Young Peace Ambassadors Academy

There is a cost to violence & conflict The cost of interpersonal violence in the United States is $300 billion per year, excluding war-related costs. Cost to victims of interpersonal violence is more than $500 billion per year. Most important: 191 million people have lost their lives as a result of conflict stemming from national, ethnic or religious differences. Making it the most violent century in recorded history. We need to preempt violence with proven measures that reduce conflict through dialogue. Peace cannot be maintained by isolation or by building barriers between conflicting parties. These practices only temporarily reduce violence but will not establish the relationships required for long-term peace. At Peace Islands Institute we work to build relationships to reduce conflict at the micro, mezzo and macro levels. At the micro level we work with individuals to create intercultural understanding through our youth programs. Young Peacebuilders is an intercultural understanding project initiated by Kings Bay Y, Peace Islands Institute and Turkish Cultural Center in Brooklyn. Our second youth program, Young Ambassadors is a global understanding project that exposes high school students to social, economic, and environmental topics through the United Nations. At the mezzo level we address conflict in faith communities through our interfaith programs. Since 2011, Abrahams’ Table’s interfaith program has facilitated over 115 interfaith discussions and 600 family dinners along the east coast among people from all faiths. We have partnered with leaders from -United Nations Women -Yale University -Tanenbaum Center -The Interfaith Center of New York -Calvary Episcopal Church -Fountain Magazine -Jewish Theological Seminary -NJ Institute for Social Justice -Temple University -Trinity United Church And at the macro level we address global conflict through our UN Ambassadors Series. At Peace Islands Institute, we strongly believe that our world leaders can unite to uphold human dignity, the rule of law and the principles of the United Nations Charter. This is the reason so many of our programs feature participation from diplomats accredited to the United Nations. At Peace Islands Institute we are dedicated to building relationships among diverse groups to reduce conflict holistically at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Now is the perfect time to expand our reach, perfect our programs, and increase our impact. We need your help. Join the peace building movement today.