What is Peace Education?
Peace education started as a way to understand why wars happen and how to prevent them.
Today, it looks at all kinds of violence: in our world, communities, and relationships and how we can change them.
The goal is to replace systems of war and harm with systems of peace and care, both in society and within ourselves.
Learning for peace means creating spaces that are:
Fair and equal, where everyone’s voice matters.
Curious and open, where questions are welcome.
Active and creative, where learners help shape a more peaceful world.
The Peace Educators Wall of Fame
Johan Galtung
“By peace we mean the capacity to transform conflicts with empathy, without violence, and creatively - a never-ending process.”
Betty Reardon, the founder of Peace Education
“Militarism is a value system…which says that human beings basically need to be kept in order by force, and that some people have a natural right to use that force in order to do that. They’re better equipped to decide what’s best for the rest of us.”
Dr Maria Hantzopoulus, Vassar College
“Driven by critical pedagogies that are rooted in critical consciousness, dialogical relationships and practice, transformative agency, and problem-posing, [peace and human rights education] can be vehicles for imagining and working toward more just and sustainable futures.”
Maria Montessori
“Education is the best weapon for peace […] true peace suggests the triumph of justice and love among men; it reveals the existance of a better world where harmony reigns”
We’re Building a Peace Museum
and we need your help!
After more than two years of offering peace education programs through community partners, we’re ready to create a home of our own — a Peace Museum right here in the Hudson Valley. This won’t be just another museum, but a Third Space: a welcoming, creative hub where visitors can explore stories of peace, find inspiration around every corner, and gather to imagine and build a more just, compassionate world together.
As only the second dedicated Peace Museum in the United States, this space will feature both permanent and rotating exhibits that invite reflection and action. Permanent installations will explore themes such as What is Peace?, Understanding Violence, International Intervention, and Care for the Planet as Peace Activism. Rotating exhibits will highlight topics like dignity, justice, dialogue, personal peace, and the intersections of peace and the arts.
Beyond exhibits, the museum will be a community gathering space—offering workshops, wellness programs, art shows, and film screenings centered on social justice, empathy, and connection. Schools and educators will be invited to bring their students for immersive learning experiences in peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and ecological awareness.
The museum will also host youth climate activist support groups, spaces for LGBTQ+ youth, and ongoing opportunities for community dialogue and creative expression. Through storytelling, art, and education, we hope to nurture understanding, resilience, and hope in the face of today’s challenges.
We’ve learned enough about war — now it’s time we teach peace.
Help us bring this vision to life by supporting the creation of the Peace Museum of the Hudson Valley.
Hear what our Founder has to say about Peace Education
Still want to learn more about Peace Education?
Explore our interactive Padlet — a shared space designed for educators, learners, and community members to engage with peace education resources. Use it to teach, learn, and exchange ideas that foster justice, empathy, and sustainable peace.