KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Hetty van Gurp
“Canadian hero” - TIME magazine, 2006 and Reader’s Digest, 2007
Hetty van Gurp believes that it is possible to create a peaceful school ethos and will explain why she holds this belief as well as her own story of the tragedy that led her to start Peaceful Schools International, an organization that supports schools world-wide. Her message is one of hope and optimism.
Hetty is an internationally recognized educator and author and an inspiring and passionate presenter. She is the author of several books and educational materials. Her accomplishments are the subject of a National Film Board of Canada documentary film entitled “Teaching Peace in a Time of War.”
Hetty’s contributions to peace education have been honoured with a number of awards, including a Baha’i Commendation for promoting racial harmony, the Nova Scotia Principal of Distinction Award, a Special Recognition Award from the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, the Human Rights Award from the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, the Nova Scotia Teachers’ Union Advocacy Award and the Queen’s Jubilee Medal. Hetty holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in education from Mount Saint Vincent University (where she is also a part-time faculty member). Hetty has also been awarded a Doctorate in Civil Law from Saint Mary’s University.
Dr. Benet Davetian
Dr. Benet Davetian is director of The Civility Institute and Chair and Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Prince Edward Island. He is listed in the Canadian Who's Who for his contributions to the social sciences, literature and multi-culturalism. His work has also been recognized by the British Commonwealth Association and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
His most recent book, CIVILITY: A CULTURAL HISTORY (University of Toronto Press; 608 pages; 2009) has been praised by leading international critics as the most comprehensive study of civility. It provides in-depth analysis of the social and personal psychology of human interaction and charts a new course for the study and understanding of civility and civil society. This workaddresses major topics in public discourse today regarding the ideals and practices of civility and the possibility of a future civility ethic capable of inspiring cooperation across cultural and national boundaries.
He has also produced a 45-minute documentary, UNDERSTANDING CIVILITY, designed for use in secondary schools. Dr. Davetian's work has also appeared in leading journals and his book THE SEVENTH CIRCLE was awarded the Richler Parizeau Prize for the best book of the year and short-listed for other literary prizes. Most recently, he was featured on CBC's Doc-Zone in Valerie Pringle's one-hour special on civility, on CTV's special documentary on Rudeness in contemporary society, and on Rex Murphy's program on civility in Canada.
Kevin Cameron
Kevin led the crisis response following the Taber school shootings in Alberta, and shortly thereafter was seconded by the Alberta Government to a 13-month initiative where he studied traumatic aftermath from a "human systems approach." Through consultation with several American sites that had experienced school shootings, and other trauma sites throughout North America, Kevin developed the Traumatic Event Systems (TES) Model.
In concert with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Behavioural Sciences Unit, he developed Canada's first comprehensive, multidisciplinary threat assessment training program. He also trains crisis response teams nationally and internationally and consults with schools and communities impacted by trauma.
In March 2001, Kevin was invited to Washington, D.C. by the United States Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education, where he presented parts of the TES Model and opened international collaborative relations for the development of threat assessment protocols and related training.
Kevin was later invited back to Washington, D.C. by the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. State Department and the OECD, to participate with members of the United States Secret Service and leaders from the September 11th New York City crisis response efforts, in an "International Meeting on Helping Schools Prepare for and Respond to Terrorist Attacks."
As lead threat assessment consultant to the Province of British Columbia’s largest school division, Surrey School District (Vancouver), Mr. Cameron is partner in a comprehensive Youth Gang Prevention and Research Initiative with school leaders and a number of international experts in the field of violence prevention and youth gangs.
