It's easy to say you're against violence. But actively working to make the peace in your home, your community, and your workplace is a little more difficult.

    It means you understand what violence is. And that you know it when you see it. It means you do what you can to settle problems in your home, your community, and your workplace in non-violent ways -- without using words to threaten or intimidate. It means you value yourself and your family members, your neighbors, and your co-workers equally.

    It means, if you're the victim of violence, you report it by talking to someone supportive. It means, if you're behaving violently, you comprehend that what you do has an effect on other people, that you accept responsibility for it and you get the help you need to stop.

    Maybe you're the kind of peacemaker who can change the world. Without a doubt, you're the one who can make the peace in your little corner of it.

• It's words and actions that hurt people.
• It's misuse of power and control.
• It's something you learn, not something you're born with.
• It's doing physical, sexual or psychological harm to your family, your friends, your co-workers, your community, yourself.
• It's an all too acceptable way for some people to solve problems or to get what they need at the expense of others.