UNIPAZ-UK
Towards Cultures of Peace
the change you want to see
in the world.
Ghandi
Click on the above link to learn more about Continuing Professional Development opportunities from Unipaz-UK
New 2010 ALP Workshop DatesComing soon!
NEWS
The New Year see us partnering with the Young Peoples Support Services (YPSS) in Dumfries. Together we are offering an extensive programme for young people which will include Juniper sessions. We'll be working with three groups of young people from January until June.
Autumn 2009
David and Michael continue to liaise with Head Teachers in the Cluster, assessing needs and receiving feedback on the impact of the Juniper Programme. Our discussions have been fruitful and positive. Teachers report improvements in behaviour, emotional literacy, self-awareness, cooperation and a deeper connection between teacher and pupils.
Looking ahead to 2010, we will soon assess needs for a continuation of Juniper training sessions with Heads and teachers with a view to also reaching the secondary school in the future.
In other news, David is currently writing a book on the Juniper experience in schools. Publication is hoped for in late 2010 and will celebrate our work during this Decade of Creating a Culture of Peace and over the past 30 years.
March 2009
On March 5, David and Michael will be joining teachers from the cluster at a Health and Well-Being Professional Development Day at Calside Primary.
February 2009
David and Anna Keith continue to work with teachers and pupils at Amisfield Primary providing support for the peace education work.
January 2009
David and Michael met with teachers at Calside Primary to discuss a contribution on the Juniper Programme at an upcoming Professional Development Day on Health and Well-Being.
Michael has been accepted onto the 6-week 'Healing Words' training programme in advanced storytelling and peacemaking at Emerson College's School of Storytelling. He will spend 4 weeks at Emerson before travelling to Israel and Palestine to work alongside Arabs and Jews in their community-building and reconciliation work. He will also perform at a cultural festival in Galilee alongside storytellers and other performers from the region and around the world.
July - August 2008
The 'Credit Crunch' has hit us too! Funding from Dumfries & Galloway Council has been frozen until further notice. In the meantime, we are looking at ways of keeping the programme alive in schools. Our management group--consisting of teachers, Head Teachers and Education Officers from the region as well as David and Michael from Unipaz--are continuing to meet to discuss the way forward.
June 2008
Hurray! Summer is here at last! We're pleased to say that the Juniper Peace Education Programme was a resounding success.
Schools involved:
- Amisfield Primary
- Caerlaverock Primary
- Calside Primary
- Collin Primary
- Georgetown Primary
- Locherbriggs
Primary
- Mouswald Primary
- Nethermill Primary
- Noblehill Primary
- Torthorwald Primary
- Tundergarth
Primary
Download a copy of our Final Report (.pdf) on the programme. Right-click (Windows) on link and click 'Save link as' to download the file. Mac users Ctrl-mouseclick to download.
February 2008
There will be a series of 3 Parents Evenings on offer at Woodbank Hall (30 Edinburgh Road, Dumfries) on Monday March 3rd, Tuesday March 4th and Thursday March 27th from 7 - 8:30pm. These meetings will offer parents of children participating in the Juniper Programme to come and learn more about it and to experience a relaxation exercise (no experience necessary). Invitations have been sent via the child's school and parents are simply requested to complete the tear-off slip indicating which night they would like to attend and return it to their child's teacher or school office.
January 2008
By the end of January we had completed a series of four generic trainings in the Juniper experience for support staff in the schools. The evaluations for this were very positive and staff felt valued. Staff expressed high regard for the children's well-being.
On 28 January, a full-day training was offered to Infant Teachers from the 12 schools in the programme. Again, the feedback was extremely positive with nearly all teachers expressing the confidence to introduce some of the Juniper skills and techniques into their classroom and/or their own lives. A follow-up date has been scheduled to allow teachers to share their experiences of using these skills and techniques. Particularly well-received was Infant Teacher Karen Scriven's presentation. Karen is a teacher at Amisfield Primary near Dumfries and she demonstrated how she has introduced the use of the Tibetan bell to initiate a 'pause' in the classroom for a reflective moment as well as using the positive affirmation cards and the 'How's Your Weather' exercise to help children express their feelings. As a result of her presentation, many teachers asked Karen to come and support them in their schools.
September 2007
Following on from the success of our peace education programme in Amisfield Primary School and Nethermill Primary School, Dumfries & Galloway Education Authority has funded the Juniper Peace Education Programme for Schools for the next two (possibly three) years in up to 12 schools!
June 2007
In June 2007, the Scottish Executive's 'Determined to Succeed' programme awarded Amisfield and Nethermill with 'Outstanding Achievement' awards for the Juniper Peace Education project.. Congratulations to all the pupils, teachers and parents for a job well done!
THE PROGRAMME
The Juniper Programme offers a structured series of small group experiences for primary and secondary students focused on an understanding and experience of peace: peace within; peace with others; and peace with nature.
Over the past 12 years, the Juniper Programme has helped young people develop:
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Confidence and self-esteem
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Inner strength and calm
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Happiness and inner peace
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Anger management skills
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Improved rest and sleep patterns
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Self-reliance within creative relationships
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Improved educational attainment
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Awareness of our interdependence in all aspects of life.
A study by Sheffield University found the Juniper Programme to produce statistically significant improvements in inner calm, peaceful relationships, confidence, and classroom behaviour.
Some of the comments from teachers and pupils who have experienced the Juniper Peace Education programme:
"We now have a class that is more at peace with itself. . . ." Primary Headteacher
"I didn't know you could teach peace. . . . It was fun!" Debbie (10 years old)
For more information about the Juniper Peace Education Programme for Schools, contact:
Dr Michael Williams
Development Manager
E-mail Unipaz-UK or see contact details below.
Download a Juniper Peace Education Programme brochure (.pdf)
Unipaz Quick Links
Founder David Keith developed the Juniper Peace Education Programme for Schools in response to requests from head teachers and education authorities during his 30 years consulting to UK schools.
Unipaz-UK is a recognised Scottish Charity No
SC037162
Registered Address: Woodside of Allanton, Auldgirth, Dumfries DG2 0SA
E-mail
Unipaz-UK
Tel/Fax: +44 (0)1387 740 230
www.unipaz.org.uk
Copyright Unipaz UK 2009