Two Chinese filmmakers -- one of them a graduate of the Kroc Institute M.A. program -- will give the keynote presentation at the 2006 University of Notre Dame student peace conference. Titled "Voices of Today, Changes for Tomorrow," the conference will take place March 31 and April 1 at the Hesburgh Center for International Studies.

Jian Yi (Classs of '98) and Wu Wenguang, who will address the conference on Saturday, have spent the past few years promoting self-governance throughout rural China. They recently embarked on a documentary project that allows young men and women in the villages to record their own lives and the self-governance process, said conference chairman Kevin Walsh.

"In a country that has violently put down calls for democratic reform in the past, we hope that Mr. Jian and Mr. Wu will give an inspiring testimony on how young individuals can be empowered to work for change through non-violent means," Walsh said.

Myla Leguro will speak on the challenges of peacebuilding. Leguro was part of 1,000 Peacewomen Across the Globe, a network nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize. She works with Catholic Relief Services-Philippines. In addition to overseeing the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute, she is involved in peace education, interreligious dialogue, peace advocacy and community-based peacebuilding.

Rashied Omar is the Coordinator of the Kroc Institute’s Research Initiative on the Resolution of Ethnic Conflict and the Program on Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding. He will discuss the experience of Muslim youth in the Western world, specifically the prevalent discrimination and great frustrations they often face as they grapple the obstacles of living between two worlds.

Kim Overdyck, Director of the Take Ten program, will also present on Saturday. Take Ten works in both public and private schools at all levels to teach children positive alternatives to violence. She will discuss her comprehensive work with the program and her insights into the role of peace education.

The annual conference is sponsored by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, and is planned and directed entirely by undergraduate peace studies students. This year it will highlight student activism, youth leadership, and the role of youth in peacebuilding. Conferees will also explore the consequences of war and conflict on youth and society.

To register for the conference, click here.

Full conference schedule is available here.

Travel and lodging information is available here.

For further information, write to peacecon@nd.edu.

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