Educating for Peace Newsletter: Issue 1

Dear Friends,

We hope you are having a hope filled and meaningful start to the New Year. As we kick off 2026, we are pleased to launch this Educating for Peace e-newsletter dedicated to nuclear disarmament education. The inspiration for this initiative grew out of the dynamic conversations and shared commitments that emerged during the inaugural Educating for Peace conference we co-hosted last spring, on May 9-11, with educators and peacebuilders from Boston and beyond. It was clear from those discussions that teachers are eager for thoughtful, practical resources to engage with this urgent global issue.

This newsletter is a collaboration among three organizations dedicated to peace, dialogue, and human security: the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue, the Soka Institute for Global Solutions at Soka University of America, and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Together, we aim to support educators like you in fostering informed, compassionate, and engaged global citizens.

Each issue will feature a variety of nuclear disarmament resources including articles, videos, interviews, and educational tools.

Most importantly, we want to hear from you. What kinds of materials or topics related to nuclear weapons issues would be most helpful to you as a teacher? Do you have examples from your classroom we can highlight? We welcome your thoughts and suggestions!

We’ll close with a powerful reminder of why this work matters, from Buddhist peacebuilder and educator, Daisaku Ikeda:

“I would like to stress the importance of disarmament education as a means of transforming the paradigms of society to move from a culture of war characterized by conflict and confrontation, to a culture of peace based on cooperation and creative coexistence…. Peace is not simply the absence of war. A truly peaceful society is one in which everyone can maximize their potential and build fulfilling lives free from threats to their dignity.” (2006 Peace Proposal, “A New Era of the People: Forging a Global Network of Robust Individuals”)

Thank you for your commitment to peace education. We look forward to learning and growing with you.

Sincere regards,

Kevin Maher (Ikeda Center), Tetsushi Ogata (Soka Institute for Global Solutions), and Masako Toki (James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies)

BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO NUCLEAR WEAPONS (BACK FROM THE BRINK)

Put together by Back from the Brink, this beginner's guide to nuclear weapons includes resources such as unpacking "misconceptions to myths," learning from nations and even adversaries that have come together towards addressing this issue in "path to a nuclear weapons-free world," a glossary of definitions and more! In the introduction to this guide, they write, "While world leaders gamble millions of lives on the hope that nuclear deterrence will hold, nobody is safe. But we can all play a role in changing things and building the world we deserve–one where we invest in human needs and a healthy planet over weapons of mass destruction."

EXPLORE THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE HERE

THE DIALOGUE STUDIO W/ BRENNAN TIERNEY & MASAKO TOKI

Join host Lillian Koizumi in The Dialogue Studio podcast to hear from nuclear disarmament experts and educators Brennan Tierney and Masako Toki about their personal journeys, what inspired them to pursue this work, their thoughts on the role education plays in creating a nuclear-free world, the role of young people in the disarmament movement, and much more.

Brennan is a public school civics teacher and is passionate about building students’ capacity and leadership to create positive change in their communities.

Masako is a Senior Project Manager and Research Associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute in Monterey, CA.

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE

80 YEARS OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS: THE THREAT IS STILL WITH US

2025 marked 80 years since the invention and first use of nuclear weapons, in New Mexico, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and in testing across the Marshall Islands, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and beyond. For eight decades, communities around the world have lived under the shadow of this existential threat. Survivors, activists, and youth from across generations are calling for a future free of nuclear weapons. Watch this powerful short film by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and hear their powerful message.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

HIROSHIMA BY JOHN HERSEY

Hiroshima is Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author John Hersey's seminal work of narrative nonfiction which has defined the way we think about nuclear warfare. “One of the great classics of the war" (The New Republic), it tells what happened in Hiroshima during World War II through the memories of the survivors of the first atomic bomb ever dropped on a city.

LEARN MORE HERE

“There is no other way to build a peaceful global society than to nurture many young people and to encourage them to devote themselves to working for the benefit and happiness of humanity. I pledge, with renewed determination, and with our common vision in my heart, to advance peace education and education for global citizenship, so that we may build a hopeful future for humankind.”

- Daisaku Ikeda (A Quest for Global Peace: Rotblat and Ikeda on War,

Ethics and the Nuclear Threat, p. 110)

ADDITIONAL READINGS

"80 Years of the Nuclear Age: The Role of Youth in Building a Safer World, Hiroshima Remembrance Day." Event Report by Masako Toki (Read here)
"My Trip to Nagasaki." Reflections by Ivana Nikolić Hughes (Read here)
"Panelists Advocate for Nuclear Disarmament Education" at the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Askwith Hall. Event Report by Ikeda Center (Read here)
"Ikeda Center Convenes Inaugural Educating for Peace Conference". Event Report by Ikeda Center (Read here)

APPLY FOR THE NEXT EDUCATING FOR PEACE CONFERENCE

APRIL 25-26, 2026

The 2nd annual Educating for Peace conference will take place on April 25-26 (optional dinner on Friday, April 24). This conference seeks to bring together and empower middle and high school teachers to explore effective ways to teach students about the threats and historical legacies of nuclear weapons and instill in them a sense of shared responsibility and commitment to safeguarding the future of humanity’s peaceful existence. Conference sessions will include presentations by educators who are developing/implementing disarmament curricula in their classrooms as well as other nuclear disarmament experts. The conference will also feature workshops for participants to brainstorm and discuss lesson plan ideas, potential barriers, and how to grow and sustain a network of dedicated teachers.

LEARN MORE AND APPLY HERE

CONNECT WITH US

Feedback is always welcome! Is there anything in this newsletter that you want to see more of? Want to share something that you've been doing around nuclear disarmament education? Click here to fill out our feedback form or reach out to us at info@ikedacenter.org with your thoughts!

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