PeaceMaker Minnesota

Giving Schools Tools to Stop Violence

You can help the mission to...

End bullying and school violence

Teach problem solving skills, inclusion, and empathy

Promote peace

What Have Students Committed to After a PeaceMaker Training?

"If I see anyone sitting alone I will ask if they want to play."

"Give people a chance and don’t judge them for their looks or the way they talk."

"Be more kind to people I’ve been mean to."

"Help people if they’re bullied."

"Stand up for someone."

What Do Parents Say?

“My daughter speaks with her Peacemaker at school frequently. She is a sensitive soul and this service has been invaluable in helping her navigate tough and confusing situations.”

What Do Teachers Say?

“The lesson really gave them some great tools on how to deal with teasing in a way that strengthens their self-esteem and gives them a greater awareness of who they are.”

Example from an in-school Peace Guide:

“I was informed that a conflict between a student in fifth grade, and one in fourth, became physically aggressive in the bathrooms. I met with each of the girls alone, and gathered information about the incident, as well as events leading up to the incident, their feelings, and the complex history around their relationship.

Both students agreed to meet with me all together and discuss ways we might resolve their underlying conflict. We met together and I walked them through the Collaborative Problem-Solving approach, which began with the premise that we were not there to decide who is at fault, who started the conflict, or how either student needed to be punished. We were there to identify the underlying problem at hand, have each student’s perspective be heard, have each of them identify their concern, and each brainstorm ideas about how to resolve the problem.

I was (as I often am) so impressed by their ability to remain calm and share their feelings when they knew that the point was not for someone to ‘get in trouble.’ We were working together to resolve a problem. We identified the problem as miscommunication about some prior incidents that had happened on social media, and unresolved hurt about a past interaction. 

Both students took responsibility for their contribution to the problem and agreed to speak to each other next time they feel upset. It has been a month since the incident in the bathroom, and both girls report that there have been no ongoing issues between them.

Sharing our feelings and vulnerabilities can be hard. It can be anxiety provoking. However, when we make time and space for people in conflict to talk and teach the skills that can replace blaming and defensiveness in communication, these students become equipped to avoid violence.”

What can your donation today fund?

$10 buys a skill-building book- teaching skills like how to advocate for oneself and others when witnessing teasing and bullying

$25 pays for 1 hour of an in-school Peace Guide- teaching the skills of emotional regulation, and collaborative problem solving in nonviolent ways

$100 pays for 1 day of a Peace Guide

$250 funds an Ambassadors for Respect training- adults with developmental disabilities run a training for 4th graders to learn the impact of bullying and how to include others

A description of all PeaceMaker MN Programs:

Peace Guides – part-time PeaceMaker employees who work at elementary and K – 8 schools to help youth to develop problem solving skills like how to handle emotions, understand different perspectives, and think of multiple solutions. Guides are caring adults for youth who need someone to talk with, to notice them and to provide emotional support.

Books for Peacemakers – Students in grades K – 3 read, discuss, write about the importance of standing up for oneself and others, and how to talk through conflicts, respond to teasing, make friends and be a friend. Students are offered to keep the book that they receive.

Ambassadors for Respect – Individuals with developmental disabilities deliver a 50 minute bullying prevention classroom presentation to fourth graders about the importance of including others, of using kind – Person First – language and about being an advocate for oneself and others.