Commitment

The tools have been grouped according to the “Ceed” or skill that they are attempting to guide, teach, or practice. Many of the tools in this toolkit correspond to more than one ceed and are therefore listed in multiple places.

Commitment: Willingness to give your time and energy to something you believe in and care about; transforms promise into reality.

A Better World

Youth work to identify community problems and respond to community needs. They are guided through exercises (many in this Tool Kit) in imagining a stronger

Active Listening

This is more than just hearing what someone else is saying. Active listening builds trust and ensures that the other person in a conversation knows

Acts of Kindness

Encourage individuals to perform a kind and selfless act for another person, be it someone known or unknown, with the only purpose being to brighten

Be Positive, Not Negative

An activity for “peace within and between” that focuses on negative self-talk, negative thoughts and statements about others, and complaining. A good idea is to

Beanbags of Cooperation

A fun, noncompetitive game that clearly demonstrates concentration, cooperation, and commitment. You will need a large indoor or outdoor space and many bean bags (or

Blind Teamwork

This is a fun game that emphasizes clear communication, listening skills, and teamwork. Choose a large indoor or outdoor area and divide youth into two

Bucket Toss

Create laminated pictures or drawings of various needs and wants, or have the items on hand. Have youth toss the items in a “want” bucket

Build a Shelter

A collaborative outdoor activity in which youth are challenged to build a shelter with a limited number and type of materials (ie. no more than

Canoe Travel

Identify a problem-solving journey (personal, local, national or global) that you would like to undertake. Imagine you are in a problem-solving canoe, heading toward successful

Cast the Net

Ensure broad participation and diversity of representation in developing classroom, family, or community action plans. Have youth think about casting the largest possible net to

Connect-Challenge-Serve

After exploring some of the many facets of representative democracy, including voting, representation, free speech, assembly etc., youth identify ways to: a) participate and connect

Connections Map

Youth draw a map that identifies relationships people have with each other. From that map, they identify key decision-makers as well as people that might

Contracts/Pacts

These are promises people make to each other about how to act toward one another. They create shared accountability to outcomes. Find contract templates online

Count to Ten

Have children sit or stand in a circle. The group counts from one to ten. Anyone can say a number, but if two people say

Definitions of Peace

This can be a very valuable and eye-opening exercise that can be done with all ages, child to adult. There are many definitions of peace

Deflating Anger

Teach youth that anger can be a healthy emotion, and that it informs us about the importance of an issue. Teach them to remain calm

Encourage and Encourage Some More

Find as many opportunities to acknowledge how hard our youth are working. It takes five words of encouragement for every one word of criticism for

Engaging Nature

Getting people outside can do wonders for building capacities for problem solving. Through engaging nature, youth become calm, learn to listen carefully, develop their empathic

Exercise in Empathy

Have youth adopt the perspective of those in history who are poorly represented or not represented in history books. With each news story, piece of

Family Meetings

Plan meetings as a whole family (try for weekly) where members discuss the upcoming week. Identify where family members might need some help. Family Meetings

Family Narrative

Research shows that youth who have knowledge of their family history, events, challenges, and successes have more self-control, higher self-esteem, and handle difficulties better. This

Fist of 5

A way of measuring how everyone is feeling about a process. A useful tool to use as a check-in throughout a process. People show fingers

Future Visioning: Paint and Post the Future

A family, a classroom, a school or a community gets together to envision the future they desire. Collectively draw, paint, or write out the family,

Gratitude Journal

Keep a journal with writings and/or artwork to record and express what you are most thankful for in your life. There are many small things

Grow a Garden

Consider the benefits of establishing and maintaining a garden….. time with nature, cultivation of living plants, growing of edible foods, time to reflect, and many

Ho‘oponopono

Learn about Ho‘oponopono, the Hawaiian system for ‘setting it right,’ and restoring individual and community harmony and balance. It promotes acts of healing interpersonal conflicts

Hugs

When appropriate, hugs help us feel better. When a child is having a tantrum, try asking for a hug or saying, “When you are ready,

I Am Here For You

When a young person is in the throes of anger, panic, or emotional outburst, often their minds and bodies are experiencing a stress response whereby

Intellectual Safety

In order to develop respectful relationships between all members of a group or community (classroom, team, family unit, etc.), there must be a clear and

Intrinsically Rewarding Tasks

These are more powerful motivators as they make use of the brain’s natural opiates. Intrinsically motivating tasks are personally relevant and challenging. Minimize the emphasis

Just Because

These are positive interactions that we can make with each other “just because”, meaning they are not in response to what someone else does. “Just

Kind and Firm

It is the AND that brings kind AND firm together to avoid extremes. Begin by validating feelings and/or choices when possible. Examples, “I know you

Kindness Tree

Role-play one act of kindness each week with words or actions. When acts of kindness are noticed or a classmate shares an act of kindness

Media Comparisons

Take on a particular current or historical event. Find disparate sources of reporting and media on the event to compare. Who wrote the articles? Ask

Mediation/Facilitation

Provide spaces for youth to practice the skills of mediation between them as well as facilitation of group discussions and problem solving. Hone their skills

Money

Give youth a small amount of money to manage. Teach them about investing, saving, the value of conservation, wise spending, and encourage them to give

My Community

Focusing on wants and needs, have youth each draw their own classroom, school and/or family. How would they meet their needs? They will most likely

My Kuleana

When discussing a current or historical event, have youth draw, write about, paint or publicly express what their kuleana (responsibility) would have been or is

Neighborhood Walkabout

With gloves and buckets, walk the neighborhood and pick up rubbish off of sidewalks, in public parks, or on the beach. Combine with lessons about

Next Time Commitments

After going through a resolution process, have youth make commitments to one another and to their community about how they will do things differently next

Outside Comfort Zone

Activity that gets people out of their comfort zone, and gradually used to a new way of thinking. Have person fold their hands together and

Peace Relevant Literature

Multiple peace education and character education books exist (go to www.ceedsofpeace.org for many book titles). Use throughout all lessons and have readily available in the

Peer Messaging

Youth and adults tend to “take sides” when conflicts erupt. It is important that when resolution is achieved, those involved in the conflict ensure that

Philosophy for Children (P4C)

Youth propose discussion topics and craft questions around topics that interest them. They vote on the topics/questions they want to pursue as a group, and

Physical Activity

Reduces stress, lowers cortisol levels and enhances neuron growth and neuronal connections. Physical activity provides the brain with oxygen and glucose and releases endorphins and

Process Writing

Break up a writing task into the following components: Pre-Write; First Draft; Mini Lesson; Peer Share; Revise; Edit; Publish. To Pre-Write, youth research, brainstorm, and

Puzzles

Puzzles are a good way to encourage critical thinking with all ages of youth. In order to successfully complete a puzzle, they must work with

Revision Toolbox

Teach youth that the writing process isn’t finished after the first draft. A good Revision Toolbox has tools that work with word choice, writing structures,

Safe Spaces

Ensure there is always a safe space for conversation. This is a space to gather, a place that honors, respects and makes people feel they

Shared Values and Commitments

What do we want to see in our community, classroom or home? Identify shared rules together. Call them “peace actions” or ask individuals what they

Silent Signals

Adults often talk too much and our youth tune out. A silent signal speaks louder than words. Smile and point to the shoes that need

Technology Blackouts

Set aside times during the day when no one in the family touches technology. Turn off all cell phones, televisions, computers, etc. Youth who are

Thankenstein

Adult writes at the top of a blank paper, “I’m so grateful that if I were a monster created by a mad scientist, my name

Wagonload of Compassion

Share individual stories of people in need. Identify what everyone can contribute. Where could we find the needed materials? Together as a group, deliver the

What Should We Do?

Show pictures and/or video of certain situations at school and in the surrounding neighborhood. Examples include: seeing garbage on the floor, an elderly person dropping