The Founder's Corner Docuseries
Through 30 years of transitions, one thing has remained the same: We believe in the power of young people to create a just and peaceful world not someday - right now.
What started as a US-based volunteer program evolved into a digital platform that incubates youth-led projects across more than 160 countries. This transition creates an exciting opportunity to document and share our organization’s rich history and our CEO’s legacy. In our Founder's Corner series, our CEO and co-founder, Eric Dawson, will be sharing the evolutionary story of Peace First through a series of conversations with our community of leaders and young people! We will be uncovering 30 years of Peace First history through the memories of the people who built this organization from the ground up.
From Boston to Nepal, our young leaders will share the full Peace First story with you through five episodes (and some bonus content!). Check them out!
EPISODES
Episode 1: The Origin Docuseries In this episode you will get to hear Peace First founders Eric Dawson, Lisa Graustein, Tammy Tai, Meredith Quinn, and Johanna Barmore share how the organization came to life. You also get to meet the amazing teachers Alice Green, Marcia reed, and Cara Pfeiffer, who had the enormous task of bringing Peace Games into schools in Los Angeles. Watch now!
Episode 2:The Peace First Prize In this episode, you will get to hear Peace First Prize Directors talk about their million-dollar idea and their favorite celebrity moments.You will also listen to Peace First prize winners as they share how winning this prize changed the way they think about youth leadership. Watch now!
Episode 3:The Peace First Challenge and The Peace First Fellowship This episode covers yet another pivotal moment in the history of Peace First: the transition from an in-classroom program led by adults, to a digital journey led by young people or the Peace First Challenge. You will also learn about the origins of the Fellows in Residence program and meet the first group of fellows. Watch now!
Episode 4:Leading Through Transition In this episode, you will meet the Operations and Leadership Team at Peace First and explore with them what it’s like to lead an organization amidst transition, all while balancing uncertainty. You will also meet the young familiar faces who are our agents of change on the ground and are leading the work globally, from fellows to ambassadors. Watch now!
Episode 5: The New Wave of Leadership In this episode, you will meet the new co-CEOs of Peace First, Isaac Cudjoe and Xochilt Exués Hernández Leiva who will be leading Peace First into the next phase of growth and development. Watch now!
Voices from the Community
Every young person who has been part of our community has contributed greatly to the founding of Peace First and this is why we asked them to share THEIR Peace First story. From grantees and volunteers to staff, and fellows, those people have been an instrumental part in shaping Peace First and we want the world to know it!
Check out their stories!
- Middle East and North Africa