Peace Education and Environmental Education

What is peace education? Throughout my career, I find myself working with youth in challenging and often dangerous situations. In the inner cities of the USA where the social and economic difficulties have created a dangerous school atmosphere, in rural Alabama, where racism and segregation are still a reality in the 21st Century, in Israel/Palestine with Arab, Druze and Jewish youngsters, in Roma communities of Hungary, in Brcko, Bosnia I Herzegovina, where the United Nations has taken control of all civil, educational and economic activity, in Serbia after the end of the Balkan Wars of the 90s and in the summer of 2006, as director of Camp Tolerance at Lake Balaton, Hungary. Now, I will give you a short synopsis of each of these programs.

As a teacher, artist and sportsman I have used my diverse skills while working as classroom teacher and artist in residence in New York City, Los Angeles and San Diego Schools as well as in rural Hale County, Alabama, in Integration Education. These programs were sponsored by grants from the California, New York and Alabama Arts Councils.

At Beit Hagefen, Haifa, Israel (1996-7) is a rare Arab/Jewish Community Center where we developed “peace meetings” with Arab, Druze and Jewish youth to explore our commonalities and similarities. One meeting at each of the schools and then a third meeting at Beit Hagefen would give the students three opportunities to spend a days with “The Other,” playing and eating and learning.

Recommendation letter - Arab Jewish cultural community youth & support center - 1997      

Recommendation letter - Embassy of the United States of America in Israel - 1997      

Poster for "Meetings between Jews and Arabs" program - 1996-1997      

Bringing “Family Entertainment” to Roma communities, sponsored by the Open Society of the Soros Foundation, (1997-8) had me performing for isolated communities in rural Hungary.

Brcko, Bosnia (2001-4) has been controlled by the UN since the end of the Balkan Wars. We taught, 22 high school students, for 4 weeks, over 4 summers (total 88 students) in the fundamentals of a civic society; journalism, storytelling and writing, newspaper publishing, public speaking, community service and development, conflict/resolution training for students and teachers, arts in the community and volunteerism. The students studied with our team in the summer and in the next January went to the USA to live with American families and experience US high school for one semester. This program was sponsored by the US embassy in BiH, the US Dept. of State and managed by AYUSA.

AYUSA Student newspaper cover      

In the summer of the assassination of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Gingic, he had organized Serbian Youth Leadership Camps throughout the country. I traveled to several of these camps to teach high school students the important activities of a civil/democratic society.

Camp Tolerance, Lake Balatonlelle, Hungary, (2006) brought 65 students, 11-15 years old, from Slovakia, Serbia, Rumania and Hungary and 20 teachers together to eat, sleep, travel, play and study together with tolerance as our theme and developing English language and friendship our goal. This was devised and funded by the US Embassy Regional English Language Dept., Budapest.

We can develop, with you and your special group, learning and activity programs to fit your unique needs. With younger students or up through university age we can create a dynamic, learning experience for all. Contact to us to explore our programs.

Jay Miller: 1084 Bp. Déri Miksa u. 18 V/2 Hungary    Tel: ++36 1 210 7252; mobile: ++36 30 321 2726, millerjay49@yahoo.com

web: Hegedûs Viktor - vhegedus0302@gmail.com