with Paul K. Chappell
Date: February 23rd, at 2pm PST
See Presentation
In the face of a menacing dragon, a human figure holds aloft an open book, a reminder that education is the first line of defense against humanity's most serious global challenges. In the effort to create a more peaceful and just world, the immensity of the task can feel overwhelming. Trauma, rage, mistrust, alienation—and the unjust systems they fuel—are the monsters we face as we struggle for the survival of humanity and our planet. But we don't have to face these monsters alone. Together we can build strong communities. We can become better trained. We can level up.
Paul K. Chappell is an international peace educator and founder of Peace Literacy. He graduated from West Point, was deployed to Iraq, and left active duty as a Captain. Realizing that humanity is facing new challenges that require us to become as well-trained in waging peace as soldiers are in waging war, Chappell created Peace Literacy to help students and adults from all backgrounds work toward their full potential and a more peaceful world.
Chappell grew up in a violent household. Born in 1980, he was raised in Alabama, the son of a Korean mother and a Black father who was a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars. These experiences were part of what compelled him to forge a new understanding of war, peace, rage, trauma, and our shared humanity.
This understanding is conveyed in his seven-book Road to Peace series. The first six books are Will War Ever End? (2009), The End of War (2010), Peaceful Revolution (2012), The Art of Waging Peace (2013), The Cosmic Ocean (2015), and Soldiers of Peace (2017).
The Peace Literacy Institute offers free curriculum for pre-K through college and adult education. Paul K. Chappell also facilitates professional development workshops with the following learning outcomes:
- Identifying our human needs and the tangles of trauma
- Understanding the anatomy of aggression
- Building strong and resilient communities
- Resolving conflict and learning the power of respect and calm
- Understanding emerging digital technologies in terms of human needs
Peace Literacy is Informed by Three Main Questions
- What if people were as well-trained in waging peace as soldiers are in waging war?
- What if people were trained to address the root causes of problems rather than the symptoms?
- What if we taught peace as a skill set, as a life-saving literacy, with as much rigor as we teach literacy in reading and writing?
Peace Literacy empowers us to protect the survival of our relationships, families, communities, nations, and the world by equipping us with the skills needed to
- Build strong communities
- Confront root causes of problems
- Navigate struggle and uncertainty
- Use technology with discernment
- Create peace that is resilient and sustainable
- Thrive as human beings
The origin story for the creation of a Peace Literate world is still being written, and you can be a valued part of this story. You can increase realistic hope in your life and in the lives of others by joining us in the mission to create a Peace Literate world.
Learn more about Peace Literacy's creator, Paul K. Chappell and the Peace Literacy Program.
