Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace Youth Conferences

The Cause

For several years, the Foundation has organized a conference for high school students in the Edmonton area on Gandhian principles aimed at building peaceful communities, conflict resolution, diversity, and equality. We want to do similar work with junior high school students and another version adapted for elementary school children. We want to create an age-appropriate dialogue, generate ideas about how to think about conflict differently, offer alternative solutions to challenges through activities, talk, and multimedia production. The model for these efforts is the Foundation’s Summer Institute held each year for graduate students through the Faculty of Education at the U of A. The youth conferences proposed would be similarly interactive and inclusive with sessions designed to introduce and make relevant Gandhi’s vision of non-violence (ahimsa), personal responsibility, dedication to community, and stewardship of our environment.

Who Will it Benefit?

So, cui bono? Students, families, teachers, and school communities will benefit from participation in the proposed conferences / activities. The relevance and efficacy of non-violence can be felt in every aspect of our lives. We believe younger students will benefit from engaging with notions of nonviolence, peace, and community.