Like all learned values, peace requires generational education and dialogue to fully develop and last. Although the bonds that can unite individuals across different communities are potentially strong and enduring, maintaining the bonds requires open discussion and teaching to overcome barriers imposed by lack of communication, misunderstanding, and mistrust. Programs on peace education work to initiate and sustain that open dialogue to create alternatives to the war and violence that have engulfed nations for centuries.
As part of its focus on uniting different communities and bettering the world, the El-Hibri Charitable Foundation sponsors an annual Peace Education Prize to recognize leaders in civic, religious, and other communities dedicated to advancing peace. Established in 2007, the Peace Education Prize has honored Chaiwat Satha-Anand, director of the Peace Information Centre in Bangkok, Thailand; Gene Sharp, founder of the Albert Einstein Institution in Boston, Massachusetts; and Mary Elizabeth King, professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Oxford University. The recipient of the 2013 Peace Education Prize was Dr. Betty A. Reardon, an instructor at Columbia University Teachers College and director at the International Institute on Peace Education.