MILWAUKEE — At the Peace Learning Center of Milwaukee, 4th-grade students from Escuela Fratney are learning valuable skills to handle conflicts without violence through an interactive workshop designed to foster peace in their schools and communities.
"Conflict is not always the way to solve the answer," said 4th-grader China Gardner.
The Peacemakers' Workshop provides a safe space where students are challenged to think differently about conflict through games, role-play, and meaningful conversations.
"Conflict is a natural part of life. What we aim to do is teach people how to handle their conflicts nonviolently," said Tracy Ebert, co-president of the Peace Learning Center board.
For these young students, the immersive experience offers a welcome change from the traditional classroom setting.
"They're more comfortable being outside of the classroom, especially an immersive experience like this. They just wanna be moving around, a new environment is helpful for them," said Blas Antimo a teacher at Escuela Fratney.
The lessons are already making an impact on students like Heather Iztel-Santiago.
"I learned by working together, you can always make something happen. Violence isn't always the answer," said Iztel-Santiago.
WATCH: Milwaukee students learn conflict resolution skills at Peace Learning Center
Iztel-Santiago finds personal value in the peace-building techniques she's learning.
"Peace is very good for me personally, because I have ADHD so peace, I have to learn to do that well," said Iztel-Santiago.
Her classmate China Gardner hopes the lessons reach beyond their workshop.
"Let's all listen to one person's idea, and if we don't like that, we can come together with a whole group plan. Fighting is not always the answer cause you don't know what you can get yourself into," said Gardner.
The Peace Learning Center has worked with more than 70 schools, empowering nearly 30,000 students and adults to resolve conflict with compassion rather than chaos.
"We are here to help the community become a more peaceful and non-violent place for everyone. We want this to be a community where everyone feels safe all the time," said Ebert.
From circle talks to group games, the workshop plants seeds in young minds that may grow into a culture of peace for Milwaukee's future.
TMJ4 was able to bring you this story thanks to an email from the Peace Learning Center. Leaders of the organization reached out, wanting to share how young people in Milwaukee are learning to resolve conflict without violence. To support their mission, donate or volunteer visit The Peace Learning Center website.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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