by Janet Zoglin

Youth Peace Collective is a work of fiction interwoven with fact, describing the creation and operation of an egalitarian collective whose members are primarily low income, minority, and "at risk" youth, working to bring about world peace. The book's protagonists are the staff and 18-25 year olds who develop youth-run urban projects in the United States and bring clean water technology to the "third world." Participants construct their projects, receive in depth "peace education," live, work, and make decisions collectively, and are paid $10,000 for each completed six-month work term. Youth from host countries become collective members as well, receiving a payment of equivalent impact in their local currency, thus demonstrating the Youth Peace Collective's philosophy of partnership, cooperation, and empowerment towards improving the world community's quality of life.