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Very Influential

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I would like to say first of all how grateful I am that you took time out of your busy schedule as our principal to book Dwayne Peace for our school, out of every assembly I have attended, I believe that this has affected everyone the most in a beneficial way. The assembly with the whole school was very influential and I feel that alone benefited everyone who attended because I myself know the mindset change that occurred the more he continued to speak. His real-life stories that he adapted to his information made everyone hear his words and wisdom with even more attention to the consequences. In line with how beneficial the assembly was, the small groups were life changing. Not only did the small groups change the way I looked at the students and staff of our school, but it also allowed me to see a whole new side to everyone in that room. I was shocked to hear about the life stories of those in my group and how much they deal with on a daily basis in their home life or even at school. At first, I was scared for the confidentiality, I am so grateful I was able to experience this session as it changed a lot of things in my life, and I cannot imagine the affect it would have on every student. I hope everyone will be able to get this chance by the end of the year and I would love to have Dwayne Peace at our school every year. Thanks.

Grade 11 Student, Northern Alberta Rural School – 2023

Small Group Session Was Very Good

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My experience with the Dwayne Peace presentation and small group session was very good. I think that this is an experience that everyone deserves to participate in. I was surprised at how much everyone in the small group opened up and trusted each other, considering the difference in grades and social groups. I definitely expanded my knowledge on how much the kids in this school are enduring on a day-to-day basis and I am more aware of the kindness that I need to show to others. The kids that were laughing and goofing off at the beginning of the session slowly began to switch gears and become attentive listeners in the process. Most of the kids felt so safe that they shared personal details about their life and found comfort being in the presence of their peers. I would like to see Dwayne Peace come back to this school and more schools in this district. I definitely recommend it.  Thank you.

Grade 10 Student, Northern Alberta Rural School – 2023

A Wealth of Knowledge and Experience

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Dwayne had our students and staff captivated as soon as he started to talk. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience and draws deep inside himself to share with all of us. It is a pleasure to have Dwayne come to our school and spend time with our community, we look forward to having him come back very soon!

High School Administrator, Northern Alberta Rural School – 2023

Not only educational, but truly life changing.

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Participating in this workshop is not only educational, but truly life changing.  Dwayne is a fast-talking fountain of information who presents the facts without being dictatorial.  He opens participants eyes to the realities children face when trying to navigate high school.  He opens parents’ eyes as well.  Can’t thank you enough for the experience and can’t wait to have you back.

High School Teacher, Northern Alberta Rural School – 2023

I can’t express my gratitude enough. 

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Dwayne, thank you so much for taking time to come to our school.  I really think you had a very positive and strong impact on many of us but mostly me.  I got to see and hear people in a whole new way.  I can’t express my gratitude enough.  When you told me you thought I was a leader it made my day and rocked my world.  The way you said it made me actually believe it like I never have before.  I could tell you meant it and that meant more to me than you can ever imagine.  You are so amazing at what you do and you’re such a caring person.  I hope we can meet again in the future.  Keep doing what you do!

Grade 8 female – unsolicited – 2024

My Deepest Gratitude for the Profound Impact

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I hope this note finds you well.  I wanted to take a moment to extend my deepest gratitude for the profound impact you had on me during your recent presentation at our school.  Your words touched me in a way that I hadn’t anticipated, leaving a lasting impression that I carry with me everyday.

Your ability to articulate complex ideas with such clarity and passion is truly remarkable.  As you spoke, I found myself drawn into your narrative, hanging on every word as if it were a lifeline in a sea of uncertainty.  Your message resonated deeply within me, stirring emotions I didn’t even know that I had.

More than just a speaker, you were a beacon of positivity and hope.  Your words have not only brought tears in my eyes but have also opened my heart to new possibilities.  You have reminded me of the power of optimism and the importance of seeing the good in every situation.  Your unwavering commitment to spread kindness and understanding is a RARE and beautiful gift.  In a world often filled with chaos and negativity, you stand out as a shining example of what it means to be truly compassionate.  I cannot thank you enough for the profound impact you’ve made in my life.

Thank you, Dwayne, for sharing your wisdom and insights.  Your presence in my life, however fleeting, has left an incredible mark that I will carry with me.

Thank you.

Grade 6 female – unsolicited – 2024

I Really Needed That

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Hi Dwayne!
I am so sorry it took me so long to email you! I’ve been super busy lately. I just really wanted to say thank you for everything! You said at our school presentation that you wanted to make us think, and you really made me think a lot. I’ve been trying to make a few thumb switches in my life, and it’s been going really well so far (for example, I’ve stopped teasing my older sister for being shorter than me. She says it never bugged her, but I just feel like I’m being a better sister than I was before, and I don’t think I ever would have realized how powerful of an impact my words might have had if I hadn’t met you.)
I’ve also been trying to give more complements! Yesterday, there was a kid in my school wearing an AWESOME Minion toque, and normally I would have been too shy to tell him and just say to my friends who were there at the time “omg, look at his Minion toque!” But I told him I loved it as I was passing by, and he grinned really big, which kind of made my day 🙂
I also just really wanted to say thank you for getting me in that small group session! I feel like I really needed that. It took a long time for me to fully process everything I said. Also, I have this thing that I feel like males deal with a lot where I find that I can’t show any weakness at all or else… (I don’t even know what the “or else” is, all my brain tells me is that it’s bad) maybe it’s that I think people will judge me, maybe it’s that I think people will have less trust in me, I really don’t know, but since I’ve said those things, nothing happened. Which is good, because it proves to me that I can express the feelings that I need to because good people won’t think negatively of me because of it.
Sorry, this is a really long email haha! I just really wanted to thank you and tell you how much you’ve positively impacted my life! You said that we could describe the sessions as a gift, but in reality, you are the gift.  Also, I don’t know if the principal emailed you or not (and I’m sorry if I get some details of the story wrong), but apparently about a week or two ago, the grade 9 girls volleyball team was at a tournament where they were staying at a hotel. They were supposed to be in bed, lights out by 11. The principal came by around 10:30, and no one was in their rooms, but he kind of shrugged it off and came back at 11:30, when he found all the girls in one room, practically begging if they could stay up for another hour. Guess what they were doing? They made their own little Dwayne Peace sharing circle together. He let them stay up as late as they needed to finish and apparently they didn’t go to bed until like 1 in the morning I think. My heart melted when the principal told us that story, and I figured you would want to hear it if you haven’t already 🙂

Anyways, sorry for the really long email, but thank you again for everything!
Thank you again!!

Grade 12 female student – unsolicited – 2023

The Opportunity to Gain Empathy and Learn From Each Other

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Hello Students and Parents,

We have had a very powerful week with Dwayne Peace large group, small group, and the parent sessions.  Thanks to everyone that took part. The feedback from the students was overwhelmingly positive and several of our students indicated that this was the single most important thing they have done in school.  This week has had a significant impact on the perspectives of staff and students alike.  We invest significant energy into relations, be it at school, at work, or at home.  We are all impacted to varying degrees by drama, rumors, gossip,
bullying, and power.  Having the unified desire to change the expectations for each other, provides all members of the community the opportunity to gain empathy and learn from each other.  I encourage parents and students to keep the conversations going.

If you haven’t had an opportunity to discuss with your students, try discussing some of these things that Dwayne mentioned, including:

  • Bullying being a DR_G – The only thing that is missing is “U” when it comes to utilizing
    drama, rumors, and gossip.
  • Not knowing what people have in their backpacks and adding bricks.  Everyone is going
    through something, and we are better, kinder people when we remember that.
  • Removing bricks with three compliments a day.
  • We all get to choose.  Good choices = Good consequences, Bad choices = bad
    consequences
  • Own your decisions and your mistakes.

As a staff, we have been so moved by how this week has gone and this feels like a positive starting point to building the culture we want to see in our school. Thank you for your support as parents and students for seeing the benefit of this week.

Take care,
Principal

Our Daughter Came Home Today Feeling Empowered

Hey there I wanted to send a message to express how grateful we are for your time spent at our school this week. My husband and I attended the parent portion on Monday and our daughter informed us that you had spent time in her classroom today. What a wonderful opportunity for these kids.  I just wanted to reach out to thank you. She has unfairly been a target for far too long and it is so difficult to watch. I fear that with one student in particular, the severity is only increasing as behaviours continue to escalate. In your presentation you shared that it starts at home … with the parents. And sadly, this IS the case. The parents of this student seem to share the same agenda to bully and intimidate and our entire family sadly has been their target for a
duration of time. Being in a small community where everyone seems to have some sort of connection to this family, has made it really difficult to navigate and resolve.  It has felt unsafe and unsteady and has compromised our household’s mental health in many negative ways. The reason I share this with you, is that if this bullying continues, we need to feel confident that our daughter is supported through high school as some recent incidents have raised many concerns.
We have been uncertain that the issues will be properly addressed because of the connections to this particular family. Your presence in the school this week has given us hope that things CAN be better. Our daughter came home today feeling empowered. Feeling heard. Feeling supported. We need to do better. We need to be better. And after her classroom shared, perhaps they will start. Perhaps there will be some positive change. I am hopeful that tomorrow’s class receives the same message and has similar outcomes and that this particular student will too be able to benefit and have a better understanding on the impact of her actions. Again, thank you for all that you do. For the dedication and passion you display to raise awareness around difficult topics and allow these youth to have a voice while feeling safe and supported. I am confident that our daughter will remember today for the rest of her life.

A Lot Of Us Needed To Hear Your Message

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I want to take a few minutes to thank you for a few things. Firstly, I want to thank you for coming to our school and sharing many serious things. I think a lot of us needed to hear your message. All of us knew it was a long presentation but all of us loved your presentation. I loved how long it was because you not only shared a fact about something, but you took it a step further and explained it so well.
Secondly, I want to thank you for things you touched on. For me personally, the suicide part you touched on, I loved it because of the story I shared in the small group session. I also loved that you touched on vaping, because I don’t vape, and never have, but I know so many people that do, and I think it touched every single student in the gym that do vape. Body image was also a huge topic for me, as I have struggles with it and my older sister has struggles with it too.
Lastly, I am truly thankful I got the opportunity to be in your small group session. There was so many things that students said that really spoke to me. I also like to hear other students’ stories because personally I did judge some of them without knowing who they were. I also loved that I could share my story with everyone as well. It was life changing by you.
Dwayne, I want to give you an encouraging message. DO NOT STOP what you are doing, because I was truly spoken to by you, and if you can change my life and our school, then you can change anyone’s life. DON’T QUIT!!!

Grade 9 female student – unsolicited – 2023

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