In their video presentations our four panelists addressed the following guide questions...
What is the relevance of the “eight pillars of positive peace” and the core values of peace, for our schools and communities?
What are the “systemic” causes of the two challenges and “conflicts” presented?
What are emerging lessons learned, good practices and skills for enhanced peacebuilding and conflict resolution?
How can these lessons and practices be applied to peacebuilding and conflict resolution in our families, schools, communities?
What is Peacebuilding? Frameworks and Ideas
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Presented by Mr. Flavio Bollag
Executive Director, Outward Bound Center for Peacebuilding www.outwardboundpeace.org
Flavio Bollag joined the Outward Bound Center for Peacebuilding as the Advancement Director in May 2015 and he has served as Executive Director since 2019. His roles at OBCP have included program leadership, development and oversight, fundraising and communications, and facilitation. All of which have given him the challenging and rewarding role of capturing and telling incredible stories of extraordinary people in our programs. Together with Ana Patel, he is the co-editor of Experiential Peacebuilding, and he has helped to develop and share experiential activities on the topics of Positive Peace with numerous partner organizations including Rotary International.
Flavio studied English and history at Middlebury College, where he also spent many hours exploring the Green Mountains, and holds a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature from Rutgers University. An avid cyclist and triathlete, he is always seeking new races and challenges in the northeast. He and his wife and their two daughters live in Smithtown, New York.
Positive Values Framework to Support Living Out Peacebuilding
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Presented by Angie Hott
Positive Action and Digital Media Facilitator Morgan County Partnership
A native of Morgan County, WV, Angie Hott is a 1983 graduate of Berkeley Springs High School. She went on to earn a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Massachusetts, worked and lived in Chicago, and returned to the WV hills in 1997 when she and her husband raised 4 children, and now a grandbaby on the way! Mrs. Hott has worked in Morgan County Schools since 1999, volunteered within the community, and recently facilitated Positive Actions for the last 8 years in the classroom and, since 2020, online with PositiveValuesNetwork.com
The Morgan County Partnership uses Positive Actions, prevention, and wellness to discover student’s self concept, promote physical and emotional wellness, inspire intellectual wellness, and raise developmental assets in order for children to reach their individual academic achievement and success; fostering healthy choices today for a strong tomorrow, at home, school, and in the community.
Positive Actions is an integrated and comprehensive curriculum that is designed to improve achievement, school attendance, and problem behaviors such as substance use, violence, suspensions, disruptive behaviors, dropping out, and sexual behavior. It is also created to improve parent-child bonding, family cohesion, and family conflict. And, PA gives hope to heal system causes of conflict within families and groups when conflict can lead to poor performance, addictions, or even incarcerations.
Strategies for Prevention of Violence in Our Schools and Communities
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Guadalupe Cruz
Director, Latin America Programs, Cure Violence Global (NGO)
Guadalupe Cruz is the Director of Training for Latin and Central America. She has been a key member of the Cure Violence team since 2009. She started as a CeaseFire Violence Interrupter. In 2011, she was promoted to supervisor of all Latino Violence Interrupters in Chicago. In March 2014, her role expanded to incorporate training responsibilities in Latin and Central America. She is responsible for overseeing implementation of the Cure Violence model in South Africa, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Canada. In this capacity, she provides training and technical support to all the local partner organizations implementing the Cure Violence model in these countries.
Family Challenges: Trends & Constructive Responses
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Sgt. Ben Williams
Youth Leader and Prevention Officer for Jefferson County High School
Ben is a husband and the proud father of four sons. He is employed as a deputy sheriff and has been for approximately eighteen years. He holds the rank of sergeant with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, located in Charles Town, West Virginia. He graduated from the West Virginia State Police Academy in 2003. He received my bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Mountain State University in 2012. He continued his education and obtained my master’s degree in Evangelism and Church planning from Liberty University in 2016. He is an ordained pastor and chaplain, and pastor one of our local churches, Focus Ministries.
Ben’s current duty assignment with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department is as the Prevention Resource Officer at Jefferson High School. He considers it an honor and privilege to serve our youth and community for the past five years in this capacity. With his daily activities he gets to mingle, interact, be present, and involved in the lives of our youth. In his capacity as a deputy sheriff, he gets to assist not only in our youth’s day-to-day activities at school, but be a bridge builder from the school to the community. He has the privilege of helping our youth navigate some of the complications they experience in and outside of school.
