St. Stephen's Hosts UN Policy Consultant

St. Stephen's recently embarked on a special yearlong initiative focused on peacemaking. A highlight of the PEACE initiative came this week with a special four-day visit by Robert Zuber, a social justice activist and longtime policy consultant to the United Nations.
 
As director of Global Action to Prevent War (GAPW), a nonprofit network dedicated to reducing global conflict, Zuber works with the 194 member states of the United Nations to further a variety of efforts focused on world peace, human rights and social ethics. Throughout his four-day visit to St. Stephen’s, Zuber will address the work being done by the United Nations to quell genocide, illicit weapons distribution and sexual violence.
 
During a Chapel talk to the Upper School on Oct. 13, Zuber encouraged students to become effective peace-makers by sharpening their communication skills and growing their knowledge of the world. He also spoke extensively about cultivating “peace values,” including hospitality, fairness and kindness. “These are critical components to peace,” he explained. “When you open your door, you open your heart.”
 
Zuber also challenged Upper School students to examine the connection between character and their individual pursuits to determine how the intersection of the two might contribute to world peace. “Reinterpreting the alignment of career and character will make you better peacemakers in the end,” he explained.
 
In addition to presenting two Chapel talks, Zuber will attend numerous theology and history classes throughout the week. He also will meet with an array of student groups and clubs, including Model United Nations, Student Government, Amnesty International and a multicultural student discussion group called FACES.
 
“St. Stephen’s yearlong PEACE INITIATIVE began with a collaborative effort between the International office and library personnel,” said Sarah Todd, International Program director. “The campaign has grown into a larger commitment by students, faculty and staff to work together to seed peace efforts in our school community.
 
“The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is attributed with saying, ‘Peace is not the mere absence of war, it is the presence of Justice,’” Todd continued. “When there are profound inequities in society, peace is certainly compromised. This PEACE INITIATIVE is our effort to be involved in positive ways in creating the conditions that give rise to peace rather than conflict.”


Photos by Ms. Bartek, Ms. Todd, Ms. Crane, and Ms. Lindfors
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Address: 6500 St. Stephen's Dr., Austin, TX 78746
Phone: (512) 327-1213