Events – Peace Learning Center

9 09, 2022

Celebrating 25 Years of Peacemaking

Brandi Metzger2022-09-09T13:46:01-04:00September 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

11 06, 2021

Social Justice Leadership Camp: The Experience

Brandi Metzger2021-09-23T13:58:45-04:00June 11th, 2021|Tags: camp, social justice, summer|

by Kyarie Shelton Hello, my name is Kyarie Shelton. I just recently graduated from Pike High School and will be attending Johns Hopkins University in the fall. For the past two or three years, I have participated in Social Justice Leadership Camp. In the Summer of 2019, I was a participant in the camp. This camp opened my eyes to issues that I was unaware of. As an African American female, I knew from my own experiences of racial and gender inequalities; however, through this camp, I learned about mental health disparities, the wealth gap, sexuality inequalities, and the injustices that other people of color face. This camp not only explores the inequality of marginalized groups of people on a surface/street level, but it dives into the institutions and ideologies that keep the marginalized groups oppressed. The structure of the camp is as unique as the wonderful woman running it. Although our days are scheduled, Clare allows the participants to speak freely, even if it deviates a bit from the topic at hand. Clare creates a safe haven for opinions to be heard, and more importantly, respected. Clare treats us all as family and makes sure to incorporate light-hearted days throughout the program to even out the intense discussions. During the Summer of 2020, I was invited back to be a facilitator, and I facilitated throughout the 2020-2021 school year. It was an amazing experience, touching the lives of

19 03, 2021

Community Restorative Practices Train-the-Trainer

Brandi Metzger2021-09-23T14:05:44-04:00March 19th, 2021|Tags: PLC News, professional development, restorative practices|

Apply here.

22 05, 2020

To Our PLC Community

Brandi Metzger2021-05-20T17:41:24-04:00May 22nd, 2020|

Dear PLC Community, My name is Jay Horan and I am the Director of Community Engagement at Peace Learning Center. As a part of my role I am charged with managing our public and program partnerships. The last few months have been interesting, to say the least. Our partners are reaching out at high rates requesting support for their staff and communities in regard to social-emotional learning, wellness, regulation and stress management. Our amazing team took the challenges of our new virtual world and have been able to produce powerful, thoughtful, and engaging workshops so that we are still able to show up for the community in the way that we always have but also in new and exciting ways too. These past few months we have forwarded our vision and mission to a new level. A few weeks ago we did a statewide e-training with the Indiana Library Federation where Megan Zanto, Member Engagement Manager said, “Thank you so much for being experts at peace.” Days after we hosted our first restorative practices training online with over 50 participants from the community and were told, “The presenter was knowledgeable and inclusive. The presentation was informative and interactive!” What we feared was that our trainings would lose their impact, what we are finding out is quite the opposite! The virtual format allows for new ways of connecting and our facilitators to gauge in real-time the effect of group learning.

28 10, 2019

Restorative Practices Train-the-Trainer

Brandi Metzger2021-05-20T17:41:25-04:00October 28th, 2019|Tags: peace education, restorative practices|

by Kristina Hulvershorn We are all “The Peace People.” I find myself saying that phrase more and more often. As we learn and evolve as an organization, we strive to make the greatest impacts in the communities we serve. In my world of restorative practices, we have learned the hard way that sometimes by being a good resource, we can actually do a disservice to our constituents. Let me explain. When we first began implementing restorative practices, we were eager to gain experience leading circles. This was beneficial to the people who were part of them, but also to us as learners. As we became more skilled practitioners, our partners began to lean on us more and more. This felt good because our work 1) was working and 2) was valued. As time went on, though, we realized that we had also poured a lot of time and energy into training people to do this work in their own schools and organizations. Our presence, though, made us the peace people, and they had a much harder time seeing that they too were totally capable of the very same feats of peacemaking. We thought long and hard about how we can support schools and organizations. One way we did this was to look at the data that showed us which school and organizational partners were excelling in their implementation of restorative practices. There was an inverse relationship between those schools

10 07, 2019

PRESS RELEASE: Samerian Foundation Presenting Sponsor of Peace Learning Center’s

Brandi Metzger2021-05-20T17:41:26-04:00July 10th, 2019|

For Immediate Release: July 9, 2019 Contact: Tiffany Talbert Director of Operations Phone: 317-327-7144 ttalbert@peacelearningcenter.org Samerian Foundation Announces Sponsors of Peace Learning Center’s Bubbles and Bowties Samerian Foundation will present Peace Learning Center’s annual adult prom and fundraising event through a $15,000 sponsorship Event: Bubbles and Bowties: 3rd Annual Adult Prom and Fundraiser Date/Time: Friday, September 27, 2019 7:00 – 11:00 pm Location: Indiana Landmarks 1201 Central Ave Indianapolis, IN 46202 INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Peace Learning Center (PLC) is delighted to announce Samerian Foundation as the presenting sponsor for Bubbles and Bowties, an adult prom and fundraising event to be held on Friday, September 27 from 7 to 11 pm at Indiana Landmarks. This marks Samerian’s 3rd year of involvement with PLC’s annual fundraiser. The Samerian Foundation was founded in 2003 with the aim of enhancing the quality of life in Central Indiana. By granting funds, they support the needs of the underserved through their direct promotion of community organizations and humanitarian projects. PLC has facilitated peace education in the Indianapolis area for 22 years. With programs tailored to youth, families, nonprofits and businesses, they help foster a community where respect is primary and justice is real. To support this cause, please attend Bubbles and Bowties. Tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/PLCAnnualEvent19. In the spirit of the Bubbles and Bowties theme, formal attire is encouraged. Attendees can expect delicious hors d’oeuvres from Black Plate Catering, music by DJ Dicky

31 05, 2019

AMPLIFY Youth Summit Recap

Brandi Metzger2021-05-20T17:41:28-04:00May 31st, 2019|Tags: indianapolis, voice, youth|

by Kate Owens On May 21st, Peace Learning Center hosted 150 students in downtown Indianapolis at the Athenaeum for the 4th annual youth symposium. This year’s theme was Amplify: Harnessing the Power of Youth Voice. This event, presented by PLC in collaboration with the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction, brought together students who are leaders in their schools to develop the skills to use their own voices as an agent for change. The focus of the event was youth activism and youth harnessing the power of their own voices. The participants learned about youth changemakers and the difference one kid can make in their own community. Upon arrival, the students ate breakfast and watched the short film Little Warriors about a group of Indianapolis kids who made a difference on environmental issues through action and advocacy. The film tells the story of how these students got a climate change resolution passed in the Indianapolis City-County Council. After being inspired by the Little Warriors film, the youth broke into small groups for more in-depth activities. In their small groups, the students read the book Secret of the Troublemakers by PLC’s own Kristina Hulvershorn. Secret of the Troublemakers is a call to action for disruption of the system in the pursuit of changing the world. Next, they learned about a few powerful youth activists like ‘Little Miss Flint’ Mari Copeny, who has done amazing work in her community surrounding

18 05, 2018

From the Intern: Project Kindness

Brandi Metzger2021-05-20T17:41:35-04:00May 18th, 2018|

by Kelly Keeley Peace Learning Center, with support from the Indiana Family & Social Services Administration, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, hosted Project Kindness last Wednesday, the 16th. When 10 AM hit, 170 students started filing in to The Athenaeum eager to see what they would experience in the coming hours. One student spoke with me about how excited she was to be participating in this project, saying that kindness was important because of all the hate going on in the world today. After breakfast and a little coloring session, Skye Berger, a speaker and facilitator focusing on youth engagement and self-care, jumpstarted the morning with a lesson in kindness. She interacted with the group by playing a game of rock paper scissors, in which the entire room was involved with. She was able to teach the students about kindness through a game that they are already familiar with. This made the youth so much more engaged in the exercise. From there, the students broke into smaller sessions. As a classroom, they engaged in a lesson about being an upstander by reading through the skills, brainstorming ways to help their peers, and then acting the skills out through the ways they can support or distract their fellow students. By the end of the day, they were willing to stand-up for themselves and their own passions as well as stopping bullying that they see. It was eye-opening to see

18 12, 2017

Guest Column: Passion Yoga School

Brandi Metzger2021-05-20T17:41:39-04:00December 18th, 2017|Tags: community, Costa Rica, meditation, passion, travel, yoga|

It’s already December and Passion Yoga School has a lot of FREE gifts coming at you in the next months! Take a look at Adi Shakti’s blog posts today and tell us what you think. Click the image below to get access to all the blog posts! Happy Holidays from all of us at Passion Yoga School! “ I am a blessed soul. I have been given opportunities, hand over fist, to expand my consciousness, connect with my sisters all over the globe, and to actively pursue stillness in the nosiest of places. I am a yoga student and teacher, committing my life to expanding my capacity for bliss, to healing the traumas of this life and others, and to supporting others in that same journey. “ Adi Shakti, Travel, Leadership, Grief & Resilience through Yoga https://www.passionyogaschool.com/blog/2016/12/28/lelakwiw4xdcmfo4ir7z7xlvgyyuun For more information or any questions, please email us at support@passionyogaschool.com or visit us here. Did you know that we are hosting a Yoga Alliance Certified 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training + Self Empowerment Course at the Peace Learning Center in 2018? It includes weekends at the Peace Center + a Costa Rica immersion! The program will feature 5 weekends of training in Indianapolis at The Peace Center starting on July 27th. Once done with the Indianapolis weekends, you will come to join us in the beautiful jungle of Costa Rica, Caribbean coast, for a 10 day Immersion, all-inclusive, at our permaculture

17 11, 2017

Guest Column: Passion Yoga School

Brandi Metzger2021-05-20T17:41:39-04:00November 17th, 2017|Tags: community, Costa Rica, meditation, passion, travel, yoga|

Did you know that we are hosting a Yoga Alliance Certified 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training + Self Empowerment Course at the Peace Learning Center in 2018? It includes weekends at the Peace Center + a Costa Rica immersion! The program will feature 5 weekends of training in Indianapolis at Peace Center starting on July 27th. Once done with the Indianapolis weekends, you will come to join us in the beautiful jungle of Costa Rica, Caribbean coast, for a 10-day Immersion, all-inclusive, at our permaculture center in Puerto Viejo. The program is priced at $3000 ($2400 for the program + $600 donation to The Peace Center). The $600 is Tax-Deductible and goes to support a Peace Education initiative in the inner cities of Indianapolis. With the Holidays arriving so fast, Passion Yoga School would love to offer you the opportunity to buy a $250 Gift Card for your loved ones for Christmas (or any other occasion)! This card could act as a special deposit on the Indianapolis & Costa Rica Training or any of our other upcoming programs of 2018! Click the image below to get access to the Gift Card. Happy Holidays from all of us at Passion Yoga School! For more information or any question, please email us at support@passionyogaschool.com or visit us here. Schedule Indianapolis Weekends: JULY 27-29, 2018 AUGUST 24-26, 2018 SEPTEMBER 14-16, 2018 OCTOBER 5-7, 2018 OCTOBER 19-21, 2018 Weekend Schedule: Fridays 6pm -