Brave New Child

About the Book

Out of one of the most violent civil wars in recent history comes the inspiring and courageous story of twenty young war survivors, their dedicated teacher and their peace school in Buchanan, Liberia. These children were raised in war; they knew nothing else. When threats escalated against journalists, their teacher and former human rights editor, Marvin Davis, fled Liberia to save his life. After rebel fighters killed his father, Marvin felt compelled to return to Liberia. Fearing a worse civil war out of the ashes of the last, he dedicated himself to teaching young people how to resolve conflict peacefully.

Searching the Internet for peace educating organizations, he discovered the Atrium Society USA, and began a friendship with its founders, Terrence and Jean Webster-Doyle. Working together, the three used the society’s Youth Peace Literacy Program to establish the Common Ground Society Peace School of Liberia. Hoping this program would reverse the conditioned views of children raised in war, Marvin began teaching one of the Atrium curricula, “Why Is Everybody Always Picking on Us? ~ Understanding the Roots of Prejudice.” The results were remarkable and inspiring.

Brave New Child is the compilation of letters which Marvin sent the Webster-Doyles, describing his 20 peace education lessons. Inspired by Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, who addressed the urgent and critical need to recognize the destructive nature of prejudice, Marvin Gabeh Davis holds a vision for the next step—to progress from the recognition of the outward manifestations of prejudice to a deep understanding of its underlying source. He is proving that children who have suff ered the most severe brutalities imaginable can be educated about the root cause of violence and thus learn to free themselves from prejudicial, conditioned thinking before it escalates into even more horrific wars.

Reading these letters will help everyone see what happens if young people can understand how psychological manipulation has time and again lead to war. These lessons demonstrate that no matter how severe the conditioning for violent behaviour, no matter how habitual the resulting war mindset, liberation is possible. And if these Liberian children of war can be liberated, so can all children who face daily conflict— whether they’re being bullied on the playground or bullied on the battlefield.

All profits from the sales of this book go to the Youth Peace Literacy Book Donation Project to help people like Marvin Davis of the Common Ground Society in Liberia.

About the Author

Founder and President of the Atrium Society
Jean Webster-Doyle, AEPT, MTT is an educator, yoga teacher and the creator of Metamorphosis Training Seminars and Harmonious Mind Yoga. Ms Webster-Doyle was educated at Sarah Lawrence College, New Your University and the University of Madrid. She has traveled worldwide educating people about the causes of conflict in the conditioned way we think and has co-created numerous books and programs on the subject. Ms Webster-Doyle was the co-founder of the Atrium School and the Rainy Mountain Outdoor Education School. She is also a Master Teacher and Trainer in Education for Peace. She was a teacher of Prenatal Therapy for mentally handicapped children and the Creator and Editor of the Taking Time Newsletter about understanding the conditioned mind.

Director of the Atrium Society
Terrence Webster-Doyle, Ph.D., AEPT was Founder and Director of three independent schools and has taught at the secondary, community college, and university levels in Education, India Studies, Psychology, and Philosophy. He has worked in Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and has developed counseling programs for Youth-At-Risk. Dr. Webster-Doyle has earned a Masters Degree in Psychology, and a doctorate degree in Health and Human Services. He has a lifetime secondary and community college teaching credential. He also has been awarded a 6th degree black belt in The Art of Karate, and has studied and taught the martial arts for over 45 years. Dr. Webster-Doyle has also produced numerous conferences and workshops on New Directions in Education. He was the Founder and Director of Martial Arts for Peace Association, Director of the Atrium Society, and Co-director of the Atrium School whose intent is to explore psychological conditioning. A prolific writer Dr. Webster-Doyle has written 54 internationally acclaimed award winning, peace education books and curricula.

Founder and Director of the Common Ground Society Peace School
Marvin Garbeh Davis, ACPE was born on March 10, 1973, in the Liberian Agricultural Company (LAC) Plantations Hospital, Grand Bassa County, Liberia. He was employed by Center for Law and Human Rights in Liberia where he worked as an editor for the Human Rights Review, a weekly paper that reported human rights abuses in the country. Mr. Davis worked as the Secretary General of the Association of Liberians in Gambia where he had to flee from Liberia during the 14 year civil there under the threat of death. Among many things Mr. Davis has done he has been an elementary school teacher, coordinator of the Peace Pal Club at the SOS ChildrenÕs Youth Village and Secretary General of the Association of Liberian Refugees, taught "Education for Peace," using Atrium Society-donated peace books and curriculums, to more than 40 young children in The Gambia. He has an AA degree in Accounting and a BA in History/English. Mr. Davis is an Atrium Certified Peace Educator trained by the Atrium Society USA. He is currently Founder and Director of the Common Ground Society Peace School, a non-profit peace organization in Buchanan, Liberia.