Academy hosting 2021 Kansas City Area Peacebuilding Symposium at Park University
The Greater Kansas City Peacebuilding Conference is set to take place from Thursday, September 16, to Wednesday, October 27, 2021. Co-hosted by Park University and Johnson County (Kan.) Community College, this year's event will be held at St. Mark Hope and Peace Lutheran Church, located at 3800 Troost Ave., Kansas City, Mo.
The conference promises to be an enlightening journey, focusing on the theme of "Peacebuilding: Healing Our Polarized Societies." The event will consist of three events, a mix of in-person and virtual discussions, aimed at fostering dialogue and promoting understanding in our divided society.
The first event will kick off with a virtual presentation by Michael Collins, executive director of The Americas at the Institute for Economics and Peace based in Sydney, Australia. Michael will discuss "Positive Peace: Empowering the Peacebuilder We Each Have Within."
On Wednesday, October 6, Mará Rose Williams, higher education reporter at The Kansas City Star, will present a discussion on "Media as a Tool to Heal Polarized Societies." Mará will share insights from The Star's award-winning project, "Truth in Black and White," which shed light on racial disparities in reporting from the newspaper.
Rev. Donna Simon will discuss the U.S. minimum wage and the concept of a "living wage" during the event titled "Healing Polarized Societies Through Equitable Pay." She will explain how a "living wage" can lift working families out of poverty.
The conference will culminate with a talk that reviews the pillars of positive peace and how they can be assessed and leveraged to address the polarization in society. The exact date and speaker for this event are yet to be announced.
Admission to all events is free, and the conference will be available both in-person and virtually for those who prefer to attend from the comfort of their homes. For more information and links to the virtual sessions, visit jccc.edu/conferences/peacebuilding.
The 2021 Greater Kansas City Peacebuilding Conference aims to bring together scholars, practitioners, religious leaders, and activists specializing in peace studies, conflict mediation, and human rights to discuss and find solutions to the challenges facing our society today. It's an opportunity not to be missed for anyone interested in peacebuilding, social justice, and community engagement.
The Greater Kansas City Peacebuilding Conference, focusing on 'education-and-self-development' and 'personal-growth', aims to offer insights and solutions to society's challenges. Michael Collins, in his virtual presentation, will discuss the empowerment of personal peacebuilders within us, while Mará Rose Williams will explain how media can contribute to healing polarized societies. The conference also covers topics like the concept of a living wage and its impact on poverty, fostering a comprehensive approach to peacebuilding, social justice, and community engagement.
