Negin Tahvildary, a lecturer in the Department of Linguistics, began her work as coordinator of the Peace Talks project, a book distribution program dedicated to serving rural communities across the Central Valley, with the aim of helping the next generation of peacemakers build conflict resolution skills.
So far, the project, which is in collaboration with Fresno State’s College of Arts and Humanities Mediator Mentors Program, has distributed over 500 books to schools.
“The project’s overarching mission is simple but powerful, to help children see themselves as capable peacemakers by giving them tools to listen, reflect and collaborate,” Tahvildary said. “We hope the next generation of peacemakers build skills that can reshape classrooms, friendships and communities.”
The project currently consists of two books for younger readers and highlights themes on cooperation, empathy and peaceful problem solving.
The authors of the books are Tahvildary, and children’s book author Karen Sperling.
“The children are invited to follow characters who disagree and have delightful characters appear who are able to guide them toward a fulfilling resolution,” Sperling said.
One of the Peace Talks books, titled “The Dragon Egg,” follows a young dragon rider named Zara who accuses her friend, Pax the Griffin, of stealing her dragon egg. Zara is then guided by her magical peers to resolve the issue peacefully.
The story portrays examples of active listening, accountability and fair collaboration and shows younger readers how communication can overcome conflicts in friendships.
“The Dragon Egg” is also available in Spanish, and the translation was done by Carol Zapata-Whelan, a lecturer in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures.
The Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation helped with the printing.
“To bring out in Spanish, these vital stories teaching peaceful mediation skills to a young audience help advance the success of youth in the Central Valley,” Zapata-Whelan said.
The second book of the Peace Talks series is “The Magic Mix-Ups.” The story portrays examples of cooperation and emotional literacy.
“The Magic Mix-Ups” follows a wizard and a witch who get into an argument over baking cookies. A unicorn and a fairy cat get involved as mediators and the group resolves their issues by listening and understanding one another.
“The Dragon Egg” is made for children ages 8-11, and “The Magic Mix-Ups” is made for children ages 6-9. A third book is currently under development, and the program plans on expanding its translation to additional languages, according to Tahvildary.
“Peer mediation is a win-win solution, and at Fresno State, we’re proud to carry that mission into the community,” Tahvildary said. “One book, one child, one peacemaker at a time.”
The Peace Talks books are available to the general public for purchase on Amazon.
