In September 2006, Dawson College suffered the most devastating and traumatic event an educational institution can be subjected to: a sudden, unprovoked and violent attack by an armed individual. A place where young people gather daily in the pursuit of education and friendship was transformed into an arena of terror. The siege last 18 minutes; at the end of it, one student was dead, 16 other victims were injured, some very seriously, the attacker was also dead, by his own hand.  The entire city was in shock. The world watched as peace in this usually joyful place was shattered.

Leading up to the fifth anniversary was the inauguration of the Peace Garden built as a living memorial to recognize the strength and courage of the Dawson community, 32 students in the Community Recreation Leadership Training program decided to translate their connection to the planet they call home into a fundraising project to raise $100,000+ as a class project to fund the continued growth of the 20,000 square-foot Peace Garden. The students hope to bring together people from around the world to participate in welcoming Nature back into an urban environment in the form of a living symbol of a peaceful and nonviolent world.

Join us and Write a Message of Peace

To write your Message of Peace please visit the Peace Wall website.

We are now approaching the tenth anniversary, and once more we are looking forward to how we can build a strong and peaceful community. Once again, CRLT students are leading the charge by reinvigorating this campaign. This time we are inviting the whole world to help us achieve 10,000 Messages of Peace. Submit in any language!  Help us achieve a goal where the wall we are building is buttressed by love and hope for the future.