I have been the Education Coordinator for the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace since December, 2011.  During that time I have been constantly amazed at the dedication of the Board of Directors, the Advisory Council, and the many volunteers and community members who participate in Foundation events - I am lucky to be part of a community striving for peace and nonviolence in concrete ways.
I am currently working on my PhD in the Centre for Research for Teacher Education and Development at the University of Alberta.  The Centre has also been an inspiration to me as it is a community of teachers and researchers working to support educators and students in meaningful ways. 
Working with the Foundation, studying at the Centre, researching alongside teachers, and exploring my own path to nonviolence in action through yoga practice and teaching, have all informed my own feeling that peace really begins in each small interaction we share. Kindnesses, small and large, multiply and grow in unexpected ways.  I am so thankful then for the work the Gandhi Foundation does do increase our capacity for kindness both as individuals and as a community.

Jaime's blog can be found here.

Dr. Steven K. H. Aung is a geriatric, family, and integrative medicine physician, and a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner and teacher. At the University of Alberta, Dr. Aung is a Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. He is also a Visiting Professor to universities in China, Japan, the United States, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand. Dr. Aung is a Vice Chair (North America) of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, based in Beijing. He is also a World Health Organization advisor and consultant on TCM, acupuncture, and cancer pain control. Dr. Aung was awarded a Professional Excellency from the Académie Diplomatique de la Paix in 1986, the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2002, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003, the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, a Physician of the Century Award in 2005, and Canada’s highest civilian honour, the Order of Canada, in 2006. Dr. Aung has lectured internationally, and published many articles, books, and treatises on the integration of TCM and Western health care, and continues to offer his own practice in the spirit of a natural and compassionate approach to medicine.

You can learn more about Dr. Aung, including information about upcoming events Dr. Aung is facilitating, by visiting his official website.

We would like to congratulate Patrick Tomczyk, the recipient of the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Graduate Scholarship! This scholarship is one of 3 supported by the Foundation and awarded to outstanding students at the University of Alberta.

Patrick Tomczyk is a PhD student in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta.  His doctoral research is in non-violent conflict transformation and peace-building through the arts, particularly theatre and drama. He is interested in how theatre and drama can be used in Alberta K-12 classrooms to challenge stereotypes, prejudices, and inequalities in order to educate and transform how we work with interpersonal conflict and particularly bullying.  The goal of this research is to build positive relationships and to promote empathy and healthy communication, so that we may heal ourselves and in turn our world. While not studying at the UofA, Patrick can be found working with youth with special and complex needs as both a teacher and therapist.