The Nobel Peace Prize Forum works closely with a variety of organizations and people to further its mission to inspire peacemaking. Each year we bring Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, civic leaders, and scholars together with students and other citizens to celebrate the work of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates and to learn about the complex issues underlying peace. For more than 24 years, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum has served as a portal and a platform for educational, business, research, artistic, and other organizations to engage the world in new ways.
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American College of Norway Students Active in the 2012 Forum
Students studying at the American College of Norway (ACN) in Moss, Norway had the opportunity to participate virtually and actively in the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize Forum. The ACN brought the Forum into the classroom. Our students attended (virtually) keynote addresses by Mr. Alf Bjørseth, Mr. Joe Cavanaugh and Nobel Laureate President de Klerk and students were able to ask questions to each speaker. To prepare, ACN instructors led group discussions about the three speakers, the topic of their planned addresses and background information.
To continue the “Week of Peace” at the American College of Norway, a select group of students prepared a workshop that was shared not only with ACN students but also with students from the University of North Dakota, West Chester University, Adelphi University and University of Minnesota. The workshop was entitled Pedagogy & Peace: A Model for Decision-Making. The workshop demonstrated a model for screening the problem (societal, environmental, political, etc.), data acquisition, data analysis, and problem solving. Special attention was given to critical thinking, decision-making skills and leadership training. Leaders of tomorrow will continue to be faced with an overload of data and information sources. Through teacher and student involvement, the concept of working towards peace through good decision-making in the solution of world issues will be explored.
The American College of Norway thanks the Nobel Peace Prize Forum for involving ACN in the 2012 Forum!
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Attended the Forum
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, was honored to be join the Nobel Peace Prize Forum in 2012. A truly global student contingent participated – including students drawn from the top 15% across all disciplines here (i.e. NMMU’s Golden Key group) and from Minnesota’s own College of St. Benedict’s and St. John’s University study abroad program. Thirty students from CSB/SJU are studying here through June 2012.
Due to time zone constraints, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University participated virtually, in real time, at two points in the program. On Thursday, we collectively attended the Opening Ceremony, followed by a keynote address by Alf Bjorseth. On Saturday, we participated in the keynote address by Nobel Laureate F.W. de Klerk entitled “Making the Right Decisions in an Unpredictable World.”
NMMU students provided real time commentary via the chat window on these select portions of the Forum.
Earlier in the week, student participants met to review the Peace Prize Forum, to garner each other’s perceptions of the legacy of the four South African Peace Prize Laureates, and to generate ideas for possible comment or blog entries from here at NMMU. The queries themselves are engaging and provocative.
Submitted by Dr. James Schnepf and Connie Nelson CSB/SJU Study Abroad Directors Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
University of Washington Nobel Peace Prize Essay Contest
Prof. Christine Ingebritsen, Director of the Center for West European Studies, just can’t rest when it comes to studying and teaching about the role of Scandinavian countries in international policy. So it came as no surprise when she launched an essay contest regarding the meaning of the Nobel Peace Prize to modern Norway. The winning essayist received the benefit of learning and also the opportunity to travel to Minneapolis for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize Forum.
Click here to read the 2012 University of Washington Nobel Peace Prize essay contest winning paper by Maren Anderson Johnson- Setting the Agenda: Exporting Norwegian Norms through the Nobel Peace Prize
