BELFAST – The third annual Violence Prevention and Children Conference gets under way today at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center on Route 3.

The conference will consist of a series of workshops on preventing violence as well as a keynote address by Timothy Wilson, director of Seeds of Peace International Camp in Otisfield.

Seeds of Peace has created a community in which Arab and Israeli youngsters live together in cabins, share meals and participate in numerous summer camp activities. More than 450 teenagers participated in Seeds of Peace Camp during the summer.

The camp was host of delegations of children from the Middle East, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and the Balkans, all areas engaged in age-old conflicts.

The daylong conference will bring together professionals, parents, youth and community leaders who care about the future well-being of families and children.

Another program that will take place during the conference is “Keeping Children Safe Downeast: A Safe Start Initiative in Maine” with Linda Session. Washington County is one of seven places in the country that have received federal funding to mitigate violence.

Session’s presentation will show how Washington County is organizing to protect children from the devastation of violence and abuse in their homes and communities. The initiative is a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to improve services to children affected by violence. Session has 30 years’ experience as an early childhood educator, community educator and child advocate.

Other workshops include: “Character Education: A Piece of the Violence Prevention Puzzle” with Jennifer Libby; “Infant Brain Development and Impingement from Family Violence” with Nancy Webster; “Preventing Bias, Prejudice, Harassment and Violence” with Stephen Wessler; “Accessing Family Mediation: When, Why and How” with Marilyn L. Hotch; “Children Who Hurt Animals” with Shari Lewchanin; “Violent Toys in Violent Times” with Marcia Lovell; “How We Make a Difference: Student Perspective” with Erica Waltz and student team members from Lincoln Academy’s Suicide Prevention, HIV Prevention, Mentoring, Smoking Cessation, LA Players Theater, Civil Rights and Gay/Straight Alliance; and “Paths to Wellness: Children and Substance Abuse” with Janet Maynard and Patrick Walsh.

Registration for the conference begins at 7:45 a.m. followed by Wilson’s remarks and workshops throughout the day. The conference is presented by Eastern Maine Technical College, Sweetser, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Waldo County Child and Parent Council, Waldo County General Hospital and Waldo County Preschool and Family Services.

For more information or to register in advance contact the Waldo County Preschool and Family Services at 9 Field St., Belfast, or call 338-2200, Ext. 109.