Dawson College is located on land which is the unceded traditional territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka. This land has also served as a gathering place for Abenaki, Anishinaabe and other nations. As uninvited guests, it is our responsibility to honour the stewards of this land by educating ourselves about the histories and contemporary realities of First Peoples, and by contributing to the important work of reconciliation and decolonization.

In the aftermath of the 2006 shooting at Dawson College, staff, students and faculty expressed a desire to prevail against violence through nonviolence and education. Rather than hire more security or arm the security on campus or purchase metal detectors we built a 22,000 square foot peace garden on the campus grounds, launched an large scale conference on nonviolence and education and created and staffed the Dawson College Peace Centre. The Dawson College Peace Centre offers yearly extra-curricular programming, often open to the broader public, free of cost. Our staff also works with faculty teaching in the Peace Studies Certificate to provide administrative resources like grant writing and management, professional development opportunities and much more

Dawson College has an abiding commitment to peace, both in action and education. This commitment is discernible through the Peace Studies Certificate and the various projects, events, and activities organized and/or co-sponsored by the Dawson College Peace Centre. The Centre is dedicated to the practical application of peace in our every-day world. Its central pedagogical tenet is using collaborative community project-based initiatives to teach, inspire, and engage people to making a commitment to peace in pragmatic ways. Real solutions to real world problems with compassion, respect, teamwork, leadership and love is the heart of the Dawson College Peace Centre, and the thrust of the Peace Studies Certificate.

Special Thanks

Our thanks to the Brian Bronfman Family Foundation for their generous support, collaboration and seed funding for the Dawson College Peace Centre.