Teaching Peace In The Classroom

In his more recent public appearances, Tibetan Leader, the Dalai Lama, has been targeting his peace and compassion message to young people. To him, teaching compassion and peace to our young is the best hope for peace in the future. A look at efforts to teach peace in the schools, this time on Peace Talks Radio. First, a visit with Azim Khamisa, director of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, a non-profit organization that takes programs on nonviolence and forgiveness into schools. The foundation memorializes Mr. Khamisa's son Tariq, who was delivering pizzas in San Diego in January 1995 when he was shot and killed by a 14-year-old gang member who had been challenged to prove himself to his gang by firing a gun into Tariq's car. Mr. Khamisa joined with Ples Felix, the grandfather and guardian of the shooter, to create the foundation and develop the school programs. Also on the program, a journalist-turned-teacher who has been on a one man crusade to bring peace curriculum to schools in the Washington, DC area. From 1969 to 1997, Colman McCarthy wrote columns for the Washington Post. In his years as a columnist and journalist, he had the opportunity to interview Nobel Peace Prize winners and other figures that, he says, inspired him, in 1982, to begin teaching courses courses on nonviolence and the literature of peace in high schools and universities in the DC area. In 25 years, he has taught more than 7,000 students in his classes. McCarthy has edited two books for use in Peace Studies classes and in 1985, he founded the Center for Teaching Peace, a nonprofit that helps schools begin or expand academic programs in Peace Studies. Finally we go to Seattle, Washington where teacher Lori Markowitz manages an organization called "Bridges To Understanding." She oversees programs in some Seattle schools that promote global understanding and compassion to students. "Bridges to Understanding" has Seattle school kids connecting with kids in Thailand or South Africa, swapping stories and pictures over the internet. Some get to connect live and in person when they visit the U.S. We talked with both Lori Markowitz and Teleia Thurman, a student who participated in one of the programs. Our host is Carol Boss. "Kids are our future leaders. If we can teach them, now, that from conflict you create your brother or sister, you create love and unity - if you apply the principles of nonviolent peace making and forgiveness - maybe,someday, we'll have world peace." -Azim Khamisa, Founder of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation "Each of us in our hearts, is yearning for peace. All governments claim they want peace. So, I began to wonder. If that's the case, why aren't we teaching ourselves how to go about it? I wanted to see if that could be taught, whether it could be learned and whether students would be receptive to it."