More Than a Session: Building Peace in Real Time
Returning Faces, Growing Trust
In attendance, students from across Chicagoland returned to the UIC School of Public Health for the second Together Towards Peace session
This time, the room warmed up even faster.
There were hugs, inside jokes, and an ease that only comes after shared experience. The nervous energy from the first session had softened into something steadier: comfort, trust, and a growing sense of belonging.
The Marshmallow Tower of Peace
Then came the Marshmallow Tower of Peace.
Tables buzzed as students were handed kits of string, tape, pasta, and a single marshmallow, with one simple challenge: build the tallest freestanding tower in twenty minutes.
Laughter filled the room as teams debated strategies, experimented, failed, rebuilt, and adapted. Some students stepped up to lead. Others stepped back, observing when to jump in. Towers leaned, collapsed, and rose again.
Facilitators pointed it out in real time: this wasn’t just about engineering. It was about the process. About teamwork. About knowing when to speak and when to listen.
By the end, towering structures stood proudly across the room, each one a reminder that collaboration (and physics) looks different at every table.
Imagining Peace at Every Level
From there, the session shifted inward.
Students were invited to think about peace not just as a concept, but as something lived. What does peace look like within yourself? In relationships? At school? In the city? In the world?
Large sheets of butcher paper covered the tables as students drew, wrote, and designed their visions. Markers passed hands. Ideas overlapped. Common themes emerged again and again: safety, self-love, respect, communication, dignity, and belonging.
“Peace to us is being secure within yourself and having space for reflection,” one group of students shared.
Others spoke about peace as freedom from fear, as a school where you don’t have to look over your shoulder, or a city where basic needs are met, and everyone is treated with humanity.
As groups presented their work, something powerful became clear: students already understand systems. Through their presentations, they mapped what public health calls the social-ecological model, from the self, to relationships, to institutions and society, using their own lived experiences.
“You all just did the same work that graduate students do here,” one facilitator told them. “You already get it.”
Music, Movement, and Shared Joy
After lunch, music played, students laughed, and another spontaneous dance battle broke out, filling the room with energy and fun.
The Story of Self
The afternoon centered around the Story of Self.
Students were given time to write about people who matter to them, moments that shaped them, values that guide them, and emotions they’re carrying right now. Facilitators reminded everyone that this part might bring things up, and that was okay.
“It’s okay to be human here,” one facilitator said. “We’ve got you.”
And they meant it.
Students shared stories of family, identity, loss, resilience, and growth. Some spoke about rejection and learning to choose themselves anyway. Others talked about finding support in friends, partners, and community when it wasn’t available at home.
“I realized I don’t have to stay where I’m not accepted,” one student shared. “I moved on, and I got better.”
The room listened. No interruptions. No rushing. Just presence.
Between stories, facilitators led grounding exercises, inviting students to breathe, stretch, feel their heartbeat, and remind themselves that they were supported by the space, by the people around them, and by themselves.
And When Life Throws You Lemons…
On one of the coldest days of the year, with just 90 minutes left, every bathroom in the 11-story building suddenly stopped working. Instead of shutting down, we pivoted, adjusted the plan, leaned on each other, and kept the session moving. Session 2 became a real-time lesson in adaptability, collective problem-solving, and staying committed even when conditions are far from ideal.
Peace in Action
The conversations didn’t stop there.
Students reflected on what stayed with them from others’ stories, naming empathy, courage, and honesty as moments of peace in action.
“Hearing people speak up about things they’ve never talked about before — that felt like peace,” one student shared.
When asked what young people would change if they were in charge, hands shot up across the room.
“We would eliminate homophobia.” — Daviid, Richards Career Academy
“We’d stop the beef between each other.” — Tony, Baker College Prep
“We’d listen to young people instead of dismissing them.” — Zaria, Uplift Community High School
Students spoke honestly about respect between adults and youth, about feeling unheard, and about wanting dialogue instead of punishment. Others pointed to global issues, naming the pain of watching injustice unfold and feeling silenced for caring.
Through it all, adults didn’t redirect or correct. They listened.
When Adults Listen
Teachers reflected on the growth they’ve seen over time, students becoming more confident, more articulate, and more independent in identifying problems and imagining solutions.
“We need to keep creating and ensuring spaces like this exist for students so they can speak out about what they believe in,” shared Ms. Orange from Baker College Prep. “These students are noticing what needs to change and are learning how to be that change.”
“These are potentially the leaders of tomorrow,” added Ms. Davis from DRW College Prep, “and they must start practicing how to articulate their thoughts now, so when they step into positions of authority, they know how to communicate effectively.”
Practicing Peace, Together
As the session came to a close, students were asked to name moments that felt like peace that day. Some shared small, quiet moments like being given space and being understood. Others pointed to the room itself.
“I saw people come together today,” one student said. “That’s peace.”
“I’m a very observant person, so looking out the window and being around nature brings me peace,” shared Mikayla from Uplift Community High School. “School brings me peace too, especially when it feels calm and not judgmental.”
The day ended the same way it began: in community. Feedback forms were passed out. Gratitude was shared. Students hugged, laughed, and lingered just a little longer before heading back to their schools.
What stood out most wasn’t just the conversations, or the activities, or even the emotions.
It was the care.
This session showed that youth don’t need to be protected from hard conversations; they need to be trusted with them. And when they are, they rise with honesty, creativity, humor, and courage.
This wasn’t a sad day.
It was a real one.
And if this session showed anything, it’s that when young people are given space to build, to feel, and to move together, they don’t just imagine peace.
They practice it.
