About Us
Founded in 2003, Empower Peace is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to bridging cultural and communication divides between young people worldwide. Empower Peace uses the latest in interactive technologies and intensive leadership training to break down misconceptions and build meaningful relationships and skills. Through a global network of students, teachers and schools, Empower Peace is providing the next generation with the opportunities and tools needed to advance mutual respect, understanding and peace.
- A vision of education as a bridge among people and cultures.
- An institution of higher learning striving for academic excellence in educational leadership.
- An NGO working with educators at the grassroots level in the Middle East and North Africa.
- An inclusive attitude open to individuals of any nationality, religion, ethnicity or gender who share the goal of a more open, socially equitable, democratic, and environmentally sustainable Middle East and North Africa.
UME's curriculum begins with its flagship introductory program, the Teacher Education Institute (TEI), which has convened more than 200 secondary school teachers since 1999 and affects the ives of approximately 4,500 new students annually. The TEI's unique interactive method share the best of teaching theory and practices with MENA educators, empowering them with the skills to incorporate critical and creative thinking, constructive dialogue, and cross-cultural perspectives into their lesson plans. It is through these inspired teachers that UME's mission spreads.
UME was incorporated in 1997 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, by a group of Middle Eastern and North African graduate students and scholars. A second branch was incorporated in Madrid, Spain, in 2003.
In the United States, UME is an independent 501c3 not-for-profit organization. It receives support from a variety of foundations, development agencies, and individuals. In recent years, UME has received substantial funding from the FRIDE Foundation, the U.S. Department of State's Bureau for Educational and Cultural Affairs, and Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI. All UME operations are under the sole control of the UME Board of Directors.
Timeline
1990 - Walden Woods Project founded by Don Henley
1991 - The Project buys the 25-acre site known as Bear Garden Hill
1993 - The Project purchases the 18.6-acre site on Brister's Hill
1994 - The Walden Woods Project buys an 18-acre site, built by Boston philanthropist Henry Lee Higginson. The acquisition includes a turn-of-the-century estate listed on The National Register of Historic Places that now houses the Project's administrative offices and the Thoreau Institute.
1996 - The Project purchases the 10-acre Fairhaven Hill site in Walden Woods
1997 - The Project's headquarters move from Boston to Lincoln, Mass.
1998 - Thoreau Institute officially opens
2001 - The Walden Woods Project receives a gift of a conservation easement for 41-acres of land along the “wild and scenic” Sudbury River
2002 - With a $1.25 million grant from Time Warner, planning commences for ecological restoration and an interpretive trail on historic Brister's Hill
2004 - The Project purchases a 6-acre agricultural site in Walden Woods, the Bilodeau land near Bear Garden Hill
2005 - The historic Adams carriage house purchased by the Project, thereby preserving 5 acres of conservation land and acquiring additional facilities for the programs offered by the Institute
2006 - The Project purchases the Farm at Walden Woods (formerly named Pine Tree Farm) thereby protecting 9 acres of prime farmland that will remain in agriculture
2007 - The Walden Woods Project acquires the Adams House (formerly the stable building of the Higginson Estate). This acquisition includes 3,800 sq. ft. of additional space for the Project and nearly 2 acres of conservation land.
2009- The Walden Woods Project, in partnership with the Concord Land Conservation Trust, purchases a conservation restriction over 9.71 acres on Fairhaven Hill.