On Wednesday, April 28, the Gustavus community will stop to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the 30th annual MAYDAY! Conference.
Designed as a free educational opportunity open to students, faculty, staff and local community members, each year the MAYDAY! Conference addresses an issue that relates to social justice, global peace and/or human rights. Richard Leitch, associate professor of political science and this year’s chair of the MAYDAY! Committee commented that, “We—students, staff, faculty and community members—have a responsibility to come and think about these sorts of issues … It’s right in the mission statement of Gustavus that we are trying to work towards a just and peaceful world.”
To that effect, the focus and theme of this year’s conference is “Imagining Peace,” and the conference will feature a series of events that will challenge attendees to think differently about the concept of global peace in an age in which violence, not peace, most easily captures attention.
Senior Social Studies Teaching Major Rebecca Bryson said that the event is beneficial to students because “it’s a day dedicated to highlighting important global issues that [Gusties] might not be aware of.” Morning classes on the 28th will be adjusted to allow all students to attend the MAYDAY! Conference activities without missing any of their academic obligations.
Among these main events is the keynote address, which will be provided by Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, associate professor of justice and peace studies at the University of St. Thomas, in Christ Chapel at 10:00 a.m. Nelson-Pallmeyer is a nationally recognized social activist, public speaker and teacher. In 2008, he was a candidate for Democratic Senator from Minnesota for the U.S. Senate, but he was defeated by Senator Al Franken for the party’s nomination.
“I am thrilled to be joining [MAYDAY! attendees] this day,” Nelson-Pallmeyer said. “I hope I can bring a challenging and hopeful message about our great opportunity to be peacemakers at a time when our communities, our nation and our world desperately need vision, visionaries and practical pathways to peace.”
Committed to the development of nonviolent social change rooted in faith, Nelson-Pallmeyer is also a well-known author on global conflicts. For example, the platform on which he ran in 2008 included a strong critique of the war in Iraq, calling for a prompt removal of troops from the region. Nelson-Pallmeyer explained that in his address, he will “stress the importance of both individual and collective action for peace … [and] that when we face problems honestly, we are unleashing our capacity for hope.
“Building a more peaceful world is essential if we are to address related problems such as poverty, oppression, human rights, climate change and economic justice,” Nelson-Pallmeyer. said. A book-signing of Nelson-Pallmeyer’s two most recent publications will be held after his morning address.
The second major event will be an interactive simulation workshop at 1:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall entitled “World PeaceGame,” which will be facilitated by Medard Gable, founder and CEO of the Pennsylvania company BigPicturesSmallWorld, Inc. Gabel has offered his expertise on global systems and perspectives to hundreds of corporations, high schools, colleges and other organizations, including General Motors and the United Nations.
“[The simulation] will not be a ‘normal’ presentation,” Gabel said.“It will be an interactive experience … a simulation that explores what we can do to create peace in this world. [Attendees] will be participants instead of a passive audience. … I will merely be facilitating the activity and supplying the structure.” According to his company’s website, Gabel has been designing, developing and delivering these types of experiential education opportunities for nearly 40 years. “Experiential education is effective, powerful, and impactful …because it is a way to learn a huge amount in a short amount of time, while having fun,” Gabel said.
Towards the end the day, activities will continue with the MAYDAY! Oratory Contest that poses the question, “How would you create, nurture and preserve peace in your community?” The competition will begin in the morning, with the top six participants delivering their orations in the final round for a panel of judges and the public at 3:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall.
Other learning opportunities will also be available for those attending the MAYDAY! Conference. For example, the Resource Center will be located in the Heritage Room and be open to attendees throughout the day. In the Resource Center, representatives from a number of student and off-campus organizations who are doing their part to spread their message about global peace will be present to provide free information to the public. Leitch explained that the Resource Center “is a way for people who are like-minded who represent different missions to come together … talk about real-world situations … and make connections with people in their interest area. It’s a way for students to discover how to take the next step towards social justice and peace.” Organizations that will make an appearance include Democracy Matters, Lutheran World Relief, Women Against Military Madness, Middle East Peace Now and the Saint Peter chapter of Amnesty International.
A great amount of planning has gone into this year’s MAYDAY! Conference, led primarily by the MAYDAY! Conference Committee, consisting of representatives from the faculty, staff, student body and community.
Planning for the next year’s conference begins quickly after the previous year’s comes to an end. “I am always in awe of these folks,” Leitch said. “I really like the collaborative and inclusive nature of the committee … everybody brings their own expertise and their own experiences.”
There is also a significant amount of student participation in the process. One element of the MAYDAY! Conference this year will be a running timeline that will juxtapose the history of MAYDAY! alongside the history of peace and violence throughout the world. Senior History Honors Major Aaron Hiltner, who was the primary student research and designer for the timeline project, said that the “MAYDAY! Conferences have explored the violence of globalization, the violence of capitalism and the violence associated with resources and the environment. The conference has also challenged the traditional notions of what peace is, suggesting that peace…is not simply the absence of violence.” According to the MAYDAY! Committee and the speakers, however, what matters most about the tradition is what those who attend do after the Conference to make what they have learned a reality and apply their new skills.
“The most relevant part of this experience is to learn that there is nothing more important on this planet than the peaceful resolution of the conflicts that are out there. This whole concept of peace on earth … is a critical experience,” Gabel said.
“Go. Just go. Go see how [participants] are trying to bring attention to bringing peace,” Leitch said. “This Conference may not transform people overnight, but it is important to remember that any learning experience is a process, and it needs to start somewhere. MAYDAY! is that beginning place.”