After recording the episode, I learned Dr. Gordon Fellman passed away last year. This episode is dedicated to him and all he taught me about building peace in my heart and in the world. 


SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Teach Your Kids: Website | LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Substack | Facebook | TikTok

Manisha: LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Facebook

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Teach Your Kids Podcast Episodes

• Undoing White Supremacy Starts at Home with Anastasia Higginbotham and Deb Vilas

Books

• The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion - Jonathan Haidt
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success - Carol S. Dweck, PhD
• Freakonomics Revised and Expanded Edition - Steven Levitt
• Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships - Marshall B. Rosenberg, PhD
• How to Talk So Kids Can Learn at Home and in School - Adele Faber 

Organizations

• Union of Concerned Scientists
• The Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement Between People
• Moms Clean Air Force
• Project Drawdown
  • Girls’ Education, Family Planning, and Climate Adaptation | Project Drawdown
  • Educating Girls | Project Drawdown
• Brandeis University
  • Gordon Fellman | People | Department of Sociology | Brandeis University
  • Staff | About the Center | International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life | Brandeis University
  • Sylvia and Joseph Slifka Israeli Coexistence Scholarship
  • Environmental Studies Program | Brandeis University
  • International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life | Brandeis University
  • Minor in Peace, Conflict and Coexistence Studies | Undergraduate Program
  • Arab/Jewish Student Dialogue | Past Projects and Programs | Core Programs

Related Resources

• Ecological Footprint Calculator
• Essential Partners
• No Peace, No Sustainable Development: A Vicious Cycle that We Can Break | United Nations
• Institute for Defense and Disarmament Studies - Wikipedia
• Iraq - Kanan Makiya - Saddam Hussein - The New York Times
• These 7 charts show how the world is becoming a better place
• Racism & Me: A Workshop for Kids | Modulo

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Chapters

[00:00:39] - Introduction to Teaching about War & Peace

[00:01:25] - Four Steps Approach

[00:07:31] - Coping with Emotional Turmoil

[00:16:49] - Gifted Children and War

[00:27:00] - The Power of Storytelling

[00:38:13] - Civic Responsibility & Action

Time Codes

00:00:39 — Introduction: Manisha kicks off the episode by delving into the complex topic of teaching kids about war and peace, with a nod to sustainable and just global futures.

00:01:25 — Manisha's Four-Step Approach: Overview of the four steps involved in approaching the subject matter: self-awareness, attentive listening, mutual inquiry, and concrete action.

00:02:17 — Personal Experiences in Israel and Palestine: Impact of conflict zones explored through personal narratives.

00:03:34 — Critique of Media: Discussion on how media perpetuates anxieties and fears, diverting attention from possible positive changes.

00:04:36 — Connection to Israeli-Palestinian Crisis: Unveiling personal connections to current world crises and the learning derived from them.

00:07:31 — Coping with Grief: How to navigate dark times through constructive conversations, inspired by personal tragedy.

00:08:38 — Parental Intuition: The value of trusting one's instincts when discussing heavy topics with children.

00:10:33 — Language Matters: Avoiding the labeling of people as 'bad' or 'evil' and instead focusing on underlying issues.

00:14:18 — Starting with Listening: Importance of acknowledging children's feelings and queries about war.

00:16:49 — Gifted Children’s Reactions: Exploring how gifted children are intensely affected by concepts of war and justice.

00:18:50 — Media Rebuttal: Challenging the prevailing media narrative that the world is deteriorating.

00:22:20 — Personal Transformation: Manisha's journey from active protests to introspective impact.

00:25:36 — Mindset Changes: The uphill battle of changing societal perspectives for a better world.

00:30:35 — Power of Small Acts: The ripple effect of simple, local actions like library volunteering.

00:38:13 — Importance of Voting: A call to democratic participation as both a right and a privilege, underlining the impact on future generations.

00:44:00 — Community Inclusivity: Manisha introduces scholarship options for the Teach Your Kids community, emphasizing inclusivity.
 

This podcast is made possible through a generous grant from the Vela Education Fund

VELA Education Fund is catalyzing a vibrant alternative education ecosystem. VELA provides trust-based funding to entrepreneurs, fosters community-building and knowledge-sharing, and increases visibility through storytelling that promotes cultural awareness and acceptance of the out-of-system space. Today, VELA serves the largest community of out-of-system education entrepreneurs in the country, with over 2,000 community members. About half of VELA’s community members operate small learning environments, and the other half are ecosystem and community builders offering direct services and support across the out-of-system space. Learn more at 

velaedfund.org

.