New Generations Peacebuilders - A Project from the Downtown Club!
Our weekly meeting for Thursday, March 19 was held on Zoom and featured the New Generations Peacebuilder project. The presenters included Jose Guillen, Past President of the Santa Rosa downtown club, Doug Johnson, District Governor Elect, and our very own Past President, Eloise Tweeten. Kate, former NewGen Peacebuilders student participant, also gave us highlights of her time in NewGen and her recent efforts in advocacy.
The goal of the program is to connect with youth and provide them with a way to find their own voices. The mentors accomplish this by helping students generate projects and then work in teams to develop their projects. NewGen started in 2016 as a 3-year pilot program by the downtown club. There are now over 100 “mini Peace Fellow” graduates from the program. Our Elsie Allen kids participate regularly. Jose gave us an overview of the NewGen process, including initially rounding up the local high schools, a key to obtaining applications from students. In the first year, 8 high schools came together to publicize and sponsor the program to their students. Jose told us about the 2018 projects, including Peace with Self – Peace with Others (focused on building healthy relationships), Rooted in Peace (planting resilient trees/brush), and Giving Me a Story (stories from prisoners). This year there are approximately 35 participants working on projects involving homelessness, international issues, and the environment.
