from the April, 2010 issue of Kiai!

Charlie Laszuk Honored
with Peacemaker Award

By Sarah Ludden

The newest and youngest recipient of the Thousand Waves Peacemaker Award is Charlie Laszuk, age five. He received the award on March 20th at the morning belt promotion ceremony.   What can a boy in kindergarten can do to stop violence you might wonder? As it turns out - plenty! 

What Happened
Charlie and a friend were in the school lavatory with two third graders, Lucas and Atticus, who were “rough housing.” Charlie accidentally bumped Lucas, and Lucas pushed Charlie to the floor and started punching him. Charlie was able to block the punches and get to his feet. When Lucas came at him again, Charlie grabbed Lucas’ hands, crossed his arms and stopped him from hitting.

Charlie then said to Lucas, "Stop! I'm not going to let you go because someone's going to get hurt."  Atticus later reported that he heard Charlie say they needed to "resolve this peacefully." Lucas calmed down, at which time Charlie released him and Lucas left the boy's lavatory.

Charlie's friend reported the altercation to Charlie's teacher, who then talked with Lucas. Lucas admitted he was in the wrong and apologized to Charlie. Lucas said he was very sorry for his actions and credited Charlie with preventing an escalation of violence.

Renata, Charlie’s proud mom, told us that when she picked Charlie up from school that day and asked what had happened, he told her the story and then said, "Mom, I remembered that I'm a karateka, and a karateka maintains non-quitting spirit and gives 100% effort in all situations."  

Charlie Knew What to Do
We are all so pleased and a bit surprised - he is only five years old - that already from his training and exposure to the Karate Code of Ethics Charlie knew he could stand up to a bullying situation, had the skills to keep himself safe, and the strength and compassion to forgive.   He knew when to say NO and to use his physical skills to stop the punching.  He knew to talk to adults he trusts afterwards.  He understood that Lucas was sorry and accepted his apology. 

Charlie embraced the special responsibilities of a Thousand Waves karateka.  He skillfully applied the lessons he is learning at the dojo to a situation of conflict at school, and we are proud to honor his courageous action with the TW Peacemaker Award.  What an inspiring example he is, a magnificent wave that hopefully will set many more in motion.

Our Peacemaker Award
Thousand Waves initiated its Peacemaker Award in 2009 to acknowledge and publicly honor the courage, commitment and hard work it takes to prevent, stop or reduce violence. In the spirit of “one wave setting thousands in motion,” the award honors the individual in order to illuminate the rippling affects of individual peace work.  

To date, we have celebrated five peacemakers, adults and children, who brought their self-defense and conflict resolution skills into the world and contributed significantly to the cause of peace and harmony.

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