6th Annual Symposium on Violence at Kent State University

Bringing Peace Through the Truth & Reconciliation Commission  - Keynote Event

Nontombi Naomi Tutu, Program Coordinator of the Race Relations Institute at Fisk University, daughter of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Founder of Tutu Foundation

Ms. Tutu will explain the Truth and Reconciliation Commission process.  What is it?  How was it implemented?  Who controls it?  Failures & successes?  Why it was necessary?  What is different now? 

Addressing Domestic Violence

Ronald Adrine, Judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court

Communities are being asked to develop coordinated plans for responding to domestic violence.  Information will be presented on the process of developing such a plan, and on the benefits of a coordinated response in dealing with domestic violence cases.

Active Peacemaking - Keynote Event

Betty Williams, Founder of World Centers of Compassion for Children (WCCC), Recipient of the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize

Betty Williams will share her experience of traveling the world to address issues of violence. Throughout William’s travels--her focus has been on the safety and well being of children.  She will also share how the World Centers of Compassion for Children has worked to give children a voice.  Through the efforts of the WCCC--children will have the opportunity, on a regular basis, to address United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Court of Human Rights.

 Policy-Making in Action: The Portage County Family Violence Council County-wide Protocol for Responding to Domestic Violence (Part One)

Dr. Jennifer Maxwell, L.S.W., Director, Center for Applied Conflict Management

Deanna Moore, B.G.S., Director of Safer Futures

Two working-sessions bring together professionals from human services, law enforcement, legal, medical, and mental health agencies, schools and the community to further develop the Portage County Family Violence Council county-wide protocol for responding to domestic violence.  The Family Violence Council is a planning and coordinating agency that exists to develop, sponsor and implement a countywide protocol for responding to domestic violence in Portage County.  This session will enable participants to see the process of policy-making as it occurs.  This planning process will be divided into a morning session and an afternoon session.  The information gathered in the morning planning meeting will be collated and returned to the group for further action. 

Active Peacemaking in Schools

Kate Burke, B.A. (Psychology and Applied Conflict Management--KSU) Violence Prevention Education 

Sandy Robitz, B.A. (Applied Conflict Management—KSU) Violence Prevention Educator

Restorative Justice in Diverse Traditions

Dr. Nawal Ammar, Associate Dean, Arts and Sciences

Dr. David O’dell- Scott, Associate Professor, Philosophy

Employing a panel format, presenters will explore the ways individuals from diverse societies and cultures have utilized the resources of their historic religious traditions to actively work for peace and justice.

A Force More Powerful

Jack DuVall, Executive Producer and Co-Author

What do you get when you put UNESCO employees, Georgetown University foreign-policy scholars and global peace activists in the same room?  If the setting is the United States Institute of Peace and the discussion focuses on the book, A Force More Powerful” you wind up with the kind of thoughtful dialogue too often absent from the often-heated world of conflict resolution.  But the book by Peter Ackerman and Jack DuVall, who helped lead the discussion, is a superbly researched and passionately written look at the startling successes of the non-violence crusade.   Former President Jimmy Carter said after reading A Force More Powerful: “Nonviolent valor can end oppression, and the world of the 21^st century will be safer, freer, and more humane if it heeds the lessons of this book.”  Call A Force More Powerful a guidebook for the dreamers of the world of lasting peace, or simply put, also call it a book for the ages—in this century or any other.

Research Findings from the Children Who Witness Violence Program

Dr. David Hussey, Assistant Professor, Justice Studies

Dr. Dan Flannery, Director of the Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence

In this session, you will learn about the nature and magnitude of violence experienced by children in the project, review documented incidence of police referral and types of problems experienced by referred families, and assess the degree of effectiveness of an early intervention response.

From Hostage Police Officers to Victims of Domestic Violence: The Effects of Trauma, Captivity and Coercive Control

Dr. Jennifer Maxwell, L.S.W., Director, Center for Applied Conflict Management

Deanna Moore, B.G.S., Director of Safer Futures

This workshop will examine what happens to an individual in captivity, focusing on both the psychological and physiological effects of coercive control.  The effects on the victim are similar, whether the victim is a political prisoner or a prisoner-of-war, a woman battered in an interpersonal relationship, a child abused by his or her caretakers, or a police officer taken hostage in the line of duty.  When abuse happens within one’s own family, these effects are heightened—the abuse is being inflicted by a “safe,” loved one—and seeking help becomes even more difficult.

Renegotiating Identity and Place in Northern Ireland:  Children at the Edges

Dr. Linda Rogers, Associate Professor, Educational Foundations and Special Services

Maureen Wain, MSW, Project Children

Non-Violence Towards Members of the Armed Forces

Staughton Lynd, Labor and Civil Rights Activist and author of New Rank and File

This workshop will deal with the question of how to approach members of the armed forces (police, correctional officers, and others) with non-violence. The workshop takes as a beginning Allison Krause's approach on May 3rd and 4th in 1970.

May 4, 1970: A Case History of Active Peacemaking

Dr. Jerry M. Lewis, Professor Emeritus, Sociology

This breakout session will focus on the events of May 4, 1970 and the peacekeeping activities that occurred during and after the killing and wounding of 13 Kent State students by the Ohio National Guard.  The session is divided into three parts.  First, there will be a description of what happened on May 4.  Second, there will be an analysis of the activities of the faculty marshals particularly the activities of Professor Glenn Frank.  Lastly, the implications for marshalling protest in contemporary times will be discussed.

Integrating International Issues of Peace and Conflict Resolution in the Classroom: The National Peace Essay Contest

Domestic Violence Units: How Do They Work, What Do They Look For?  

Lucie Duvall, Retired Cleveland Police Lieutenant

 This workshop presents the perspective of a supervisor of the domestic violence unit and police academy on different approaches to handling domestic violence calls.  Topics such as dealing with the perpetrator, dealing with the victim and determining the primary aggressor will be addressed, as well as questions regarding what to do for the children.

School Violence Prevention

Dr. Albert Liau, Assistant Professor, Justice Studies, Kent State University

Dr. David Hussey, Assistant Professor, Justice Studies, Kent State University

In this session, we will discuss the incidence and etiology of school violence, summarize youth violence research findings, discuss their implications for educators and identify innovative response strategies to school violence.

Policy-making in Action: The Portage County Family Violence Council County-wide Protocol for Responding to Domestic Violence (Part Two)

Dr. Jennifer Maxwell, L.S.W., Director, Center for Applied Conflict Management

Deanna Moore, B.G.S., Director of Safer Futures

This session brings together the participants from the morning planning session for a wrap-up, action-planning session to complete the work started in the morning planning session.