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Diplomacy in the Classroom

If your school or classroom is interested in participating in the Jr. Peacemakers Program, you can contact Nour Mohsen Director of the Junior Peacemakers program at the email listed below.

Contact: Nour Mohsen at jr.peacemakers@irsam.ca

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some of our most common questions we receive about Junior Peacemakers:

1. What is the cost of the program?
One of the core values Jr. Peacemakers champions is accessibility. Naturally, the program is free of charge. Because we are a Non-Governmental Organization, all the hours, and work that is put in by the Coordinators and the volunteers comes from their own time and showcases the dedication they bring to this cause. Additionally, all the material used during the activities is provided by the program.
2. How is Jr. Peacemakers funded?
Thankfully, Jr. Peacemakers is part of a larger organization named IRSAM, International Relations Students’ Association of McGill University. IRSAM boasts a membership of 300 + students who are passionate about leadership and being part of the change. Through this organization and the events it organizes, it can give back to the program to ensure it remains without cost.
3. Who are the volunteers?
The volunteers are all students of McGill University with different field-study backgrounds but who all share a common passion for teaching and working with children. All volunteers have previous experience working with kids or have extensive background knowledge on the curriculum they teach. However, rest assured, all the content that they share with the children has been carefully curated and developed through research and using information provided by formal institutions, such as the United Nations.
4. What areas of Montreal do you service?
Like previously mentioned, accessibility is a key element to our work and we wish to help as many schools in the Montreal area regardless of where it is situated. There are difficulties for our volunteers to reach some areas and for that reason, at the current moment, we offer the program to schools in a radius of 45 minutes by public transport from the McGill downtown campus. In the future, we hope to expand the accessibility. If your school is not within these limits and you still wish to participate, send us an email at jr.peacemakers@irsam.ca.
5. How do you choose when you hold the sessions?
Through our application process, we always want to prioritize the classroom’s availabilities to ensure that the children are the main beneficiaries. Working closely with teachers, we devise a strategy that allows for it to take place during an adequate time that works for everyone. Because we have such a vast pool of volunteers, we rarely have issues ensuring the school’s preferences. Please note that the only restriction we provide is that every session is held on the same day and time of the week.
6. I am interested in the program but I don’t have any current availabilities for my classroom to participate. What can I do?
Have no fear! Jr. Peacemakers functions as a bi-annual program, meaning we host classrooms from February to April and from October to December. If you do not have space currently but do in the future, Jr. Peacemakers is always glad to accommodate participating schools
7. Can the teacher see the material beforehand?
We pride ourselves in a close-knit relationship with teachers to ensure that the program runs smoothly when it is implemented. During the application process, we inquire about the schools’ specific rules and needs such as no-candy policies and others. This way we maintain the integrity of the program and respect the teaching environment of every classroom. If a teacher wishes to see the full content of the different sessions beforehand, we will gladly share the information. Send us an email and our school liaison will make sure to provide all the content.
8. What is the breakdown of the content for each session?
Each session has a specific theme and a unique set of activities that will enhance understanding of the week’s theme. Additionally, part of our teaching strategy is to make reminders and connections to previous topics discussed. The breakdown of the sessions is as follows: 1) Peace, Human Rights and the Children's Rights 2) Poverty and Hunger 3) Conflict Resolution 4) Discrimination and Child Participation 5) Environmental Sustainability
9. Help, I scheduled a session during a time where the school is on break or a shift in scheduling has made a session impossible?!
If the case arises, please send Jr. Peacemakers an email as soon as possible so that we can inform the volunteers of any change. Traditionally, the program runs best over the course of five consecutive weeks, however, if there is a day when a session can’t be held, we simply halt the program and continue it at the following week of availability. For the sake of our volunteers we try to finish the program the last week of class before their final examinations begin.
10. Where else can I follow Jr. Peacemakers?
You can follow our public page on social media. We post weekly content, fun facts and share information about our volunteers. We hope to build a small community online that values sharing important content like the one we teach! Here is a link: https://www.facebook.com/jr.peacemakers/

Stay tuned for more!