Young Ambassadors for Nonviolence

The Young Ambassadors for Nonviolence "is a national program. Founded by Charles L. Alphin Jr. in 2004 and was conceived from a series of educational tours to South Africa. This program is designed for Training, Education and Research of nonviolence application, culture diversity, H.I.V/AIDS education and nonviolence leadership skills. It is our intent to train and educate students about nonviolence application and principles based on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s philosophy and methodology of nonviolence. Students will learn how to help facilitate nonviolence workshops in their own schools and community. Students will study different countries to gain an understanding of different cultures, and will also discuss HIV/AIDS awareness and education as well as other global issues...

"Alphin, Sr. initiated the annual international tours after spending four (4) months in South Africa prior to the first democratic elections in 1994. At this time he was Director of Education and Training for the King Center, Atlanta, GA. and in South Africa overseeing a nonviolence training-of-training project he assisted in developing.

"In 1993, The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) conscious of the potential violence that could be associated with the up coming April 27, 1994 democratic election, requested from Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Founder, The King Center, a curriculum that included nonviolence resistance and non-partisan voter education for the citizens of South Africa. Based on the USAID request, Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr., who served as “Scholar in Residence at The King Center”, Charles L. Alphin, Sr. who was Director of Education and Training for The King Center and Harold Sims, serving on The King Center Board began the process of developing a nonviolence, non-partisan acceptable and effective curriculum that could be taught by South African’s.

"Reverend N. Joseph Tshawane, Founder/President, Dr. King – Chief Luthuli Transformation Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa, educated in the United States and trained at The King Center in Atlanta, GA., was identified as the organization in South Africa to support this project."