Peacemakers and Problem Solvers: Uniting High-School Students in the U.S. and Abroad for Community Involvement and Virtual Exchange Real-Life Experiences 










 

In 2018, The Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) launched Peace Makers and Problem Solvers (PMPS).  PMPS is a leadership development program that equips educators with tools and resources to implement a curriculum in their classrooms or clubs focusing on leadership development and problem-solving skills while connecting students with their peers in conflict-affected countries.

  

Through PMPS, young leaders learn to create and implement a meaningful project as they: 

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• Identify humanitarian or social issues within their communities. 

• Explore positive options and debate the issues from different perspectives. 

• Determine how to effectively utilize resources. 

• Set goals to establish a course of action for a meaningful project.

 

PMPS participants are encouraged to think critically about the world around them and experience a life-changing cultural exchange with a focus on team building, leadership, peace building, problem solving, and other critical life skills.  Participants from both countries collaborate to identify and discuss community needs in order to design and implement their social impact project and address those needs to better their own communities.

 

The goals of PMPS are to empower young people to: 

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• Work collaboratively with other young people in order to achieve a common goal. 

• Learn about different perspectives to gain empathy and to reduce bias. 

• Learn and understand their community social realities and the reality of their international peers. 

• Learn project management skills to address common social issues impacting their communities. 

• Engage virtually with their international peers to build trust and friendship while developing an understanding of other cultures. 

• Realize the role they play as agents of change for humanitarian and social issues in need of a solution. 

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Many young people around the world face social challenges. Youth in Colombia's socioeconomically vulnerable municipalities face a myriad of complex social issues. Their communities grapple with the adverse impact left behind by the country’s 50-year civil conflict. Challenges include violence, social inequality, poverty, and the presence of armed actors and illicit economies, leading communities to face a heightened risk of the locals succumbing to the ever-present violent extremism surrounding them. While their communities may appear different, youth in the U.S. also face many challenges, including gun violence, bullying, education inequality, and an increasingly divided society. 

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PMPS participants explore possible options, debate the issues from different perspectives, determine how to effectively utilize resources, and set goals to establish a course of action for the project implementation. Students are encouraged to think critically about the world around them and gain real-life experience in conversing, brainstorming, and implementing solutions to problems with peers in countries like Colombia. 

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At MLI, we firmly believe that young people have the potential to affect positive change in their communities. Provided with encouragement, skills, and practical hands-on experiences, we have witnessed the ability of young people to play a role in the betterment of their communities. To date, MLI has paired schools in Poolesville, MD and Towson, MD with school communities in Antioquia, Colombia from the Uraba Region: Diocesano Laura Montoya School, in the municipality of Chigorodó, and La Provincia and El Cerro schools, both in the municipality of Carepa. More than 100 students and teachers from Colombia and the United States have completed the PMPS curriculum, engaging with their international peers, and implementing youth-led projects that have impacted over 800 community members in both countries. Such youth-led projects have addressed bullying and mental health through campaigns in their school communities, taught socio-emotional skills to elementary school students to prevent violence and promote peace, highlighted food insecurity through digital campaigns, promoted positive health habits to fellow community members, and delivered workshops to promote an equitable and peaceful school environment.