peacejam evaluation report 2009-10

8/3/2019 PeaceJam Evaluation Report 2009-10

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The PeaceJam Foundation2009-2010

Program Outcomes• Program Structure• Youth Characteristics

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Executive Summary

Youth and Nobel Peace Laureates working together to change the world.

The mission of the PeaceJam Foundation is to create young leaders committed to positive change

in themselves, their communities and the world through the inspiration of Nobel Peace

Laureates who pass on the spirit, skills, and wisdom they embody. Built upon the three ideas of

education, inspiration and action, PeaceJam programming is implemented in a variety of ways; inschools as a class or after-school activity, in community organizations, juvenile justice system and

as a faith-based programs. Youth study the Nobel Laureates’ lives and work, learning about their

lives growing up, the often harrowing experiences they went through and how they turned these

instances of injustice or violence into inspiring work for the betterment of humankind. This

inspiration is then channeled into work of their own in Global Call to Action service-learning

projects that address issues listed by PeaceJam’s partnering Nobel Peace Laureates as the most

pressing worldwide.

The PeaceJam Foundation has regional affiliates across the United States as well as seven

international affiliates. Hands-on, in depth trainings are offered to adult advisors who implement

the PeaceJam curriculum and program support is offered to ensure success.

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Programs of the PeaceJam Foundation

The PeaceJam Juniors program is an exciting program for ages 5 to 11 that introduces

young students to the lives and work of Nobel Peace Laureates in an age-appropriate,

standards-based format. The PeaceJam Juniors Curriculum explores the childhood stories

of 12 Nobel Peace Laureates and the character traits they embody. Students study the

personal experiences of these amazing world leaders and then engage in service-learning

projects that address needs in their local community. As a result, students gain academic

and social skill including leadership, conflict resolution, problem solving and character

development.

The PeaceJam Leaders program is a standards-based curriculum for young people between

the ages of 11 and 14. It explores the adolescent stories of 12 Nobel Peace Laureates and the

strategies they used to overcome problems in their lives and their communities. Through

this age-appropriate curriculum, youth explore their own identities and reexamine the

choices they make including their role models and the peer groups to which they belong.

Youth also develop leadership and problem-solving skills while engaging in service-

learning activities that address local needs.

The PeaceJam Ambassadors program is designed for youth ages 14-19 and explores issuesrelated to peace, violence, social justice, and oppression. Youth study the lives and work of

12 Nobel Peace Laureates and the strategies they use to address pressing global issues.

Participating youth create and implement their own Global Call to Action Projects,

becoming creative leaders who are committed to solving the most difficult problems facing

our world. The program also includes an annual PeaceJam Youth Conference where

youth spend a weekend with a Nobel Peace Laureate, giving them an unprecedented

opportunity to share with, learn from, and be inspired by a world leader for peace.

The PeaceJam Juvenile Justice curriculum is designed for incarcerated youth and youth

recently released from the juvenile justice system. This curriculum addresses issues of

gangs, drugs and alcohol, domestic violence, property theft, and other risky behaviors.

Participants develop skills in the areas of civic responsibility, reconciliation and leadership

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while being challenged to rewrite their life stories, reevaluate their role models and learn

the power of peace.

The PeaceJam Scholars program is a college-level program where college students serve as

mentors for the youth at PeaceJam Conferences, support local PeaceJam groups, and study international issues connected to the work of the Nobel Peace Laureates. This program

allows college students to engage in service and research that extends into their

communities.

The Global Call to Action campaign was launched in 2008 by ten Nobel Peace Laureates.

These international leaders have identified ten problems that are at the root of much of the

world’s suffering. Each PeaceJam program site is asked to complete at least one service-

learning project each program year that aligns with the Global Call to Action campaign and

addresses at least one of the ten problems listed by the Nobel Peace Laureates.

Global Call to Action Issue Areas

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http://www.peacejam.org/issues.aspx#top

http://www.peacejam.org/issues.aspx#top



Methodology and Organization of Report

This section presents information regarding the methods involved in collecting the data presented

in this report and the organization of that information.

Methods

The findings presented in this report are based on two data sources: program totals reported by

the PeaceJam Foundation’s regional affiliates and a program survey completed by a sample of

PeaceJam program sites. All data pertains to the 2009-2010 program year, July 1st through June

30th.

The program survey sample used in this report consists of PeaceJam Ambassadors program sites

from four of the PeaceJam Foundation’s regional affiliates: PeaceJam Northeast, PeaceJam

MidSouth, PeaceJam Southeast and Great Lakes PeaceJam. The adult advisors of the various

program sites involved in the sample reported on the program structure, youth characteristics,

and program outcomes for their individual program site.

Organization

This report contains three sections: PeaceJam Programs, presenting data from the reportedprogram totals of the PeaceJam Foundation’s regional affiliates; PeaceJam Ambassadors, which

presents data from the program surveys, and Analysis and Recommendations. A snapshot of the

PeaceJam Foundation’s program year precedes these more in-depth sections and select

comments from some of PeaceJam’s adult advisors are included throughout the report.

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A Snapshot of the PeaceJam Foundation’s2009-2010 Program Year

Over 13,000 youth from around the world participated in PeaceJam programming

during the 2009-2010 academic year (July 1st-June 30th). More than half (53.2%)

of those youth belonged to a racial or ethic minority groups.

More than 2,000 PeaceJam youth are located outside the United States in

PeaceJam’s seven international affiliates.

Over 500 Global Call to Action service-learning projects were completed by PeaceJam youth across the globe.

Approximately 3,000 adults played a role in PeaceJam programming either as

advisors (41%) or volunteers (59%).

More than 750 college students participated as PeaceJam Scholars and/or mentors

at PeaceJam conferences.

Of the 798 documented PeaceJam program sites during the 2009-2010 program

year, almost three-quarters of these programs are implemented in a school-based

setting.

PeaceJam programming takes place in diverse settings with more than 54% of

programs set in an urban environment, 29% set in suburban environments, and

17% in rural environments.

PeaceJam programming shows steady growth with a 30% increase in youthparticipation over previous years.

PeaceJam Ambassadors is the largest of the five PeaceJam programs with over

7,000 youth in grades 9-12 participating, making up 54% of PeaceJam youth.

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Program survey results from a sample of Ambassadors programs indicate that

involvement in PeaceJam programming has significant effects on many aspects of

the youths’ lives.

More than three-quarters of the adult advisors who completed theprogram survey recorded increased knowledge of global issues and

policies, community involvement, and communication skills in their

youth.

Despite the majority of surveyed program sites taking place in after-

school or community=based settings, more than a third recorded

increased academic achievement and school and/or class attendance.

More than half of all sites surveyed recorded an increase in school

involvement.

A third of all program sites also recorded that involvement in PeaceJam

programming had a positive influence on youths’ decisions concerning

post-secondary education, which could include whether to go to

college or another post-secondary institution, chosen major, college/

university attended, etc.

Almost half of all sites surveyed reported a decrease in violent behavior

in youth participating in PeaceJam programming.

The leading causes attributing to these positive outcomes were the

group discussions that PeaceJam programming elicits (94%),

attending the PeaceJam Conference with a Nobel Laureate (83%), and

providing service through the Global Call to Action service-learning

projects (78%).

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I. PeaceJam Programming

This section presents data collected from each regional affiliate of the PeaceJam Foundation in

regards to the active PeaceJam programs in their regions.

Youth

During the 2009-2010 programming year, over 13,000 youth took part in PeaceJam

programming. PeaceJam youth are a diverse group with over 50% being a member of a racial or

ethnic minority. It’s important to note that because the U.S. definition of minority is used in this

determination, the 2,137 international PeaceJam youth are counted in this number. International

youth make up over 16% of all PeaceJam youth in PeaceJam’s seven international affiliates.

Both nationally and internationally, the PeaceJam Ambassadors program, the first and most

established PeaceJam program, has the highest number of youth participants with 7,236. The

PeaceJam Juniors and Leaders programs were almost equal with 2,230 youth participants and

2,550 respectively. PeaceJam Scholars, first established in 2009, had 1,015 college-aged youth

participants and the Juvenile Justice program saw 210 youth participating in programming

during 2009-2010.

Data Set 1: Youth Participants

Program Juniors Leaders Ambassadors Scholars Juvenile Justice

No. of Youth 2230 2550 7236 1015 210

Juniors Leaders Ambassadors Scholars Juvenile Justice

2%8%

54%

19%

17%

Percentage of Youth in each PeaceJam Program

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Both the PeaceJam Scholars, which includes college student mentors at the PeaceJam

conferences, and the Juvenile Justice programs are relatively new and still in development. It is

important to note that the PeaceJam Juvenile Justice program is only implemented in settings

where youth are currently incarcerated or recently released and does not include those youth

involved in another PeaceJam program while simultaneously in the juvenile justice system.

The PeaceJam Ambassadors program shows a 17% increase in youth participants while the largest

increase is seen in the PeaceJam Leaders program with 65% more youth participating during the

2009-2010 program year than in the 2007-2008 program year. The Juvenile Justice program

suffered a slight decline as a previous program site lost funding and were forced to eliminate

PeaceJam programming but overall, the number of youth participants in PeaceJam programming

has remained stable. As the PeaceJam Scholars program was only established in 2009, no

previous data exists to provide a comparison.

Data Set 2: Comparison of Youth Participant Numbers

Program Year Juniors Leaders Ambassadors Juvenile Justice Scholars

2007-2008 2383 889 6004 415 n/a

2009-2010 2230 2550 7236 210 1015

2007-2008 2009-2010

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

Juniors Leaders Ambassadors Juvenile Justice

210

7236

25502230

415

6004

889

2383

Comparison of Youth Participant Numbers

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Program Sites

The significant increase in PeaceJam Leaders youth participants could be attributed to the fact

that this program has seen a shift in the proportion of school-based program sites and

community-based program sites. School-based sites typically have higher rates of participationthan do community sites. This is supported by the increase seen in PeaceJam Ambassadors

participants. The number of Ambassadors youth increased from 6,004 in the 2007-2008

program year to 7,236 in 2009-2010, while the percentage of school-based program sites

dropped from approximately 70% to 61% . Community-based Ambassadors program sites

however, increased by almost 8%. It is likely that if school-based Ambassadors program sites had

not seen this drop in numbers, the increase in youth participants would have been much higher.

PeaceJam Juniors saw a 2% rise in the amount of community-based program sites in the

2009-2010 program year while experiencing a corresponding shift in school-based sites,

decreasing from 93% to 91%.

Data Set 3: Type of Program

Type of Program Juniors Leaders Ambassadors

School-Based 107 59 371

Community-Based 11 16 234

Current School-Based Programs Past School-Based ProgramsCurrent Community-Based Programs Past Community-Based Programs

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Juniors Leaders Ambassadors

32.1%34%

7%

38.6%

21.3%

9.3%

67.9%66%

93%

61.3%

78.6%

90.6%

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PeaceJam programs take place in diverse settings with 54% of program sites being in an urba n

setting. Approximately 29% of PeaceJam program sites are in a suburban setting with the

remaining 17% being set in rural areas. While it might appear that the number of suburban and

rural program sites are low in comparison to urban sites, the distribution of PeaceJam program

sites is on par with world urbanization distribution projections that predict that 50% of the

world’s population will live in urban settings in 2010.1

Data Set 4 provides both specific urbanicity percentages for PeaceJam Juniors, Leaders, and

Ambassadors as well as a comparison of overall urbanicity of the PeaceJam Foundation between

the 2007-2008 program year and the 2009-2010 program year. While some shift has been seen

in the individual programs, the PeaceJam Foundation has remained stable overall in its program

settings.

Data Set 4: Urbanicity

Program & Year

Juniors07-08

Juniors09-10

Leaders07-08

Leaders09-10

Amb.07- 08

Amb.09-10

Urban 58.9% 69.5% 48.1% 68% 53.7% 50.5%

Suburban 21.4% 25.4% 33.3% 23% 28.8% 30%

Rural 19.6% 5.1% 18.5% 9% 17.4% 19.5%

2007-2008 2009-2010

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Urban Suburban Rural

17%29%

54%

17.8%28.5%

53.7%

Overall Urbanicity of the PeaceJam Foundation

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1 Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population

Prospects: The 2008 Revision and World Urbanization Prospects: The 2009 Revision, http://esa.un.org/wun2009/unup/,

http://esa.un.org/wun2009/unup/





Adult Advisors

Approximately 3,000 adults played a role in PeaceJam programming during the 2009-2010 year.

Over 1,200 of these adults served as an adult advisor or teacher in a PeaceJam program site, this

number includes both those that were paid to act as an adult advisor/teacher and those that were

not. In addition to this, over 1,700 adult volunteers supported

PeaceJam programming in their communities. According to the

Independent Sector, the estimated value of an hour of volunteer

time is $20.85.2 If PeaceJam’s 1,700 adult volunteers put in just

10 hours of time supporting their PeaceJam program site during the 2009-2010 program year,

their collected worth would be over $350,0003.

PeaceJam Conference

Youth participants in the PeaceJam Ambassadors program have the added benefit of being able

to attend the annual PeaceJam youth conference in their region where they get the opportunity to

personally interact with one of PeaceJam’s partnering Nobel Peace Laureates as well other

“PeaceJammers,” peers involved in PeaceJam programming at other program sites. The weekend

conference includes several inspirational talks by the Laureate as well as a diverse array of

workshops for the youth to attend and conference service projects to complete.

As will be seen in the next section of this report, the

attendance of the PeaceJam youth conference is a

leading program component attributed with

fostering the many positive outcomes of PeaceJam

programming. According to the reported prog ram

totals of the PeaceJam Foundation’s regional

affiliates, approximately 3,000, or almost 40%, PeaceJam Ambassadors youth attended the

PeaceJam youth conference in their region during the 2009-2010 program year.

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2 Value of volunteer time. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.independentsector.org/volunteer_time

3 More data needs to be collected to obtain a more accurate figure regarding value adult volunteers provide to PeaceJamprogramming.

http://www.independentsector.org/volunteer_time





II. PeaceJam Ambassadors

This section presents data collected from a program survey administered to a sample of PeaceJam

Ambassadors program sites from four U. S. regional affiliates.

PeaceJam Ambassadors, the first and most established program, has proven thus far to be the

program with the highest rates of participation. It is for this reason that this report will look

deeper into this program and attempt to draw more conclusions about the areas that the

PeaceJam Foundation is doing well in and those areas that might require some attention.

The program survey was administered to program sites in four U.S. regional affiliates of the

PeaceJam Foundation. The four regional affiliates were PeaceJam Northeast, PeaceJam

Southeast, PeaceJam MidSouth and Great Lakes PeaceJam. Program sites in those regions

recorded data in regards to their individual programs, the participating youth, the use of

curriculum components and the effectiveness of these components, and Global Call to Action

service-learning projects completed by the site during the 2009-2010 program year.

Program Structure

Fifty three program sites reported with over 1000 participating youth. An overwhelming majority of youth in the program sites surveyed were female with only 40% being male. There is no way to

know however, if this sample is representative of the entire population of PeaceJam youth

because the program totals do not ask regional affiliates to report on gender. At least 489 or

approximately 43% of the over 1000 participating youth in the program sites surveyed were

reported as being economically disadvantaged by adult advisors but more research is needed for

conclusive analysis.

A significant majority (66.1%) of the program sites surveyed were in a school-based setting with

only 33.9% of the programs being based either in a youth or faith-based organization

(community-based program sites). This suggests that this sample of PeaceJam programs isn’t

directly representative of the larger PeaceJam Ambassadors population but still provides valuable

insights into the program.

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Data Set 5: Ambassadors Program Survey-Type of Program

Type of Program Frequency Percentage

PeaceJam Club (After-School) 26 49.1%

Part of Existing After-School Club/Program 5 9.4%

Part of Academic Class 2 3.8%

Part of an Elective Class 2 3.8%

Youth Organization 13 24.5%

Faith-Based Organization 5 9.4%

The PeaceJam Foundation’s “best practices” dictates that programs should complete at least ten

activities over the span of at least a semester (3 to 5 months) and complete at least one Global Call

to Action project. Over 96% of the Ambassadors program sites surveyed met at least one of these

best practices through the duration of their program.

Data Set 5: Ambassadors Program Survey- Program Duration

PeaceJam Club Youth OrganizationPart of an Existing After-School Club/Program Part of an Academic ClassPart of an Elective Class Faith-Based Organization

9%4%

4%

9%

25%

49%

Less than 3 monthsSemester (3-5 months)

Academic year

Calendar year

Multi-year

Other

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

1.9%

11.3%

15.1%

62.3%

5.7%3.8%

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The Ambassadors program sites surveyed had a slightly higher percentage of programs in urban

settings than the Foundation had as a whole. Over 60% of surveyed sites were in urban areas with

32% in the suburbs and only 7.5% in rural areas.

Data Set 6: Ambassadors Program Survey- Urbanicity Program Setting Frequency Percentage

Urban 32 60.4%

Suburban 17 32.1%

Rural 4 7.5%

Three-quarters of the program sites surveyed had been in

existence for at least 2 years at the time the survey was

administered showing strong longevity of PeaceJam

programs. Approximately 42% of the sites had been in

operation for 4-6 years and 33% for 2-3 years. Over 19% of

the program sites had been operating for less than a year indicating new growth in the regions

surveyed and 5% of program sites were at their one year mark.

PeaceJam Foundation Survey Sample

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Urban Suburban Rural

7%

32%

60%

17%

29%

54%

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Data Set 7: Ambassadors Program Survey- Program History

Program History Frequency Percentage

Less than one year 10 19.2%

One year 3 5.8%

2-3 years 17 32.7%

4-6 years 22 42.3%

The Ambassadors Curriculum

The program sites surveyed were asked to provide information as to which components of the

Ambassadors curriculum were covered during the 2009-2010 program year and to rate theeffectiveness of these components.

Each of the curriculum components were recorded as being

covered by at least two-thirds of the program sites surveyed

with the exception of the Nobel Laureate’s Global Call to

Action component, which was covered by just 64% of the

program sites. All of the components were rated as highly

effective except for the component wherein youth explore the Nobel Laureate’s country; it was rated as somewhat effective.

Of interest is the highly effective rating of the one component

reported as being used by the least number of program sites. It is clear from this data that those

program sites that do cover the Nobel Laureate’s Global Call to Action find it among the most

Less than one yearOne year2-3 years4-6 years

42%

33%

6%

19%

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effective components. The PeaceJam Foundation might want to explore this further to determine

why this component has a lower rate of use and if it is universal across the organization.

Data Set 8: Ambassadors Program Survey-Curriculum Components and Effectiveness

Curriculum Components Covered Frequency Percentage

Ambassadors Curriculum

I. Introduction 33 73.3%

II. Exploring Violence 32 71.1%

III. Exploring Identity, Difference and Oppression 32 71.1%

IV. Exploring Peace and Nonviolence 37 82.2%

V. The Global Call to Action 40 88.9%

Nobel Laureate Chapters

VI. Exploring the Nobel Laureate’s Country 37 82.2%

VII. Exploring the Laureate’s Issue 37 82.2%

VIII. Exploring the Life and Work of the Nobel Laureate 38 84.4%

IX. The Nobel Laureate’s Global Call to Action 29 64.4%

*45 programs reporting

1-Not Effective 2-Somewhat Effective 3-Very Effective

Global Call to Action

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1

1.5

2

2.5

3

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX.

2.72.52.62.4

2.82.62.72.72.5

Effectiveness of Each Component



Over 500 Global Call to Action (GC A) service-learning projects were recorded as being

completed by all PeaceJam programs in the program totals detailed in the first section of this

report. 176 GCA projects were recorded as being completed by those Ambassadors program sites

participating in the program survey. This suggests that the number recorded in the program

totals is likely a low estimate. The adult advisors of the sites surveyed were asked to provide an

estimate of the total number of service hours the youth in their programs provided through those

GCA projects. They arrived at this number by completing the calculation below.

Each GCA service-learning project is different and therefore take varied amounts of time to both

plan and carry-out the project. For purposes of this report, a figure of 25 hours per typical GCA

project was adopted to estimate the total number of service hours provided by the sample of

PeaceJam Ambassadors programs.

Using the Independent Sector’s figure for the monetary value of one volunteer hour ($20.85)4,

just the youth in the sample of program sites included in the program survey provided more than

80 million dollars worth of service to the United States. This translates into more than one billion

dollars worth of service provided by PeaceJam youth around the world.

Each GCA service project addresses at least one of the Global Call to Action issues areas named

by the PeaceJam Foundation’s partnering Nobel Peace Laureates and many projects address

more than one at a time.

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4 Value of volunteer time. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.independentsector.org/volunteer_time






Data Set 9: Ambassadors Program Survey- Global Call to Action

Types of Service Provided

Over 30% of program sites surveyed provided educational service mostly

through presentations and/or workshops and tutoring children.

Approximately one quarter of those

surveyed provided a human service

such as supporting an area shelter or

providing international aid.

Over 34% of program sites provided

public safety services and/or conflict

resolution services.

More than 30% of sites provided

service to environmental causes

through recycling initiatives,

community gardens, or neighborhood

revitalization.

One quarter of the program sites surveyed also provided political service

through community awareness of an issue or confronting an economic issue.

Eliminating Extreme Poverty

Restoring the Earth’s Environment

Breaking the Cycle of Violence

Social Justice and Human Rights for All

Ending Racism and Hate

Rights for Women and Children, and their Role as Leaders

Halting the Spread of Global Disease

Investing in Human Security

Equal Access to Water and Other Natural Resources

Controlling the Proliferation of Weapons

0% 25% 50%

0%

12.2%

14.3%

18.4%

22.4%

22.4%

24.5%

34.7%

34.7%

41.1%

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Data Set 10: Ambassadors Program Survey- Types of Service Provided

Type of Service Provided Percentage of Programs

Educational Service Projects 31.8%

Human Services Service Projects 27.8%

Public Safety and Conflict Resolution Service Project 34.1%

Environmental Service Projects 32.4%

Political and Social Justice Service Projects 26.1%

4%7%

48%

20%

21%

Educational Service Projects Tutoring ChildrenMentoring

Presentations/WorkshopsOtherTutoring Adults

Child CareHealth CareShelter Support International AidElderly CareOther

4%

8%

31%

37%

14%6%

Human Services Projects

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5%

23%

15%25%

32%

Public Safety and Conflict Resolution Conflict Resolution/Violence PreventionPeace Education or Training Substance Abuse Awareness

After-School ActivitiesOther

Neighborhood RevitilizationOther

Community Gardening Environmental Clean-UpConserving/Restoring Public LandsRecycling ProgramsTrail Maintenance

2%

26%

3%

32%

12%

3%21%

Environmental Service Projects

15%

7%

17%

61%

Political & Social Justice Projects Community Awareness of an IssueLetter CampaignsPolicy ChangeEconomic

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Program Outcomes

48 of the 53 program sites included in the program survey recorded the perceived outcomes of

PeaceJam programming. A list of the intended outcomes of the PeaceJam Ambassadors

curriculum were provided for the program sites to choose all those that applied to their youth.The outcomes perceived the most in PeaceJam youth were an increased understanding of global

issues and international policies (89.6), an increase in community involvement (87.5%), and an

increase in respect for others and their perspectives (87.5%). Other outcomes of note include an

increased understanding of social justice and human rights (81.3%) and an increase in

communication skills which was reported by 77% of the surveyed program sites.

Data Set 12: Ambassadors Program Survey- Program Outcomes

Outcomes Frequency PercentageIncrease in school involvement 27 56.3%

Increase in community involvement 42 87.5%

Increase in academic achievement 17 35.4%

Increase in career skills and aspirations 21 43.8%

Increase in knowledge of global issues and policies 43 89.6

Increase in knowledge of US issues and policies 29 60.4%

Increase in conflict management techniques 26 54.2%

Decrease in violent behaviors 21 43.8%

Increase in communication skills (listening and speaking) 37 77.1%

Increased respect for others and their perspectives 42 87.5%

Increased understanding of social justice and human rights 39 81.3%

Increased sense of purpose 27 56.3%

Increased school/class attendance 16 33.3%

Positively influenced decisions about post-secondary

education

19 39.6%

21



It is also important to note that while most of the program sites surveyed implemented PeaceJam

programming outside of the classroom as after-school clubs or community-based programs, a

third of those sites still reported that involvement in PeaceJam increased academic achievement

and school and/or class attendance. More than a third reported PeaceJam programming

positively influencing decisions about post-secondary education for the participating youth.More than half of all program sites surveyed also reported an increase in school involvement.

These findings are very significant as they show that despite being implemented outside of the

classroom, PeaceJam programming is still having a strong impact on participating youths’

education.

When asked what components of the PeaceJam program led to the positive outcomes, an

overwhelming majority (93.9%) selected the group discussions that the program elicits. Other

components that brought about positive outcomes included attending the PeaceJam conference

with a Nobel Laureate (83.3%) and providing service through the Global Call to Action service-

learning projects (78.3%). This directly reflects the three pillars of the PeaceJam Foundation:

education, inspiration and action.

School Involvement

Community Involvement

Academic Achievement

Career Skills/Aspirations

Knowledge of Global Issues/PoliciesKnowledge of US Issues/Policies

Conflict Management Techniques

Decrease in Violent Behavior

Communication Skills

Respect for Others & their Perspectives

Understanding of Social Justice & Human Rights

Increased Sense of Purpose

Increased School/Class Attendance

Positively Influenced Decisions about Post-Secondary Education

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

39.6%

33.3%

56.3%

81.3%

87.5%

77.1%

43.8%

54.2%

60.4%89.6%

43.8%

35.4%

87.5%

56.3%

22



Data Set 13: Ambassadors Program Survey- Components Responsible for Outcomes

Program Component Frequency Percentage

Group Activities 34 74%

Journaling/ Writing Activities 8 17.4%

Group Discussions 43 93.9%

Studying the life of Nobel Laureates 28 60.9%

Researching Nobel Laureate’s Country and Issue 21 45.7%

Providing Service through GCA Projects 36 78.3%

Attending PeaceJam Conference with Nobel Laureate 40 83.3%

Interacting with Family Groups at Conference 31 64.6%

Interacting with Nobel Laureate 27 56.3%

Group Activities

Journaling/Writing Activities

Group Discussions

Studying the Life of Nobel Laureates

Researching Nobel Laureate’s Country and Issue

Providing service through GCA projects

Attending PeaceJam Conference with Nobel Laureate

Interacting with Family Groups at Conference

Interacting with Nobel Laureate

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

56.3%

64.6%

83.3%

78.3%

45.7%

60.9%

93.9%

17.4%

74%

23



III. Analysis and Recommendations

From the data collected for and presented in this report, it appears that the PeaceJam Foundation

is providing invaluable programming to youth around the globe. Increasing the community

involvement, communication skills and knowledge of global issues and policies cannot be more

important objectives for anyone working with youth especially in the current times. With the

substantial impacts that PeaceJam programming seem to be having on the educational lives of

youth as well, the PeaceJam Foundation is creating change in youth who are, in turn creating

change in their schools, communities and the world at large.

While the findings in this report are certainly promising, more data is recommended to be

collected. The data contained in this essay isn’t fully conclusive and therefore, provides an

incomplete portrait of the true impacts of PeaceJam programming. A more accurately

representative sample of PeaceJam programming is needed for the program surveys and program

surveys need to be collected for all PeaceJam programs.The PeaceJam Foundation might want to

reach out to other organizations that provide youth development programs on an international

basis to determine how better to obtain information regarding international PeaceJam programs.

Tools that allow for more accurate reporting of program totals across the whole organization

should be investigated as well.

PeaceJam youth are providing vital services through the Global Call to Action service-learning

projects they complete but data is incomplete here as well. The number of projects reported in

the program totals seems woefully under-estimated when looking at the numbers presented

through the program surveys. The impact of GCA projects is also absent from the data collected.

How many pounds of waste were diverted from the landfill? How much money did the school save

when PeaceJam youth led the drive in “greening” the school? What was the decrease in violence

seen in a school where the PeaceJam club instituted a peer mediation council? Data of this nature

could provide much more insight into the full impact of PeaceJam programming on communities

and the world.

Once the PeaceJam Foundation collects more complete and accurate data, the true influence of

its programming will be known.

peacejam evaluation report 2009-10

Documents