The Peace Development program is a venture designed to advance positive youth action across a spectrum of age groups. It is a joint venture of Tufts University’s Peace and Justice Studies department, the Medford Public Schools and the Citywide PTO Alliance. Two sections of the umbrella project, Peace Games and Peace Negotiations, have already been initiated in the Medford, Massachusetts school district. Both programs are facilitated by teams of volunteer Tufts students and act to fortify cooperative sentiments in the classroom atmosphere through enjoyable game activities.
Program Growth
The elementary school component of the Peace Development project, Cooperative Peace Games, began in 2006. In 2007 Cooperative Peace Games was repeated for two six-week sessions over the fall and spring semesters. During the 2008-09 school year, CPG expanded to include second to fifth grade students. In 2009-2010 it is expected to integrate deeper into Medford’s curriculum base as part of the Heath classes. An annual in-school demonstration and a citywide demonstration are also planned. By 2012, plans foresee Cooperative Peace Games as being wholly institutionalized into the Medford school system.
The Peace Negotiations program was carried out in the fall of 2007 in Andrews and McGlynn middle schools. Peace Negotiations is designed for the sixth grade classroom and employs simulation of conflict situations. Its focus on conflict negotiation methods reflects the overarching goals of the Developments project, which is to harmonize with the Second Step violence prevention syllabus currently in use.
Cooperative Peace Games
Cooperative Peace Games utilizes activities ranging from blindfolded obstacle courses to silent mirroring challenges as an avenue for exploring problem solving and peace making capacities. Group debriefs following the games allow students a chance to conceptualize abstract concepts and vocabulary, such as “cooperation” and “communication,” as they are seen and manifested in their actions during play. This is the time where young students offer insight about ways in which to translate cooperation skills into home and school life, particularly when talking through conflicts with peers, siblings and parents.