Q: What do you mean by "Peace Games?"
A: Peace Games is a) the name of our program, and b) the games created by our students at the end of the curriculum which give them an opportunity to creatively demonstrate the tools, principles and methods they have learned during the Peace Games program.

Q: I don't have any teaching experience, can I still teach Peace Games?
A: Of course. Peace Games teachers are fully trained, not only on the content of the curriculum, but also on how to teach it. If you wish, a more experienced Peace Games teacher can accompany you to teach your class. We also have available support from both our Web site and from the Peace Games Teachers email list. Remember, all of us were first-timers at one point, too.

Q: I don't have a car. Can I still teach Peace Games?
A: Yes. Many of our schools are in walking distance. For those that are not, there is the New Haven Bus system, and Dwight Hall has cars that teachers can check out, after the volunteer has attended a training program and obtained a Dwight Hall License. This is a short, informative program designed to remind drivers of good driving habits and to provide them with tips on driving in New Haven.

Q: What kinds of kids participate in the Peace Games Program?
A: Peace Games students range from parochial middle school students and art/science magnet students to normal middle schoolers in New Haven's public schools. There is a great diversity among socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, and nationalities among the students we teach. Often part of the learning process for both the teachers and the students is interaction with a specific ethnicity or branch of people that you or the students have never before encountered.

Q: I don't have a lot of free-time. Can I still participate in Peace Games?
A: Teaching commitments run anywhere from about 45 minutes to an hour and half per class per week. We know that all Yale students are busy, so we only ask you to teach one class, but if you would like to teach more than one, you could help us fill the great demand for our program in New Haven. Every year, demand for classes far exceeds our supply of teachers. Many of our administrators also teach.

If you aren't free during the day, Peace Games has Curriculum and Festival Planning committees, as well as several other administrative positions, including positions like Publicity Coordinators, Fundraising Coordinators, and Assistant Director in charge of Finance. For more information on these and other positions, check out Volunteer section on the Web site.

Q: What materials do I need to teach Peace Games?
A: Peace Games supplies the curriculum, and all the teaching materials required during the normal class time. For the making of the Peace Games, you may be required to purchase specialty items (glitter, stick-on stars, posterboard). Peace Games will reimburse you for those expenditures.

Q: Where did Peace Games start?
A: Peace Games was founded at the University of Connecticut by Dr. Francelia Butler, a professor of children's literature.

Q: Who designed the Peace Games at Yale Curriculum?
A: Peace Games administrative staff, in concert with the Curriculum Committee, design and revise the curriculum. The curriculum has several elements that are common to all Peace Games programs, and several that are exclusive to our program. If you want to get involved with the design and development of our curriculum, look into joining the Curriculum Committee.

Q: So what's this Festival thing all about?
A: The Peace Games at Yale Festival is that one day in early spring where all of the Peace Games students (OK, maybe not every single one, but several hundred at least) come together and celebrate the completion of the program. It also gives all of our students, who are from very different backgrounds, the change to meet each other, share the games they have created, and play some of the games from the curriculum, as well as custom-designed festival workshops, with people from these other schools and people from Yale. It's a lot of fun for volunteers and students, but also a tremendous amount of work for our Festival Committee. If you are interested in helping out with the festival, again check the VIS for more information.

Q: Will Peace Games get me into Medical School?
A: We don't know. The kind of people that teach Peace Games and serve on our committees are involved because they want to be, not because they have to be. Community Service should be by choice, not be obligation. But to answer your questions, several of our alumni have gone on to medical school.