear role in promoting justice and peace. It will include a panel of high school students and young adults who will share their experiences. A Q & A will follow.
About the Presenter: Godner is a History teacher at Berkeley High School. She came “out” to her students and co-workers and has much relevant personal experience to share. She serves as the Gay Student Alliance Supervisor at Berkeley High School.
TYRONE BOTELHO and YEJIDE ANKOBIA – SEEDS Community Resolution Center;
From Punitive to Restorative: Transforming School Culture with Restorative Justice
This presentation will provide a brief introduction to restorative justice principles and practices and how these can be effectively applied in a school setting. Changing school culture is the goal, not simply reducing school suspensions. It will address the Disproportional Minority Contact (DMC) in school discipline and how to disrupt the school to prison pipeline. The goal will be an understanding of the SEEDS Restorative Justice model of program sustainability.
About the Presenters:
Ankobia is the Restorative Justice District Coordinator for the Hayward Unified School District. Prior to that she worked for Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY), as Dean of Restorative Discipline and School Culture at Castlemont High School. This was a collaborative effort between RJOY and Oakland USD. Ankobia studied journalism at SFSU and worked as a reporter for the Oakland Tribune and the San Jose Mercury News.
Botelho is a recent graduate of UC Berkeley, the first in his family to earn a college degree. His degree is in Peace and Conflict Studies with an emphasis on Conflict Resolution and a minor in Global Poverty and Practice. He is currently working on creating sustainable restorative justice programs for various school districts and developing the programmatic infrastructure for the Restorative Justice program at SEEDS. He is also the Co-Coordinator of the Restorative Justice Center at UC Berkeley where he creates and facilitates trainings and consults departments that are interested in adopting restorative practices.
CORINNE CHRISTIANSEN, Teacher, New Leaf Leadership Academy;
Using the Hero’s Journey as a Lesson in Resilience
Participants will learn about the Hero’s Journey archetype and how to use it individually and collectively as a guide to overcoming challenges and obtaining happiness and success. Participants will experience a mini – Hero’s Journey through hands-on activities, short readings and small group discussions. Participants will leave the session with materials and resources to help themselves and others use the Hero’s Journey as a guide to academic, social and economic success.
About the Presenters: Christiansen is a teacher at the New Leaf Leadership Academy which is part of Vicente Martinez High School in Martinez. She has made this presentation to multiple venues throughout that school district and at the International Conference on Transformational Learning. Rona Zolliger and several of her students will help with the presentation.
CRISTINA MEDINA, Independent Consultant
What Does a Multi-Cultural Classroom Sound and Look Like?
The presenter will provide suggestions for strategies, guidelines and tools that will promote a truly multi-cultural classroom where all children are valued equally for their life experience. You will learn how children can be engaged in learning through the use of music, visual aids, literature and individual home histories.
About the Presenter: Medina is an independent consultant and parent liaison at Skyline High School with ten years of experience in the classrooms of the Oakland Unified School District. She has made this presentation to the Oakland Black Educators Conference for several years and has a passion for passing on her knowledge, especially to those who feel unable to provide cross-cultural learning in their classrooms.
IAN HARRIS, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Never Give Up! Ama’s Journey to Freedom on the Underground Railroad (by Kesa Kivel)
This 28 minute film of historical fiction is set in the 1850s. It provides excellent, well-researched content on slavery in the U.S. as well as on everyday acts of resistance by enslaved people. The richly textured, innovative film breathes life into history by weaving live footage of students acting out the story of an enslaved girl named Ama with compelling original illustrations, historical photographs, and a powerful emotional music score. Never Give Up! makes history relevant and relatable. Harris will lead a discussion of the film following the screening.
About the Film Director: Kesa Kivel is a Los Angeles-based artist as well as an educator and activist engaged in social justice issues, especially those concerning girls and women. Since 2003 she has volunteered to teach feminist issues to middle school girls at the YWCA in Santa Monica, California, offering a broad-based curriculum in an interactive format.
About the Presenter: Harris is a recently-retired director of the Peace Studies program at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, where he was a professor Education Policy and Community Studies. He is the author of Peace Education and Peacebuilding for Adolescents, and was the keynote speaker at the first annual Creating a Peaceful School Conference. He was most instrumental in getting this annual conference up and running.
BETTY McEADY, Ed.D., Brandman University
Consciousness-in-Action: Cultivating Practices for Making Peace and Promoting Multicultural Empathy in Everyday Life.
This session involves, at an introductory level, hands-on experiential communication skills that foster connecting with others, effective listening, sharing culture, and laughing while cultivating conscious behaviors towards peacemaking, anti-racism, emotional and embodied empathy, and conflict resolution in the classroom, family, community, and/or among teaching colleagues and school administrators. Participants and presenter will discuss the multisensory nature of the interactive communication processes and their implications for cultivating peacemaking and empathy in multicultural contexts.
About the Presenter: McEady is a 45-year veteran teacher and university professor. She has found that her ongoing research in applied teaching and learning in multicultural contexts promotes personal and professional growth and community improvement—in schools and beyond. She has presented on this topic to professionals at all grade levels, elementary to college/university.
TASNEEM MOHAMED, Teacher FAME Charter School - CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS
The Muslim Student Experience: The Next Chapter in Cultural Diversity in the Classroom
The presenter will discuss the diversity in the multi-ethnic and multi-lingual Muslim community in the Bay Area. She will give a brief overview of the Islamic traditions influencing the daily choices and attitudes, and how they present in the classroom using examples and brief case studies on the experiences of Muslim students from local public schools. The presenter will also discuss her own experience as a Muslim professional working in education and mental health. New aspects of cultural competency are emerging for teachers and administrators to consider. All need to be prepared so as to create an open environment for parents and students and continue to contribute to the success of students. The influx of Muslim refugees and immigrants means that the paradigm for culturally sensitive education must change.
About the Presenter: Mohamed is a Muslim, a mental health professional and teacher at the FAME Charter School in Fremont. She has worked extensively with her peers to understand Islamic teachings and how they impact the culture of the local community. She speaks regularly to groups in the area on this issue and in particular a recent forum which addressed the impact of 9/11 on those in the Muslim and Sikh communities.
JOREE ROSENBLATT, Independent Consultant/Counseling Intern
Mindfulness in Education
Participants in this session will learn tools to create a mindful classroom environment and thereby help their students to develop compassion/heartfulness and understanding of others, honoring and valuing cultural differences. Presenter will also provide an introduction to mindfulness, a summary of scientific reports of its benefits in classrooms as well as techniques for implementation.
About the Presenter: Rosenblatt has a Masters in Counseling Psychology and is working on her licensure towards becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist. She has done extensive training in Mindfulness and has subsequently developed her own Mindfulness curriculum that is offered to adults, through individual sessions or in a 6 week course. She also teaches Mindfulness to students at Seven Hills School in Walnut Creek, where she is the therapist onsite. This will be her second year to present at this conference.
AMY PENNINGTON, Art Specialist
Drawing the Figure in Proportion and Cultural Dress
This session is for participants interested in presenting an art lesson to their students (4th grade and above) so that they may learn about their own cultures and share their stories and cultural information to their classmates.
About the Presenter: Pennington is an Art teacher at Buena Vista Elementary School. She recently completed her M.A. in Art Education on the thesis topic of teaching in a multi-cultural/multi-ethnic class wherein the research question “How might student-centered and culturally-specific art lessons engage students and increase mutual understanding and acceptance?” She has experience teaching Art to both children and adults.
KAZU HAGA, Independent Consultant
Dr. King's Final Marching Orders: Institutionalizing Nonviolence
This session will provide a brief overview of the Kingian Nonviolence philosophy and how it has been implemented in school settings, including information about a high school in Chicago that has lowered its rate of violence by 90%. Participants will join in interactive activities that analyze conflict and the roots of violence, including conflict across cultures and demographics.
About the Presenter: Haga is a coordinator for the East Point Peace Academy in Oakland. He has been conducting trainings in Kingian Nonviolence since 2009, and has been doing so full-time since 2011, training thousands of individuals including school teachers, faculty, students, prison inmates, mediation teachers, activists and gang-involved youth. He began his interest in 1998 after participating in social justice movements and studying nonviolence in South Asia.
KIM BARANEK, Rainbow Community Center, Concord
School Staff as Allies: Building Partnerships with Families to Support LGBTQ Students
In this session we will discuss the important role that school staff play in promoting LGBTQ youth acceptance and inclusion. Recommendations for engaging families of LGBTQ youth who are working toward acceptance will be shared. Specific steps that school staff can take to be allies to LGBTQ youth and families will be highlighted.
About the Presenter: Baranek grew up in Detroit and moved to the Bay Area in the 90s. She earned a Masters in Public Health from SFSU and now serves as the Youth Advocacy Collaborative Director & Inclusive Schools Coordinator for the Rainbow Community Center in Concord. Her experience includes coordinating efforts to promote healthier school environments for children and young adults. Part of her research has been on the impact of discrimination and stigma on same-sex couples and the role of meditation & yoga in youth violence prevention.
Participating in The Albatrossian Greeting Ceremony: a cross-cultural simulation
The Albatross is an experiential learning exercise developed by Peace Corp trainers – a cross-cultural simulation with “actors” who will take participants through a greeting ceremony in the Albatross culture. Participants will have the opportunity to experience this different culture, and then discuss their experience with an anthropologist (played by the presenter).
About the Presenter: Sells is a licensed psychotherapist and a Lecturer/Supervisor in the Graduate Counseling Program at St. Mary’s College. She is the author of “Lost and Found: Healing Troubled Teens in Troubled Times” which chronicles true stories of youth who were helped by the unique counseling program she developed at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School (where the book takes place) between 1986 and 2006. The program includes individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, conflict resolution, and a Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA); it is still going strong at King and has spread to the two other public middle schools in Berkeley.
FRANKLIN HYSTEN – Senior Associate, Be The Change Consulting
Building Intentional Communities
This session explores strategies to establish a school culture based on core values, and a social justice analysis. Given the right social conditions every young person has the opportunity to flourish. Building this environment is a complicated and nuanced art – one that requires cultural awareness, knowledge of social justice principles, and the practice of deep democracy. Together we will explore the complexities of social context, cultural competency and curriculum selection to build intentional communities.
About the Presenter: Hysten is committed to creating transformative experiences that strengthen youth and their communities. Drawing on 18 years of experience developing leaders in youth development, philanthropy and government -based organizations, he supports Be the Change Consulting’s organizational consulting portfolio, which includes program design, logic modeling, and strategic planning for organizations state-wide. He also manages the youth development portfolio for high-school aged-youth, with a focus on restorative practices. His strong background in youth development has afforded him the opportunity to train and coach emerging non-profit professionals and share best practices with staff, managers and funders.
HOLLY FULTON – Teacher/Facilitator, The Tracing Center on Histories and Legacies of Slavery
Using the Film ‘Traces of the Trade’ in the High School Classroom
Participants will watch part of a 90 minute documentary film about the Northeast’s complicity in the slave trade. They will then hear about and discuss ways to facilitate class discussions and other exercises addressing the film and history it highlights. The films shows a group of ten cousins retracing the slave trading triangle taken by their ancestors, the De Wolfs, the largest slave trading family business in the U.S. This session can help faculty with more ideas on facilitating sensitive classroom dialogues on topics like slavery, racism, privilege and connection with ancestors.
About the Presenter: Fulton is one of the cousins who participated in the making of this film. She is a high-school teacher who takes every opportunity to facilitate discussions on the film and its implications. Fulton will also be facilitating a multi-week class/discussion group White People Challenging Racism: Moving From Talk to Action at the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center this coming Spring.
DEBORAH GODNER – Teacher, Berkeley High School;
LGBTQIA Panel Discussion
Creating a classroom and school that is truly safe for and inclusive of LGBTQ youth requires a commitment to unlearning our own homophobia/transphobia as well as providing the ongoing personal and institutional support teens need from us. This workshop will provide you with an opportunity to deepen your own understanding and commitment to making school a place where LGBTAQ youth and others impacted by homophobia can thrive and teacher and student allies have a clear role in promoting justice and peace. It will include a panel of high school students and young adults who will share their experiences. A Q & A will follow.
About the Presenter: Godner is a History teacher at Berkeley High School. She came “out” to her students and co-workers and has much relevant personal experience to share. She serves as the Gay Student Alliance Supervisor at Berkeley High School.
TYRONE BOTELHO and YEJIDE ANKOBIA – SEEDS Community Resolution Center;
From Punitive to Restorative: Transforming School Culture with Restorative Justice
This presentation will provide a brief introduction to restorative justice principles and practices and how these can be effectively applied in a school setting. Changing school culture is the goal, not simply reducing school suspensions. It will address the Disproportional Minority Contact (DMC) in school discipline and how to disrupt the school to prison pipeline. The goal will be an understanding of the SEEDS Restorative Justice model of program sustainability.
About the Presenters:
Ankobia is the Restorative Justice District Coordinator for the Hayward Unified School District. Prior to that she worked for Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY), as Dean of Restorative Discipline and School Culture at Castlemont High School. This was a collaborative effort between RJOY and Oakland USD. Ankobia studied journalism at SFSU and worked as a reporter for the Oakland Tribune and the San Jose Mercury News.
Botelho is a recent graduate of UC Berkeley, the first in his family to earn a college degree. His degree is in Peace and Conflict Studies with an emphasis on Conflict Resolution and a minor in Global Poverty and Practice. He is currently working on creating sustainable restorative justice programs for various school districts and developing the programmatic infrastructure for the Restorative Justice program at SEEDS. He is also the Co-Coordinator of the Restorative Justice Center at UC Berkeley where he creates and facilitates trainings and consults departments that are interested in adopting restorative practices.
CORINNE CHRISTIANSEN, Teacher, New Leaf Leadership Academy;
Using the Hero’s Journey as a Lesson in Resilience
Participants will learn about the Hero’s Journey archetype and how to use it individually and collectively as a guide to overcoming challenges and obtaining happiness and success. Participants will experience a mini – Hero’s Journey through hands-on activities, short readings and small group discussions. Participants will leave the session with materials and resources to help themselves and others use the Hero’s Journey as a guide to academic, social and economic success.
About the Presenters: Christiansen is a teacher at the New Leaf Leadership Academy which is part of Vicente Martinez High School in Martinez. She has made this presentation to multiple venues throughout that school district and at the International Conference on Transformational Learning. Rona Zolliger and several of her students will help with the presentation.
CRISTINA MEDINA, Independent Consultant
What Does a Multi-Cultural Classroom Sound and Look Like?
The presenter will provide suggestions for strategies, guidelines and tools that will promote a truly multi-cultural classroom where all children are valued equally for their life experience. You will learn how children can be engaged in learning through the use of music, visual aids, literature and individual home histories.
About the Presenter: Medina is an independent consultant and parent liaison at Skyline High School with ten years of experience in the classrooms of the Oakland Unified School District. She has made this presentation to the Oakland Black Educators Conference for several years and has a passion for passing on her knowledge, especially to those who feel unable to provide cross-cultural learning in their classrooms.
IAN HARRIS, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Never Give Up! Ama’s Journey to Freedom on the Underground Railroad (by Kesa Kivel)
This 28 minute film of historical fiction is set in the 1850s. It provides excellent, well-researched content on slavery in the U.S. as well as on everyday acts of resistance by enslaved people. The richly textured, innovative film breathes life into history by weaving live footage of students acting out the story of an enslaved girl named Ama with compelling original illustrations, historical photographs, and a powerful emotional music score. Never Give Up! makes history relevant and relatable. Harris will lead a discussion of the film following the screening.
About the Film Director: Kesa Kivel is a Los Angeles-based artist as well as an educator and activist engaged in social justice issues, especially those concerning girls and women. Since 2003 she has volunteered to teach feminist issues to middle school girls at the YWCA in Santa Monica, California, offering a broad-based curriculum in an interactive format.
About the Presenter: Harris is a recently-retired director of the Peace Studies program at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, where he was a professor Education Policy and Community Studies. He is the author of Peace Education and Peacebuilding for Adolescents, and was the keynote speaker at the first annual Creating a Peaceful School Conference. He was most instrumental in getting this annual conference up and running.
BETTY McEADY, Ed.D., Brandman University
Consciousness-in-Action: Cultivating Practices for Making Peace and Promoting Multicultural Empathy in Everyday Life.
This session involves, at an introductory level, hands-on experiential communication skills that foster connecting with others, effective listening, sharing culture, and laughing while cultivating conscious behaviors towards peacemaking, anti-racism, emotional and embodied empathy, and conflict resolution in the classroom, family, community, and/or among teaching colleagues and school administrators. Participants and presenter will discuss the multisensory nature of the interactive communication processes and their implications for cultivating peacemaking and empathy in multicultural contexts.
About the Presenter: McEady is a 45-year veteran teacher and university professor. She has found that her ongoing research in applied teaching and learning in multicultural contexts promotes personal and professional growth and community improvement—in schools and beyond. She has presented on this topic to professionals at all grade levels, elementary to college/university.
TASNEEM MOHAMED, Teacher FAME Charter School - CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS
The Muslim Student Experience: The Next Chapter in Cultural Diversity in the Classroom
The presenter will discuss the diversity in the multi-ethnic and multi-lingual Muslim community in the Bay Area. She will give a brief overview of the Islamic traditions influencing the daily choices and attitudes, and how they present in the classroom using examples and brief case studies on the experiences of Muslim students from local public schools. The presenter will also discuss her own experience as a Muslim professional working in education and mental health. New aspects of cultural competency are emerging for teachers and administrators to consider. All need to be prepared so as to create an open environment for parents and students and continue to contribute to the success of students. The influx of Muslim refugees and immigrants means that the paradigm for culturally sensitive education must change.
About the Presenter: Mohamed is a Muslim, a mental health professional and teacher at the FAME Charter School in Fremont. She has worked extensively with her peers to understand Islamic teachings and how they impact the culture of the local community. She speaks regularly to groups in the area on this issue and in particular a recent forum which addressed the impact of 9/11 on those in the Muslim and Sikh communities.
JOREE ROSENBLATT, Independent Consultant/Counseling Intern
Mindfulness in Education
Participants in this session will learn tools to create a mindful classroom environment and thereby help their students to develop compassion/heartfulness and understanding of others, honoring and valuing cultural differences. Presenter will also provide an introduction to mindfulness, a summary of scientific reports of its benefits in classrooms as well as techniques for implementation.
About the Presenter: Rosenblatt has a Masters in Counseling Psychology and is working on her licensure towards becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist. She has done extensive training in Mindfulness and has subsequently developed her own Mindfulness curriculum that is offered to adults, through individual sessions or in a 6 week course. She also teaches Mindfulness to students at Seven Hills School in Walnut Creek, where she is the therapist onsite. This will be her second year to present at this conference.
AMY PENNINGTON, Art Specialist
Drawing the Figure in Proportion and Cultural Dress
This session is for participants interested in presenting an art lesson to their students (4th grade and above) so that they may learn about their own cultures and share their stories and cultural information to their classmates.
About the Presenter: Pennington is an Art teacher at Buena Vista Elementary School. She recently completed her M.A. in Art Education on the thesis topic of teaching in a multi-cultural/multi-ethnic class wherein the research question “How might student-centered and culturally-specific art lessons engage students and increase mutual understanding and acceptance?” She has experience teaching Art to both children and adults.
KAZU HAGA, Independent Consultant
Dr. King's Final Marching Orders: Institutionalizing Nonviolence
This session will provide a brief overview of the Kingian Nonviolence philosophy and how it has been implemented in school settings, including information about a high school in Chicago that has lowered its rate of violence by 90%. Participants will join in interactive activities that analyze conflict and the roots of violence, including conflict across cultures and demographics.
About the Presenter: Haga is a coordinator for the East Point Peace Academy in Oakland. He has been conducting trainings in Kingian Nonviolence since 2009, and has been doing so full-time since 2011, training thousands of individuals including school teachers, faculty, students, prison inmates, mediation teachers, activists and gang-involved youth. He began his interest in 1998 after participating in social justice movements and studying nonviolence in South Asia.
KIM BARANEK, Rainbow Community Center, Concord
School Staff as Allies: Building Partnerships with Families to Support LGBTQ Students
In this session we will discuss the important role that school staff play in promoting LGBTQ youth acceptance and inclusion. Recommendations for engaging families of LGBTQ youth who are working toward acceptance will be shared. Specific steps that school staff can take to be allies to LGBTQ youth and families will be highlighted.
About the Presenter: Baranek grew up in Detroit and moved to the Bay Area in the 90s. She earned a Masters in Public Health from SFSU and now serves as the Youth Advocacy Collaborative Director & Inclusive Schools Coordinator for the Rainbow Community Center in Concord. Her experience includes coordinating efforts to promote healthier school environments for children and young adults. Part of her research has been on the impact of discrimination and stigma on same-sex couples and the role of meditation & yoga in youth violence prevention.