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-five 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.  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 Board of Directors:

Name                                                                Place of Employment
Cheryl Ungerleidger, Chairperson                 Self-employed
Kevin Wigginton, Co-Chairperson                American Red Cross
Kristin Munro-Leighton, Secretary                Family Health Services             
Margie Redmon, Treasurer                          Self-employed                                                     
Ilana Aponte                                            Holy Trinity Church
Deborah Barnes-Byers                               Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana
Amy Dennes                                             VanHoose Education Center
Darrell Fuller                                            I Serve Advisors, LLC
Shelly Hackett                                          Diversity ADventures, Inc.
Ray Hart                                                  Your Community Bank                         
Dr. Adam Renner                                       Bellarmine University      
Mark Steiner                                             Center for Interfaith Relations
Denise Payne Wade                                   Kentucky Real Estate Commission

                                      

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

Twenty-seven 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. We teach conflict resolution to three thousand youth annually.

Eighteen 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.

Sixteen years ago we began a partnership with a middle school with high levels of violence – students were “body slamming” each other in the hallways – lifting someone over the head and dropping them to the floor. Today, the youth mediators conduct 200 mediations annually with few gang-related conflicts reported in five years. The commitment of the adult coordinator and the skills taught to youth combine to create a culture of peace in a sea of violence.

Fifteen years ago, Louisville’s youth homicide rate was one of the highest in the nation. We joined a coalition to stop the violence. We 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.

Eleven 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.

Seven years ago we partnered with Kentucky Shakespeare Festival to teach conflict resolution to youth in residential treatment centers. Today, we are co-authoring a study guide and curricula to train actors/actresses to take this training statewide.

Four 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.