EVENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Cure for Hate:
Preventing Violent Extremism in Our Schools and Beyond

Tuesday, Oct. 3 • 7:00-8:30pm • Zoom: Register here

While it is hard to comprehend how so many ordinary people came to support Nazi Germany’s rise to power, understanding these dynamics can shed light on the worrying rise of extremism in the US today and how to respond.

Please join us for a screening of the documentary film, The Cure for Hate: Bearing Witness to Auschwitz, which weaves together the history of the Nazis with the life story of a former North American neo-Nazi who is now an anti-hate activist, as he visits the memorial to the million Jews murdered at Auschwitz.

We will screen excerpts of the film followed by a live Zoom discussion with:

• Tony McAleer, who is the narrator and a subject of the film, which focuses on his life story. Tony is the author of The Cure for Hate and an international speaker who strives to educate individuals, families, communities, law enforcement, and governments that are struggling to grapple with white supremacist movements. Drawing upon his own journey of leaving a hate-based movement, Tony co-founded the not-for-profit Life After Hate, which helps other people leave white supremacist movements behind.
• Robert Örell, who has more than two decades of experience in the field of disengagement, rehabilitation, and reintegration of violent extremists in Europe and the United States. His recent work focuses on setting up exit programs for people in hate or extremist groups (drawing upon his experience as a former member in his youth), advising on policy guidelines and recommendations, online counseling, and understanding radicalization in online gaming communities.
• Cara Crandall, Ed.D, a 35-year educator who has taught about the Holocaust and social justice throughout her career. She is a regional seminar leader for The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights and has been a member of TOLI since 2013. She currently teaches English language arts in the Longmeadow, MA public schools and is a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
• Scott Dredge, M.Ed, CAGS, Assistant Principal at Frontier Regional School in South Hadley, MA. His rich background in youth development and education work includes work as a lead teacher and special education department chair, as well as a case worker and program director within a residential home for adjudicated youth. He is also a former Olweus Bullying Prevention Program Trainer.

As schools struggle to balance support for free speech with a responsibility to protect students from identity-based bullying and harassment, we will explore how to respond effectively to these challenges given the rise in hate-based violence nationwide.

A link to the full feature film (84 min) will be available for viewing before and after the event to those who register, but is not required to attend.

This event is organized by Karuna Center for Peacebuilding as part of the Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism in Schools (BRAVE Schools) program.

PAST KARUNA CENTER EVENTS

Bringing the Lessons Home:
The Power of Dialogue, Locally and Globally

Sunday, June 11 • 3:00-4:30pm • Amherst Women’s Club, Amherst, MA

Thank you to all who joined us in-person! A recording will be available on June 21.

Seth Karamage—a Karuna dialogue expert, trainer, and Board member with over 10 years’ experience in community peacebuilding—joined us as a special guest. Seth was visiting from Rwanda, to share insights from his role leading Karuna’s dialogue work in Rwanda and Nigeria (in the Protecting Our Communities Initiative).

From closer to home, we welcomed Sam Camera, an Assistant Principal at Amherst Regional High School, and a core participant in a new Karuna Center project (BRAVE Schools) working with middle and high schools here in Western MA to stop the spread of violence and hate, and deepen their work with restorative practices. 

The Role of Dialogue in Peacebuilding:
Where Research Meets Practice

On May 4, 2023 (in-person in Washington, D.C. and also virtually), we led a panel on effective uses of dialogue at Alliance for Peacebuilding’s PeaceCon 2023: Beyond Fragile Ground. Panelists included Karuna Center director Polly Byers and Board member Seth Karamage; our colleague Dr. Fatima Akilu, director of Neem Foundation; Liz Hume, director of the Alliance for Peacebuilding; and our colleague Dr. Linda Tropp of the UMass-Amherst Psychology of Peace and Violence Program.

We are proud to co-sponsor:

A Night Out for Ukraine
An evening of education, celebration, and giving
Program details

Sunday, March 26, 4:00-9:30pm, Edwards Church, Northampton, MA

Didn’t make it but still want to contribute? Donate here

Parent/guardian info night:

How are youth lured into hate online?

Tuesday, March 21, 2023
7:00-8:00PM

Thank you to those who attended!

• How do extremist groups recruit youth online, on gaming platforms and social media? • How do I recognize violent extremism and what can be done to prevent and respond to it? • What can I do if a loved one is radicalized into a violent mentality promoting hatred?

The info session includes these BRAVE Schools resource people:

Radical Compassion:
Overcoming Hate and Building Understanding

A conversation with Loretta Ross, Tony McAleer, and Robert Örell

Monday, March 20, 2023 – 7:30PM
Edwards Church: 297 Main St, Northampton, MA

Through the lens of the speakers’ lived experiences, we learn about the current context of hate groups and ideologies that promote hatred; understanding the factors that lead people to join violent extremist groups; and the place of radical compassion in confronting the spread of hate in our communities.

National Conference on Farmer-Herder Relations in Nigeria

August 10, 2022
9:30am – 2:00 pm West Africa Time (WAT)
In-person in Abuja; or attend virtually

Over the past three years, Karuna Center has collaborated with Neem Foundation on the Protecting Our Communities Initiative, designed to tackle the drivers of farmer-herder clashes in Nigeria. The joint program has established a range of community-based processes to resolve and prevent conflict and improve civilian security. 

To promote and sustain peace in Nigeria, the Nigerian government’s Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Neem Foundation, and Karuna Center for Peacebuilding have jointly embarked on a strategic partnership aimed at consolidating and solidifying these gains made on farmer-herder relations. To this end, we held a National Conference on Farmer-Herder Relations in Nigeria in Abuja. The objective of the conference was to bring together both governmental and developmental sector experts, share lessons learnt on farmer-herder relations, review successes and profit from other African partners’ experience.