Eric Dawson is co-founder and president of Peace First, an organization he helped launch at age 18. Peace First works on the twin challenges of youth violence and disengagement by providing children with the skills to be peacemakers. For over two decades, Peace First has successfully taught conflict resolution and civic engagement to children ages 3 to 14 in 32 states and 23 countries. Peace First recently launched the Peace First Prize, modeled as a "Nobel Peace Prize" for young people, to celebrate youth peacemaking nationwide. Dawson is an Ashoka, Echoing Green and PopTech Fellow. He got his start directing a summer camp in Boston's public housing complexes and organizing around disability awareness. Dawson attended Harvard University on scholarship and earned his master's of education in human development psychology and a master's of divinity focused on pastoral care and counseling.

At-Risk Youth, Community Improvement, Peacekeeping, Peace, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Activists, Culture