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Peace Cafe looking for speakers
Nicole Veerman Northern News Services Published Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Robert Stewart, who has been living in Yellowknife since 1982, opened the cafe at the beginning of November as part of his mission to spread the idea of peace throughout the city. He said he is currently looking for people in the community to talk about various aspects of peace. "When I talk about peace, it's not just at the world level," said Stewart. "But at the community level, the family level and the individual level." The cafe is currently open as a place for like-minded people to assemble, discuss and collect books and videos on peace. Stewart said the idea for a Peace Cafe came to him after hosting and attending conferences on peace education. "We noticed some of the best work happened during the coffee breaks, so then we came up with the idea of a place in the community where you can go to get a cup of coffee, something to eat and also have access to this library of books and videos about all the different aspects of peace," Stewart told Yellowknifer via telephone from Moncton, N.B. where he was assisting in the opening of a community peace centre. Yellowknife's cafe, located across the street from Overlander Sports on 50 Street, is the third Stewart has helped establish. In 2007, Stewart helped open one in his hometown of Hamilton, Ont. and in 2008 another one was formed in Walkerton, Ont. Stewart said, on average, about four to five people come by the cafe each day to find out what it's all about. Stewart's son Bobby is currently running the cafe, usually between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. He is also managing the second floor, which they call the Yellowknife Centre for Holistic Development. Bobby said they are hoping to find some volunteers to work in the cafe, so that it can have set business hours, and they are also looking for entrepreneurs to rent out space on the second floor. The first nine months are a "gestation" period for the centre and cafe, Bobby said. For now, people can go in, browse the library and enjoy a cup of coffee. He said he hopes the space will create a "peace community" in Yellowknife. Stewart echoed his son's sentiment, saying, "We see the cafe as our home and we want to be good hosts and invite people in. "Basically the idea is to welcome people who are interested in learning about peace."
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