The Center for Global Initiatives (CGI) of the Darden School of Business announces a newly formed partnership with Charlottesville, Virginia-based teacher John Hunter, known for his development of “The World Peace Game.” Sponsored by Darden faculty member, Elizabeth Powell, Mr. Hunter is CGI’s newest fellow and will collaborate with faculty and students to leverage the success and relevance of his World Peace Game project.

Developed by Mr. Hunter 30 years ago, the World Peace Game teaches peace and cooperation to students of all ages. The game is a hands-on, geo-political simulation that gives players the opportunity to explore the connectedness of the global community through the lens of economic, social and environmental crises and the imminent threat of war. The goal of the game is to extricate each country from dangerous circumstances and achieve global prosperity with the least amount of military intervention. The game triggers an eight-week transformation of the children from students of a neighborhood public school to citizens of the world.

The World Peace Game has been featured in a movie titled “World Peace ... and other 4th-grade achievements,” directed by local filmmaker and University of Virginia alumnus Chris Farina. (View the film’s trailer.) The film, which has been shown and praised at film festivals around the United States and will soon make its international debut, tells the story of how Hunter's unique teaching career emerges from his own diverse background. An African-American educated in the segregated schools of rural Virginia, where his mother was his 4th grade teacher, he was selected by his community to be one of seven students to integrate a previously all-white middle school. After graduation, he traveled extensively to China, Japan, and India, and his exposure to the Ghandian principles of non-violence led him to ask what he could do as a teacher to work toward a more peaceful world.

“John Hunter’s teaching innovations speak directly to CGI’s mission to add global perspective and depth to Darden’s programs,” said Darden’s Associate Dean for International Affairs and CGI’s Director Peter Rodriguez. “We believe the School’s collaboration with this remarkable teacher will strengthen our own teaching skills and benefit the entire Darden Community."

For more information, contact communication@darden.virginia.edu or a member of the Communication team.