She teaches youth “new ways of being in the world”

Katelin Gingerich is this year’s winner of The Kim Phúc Award for Youth Peace Leadership (age ~18-30), presented by the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace on May 8, 2021.

Katelin is the Executive Director of The Ripple Effect Education or TREE, which is is based in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario.

In announcing the award, the Canadian Voice of Women said that Katelin’s work through TREE is unique because it distinguishes itself with its fun, curriculum-integrated and evidence-based programs that invite youth to practice the skills they’re learning with experienced facilitators.

“This holistic approach to conflict resolution is extraordinary because it invites youth and community members to engage in peace work in practical and exciting ways. Katelin envisioned and created TREE to work with children and youth as well as educators. Her work with schools and camps has provided many young people with new ways of being in the world,” it said.

TREE is a partner with PeaceQuest in the Peace and Social Justice Education Community of Practice.

• Learn more about the Peace and Social Justice Community of Practice in our recent 2-part series

The award is named for Kim Phúc, an honorary VOW board member and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Culture of Peace. She is the inspiring nine-year-old in the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph taken during the Vietnam War on June 8, 1972. The photo taken by AP’s Nick Ut shows her running naked on a road after being severely burned on her back by a South Vietnamese attack. Phúc travelled from Vietnam to Cuba and finally settled in Canada in 1992.