In honor of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Center for Peaceful Change (from which our current school evolved), the School of Peace and Conflict Studies at has teamed up with PeaceJam Great Lakes to host the Spring 2021 PeaceJam conference. This virtual conference features keynote speaker, Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum. The conference kicks off with a virtual public talk (open to the public) on Friday, April 30, followed by the main PeaceJam conference on Saturday, May 1 (for high school students, their teachers, and mentors). The event is jointly supported by the May 4th Visitors Center and the KSU Leadership Center.
Online Public talk by Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum
Friday, April 30, 2021: 5 - 6 pm
Don't miss this amazing kickoff event for the Spring 2021 PeaceJam conference featuring keynote speaker, Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta Menchú. This event is open to all members of the public.
To register for the Friday evening public event please go to the following link:
PeaceJam Great Lakes Youth Summit: Solidarity Today for a Better Tomorrow
Saturday, May 1, 2021: 11 am – 2 pm
High school students from around the Midwest region, along with college students at serving as mentors and facilitators, will participate in a virtual conference planned for Saturday, May 1. The day is designed to both foster knowledge about a real-world issue and to develop leadership skills. During this powerful 3-hour conference, youth (ages 14-18) will participate in small group discussions led by young leaders passionate about peace, hear a keynote address from Nobel Prize recipient Rigoberta Menchú Tum, and participate in an interactive Q&A with Rigoberta. The theme of the KSU PeaceJam Conference will be how to address poverty.
Students and their teachers can go to the following link to register for the Saturday event:
students interested in serving as mentors for the conference can find more information and register at the following link:
Rigoberta Menchú Tum
“What I treasure most in life is being able to dream. During my most difficult moments and complex situations, I have been able to dream of more beautiful future”
Rigoberta Menchú Tum worked with the Committee of the Peasant Union to secure basic rights for the Mayan people, including fair wages and protection of their land. From 1980-1981, she participated in nonviolent demonstrations and helped educate Mayan peasants to resist military oppression. In 1983, she told her life story to Elisabeth Burgos Debray in a series of interviews that became the book, Rigoberta Menchú. The book drew international attention to the horrors occurring in Guatemala and led to her recognition as a world leader for indigenous rights. In 1996, Guatemala's 36-year civil war ended with a peace accord. Menchú Tum fought to have the Guatemalan political and military establishment tried in court and ran for President of Guatemala in 2007 and 2011. She also established WINAQ, the first official indigenous-led political party in national history. Rigoberta Menchú Tum has joined her sister Nobel Peace Laureates to form the Nobel Women’s Initiative, to shine the light on women and children’s rights around the world. Menchú Tum has been a member of PeaceJam since 1996.