Guelph-Humber research assistants explore how nuclear disarmament education can build pathways to peace

Education [on nuclear disarmament], like this research, helps to recentre humanity and collective responsibility." — Dallas Lockhart, Community Social Services student 

Imagine: everything you love and everything you cherish, gone in an instant due to a nuclear weapon detonating. A world without nuclear weapons doesn’t have to be a fantasy; the leaders and policymakers of tomorrow are already working toward peace education and global citizenship, including a group of research assistants (RAs) at the University of Guelph-Humber (U of GH).

Four Guelph-Humber students who are part of the Soka Education Research Centre on Global Citizenship (SERC-GC), directed by Dr. Paul Sherman, are exploring the impacts peace education has on the public, and they presented their research at the fifth annual Youth Nuclear Peace Summit in Winnipeg this fall. This is the second time Guelph-Humber students have presented at this summit.

“Creating a collective effort in making a world that is rooted in peace and empathy and compassion starts with knowledge,” fourth-year Community Social Services student and SERC-GC RA Rachel Lyn Balintec said.

SERC-GC offers U of GH students from all programs an opportunity to be part of a small extracurricular research group, interested in the philosophy of Soka education and global citizenship. The 2025-2026 RAs are Balintec, Dallas Lockhart, Samuel Ojiokpota, and Kaitland Waind, and their major fall research project is called “The Role of Education in Nuclear Disarmament Advocacy – An Analysis of Cross-Cultural Attitudes.”

To gather data for this project, the RAs read scholarly literature about education, policy, and humanitarian studies regarding nuclear weaponry and disarmament, while cross-culturally analyzing three countries (U.S., Sweden, and Japan). The students then set up an exhibit on nuclear disarmament in the Guelph-Humber art gallery earlier in the fall 2025 semester called “Everything You Treasure: For A World Free From Nuclear Weapons,” which was provided by Soka Gakkai International (SGI), an NGO in consultative status with the United Nations that strives to strengthen connections between individuals, civil society and the UN. Lockhart, a fourth year Community Social Services student, explained that the RAs had the exhibit’s guests fill out a questionnaire before and after experiencing the exhibit to gauge their attitudes and opinions on nuclear disarmament. 

The RAs found the Guelph-Humber community’s attitudes aligned with the broader public opinion: a strong anti-nuclear sentiment.

“It reaffirmed our beliefs that we can use educational interventions so that we are able to talk about global issues, such as nuclear disarmament, and ensure that knowledge itself is a form of peace-building to make informed decisions about what we can do to for nuclear disarmament efforts,” Balintec said of the exhibit. 

This research is what the group presented in Winnipeg – an enriching and transformative trip where the RAs shared ideas and networked with youth and professionals interested in peace education, visited the Museum of Human Rights, and heard talks from experts on nuclear disarmament and the environment like Dr. Ira Helfand (a member of the International Steering Group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and recipient of a 2017 Nobel Peace Prize), Canadian Senator Marilou McPhedran, and federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May. 

“Nuclear weapons are often discussed in very political terms and not human terms. I feel like a lot of students, especially students our age, don't really get that chance to connect with the topic because it's so broad, and it really is determined by the politicians that lead these countries. Education, like this research, helps to recentre humanity and collective responsibility,” Lockhart said regarding the research’s significance.

For Waind, a third-year Community Social Services student, she felt like SERC-GC, their research, and the other presentations at the summit (which included students from Canada, U.S., and Japan) provided her with a renewed sense of purpose for her field of study as she’s gained insight into the “complicated nuances” that impact public opinion on nuclear weapons and disarmament.

“[It’s] helped me develop a greater understanding of nuclear disarmament and the real, ongoing threat nuclear weapons have on our lives. I now understand how pivotal education is in this issue, as it empowers people with the knowledge needed to make informed choices about nuclear disarmament,” Waind shared. 

Fourth-year Kinesiology student Ojiokpota felt that engaging with young leaders and international experts at the summit reminded him that real peace begins “in the smallest moments – in listening, sharing perspectives, and learning together.”

“This experience deepened my understanding of how education can empower global citizenship and inspire meaningful action toward a world free from nuclear weapons,” he said.

The summit was eye-opening for the students. They learned significant lessons and made memories they will carry for life. 

Waind said her biggest educational takeaway was realizing the importance of connecting with others in “creating meaning in our education and work.”

For Balintec, her highlight was hearing the high school students’ perspectives. She said although they are younger than she is, she has learned a great deal from them and enjoyed hearing their moving personal stories about why peace education is important to them. This opportunity also allowed her to participate in the nuclear disarmament dialogue in a means not rooted in fear or hate, but of a thirst for understanding. 

Meanwhile, Lockhart said her highlight was partaking in a painting exercise ahead of the presentation with fellow presenters, Dr. Sherman, and the RAs because it allowed her to learn more about the group and what’s dear to them – the things in life that matter most and would be lost if there were a nuclear conflict. It also put life into perspective for her because she reflected on the importance of family and connection.

“It got us to bond quite a bit because it's hard to have good experiences with the team under high stress situations,” Lockhart said. “That was really a moment for me to reflect and calm myself down, calm the team down, and really get on the same page by enjoying a nice, fun, stress-free activity.”

Dr. Sherman underscores the value of this experience for the RAs.

“By engaging with students from around the world, the SERC-GC RAs are experiencing the values of global citizenship first-hand, and learning important intercultural competencies that will be beneficial to their education, interpersonal relationships, and future careers,” Dr. Sherman said. “Moreover, by doing research on nuclear disarmament advocacy, they are engaging in important work that is reshaping their own attitudes, while also learning how to advocate on this important cause that will impact the entire world, in real-time and for generations to come.”

Ultimately, peace education starts with opening a dialogue. Balintec said peace education, to her, means starting off by carrying a sense of empathy and compassion in interactions with others; it’s also learning from the mistakes of the past so people don’t suffer in the future. Furthermore, Lockhart said, to her, peace education means inspiring people and attempting to learn more about other people’s perspectives about how they interpret peace.

“Trying to spark these conversations can hopefully spark bigger change in the political realm [about nuclear peace],” Lockhart said.

This February, the SERC-GC RAs will visit Japan to learn deeper about nuclear disarmament and visit the high school students they’ve virtually worked with this year. To learn more about the last Japan trip, click here. 

Find out what SERC-GC has to offer to University of Guelph-Humber students here.