New Garden Friends School to Collaborate with International Nonprofit for Conflict Resolution
New Garden Friends School, an independent preschool through 12th-grade educational institution in N.C. affiliated with the Quaker faith, has been named the first academic hub for Boston University-based Axis of Hope, an international nonprofit devoted to conflict prevention. New Garden teachers will be certified to lead Axis of Hope workshops and will use the organization's curriculum in their classrooms. They also will train other educators in the techniques the foundation uses to help kids understand, manage and prevent conflict.
Greensboro, NC (PRWEB) June 22, 2009 -- Today New Garden Friends School announced a new collaborative partnership with the prestigious Axis of Hope Center for International Conflict Prevention based at Boston University. New Garden teachers will be certified to lead Axis of Hope workshops and will use the organization's curriculum in their classrooms beginning September 21, International Peace Day. They also will train other educators in the techniques the foundation uses to help kids understand, manage and prevent conflict.
New Garden Friends School is an independent, preschool-12th grade educational institution affiliated with the Quaker faith community. It is the first organization to be selected by the Axis of Hope to support and extend its work.
"We chose New Garden Friends School not only because of its academic excellence and progressive teaching techniques, but also because of its commitment to Quaker values that align with our foundation's mission," said educator Carl Hobert, founder of Axis of Hope. "Students are taught to respect each other, search for the truth, resolve conflict peacefully and understand the importance of community, stewardship and the environment."
The work of the Axis of Hope is grounded on the simple premise that it is best to help kids learn to manage conflict during their formative years, before they become hardened by life experiences. Through creatively-designed workshops offered in elementary, middle and high schools around the globe, students role-play and get hands-on practice in defusing and managing volatile situations. "If we go into a school struggling with gang violence or other destructive behaviors, we begin by getting the students to focus on a major conflict in the Middle East, Africa or some other global hotspot - far removed from the classroom," Hobert said. "Then they are better able to step back and apply what they've learned to the conflict in their own lives. That's the magic."
David Tomlin, head of New Garden Friends School, says the collaboration with Axis of Hope extends initiatives that are already underway at the school.
"Peace is one of the fundamentals of the Quaker faith and underpins how our teachers and students work together to prevent and manage conflict in the classroom," he said. "Through our affiliation with the Axis of Hope, we expect to build on that experience and to teach students the skills they need to become leaders in an increasingly complex world."
Training for the New Garden Friends School staff will get underway during September. For more information on the Axis of Hope, visit www.axisofhope.org. For more information on New Garden Friends School, visit www.ngfs.org.
About New Garden Friends School
Founded in 1971, New Garden Friends School is part of a centuries-old tradition of Quaker education and is committed to the Quaker testimonies of peace, equality, truth, integrity, simplicity, community and stewardship. An interdisciplinary, hands-on approach to learning is designed to help students uncover their strengths, express themselves fully and become active community leaders.
New Garden Friends School serves pre-kindergarten through 8th graders from a lower-middle school on the Guilford College campus and 9th-12th graders from an upper school on Pleasant Ridge Road. The organization is a member of the Friends Council on Education, an association of more than 80 Friends schools across the nation committed to excellence in education.
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