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The Peace Innovators Scholarship and Mentoring program hosted its first cohort of youth starting in 2017. Participants gain a greater understanding of peacebuilding and strengthen ties within their communities during the program, however their experiences have the potential to influence their lives and careers going forward. Continue reading to see what Peace Innovators alumni have to say about the program.
What problem did you strive to address through your Peace Innovators initiative?
To address discrimination due to the lack of education on disability in our schooling system, I ran a sledge hockey trial event where individuals could learn to play sledge hockey, ask parasport athletes questions, and visit information booths from companies with similar missions.
How have you engaged in innovation, peacemaking and social justice since your time in the program?
I continue to work on the issue I tackled as a Peace Innovator through running my non-profit, competing in accessibility challenges at my university, and working with a team to write a book about a para athlete.
What problem did you strive to address through your Peace Innovators initiative?
The problem my partner and I were tackling was youth involvement in our community. The approach we took included arts and technology as a means of connecting with each other.
What are you up to now?
I am currently studying media design at Algonquin college in Ottawa. I am continuing to promote art in my community by encouraging those who come after me the importance of art and the impact it can have. 
Peace Innovators is about making the world a better place. Every problem made a little better is one step to a better world as a whole.
What problem did you strive to address through your Peace Innovators initiative?
My issue involved the mental health issues experienced by young people, especially as a result of poor social media usage. To deal with this problem, I ran a campaign aimed to teach and promote healthier use of social media within my school.
What do you believe is the greatest strength of the program?
The numerous communities created through Peace Innovators campaigns and events.
The program’s administration, partners, innovators, and members of your community want to see your success as much as you do.
What problem did you strive to address through your Peace Innovators initiative?
My partner and I promoted youth participation in the community by hosting an art showcase where they could express themselves creatively.
How do your learning and experiences in the program impact you now?
Peace Innovators taught me how to approach conflicts in a peaceful and understanding way. I can also see things from many different perspectives and have been taught the importance of commitment.
Talk over things with the leaders and other people in your life. Multiple perspectives help you to see the problem from all angles and discover new solutions.
What problem did you strive to address through your Peace Innovators initiative?
I was addressing food insecurity in my small town. To educate and bring a little fun to families during lockdown, I made free meal kits for food bank families.
What is one thing you would say to future participants?
The program is a lot of work on top of a 12th grade year, but it is doable and very much worth it in the time management and problem solving skills you learn.
What problem did you strive to address through your Peace Innovators initiative?
For my initiative, I addressed how the Mennonite church falls short in affirming and supporting the queer community. In response, I partnered with Pastors in Exile to organize a day-long workshop called "Beyond Binaries: Creating an Affirming Church" where Mennonite leaders and community members could come and learn from and be in dialogue with queer people who shared what it means to be an affirming church.
What do you believe is the greatest strength of the program?
The education on design thinking and getting a holistic idea of the problem so that it can be properly addressed without creating further harm, and also the emphasis on mentorship and connecting with the people who are also addressing the problems you are passionate about.
Since participating in the program, I feel more confident in my ability to speak to people in more powerful positions about issues that I care about, as well as to advocate for myself and other voices that are often silenced.
What problem did you strive to address through your Peace Innovators initiative?
I furthered my mental wellness initiative, Bridges of Hope Project, by putting up a display at the Wilmot Rec Centre asking what mental health awareness meant. Often sports arenas and community locations have difficulty talking about mental health, so I hoped to gain insight on this discomfort.
How do your learning and experiences in the program impact you now?
The Peace Innovators program allowed me to begin asking difficult questions in a safe, educatonal environment and that has shaped my ability to start such conversations in my present work. I am eternally grateful for the chance to learn specific strategies to guide my advocacy and work to more effective, legitimate societal change.
You don't have to be perfect at what you do to make a big impact!
What problem did you strive to address through your Peace Innovators initiative?
We sought to unite youth in our area by creating an opportunity for people of all backgrounds to come together and listen to eachother's stories.
What do you believe is the greatest strength of the program?
Giving students the tools we need to make change surrounding something we are passionate about.
Don't be afraid to think big, but don't be discouraged if things don't work out exactly how you initially planned them.
What problem did you strive to address through your Peace Innovators initiative?
I addressed a gap in the mental health care system caused by treatments that were all reactive in nature. Through Beecuz, I took a proactive and positive approach to wellness by delivering mental health education for children and youth.
What are you up to now?
Throughout my university career, I have remained heavily involved in community volunteering, and Beecuz became officially incorporated as a non-profit organization in June 2019! I have received countless awards and recognition for my work with Beecuz, and have completed accelerator and incubator programs. There is a lot of promise for the future of the organization.
As young leaders, it's easy to believe that we need to wait until until our voices will be heard and we will be seen. Peace Innovators empowers students to take action now, and helps students believe that they have the power to initiate change.
What problem did you strive to address through your Peace Innovators initiative?
We focused on helping the Bridge in Leamington, Ontario to get its name out there by hosting an event where people from all different schools came together to share their stories. It shed a lot of light on the homelessness issue in Leamington that not many people know about.
The Bridge today is very successful and has helped numerous people in the Leamington area.
Working with Peace Innovators helped me realize my passion for helping others.
To catch up with the latest cohort of students, visit Current Participants.
