082: Peace Through Music International

<p>Put very simply: Liz helps people, especially kids, effected by war.  She does so through music.  She uses a lot of penny whistles to do this. I hope you'll enjoy this conversation, I really enjoyed talking with Liz and learning about what her organization does to help people effected by war around the world. (HEADS UP: some dark/heavy things come up in this conversation, just FYI, the kind of stuff that goes right along with war, i.e. death, rape, suffering, etc) A far more detailed description of what the charity does is, (pulled from their website): ------------ </p> Our mission  <p>Our mission is to transform the lives of war impacted children and adolescents through locally-run, youth-led music education programs.</p> <p>As the refugee crisis around the globe hits unprecedented levels, Peace through Music International is striving to improve the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable citizens through music. Since 1999, the organization has brought its programs to 20,000 children and taught 95,000 classes.</p>   Objectives <p>Responding to the needs of our target population and expert findings, our programs are designed to meet these objectives:</p> <p> </p> <p>Address participants’ war-related and poverty-related emotional trauma and developmental needs.</p> <ul><li>Provide consistent, long-term music education that includes daily practice and opportunities for performance</li> <li>Provide free instruments and all class materials</li> <li>Provide structured opportunities for play, learning, group interaction, self-discipline, and self-expression</li> <li>Provide a positive emotional outlet to youth and children through songs and activities</li> <li>Provide a safe place for children to feel love and belonging</li> <li>Provide hope and meaning in a post-war culture of indifference, apathy and hopelessness</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>Establish volunteer and leadership opportunities for youth to gain skills for future employment.</p> <ul><li>Generate opportunities for tangible accomplishment</li> <l