  Leymah Gbowee Gbowee, 40, led a peaceful women’s movement in Liberia, which played a pivotal role in ending the Liberian Civil War. She and the women of Liberia also took a powerful stand against the use of rape as a weapon of war. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway in December of 2011, together with Co-Winners Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tawakkol Karman.
Gbowee came of age in a war-torn country. After dealing personally with the displacement, chaos, and death associated with war, she began to believe that the women of her country would be willing and able to put a stop to the Civil War which was then raging in Liberia. After training as a trauma counselor and working with former child soldiers, she became a founding member and a leading voice of the Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET) and became their voice as they called for an end to war.
Gbowee’s outreach to both Christian and Muslim women created the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace movement, the efforts of which led to a meeting with Liberian military dictator Charles Taylor himself and the resuscitation of high level peace talks. The pressure they exerted was instrumental in pushing Taylor into exile and smoothed the path for the election of Africa’s first female head of state.
Gbowee is now Founder and President of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, based in Monrovia, Liberia. She is also leading the Liberia Reconciliation Initiative at the behest of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and she also serves as the Executive Director of Women, Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa).
Gbowee will be speaking on breaking the cycle of violence, drawing on her work and experience in creating peace in her country.
  Governor Bill Ritter, congratulating PeaceJam for their 2008 Nobel Peace Prize nomination"PeaceJam and its mission were born in Colorado; its roots remain here. The people in this state believe in optimism, and they believe that PeaceJam demonstrates that we can make a positive change by solving problems together - only if we work together." Archbishop Desmond Tutu-Nobel Peace Prize winner"I have been hugely impressed by the degree of understanding and passion for peace issues that the PeaceJam program has instilled in young people around the globe. The PeaceJam program is tapping into the energy and goodwill of young people and they are becoming catalysts for positive change." Dawn Axelson-3rd Grade Teacher"When I hear kids say 'that's not what Desmond Tutu would do' or 'let's write letters to get them to change that,' I know that the students are learning to become advocates for their world. In a day when we need to provide children with true role models and heroes, I believe that the PeaceJam Curriculum should be embedded into various curricula everywhere." Andy Miller-PeaceJammer"PeaceJam really got me charged up to go out and work on even the littlest things to help bring about change. Before PeaceJam, I thought only people in far off places, or those high level politicians were the ones who would change the world. Now I know better. All it takes is you." |
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