PLOWSHARE-UPDATE ON 2026 TEEN PEACE JAM
Dear friends,
We are very excited about how well the 2026 Teen Peace Jam is coming together!
An update on the event:
Teen Peace Jam will be on May 16 from 1 to 8 PM at the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 2015 Grandin Rd.
It would help for us to know if you are coming, but you can also just show up. Invite your friends. And it is all free!
Schedule will be:
1 PM-Registration
2 PM-Welcome & Schedule
2:15 PM-Keynote Speech
2:30 PM-Ice-breakers
3 PM-Four Workshops
4 PM-Performances
5 PM-Dinner
6 PM-Four Workshops
7 PM-Open Time
8 PM-Clean-up & Goodbyes
The keynote speaker will be Reverend David Jones, pastor of Williams Memorial Baptist Church.
The workshops planned are: Gun Violence; Conflict Resolution; Justice & Fairness in Religion for Youth; LGBTQ; Dance; Drawing; and Legal Rights for Teens. We are also looking for a Yoga or Stress or Communication Skills workshop.
The Roanoke Police, the Bridge Institute and Points of Diversity will have tables to speak to teens, and we are inviting other organizations.
Joy Truskowski, a great local musician, will perform. Teens are also invited to share poems, dance, music, etc. We will pay them $13 for a five minute performance.
Open Time will be available for teens just to hang out together.
We are arranging a dinner and snacks.
Community Service forms will be available for those teens who need them for their schools.
Teens who want to help organize the Jam will be $13 an hour, up to five hours. It’s getting close to the event, but we will try to get your hours in. Adults are also volunteering. (Please note: if you are an adult, we will do a background check on you before you can help at the Jam).
The planners have done copious outreach to get the word out to teens. Please spread the word yourself, however!
And here is general information on the Teen Peace Jam:
Plowshare Peace Center will present our tenth annual Teen Peace Jam from 1 to 8 PM on May 16 at the Roanoke Unitarian-Universalist Church, 2015 Grandin Rd. All teens from ages 12 to 19 are invited.
Plowshare hopes to introduce concerns like peace and justice to young people in Roanoke and neighboring communities. We are also hoping again to gather a diverse group of teens. In that effort we have made contacts with local schools, youth associations and especially spiritual communities: Muslim, Catholic, Baptist, Evangelical, Quaker, Unitarian, and Jewish, to mention only a few.
The Jam will offer workshops on peace, justice, art and life skills. We will serve a dinner and offer performances by teens. There will be a speaker as well as Open Time.
Plowshare will pay teens $13 an hour, up to five hours, to help organize the jam. Teens can earn seven community service hours to attend the event. Adult volunteers are also needed. And it will all be free!
More information about the Jam is available on the Plowshare website at https:www.plowshareva.org. A Facebook group is also set up at https://www.facebook.com/groups/4254727944857295.
Please use your email list, bulletin boards, newsletter, etc., to let your young people know about the Jam. Please spread the word to high schools and middle schools. Please make announcements. Please spread the word about the Teen Peace Jam widely!
Gary Sandman
Plowshare Director
Mail: PO Box 4367, Roanoke VA 24015; plowshare@plowshareva.org; 540-492-3582; www.plowshareva.org; Facebook page at plowshare peace center; Facebook group at plowshare peace & justice center; Instagram at plowshare peace center
TEEN PEACE JAM PLANNING MEETING
4/4/26
Present: Gary Sandman, Saleem Ahmed.
- 2026 Teen Peace Jam-Jam will be on May 16 from 1 to 8 PM at the Unitarian-Universalist Church. We will go in at noon to set up.
- Schedule is:
Noon-Set Up
1 PM-Registration
2 PM-Welcome & Schedule
2:15 PM-Keynote Speech
2:30 PM-Ice-breaker
3 PM-Four Workshops
4 PM-Performances
5 PM-Dinner
6 PM-Four Workshops
7 PM-Open Time
8 PM-Clean-up & Goodbyes
- Keynote Speaker-David Jones, pastor of Williams Memorial Baptist Church, will be the keynote speaker.
- Workshops-We have these workshops:
Peace
Gun Violence-Gary is looking for someone.
Conflict Resolution-Eddy Smart
Justice
Justice & Fairness in Religion for Youth-Saleem Ahmed
LGBTQ-Katie Lewis
Art
Dance-Rachel Theo-Maurelli & Jeff Tiebout
Drawing-Polly Branch
Life Skills
Yoga, Cooking or Stress/Communication-Gary is looking for a yoga or a stress/communication workshop; Saleem is looking for a stress/communication workshop.
Legal Rights for Teens-Jeff Krasnow
Gary needs information and workshops forms back from Eddy Smart, Jeff Krasnow and Saleem Ahmed. (Subsequently, Saleem emailed his form in). Gary will try to compile a list of past workshops for our future use.
- Vendors-The Roanoke Police, the Bridge Institute and Points of Diversity would like to have tables. Gary will put out word about the need for vendors.
- Food-Saleem has arranged for his friends to cook in their homes for the Jam. Gary will find out if the church has warming racks or how many ovens are available. We wondered if Kroger or restaurants might provide donations. We can look more closely at food at our next meeting.
- Performances-We agreed that Joy Truskowski would perform during the performance hour and we will pay her $50 for 20 or so minutes. We also thought we would invite Xan Whitt and Joan Wages to speak about how they became involved in peace and justice issues. Teens are also invited to perform, and we will pay them for the performances. Gary will put out word about the need for performers.
- Outreach-Gary sent flyers and cover letters to area schools, libraries, youth organizations, religious groups, 2026 TPJ teens, etc. He will be sending out more. Unfortunately, he forgot to include a QR code on the flyer. He will think about whether this can still be included. Information about the Jam has been going on Plowshare social media. A note went into the Roanoke Times community calendar. A Facebook group for the Jam and a page on the Plowshare website has been set up.
- Teen Organizers & Performers-Unfortunately, we have had no response from teens about becoming Teen Organizers.
- Adult Volunteers-Naomi Clements and Ruthi Blackman have graciously agreed to help on the day of the Jam. Gary will put out word about the need for volunteers.
- Next Meeting-We will gather again on May 2 at 2 PM, through Zoom.
