Sometimes I feel that there are few things that make one hopeful in life. However when I begin to believe that it is not possible, I learn something that renews my hope that peace is possible in this conflict-ridden world of ours. With all of the bad, there is most certainly the potential for good.

I was watching the news last week and happened upon a story about a program at McGill University in Montreal that is working to teach students and promote peace along with the learning. Today, I found this article on their website entitled Building the Peace, step by step which outlines the Middle East Program in Civil Society and Peace Building at the Montreal University. This excerpt is from the article:

At the heart of the program are its fellows: Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians who travel to McGill to study together for a year. After learning about the Canadian social work system and getting a hands-on opportunity to contribute to community advocacy projects in Montreal, they head back to the Middle East. There, they will take part in projects aimed at easing the lives of the impoverished, the disabled, the sick, the homeless -- the sorts of people who often get lost in the long shadow cast by the political turmoil that has long plagued the region.

The news story I saw originally showed the hopeful students and discussed the road ahead of them. It commented that this kind of program would not work other places in the world and that Canada's reputation as peacemakers makes it the ideal location for a program of this type. I had to say that I felt a bit proud that this could be happening on Canadian soil.

It also brought hope to my heart. You see, good things do still happen...