Peace Education Program trainers have been teaching conflict resolution, peer mediation and prejudice reduction to youth and adults who work with youth for over twenty-eight years.  We have a network of 155 schools and 67 community sites in Louisville and the surrounding areas.

Meet our staff:

	Eileen  Blanton has been the Executive Director since 2003. Prior to accepting the position she was the lead trainer for Peace Education Program.  Eileen has 26 years experience teaching conflict resolution to youth and adults.  She is passionate about creating safe places throughout our schools and neighborhoods where youth and adults can solve their problems nonviolently.  Since becoming director, she has been instrumental in increasing the level of fundraising and visibility of Peace Education Program in the community. Click here to email.
	Carrie Christensen joined the staff in 1999 with a Masters of Education in Conflict Resolution. She is presently the Coordinator of School Programming where she facilitates conflict resolution workshops for preschool through college age students.  Carrie implemented the Cooperative Games  Workshops for adults and is creating a conflict resolution curriculum for grades K - 5.  Click here to email.
	Ramzi Sabree is a former childhood participant in the programming provided by Peace Education Program.  For the last two years, Ramzi has been a valued member of the staff.  His work consists of training conflict mediators, conducting conflict resolution class visits and being the lead facilitator and developer for the Navigators Mentoring Program.  Click here to email.
	Janene Shakir joined the Peace Education Program staff in 1995 and trained 500 gang involved youth and their friends in peer mediation.  She developed our Community Institute - a three day training in prejudice reduction and conflict resolution.  She is presently the Coordinator of Community Programs. Janene also established  Peace Education Program's Pride Without Prejudice youth leadership group. Click here to email.
	Completing our staff is Paula Daugherty (left), our office manager and Susan Miller (right), our bookkeeper.  Both Paula and Susan bring  knowledge and expertise to Peace Education Program that they obtained from working in the corporate sector.  Click here to email the office.

Our 2010 - 2011 Board of Directors:

Name and Place of Employment
Kevin Wigginton (Chairperson), American Red Cross
Kristin Munro-Leighton (Secretary), Family Health Services            
Jackie Dolin (Treasurer), Retired
SteVon Edwards, Metro Government
Darrell Fuller, iServe Advisors                           
Shelly Hackett, PROforma Quality First
Ray Hart, Your Community Bank
Amanda Houpt, The Center for Women and Families
Ben Langley, Jefferson County Public Schools
Steve Mattingly, Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP
Dominique Mosley, UPS
Paul Neumann,  Universal Woods
Cheryl Ungerleider, Retired                         
Denise Payne Wade,  Kentucky Real Estate Commission

Peace Education Program
 Twenty-Nine Years “Giving Youth More Than A Fighting Chance”

Twenty-nine years ago Peace Education Program taught conflict resolution in one classroom, in one school. Today we have a network of 155 schools where mediation and/or conflict resolution is practiced every day. Peace Education Program impacts 20,000 youth annually.

Twenty years ago we formed “Youth for Peace” – teen leaders committed to reducing prejudice. Today, one of those youth leaders is a subcontractor teaching conflict resolution through story and song. Other graduates are leaders in community development, education and fundraising in this community or others.

Seventeen years ago, Louisville’s youth homicide rate was one of the highest in the nation. We joined a coalition to stop the violence. Members included Metro Government, the Urban League, Housing Authority, YMCA and others. Peace Ed trained 400 gang involved youth and their friends to be mediators in seven Housing Authority sites. Today there are sixty-four community sites where young people can solve their problems nonviolently.

Thirteen years ago Peace Education Program introduced whole school conflict resolution and mediation to a Middle School. Today, one of those mediators is on our staff teaching conflict resolution to other young men.

Nine years ago Peace Education Program began doing preschool conflict resolution workshops with three and four year olds. Today, we are partnering with Squallis Puppeteers to present Rage-A-Saurus Rex, a puppet show and workshop series that explores anger and problem solving with young children.

Six years ago we created a comprehensive mediation manual. Today, that manual is printed in Kinyarwandan. The summer of 2007 we trained a team of Rwandans to return home and teach mediation to Hutu, Tutsi and Twa youth.

Three years ago Peace Ed joined a Youth Violence Prevention Task Force led by Darrell Aniton of the Metro Office for Youth Development. Today Louisville is one of thirteen cities in a national coalition formed by the Prevention Institute and the Center for Disease Control, committed to reducing youth violence by fifty percent in ten years.

Last year Peace Ed was honored to join Attorney Tom Williams, The County Attorney and Public Defender, many judges and community leaders to pursue Restorative Justice for Juveniles in Louisville. Today, Restorative Justice Louisville has been created, led by Libby Mills with Just Solutions. Peace Ed has underwritten the time of a staff person to be one of thirteen facilitators.