Peacemakers

History

A Brief History of Peacemakers

2023
Planting seeds of peace

Further funding is secured to promote and increase the uptake of peace education for children aged 7-11, enabling our work to be take outside our traditional West Midlands region.

2022
Launch of Peer Mediation Plus

We added to our successful peer mediation offer to include training for the adults in schools – classroom and lunchtime staff – as well as a return visit later in

2021
Returning to working with schools – a new beginning

Return to work in schools, with a review of the strategy.  Main focus of Peacemakers on increasing the number of schools accessing new Peer Mediation Plus and whole school initiative

2020
Effects of COVID-19 pandemic felt

COVID-19 caused national school shutdown, curtailing much of the work.  Staff furloughed.  Return to working in schools developed new ways of working including:   Peace Explorers – outdoor learning about peace;  

2017
2017 – New ways of working

Development of new ways of working, such as:  Junior Peacemakers – one-day courses bringing together children from across the region to engage with a variety of topics linked to peace

30th Birthday!

The project celebrates its 30th year with a Children’s Peace Summit to which 80 children from across Birmingham came together to take part in workshops exploring inner peace, peace in

2016
Learning for Peace

The resource ‘Learning for Peace’ was developed which saw core activities and pedagogy combined in to a book and an online resource. This resources allows the work to be shared

2015
The Peace Hub

The project moves from the Edgbaston Meeting House to join a new Quaker initiative ‘The Peace Hub’ on Bull Street, central Birmingham.

2011
A new strategic plan

A strategic plan for 2011 – 2014 with the following aims: More primary schools in the West Midlands implement peaceful, inclusive and restorative approaches to conflict resolution at different levels

2008
Goodbyes and Hello

Since 2000, many new workers joined the project but many Friends and others continued a very long standing commitment to the Project, including Win Sutton as Librarian and Carol Marsh

2001
Long standing relationships with schools

Work continued to concentrate on 10 week courses in a variety of schools – some with a long standing relationship to the project, some new – together with some one-off

1995
Working with adults

As well as direct work with young people, the project was making a considerable contribution to the training of teachers in schools. Additionally, there was input into training workshops for

Funding

The funding provided by Friends and Trusts only covered the core costs of providing an office base and administering the project. Schools therefore needed to be charged for the courses

1994
Expansion

A major review of the project is undertaken by Warwickshire and Staffordshire Monthly Meetings in 1993, as a result of which the present structure was created, converting the project into

1990
Development

The project appoints Hilary Stacey as co-ordinator. During the next three years considerable growth takes place. The project worked in a number of schools in the area and the region.

1987
An idea

Sidney White, prime mover and inspirer of the West Midlands Quaker Peace Education Project’s (WMQPEP) work, had a basic premise that since time immemorial we had taught war, now was

For a fuller history, please click here to download a printable pdf document.