Largest U.S. gathering of Nobel Peace Prize winners to occur on the University of Denver campus
PeaceJam Foundation to hold 2006 conference in Denver
Published in November, 2005
Denver - University of Denver (DU) Chancellor Robert Coombe joined Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and PeaceJam founders Dawn Engle and Ivan Suvanjieff to announce the largest gathering of Nobel Peace Laureates ever held in the United States.
The largest gathering of Nobel laureates on U.S. soil will attend the PeaceJam Foundation’s 10th anniversary celebration Sept. 15-17, 2006, at the University of Denver. The Laureates will lead a global call to action for 3,000 teenaged PeaceJam delegates from the United States and 10 other countries.
“DU’s participation in the PeaceJam conference is another example of our engagement with the City of Denver and our engagement with the world,” says Coombe. “The university’s international ties continue to grow, and an event like this one benefits our students by allowing them to hear from world leaders.”
The conference is expected to include an internationally televised press conference, master classes, lectures, a public concert and a public address featuring all of the attending Nobel Peace Laureates. University of Denver students will have the opportunity to participate in many of the events although a schedule for the weekend has not been announced.
The Nobel Peace Laureates traveling to Denver for the conference are the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Betty Williams, Shirin Ebadi, Jose Ramos-Horta, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Oscar Arias, Jody Williams, and Mairead Corrigan Maguire.
PeaceJam, based in Arvada, Colo., is a year-long educational program built around Nobel Peace Laureates who work personally with youth to pass on the spirit, skills and wisdom they embody.
“There are more than two billion teenagers on this planet,” says Dawn Engle, co-founder of PeaceJam. “Nearly half of the world’s population is under the age of 20. The message that PeaceJam and the Nobel Laureates have for teenagers around the world is that yes, one person can make a difference.”