14 03, 2023

An Interview with Clare Wildhack-Nolan, Our Director of Equity Learning

2023-05-26T10:52:15-04:00March 14th, 2023|

This month we had the opportunity to chat with our Director of Equity Learning about her vision for Equity work at PLC. Clare Wildhack-Nolan has been with Peace Learning Center over a decade. 1. What is your vision for our Equity pillar moving forward? What do you foresee in PLC's future in this area? My vision for the Equity pillar is to create strong and brave leaders for equity work in our city. I believe the Peace Learning Center can do that by facilitating dialogue, offering awareness building workshops, and supporting leaders in connecting with  resources and community  relationships to better move their own institutional change forward. Right now in our state, as in many states across the nation, educators and educational institutions, youth and families, are being targeted in anti-equity legislation, especially around race and LGBTQ+ oppression. It is important that we know our rights as well as feel a sense of communal power and bravery in order to continue the long history that we have in the United States of educators being key leaders in our work for multicultural democracy and human rights. I hope that we can play a part in supporting people being catalysts for peace, justice, and equity. 2. What is your why? What brought you to this work? As a young person, I was brought up with a lot of strong values and morals in my family around kindness, love, compassion, and community

4 11, 2022

Meet Heidi Fledderjohn, Facilitator/Coordinator

2022-11-04T15:45:43-04:00November 4th, 2022|Tags: |

Let’s start with the easy stuff – give us a sample of your professional background and experience. For 30 years, I have worked in mind/body medicine and mental health, honing tools and techniques that combine movement, meditation, creativity and psychological practices to midwife change.I am a Board Certified Dance/movement Therapist, Registered Yoga Teacher and Distinctive Meditation coach. I received my MA form Goucher College. I am honored to have studied to become a meditation teacher with Lorin Roche and Camille Maureen. I maintain a private practice working with individuals inIndianapolis, Indiana and offer virtual sessions to clients worldwide. My work flows between midwifing the deep intimacies of personal change, and facilitating large scale projects that bring divergent communities together on the common ground of play and beauty. In 2013, I was honored with an invitation to be a TEDx speaker and to teach at the prestigious TEDActive conference in Palm Springs in 2014 as well as create an experiential art instillation for TEDx Indianapolis. It was a thrill to share this community building piece called “The Third Thing" with the TED community. In 2018, I pioneered and founded a creative arts therapy department for Ascension, St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis a program that weaves art, music and dance/movement therapy for the healing of staff, patients and families. I am a published author and researcher who has written about imagination and the power of vulnerability. What brought

3 11, 2022

Meet Lynnea Redmon, Facilitator/Coordinator

2022-11-07T10:31:58-05:00November 3rd, 2022|Tags: |

Let’s start with the easy stuff – give us a sample of your professional background and experience. I have a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in Organizational Leadership. I have worked mostly with women and children. I have worked with children of all ages starting with preschool all the way up to High School. I have worked with youth in after- school programming and with youth in residential treatment. I have worked with women and children experiencing homelessness and women with addictions. In my last role I was the Unit Director for Wheeler-Dowe Boys & Girls Club. What brought you to PLC? A few years ago, I attended a training at PLC and I thought to myself this would be a great place to work. I love training and facilitating and recently I was looking into moving my career in that direction, so when I saw that PLC was hiring, I decided to go ahead and send in my resume. What are you most excited about in your new role? I am excited to be a part of an organization that practices what it preaches. I am also thrilled to be a part of such a diverse team of awesome individuals. What’s your idea of a perfect day? A nice breeze with some sunshine surrounded by the beauty of fall! If we pushed play on what you were last

1 11, 2022

Meet Hillary Duncombe, Facilitator/Coordinator

2022-11-01T13:47:55-04:00November 1st, 2022|Tags: |

Let’s start with the easy stuff – give us a sample of your professional background and experience. Hillary has been preparing K-12 and adult learners for the actualities of academia and real-world applications for over 15 years. Additionally, her experiences include professional development facilitator, Haitian Creole Liaison and various learning modalities of behavioral science. Hillary Duncombe is a graduate of Full Sail University. What brought you to PLC? While in search of a meaningful career shift, the word peace made me stop and delve into PLC’s mission. With the world being in a state of confusion and uncertainty, it was refreshing to find a company that believe in the core values that make us human. What are you most excited about in your new role? What’s most exciting about the facilitator role is being able to revive the practice of peaceful resolutions for misunderstood situations. What’s your idea of a perfect day? My idea of a perfect day is hike alongside a breathtaking scenery while in search of a perfect spot to jot down the thoughts in my head. If we pushed play on what you were last listening to (music, podcast or otherwise) what would we hear? The Peacocks by Till Bronner. So smooth, so thought provoking. Pre-COVID, you’re invited to a pitch-in, what are you bringing? Bahamian peas and rice for sure. Who is someone you look up to? Why? My father Saturne is

1 11, 2022

Meet Katrina Brown, Facilitator/Coordinator

2022-11-01T13:25:53-04:00November 1st, 2022|Tags: |

Let’s start with the easy stuff – give us a sample of your professional background and experience. I graduated from Ball State University in 2019 with my degree in English Literature and Sociology. I always tell people my background is in behavioral health—my professional background/ work experience includes outreach and skills work with a diverse array of demographics, and I am experienced with restorative practice and SEL. However, while that is my professional experience on paper, my perspective and background (as is all of ours) is informed by my personal life experiences and beliefs. My life goal is to promote liberated and healed communities, so that’s my real background and the real work I do, no matter what sphere I am operating in. What brought you to PLC? I first heard of the PLC through a friend and colleague of mine. The more I learned about the PLC, through their website, through the hiring process, word of mouth and now just by being here and observing the operations, the more excited I was, and am—I think there are few places that really live their values, and PLC really strives to imagine and implement a better way. I’m here because I can see a deep alignment between the PLC’s mission and my own. It gives me hope, not just because of the incredible work the PLC is doing outside of the organization, but also because the how

4 10, 2022

Board Member Spotlight – October 2022

2022-10-04T09:40:04-04:00October 4th, 2022|Tags: , |

Meet Tom Mould Please provide 2-3 sentences about yourself (where you work/go to school, hobbies) I am a professor of Anthropology and Folklore at Butler University. Outside the classroom, my favorite way to unplug is to lose myself backpacking for days at a time, or in a good book. What is it about PLC’s work that appeals to you? I love the mission of the PLC to situate peace and justice at the center of everything we do. Working with youth as well as adults helps ensure that the work PLC does is introduced early, and reiterated throughout our lives. After all, working towards peace, equity, and justice is an on-going process that requires constant effort and vigilance. I also appreciate that so much of the work is process and strategy driven. PLC’s work is eminently applicable and relevant. Sometimes in higher ed we can get caught up in abstract principles that are important to consider but difficult to apply. PLC puts research to practice in powerful, useful ways that never lose sight of the very real, very complicated, and very flawed world we live in without ever losing hope that we can make that world a better, more just place to live. What kind of work are you doing with PLC? I’m new to the board and still finding my way around, but I’m part of the Culture, HR and Equity group working on the strategic plan to

30 09, 2022

Recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month 2022

2022-09-30T12:54:47-04:00September 30th, 2022|Tags: , , , , , , |

Peace Learning Center joins the nation in celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15). We believe this country is made greater by the culture, history, and contributions of Hispanic Americans. In this blog we have included 1.) a brief explanation of terms, 2.) local groups whose work center the Hispanic community, and 3.) local events where we can join others in celebrating this special time! 1. Terms Hispanic refers to people of Spanish-speaking origin. “Hispanic” is an ethnicity.  The term was adopted in the 1970s by the U.S. government to try to classify people from Latin America under a common identity (NPR). Under federal policy, Hispanic is not a race. However, many multiracial Americans consider their Hispanic background as part of their race (Pew).  Latino (grammatically masculine) or Latina (grammatically feminine) refers to people residing in the U.S. who are of Latin-American descent (NPR). Some use Latinx or Latine as gender-neutral terms.  “Brazilians are Latino because the country is located in Latin America. But Brazilians aren’t considered Hispanic because the country’s primary language is Portuguese. Meanwhile, Latinx identity brings together people in South and Central America, who may share a history of Spanish colonization, but that category isn’t defined by having Spanish-speaking ancestry,” (Vox).  2. Local Groups La Plaza OUR MISSION: La Plaza strengthens Central Indiana by advocating and preparing Latino students for educational success and by connecting Latino families to health and social services. OUR

9 09, 2022

Celebrating 25 Years of Peacemaking

2022-09-09T13:46:01-04:00September 9th, 2022|

Peace Learning Center was surrounded by friends, family, and community members on Saturday, August 27th to commemorate 25 years since our founding.  Support from the community resulted in more than $50,000 raised to support youth in Indianapolis. The event was made possible by funding from: Efroymson Family Fund CNO Financial Group Eskenazi Health Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum Citizens Energy Group Christian Theological Seminary Indianapolis Airport Authority Epsilon Xi Glick Philanthropies Pacers Sports & Entertainment  Additional support for the event provided by: Butler University Subaru Automotive of Indiana Earth Charter Indiana Among those present for the celebration included Americorps alums who served at PLC. One Americorp alum, Dee Radford, recalled how the social and workforce skills she taught youth at PLC became applicable in her nonprofit work after Americorps. "Thank you for the opportunity to allow me to express myself and bring other people into this realm of peacefulness," Rad said. Jessica Brand, board member, emphasized the importance of our mission and vision. Founder and CEO Tim Nation explained Peace Learning Center's advocacy for restorative disciplinary actions in schools built on “love and respect” rather than “fear and intimidation.” "What we’ve been trying to do is work directly with young people to teach them how to have healthy relationships. And how to deal with conflicts and differences,” Nation said.  Deputy Mayor Judith Thomas presented the PLC team with a proclamation, on behalf of Mayor Joe Hogsett, declaring August 27th, 2022

9 09, 2022

Board Member Spotlight – September 2022

2022-09-09T13:32:24-04:00September 9th, 2022|Tags: , |

Meet Bernard Mickle Please provide 2-3 sentences about yourself (where you work/go to school, hobbies) Chicago Native who is an Indy transient. Proud graduate from Indianapolis Public Schools. Took my talents to Indiana University, where I graduated with a degree in Social Work. I have served over 15 years in urban community engagement work. Currently serving as the Office of Public Health & Safety Chief Violence Reduction Officer, Program Manager. My hobbies are hanging out with my wife and 2 children, working out and getting time with my friends.  What is it about PLC’s work that appeals to you? PLC diversity/inclusivity work that engages in prevention appeals to me the most. Being that I was impacted by the work of PLC as an elementary student truly played a part in changing my life as a young person.  What kind of work are you doing with PLC? I want my personal and professional experiences to serve as an asset to our board. With that being said, I hope to impact programming and be a connector for PLC. Can you tell us a memorable experience or something you have learned during your time with PLC? Being that I am new, my most memorable experience was the board orientation. Learning more in depth about PLC and all the work that we are doing was amazing. PLC has been a change agent that has proved its value in how it adapts and changes

14 06, 2022

Meet Director of Community CARE, Anita Jackson

2022-06-27T16:09:21-04:00June 14th, 2022|Tags: |

Meet Anita Jackson, Director of Community CARE* *Community, Advocacy, Reconciliation, and Engagement Let’s start with the easy stuff – give us a sample of your professional background and experience. My academic background is in education. I got my Bachelor’s degree in Education from IUPUI and taught for about 4 years. I recently returned to IUPUI to pursue my MPA in Nonprofit Management. In my 11 years of nonprofit experience, I have held direct-service and leadership positions. Some of the organizations I have worked at are the Brightwood Community Center, YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, Eskenazi Heath, Families First, and Catholic Charities Indianapolis. What brought you to PLC? It’s always been a dream of mine to work at PLC. I became familiar with PLC as a teacher and was impressed with the conflict resolution programs and curriculum. The Director of Community CARE position was appealing to me because it would allow me the opportunity to build community collaborations and provide an opportunity for young people to be more successful in their school endeavors. What are you most excited about in your new role? There are so many things I am looking forward to doing in this role. I am most excited to collaborate with other agencies like Reach for Youth, the Boys and Girls Clubs, Edna Martin Community Center, and external partners on this project. What’s your idea of a perfect day? My perfect day would

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