The Unites States Institute ofPeace and Jackson StateUniversity’s College of Educ-ational Human Developmentsponsored the “ExploringGlobal Conflicts” teaching con-ference.

“The United State Institute ofPeace is an entity that is fundedby the United State Congressand focuses on preventing andsolving international conflict.

“We work primarily in con-flict area zones areas around theworld like Sudan, AfghanistanIraq and Columbia. We do a lotof work in the U.S. and ourwork in the U.S. focuses onsupporting higher education

and secondary education inteaching about peace and con-flict issues,” said David Smithsenior program officer.

The conference was a twoday event that was held at theJSU campus Student Center.Journalist and author JimmieBriggs was the featured guestspeaker during the conference.

Briggs is the author ofInnocents Lost: When Childsoldiers Go to War. He is alsothe first African American to beappointed as a Goodwill WorldAssociation of Former UnitedNation Interns and Fellows atthe UN.

“I feel that people of colorparticularly black folks need tobe more aware of what is going

on overseas. We as a peopleneed to see ourselves as broaderbeings. We should be able totalk about China and going toAsia and be global citizens. Itook this opportunity to meetstudents and teachers and letthem know that we are out thereglobally and to share my expe-riences with them, said Briggs.

The workshop is geared tohelp educators understand theimpact of international conflictsand will provide educators witha unique perspective on globalconflict and peace buildingstrategies. The program alsopromoted international peacebuilding by employing innova-tive approaches to teachersabout teaching peace through-

out all education sectors and inparticular secondary education.

“If we don’t get a handle onconflict and what causes it inother countries then we can’tsolve it when it comes to ourcountry,” said Ingrad Smithassociate dean for the Collegeof Education and HumanDevelopment.

“Here in the United States wehave dismissed peace building,just like we dismissed terrorismuntil it hit home then we wereall concern about the terrorist,but terrorism was going on inother countries for years and wedidn’t care.

“Now we finally get it and ifwe dismiss conflict in othercountries and if we dismiss

peace building in other coun-tries then we won’t realize ituntil it hit home. If we don’t

understand peace building nowby the time it happens here itwill be too late,” said Smith.

By Celia BowmanContributing Writer

www.mississippilink.com APRIL 30 - MAY 6, 2009 THE MISSISSIPPI LINK • 11

EDUCATION

Parents who plan and preparefor summer programs have peaceof mind and can save money, too.The inevitable end of the schoolyear has many parents asking,“Where am I going to place mychild this summer?” There are anumber of thoughts to keep inmind when deciding which sum-mer program would best suit yourhousehold. They include assess-ing your student’s interests,knowing the proximity of the pro-gram to your home or work, anddetermining the program hoursthat complement your schedule.

The recent issue of Parents andKids Magazine has a listing ofmost of the summer programsoffered in the Jackson area. Themagazine can be obtained fromany elementary school, selectstores and community organiza-tions. Parents can also visit theMagazine’s website at www.par-ents-kids.com.

Owner and editor, GretchenCook, suggests that parents cull

through the program listing, makephone calls, and even visit the siteof a prospective summer programearly. The benefits for the parentwho prepares can be very reward-ing.

Act Fast and Get FreeSummer Programs

A plus for those who planincludes access to free summerprograms and programs that offerstipends. However, low-to-no-cost summer programs are avail-able on a first-come, first-servedbasis. Parents who take advantageof these programs should havefew worries about the quality ofservices. Many of the programshave just as much, if not more,amenities and variety in servicesthan fee-based programs.

From Basketball to SpellingBees

Experts suggest that studentswho stay active during the sum-mer make an easier transitionwhen the new school year begins.Parents should talk with their stu-dent to determine the best type ofprogram to enroll in. Sports-based

programs can help boost self-esteem and garner a deeperrespect for structure and rules,while arts-based programs mayfocus on exploration and allowingyour student to discover his natu-ral talents. Some students love toread, interact and stay in academ-ic mode all year long. There aresummer programs for them, too.

Imagine not having to worryabout switching your student todifferent programs throughout thesummer. Making the right choicecan keep your student fulfilledduring the summer and give youpeace of mind.

Start Close to HomeParents should consider the

proximity of the program towhere they work and live. A freeprogram is less beneficial if it isacross town from your normalroute - consuming your muchneeded time and gas. Cook sug-gests that parents first look local-ly for programs, such as theircommunity church or school. Aquick look around your area forprograms allows you to support

your community, keeps your stu-dent in a neighbor-friendly envi-ronment, and saves you money inthe long run. Make sure that youask neighbors and others in yourcommunity to comment on theirexperiences with programs.

Parents for Public Schools -Greater Jackson is located at 200North Congress Street, Suite 500.Join us for Lunch Bunch on May6 in the Jackson Medical Mall’sCommunity Meeting Room at11:45 a.m. Our speaker will dis-cuss how school board membersare appointed. Contact us at 601-969-6015 or visit us on the web atwww.parents4publicschools.org.Executive Director, SusanWomack.

Planning for summer programs is a plus for parentsBy Pamela ConferParents for Public Schools

Briggs along with students partcipate in the global con-ference. PHOTO BY CELIA BOWMAN

Global conference held at J-State

HCC Raymond Delta Epsilon Chi wins at State Competition

RAYMOND - The HindsCommunity College Delta EpsilonChi-Raymond Campus chapterwon state awards at the MississippiCareer Development Conference

held recently in Jackson.Each of the ten students compet-

ing brought home awards for theHCC Raymond Campus Businessand Marketing ManagementTechnology and Fashion Market-

ing Technology (MMT/FMT) pro-grams.

In addition, the chapter receivedthe Habitat for Humanity Comm-unity Service Award.

The Hinds students competed

with other marketing and fashionmajors from community collegesand universities across the state in25 different competitive eventsrelated to marketing and fashionoccupational areas.

UM to throw party for its retiring chancellor

OXFORD - University ofMississippi students, staff, faculty,alumni and friends are throwing aparty Thursday, April 30, forRobert C. Khayat, their retiringchancellor.

Weather permitting, the partywill take place from 3 to 5 p.m. inthe Grove, the huge park-like areain the middle of UM’s Oxfordcampus. “Everybody affiliatedwith Ole Miss absolutely loves theGrove, including ChancellorKhayat, so this is the perfect spotfor his party,” said UM Dean ofStudents Sparky Reardon, whowill emcee a short, informal pro-gram at 4 p.m. on the Grove stage.Refreshments will be served from3 to 5 p.m.

If it rains Thursday, the partywill move to the C.M. “Tad” SmithColiseum. Sue Keiser, Khayat’sassistant for 11 years, said that herretiring boss “didn’t want anythingformal or expensive, so we’re justgoing to serve lemonade and cook-ies, and are inviting all our stu-dents, faculty, staff, alumni and

friends - past and present - to showup.” Khayat became UM’s 15thchancellor in summer 1995 andretires June 30.

During his 14 years as UM’schief executive, he has drawnpraise for a multitude of achieve-ments. This year alone, UM rankedamong the nation’s top 25 publicuniversities on Forbes.com, hosteda presidential debate, announcedits 25th Rhodes Scholar, inaugurat-ed the first black president of itsalumni association, trounced TexasTech in the Cotton Bowl and com-pleted its successful $200-millionMomentUM campaign.

“Our alumni and friends loveChancellor Khayat, and I hopemany of them will be able to cometo campus and visit with him andother members of the Ole Missfamily as we gather to celebrate 14years of prosperity at our state’sflagship university,” said AlumniAffairs Director Tim Walsh.

For more information aboutKhayat’s legacy at Ole Miss, visithttp://news.olemiss.edu and type“Khayat” into the search engine.

Special to The Mississippi Link

HBCU writer’s projectready to take off

One of the new projects thathave generated a lot of interestamongst the Historically BlackColleges and Universities(HBCUs) in Florida, Georgiaand North Carolina is Black PRWire’s HBCU Writer’s Project.Black PR Wire’s HBCU Writer’sProject is seeking to attract stu-dent writers from HBCUS whohave been looking to get theirwork published in different printmediums.

Students will not only begiven the chance to have theirarticles posted on BPRW, butcan also expect to have thempicked up by different black pub-lications nationwide.

Students won’t be given astipend for their articles.However, those who submit themost posted stories will get achance to receive a free IPOD,laptop and I-tunes music card($50-$100). Student writersmust submit editorial pieces thatare relevant to the black commu-nity. Some of the topic areas ofinterest include automotive,entertainment, politics, sports,education and faith-based sto-ries.

To see what response the proj-

ect would receive, BPRW beganby targeting some of the HBCUsin the South Atlantic region, andwill offer the opportunity toother prominent black colleges.

Among the institutions thathave expressed interest and areready to showcase its best stu-dent writers are BethuneCookman University (BCU),Florida A&M University(FAMU) and Florida MemorialUniversity (FLMU).

Further up north in the SouthAtlantic region, HBCUs likeSavannah State University(SSU) in Georgia and NorthCarolina Central University(NCCU) in Durham, NorthCarolina are also looking to par-ticipate in this new pilot programas well. As the college liaison forthis project and a student atFlorida Memorial University, I

In a field such as journalismand mass communications, hav-ing a portfolio of writing sam-ples is essential. Furthermore, intoday’s industry, it is who knowsyou rather than who you know.So if different publications arefamiliar with the samples yousubmit to BPRW, your chancesof getting noticed will increasewith each story you write.

BLACK PR WIRE

Think Smart Now: What students can do to protect themselves in a recessionRecession. It is a frightening

word that most people wouldrather not think about or evenacknowledge. “I wouldn’t saywe’re in a recession,” said JanetteWagner, assistant vice president ofCapital City Bank on NorthMonroe Street. “I’d say it is more

of an economic concern.” Theeconomy has begun to see set-backs across the board with thecost of homes rising, gas pricessoaring up, and people consumingless as the worth of a dollardecreases.

For college students, it is impor-tant to be aware of the problems

they could be facing and knowwhat to do to protect themselvesagainst economic hardships.

One thing Wagner suggests is“picking a major that’s going tosecure a job for your future.”

Having good credit is anotherimportant factor in a recession, andWagner recommends that students

in college should build good cred-it.

“A critical piece in buildingcredit is consistent and timelyrepayment,” she said. “Start think-ing smart already. Never buysomething you can’t pay for at theend of the month.”

Dr. Clyde Ashley, associate pro-

fessor of professional developmentat Florida A&M University with abackground in economics, agreed.

He knows the importance ofhaving a good credit score, reces-sion or no recession, and wants topass that along to students. “It isserious,” Ashley said. “Studentsshould make sure they monitor

their credit score, don’t gain debts,and don’t use a lot of credit cards.”He suggests that with interest ratesbeing high, and in case possiblesetbacks do occur, students shouldlimit their amount of credit cards toone or two at the most. Keepingthe balance at zero will lead togood credit, he added.

BLACK PR WIRE

Special to The Mississippi Link

HCC Delta Epsilon Chi - Raymond Chapter winners and finalists are: (Front Row) Elizabeth Nowell of Bolton, FashionMarketing, first place; Shauna Foley of Clinton, Design Presentation, first place; Alfonso Brown of Vicksburg, HumanResource Management, first place and, at right, MMT/FMT District Coordinator and Advisor, Dana Bailey of Byramwho also won Teacher of the Year from the Post Secondary Mississippi Association of Marketing Educators at theconference. (Back Row) Kenneth Wilson of Harrisville, Internet Marketing, third place; Rashida Washington-Burnleyof Jackson, Retail Management, fifth place; Daron Peeples of Terry, Marketing Management, fifth place; NeickoAnders of Tylertown, Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team, second place; Alyssa Milton of Raymond, Sportsand Entertainment Marketing Team, second place; Dominique Nicks of Brandon, Sales Representative Meeting, thirdplace and Ashley Torrence of Vicksburg, Travel and Tourism Marketing, second place.