Peace is everyone's dream, but not everyone's reality – or even something the average citizen gets actively involved in doing something about.

It is easy to wave two fingers and say, 'Peace, man', or dangle the appropriate bling around one's neck, but unfortunately neither gesture contributes anything of significance to the issue of ending strife at any level, and certainly not in terms of international conflicts.

Politics, religion, ethnicity and economics are just some of the issues generating turmoil, death and destruction among various peoples around the world.

Talks by envoys, peacekeeping organisations, relief agencies, heads of state and government leaders take place endlessly, too often with limited degrees of success, or none at all. Commonly, the average citizen becomes inured to the whole sorry mess, shrugs his shoulders and says, 'What can I do about it?'

Not so for Bermudian Adrian Kawaley-Lathan who asked himself that very question, and has just enrolled in a one-year, intensive Master's degree programme at the European University Centre for Peace Studies (EPU) in Vienna, Austria, where he hopes to find some answers.

Thanks to his life-long passion for the performing arts – singing, dancing (he was one of the first boys to gain a scholarship to the Jackson School of the Performing Arts), acting, playing drums and guitar, writing music and plays, and some theatre and film directing – he hopes to weave those experiences into his overall contribution to peace.

"My particular focus is on reconciliation between peoples, so using the arts as a medium for people to better understand each other is what I am aiming to do," he says. "At the Vienna school I hope to find out more about the ways of making reconciliation through the arts possible. I strongly believe that, as a force for transforming conflict between peoples of all nations, the arts are the universal language."

Unfazed by the sometimes bemused reaction he gets when people learn he is pursuing Peace studies, Mr. Kawaley-Lathan is not only committed to his chosen path, but also excited about the luminaries on the EPU faculty who will be teaching him.

"Many of them work with or for the United Nations, and are renowned teachers and peace workers," he says.

"Johan Galtung, from Norway, is often referred to as 'The Father of Peace Studies' because he started the genre of peace as a study. The opportunity to learn from him leaves me speechless. I am thrilled and overwhelmed at the prospect."

Mr. Kawaley-Lathan defines the study of Peace as "an all-encompassing, interdisciplinary study of all aspects of humanity – its structures, cultures, societies and interactions". Subjects covered include political science, psychology, cultural anthropology, communication, economics, culture, race, gender, critical war theory and religion.

Of course, one doesn't start with peace, but conflict analysis – understanding the whole spectrum of what parties are in conflict about, what nations are involved, and what their respective interests are.

"Peace studies try to understand and work with the whole web of complex interactions involved in any conflict, and find a means to move toward lasting and long-term solutions. It is a lot of work and can be overwhelming," Mr. Kawaley-Lathan says. "One of my professors at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, whom I greatly admire, said: 'Achieving peace is actually more effort than fighting a war'. Peace has to be organised like war. You have to have many levels of involvement. Making sure everyone's rights are respected while doing the best for everyone is very difficult."

Growing up in Bermuda as the oldest of four children of Richard Lathan and Kathy Kawaley, young Adrian always strove for excellence. In addition to gaining the Duke of Edinburgh bronze, silver and gold Awards, during his final year in the Saltus Graduate Year programme he was awarded a place at the Li PoChun United World College (UWC) of Hong Kong, where he spent two years undergoing the life-altering experience which set him on the path to Peace studies.

"My exposure to other cultures, community service around Hong Kong, debates on global politics and the UWC focus on creating future world leaders, as well as many other positive experiences, led me to McMaster to pursue Peace Studies," he says.

At McMaster, the now 24-year-old spent four years gaining a combined honours Bachelor's degree in Peace Studies and Theatre and Film, during which time he began to realise "the many ways the arts were an integral part of healthy and peaceful societies and cultures; and the different roles the arts could play to heal wounds between nations, reconcile loss, and rebuild bridges between peoples regardless of any perceived barriers or differences".

"It was like being exposed to a whole new world and way of seeing things, and then realising that it was only the tip of the iceberg, so when I graduated I knew I had to continue my studies to more specificity," he says.

First, however, he returned home and joined the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs for 15 months, where he became involved in many different projects, including a documentary about the Gombeys, all of which proved to be a great learning experience.

"The department is working very hard to recognise a lot of the people of cultural importance to Bermuda, and I don't think it is being given as much funding and credit as the hard work deserves," he says. "In order to have a strong, healthy culture you need to put that effort into it. It is not all about putting all this money into tourism when Bermudian children can't open a textbook in their classroom and learn about Bermuda's history and culture.

"The focus of the people as a whole has to be, 'Who are we as a people?' 'What does it mean to be a Bermudian?' The world is changing around us, and you can see that Bermuda is changing directly. Bermudians have to see the value of their heritage, and we must try to get young people interested in preserving our culture.

"If the Government themselves are not putting a value on their culture, where do you learn to put your own value on it?"

Like most Bermudians, no matter where he goes in the world, 'The Rock' will always be home to Mr. Kawaley-Lathan, and when he does eventually return it will be because he wants to make a difference here as well.

"That is why I have such a strong appreciation for the work the dedicated people at Community and Cultural Affairs are doing," he says. "They have such a passion for Bermuda, and such hope for the future, which they have instilled in me."

Meanwhile, Mr. Kawaley-Lathan sees the breakdown of the family unit as the most destructive element in the Island today, and says it will take "a shift in cultural conscience to change the paradigm".

"Once it becomes not okay for guys to sit around, you will see that start to change. Despite claims to the contrary, young Bermudians are not worthless. I think the next generation has come a long way.

"Most people within my generation are not hung up on racial conflict, and that is where I think our generation has gained something good and moved forward."

Coming from a long tradition of teachers – his grandparents Solomon and Betty Kawaley were teachers, mother Kathy is a teacher, as is his sister Katrina – the Peace student values every facet of his education, but particularly its international aspects, which have enabled him to see a bigger, global picture, and he urges his fellow Bermudians to do likewise.

"One of the things that frustrates me most is when people say, 'There's nothing I can do about it'. People must think more globally.

"What happens in Iraq is going to affect us somehow, even if we don't realise what it is. It is about shifting consciousness as people are realising that what affects people elsewhere also affects us. We should have better tolerance and understanding for other humans and their plight. We are all connected, whether people realise it or not."

Paying tribute to his parents, whom he says were "very instrumental in shaping the person I am today, and I have the utmost respect for them", Mr. Kawaley-Lathan is also grateful for and thanks the Bermuda Arts Council for its support in making his "very expensive" Vienna studies possible.

As for the future, he says the end of the current Master's course will shape what he does next, and how he can make a difference.

"I will have to wait and see what I learn about these layers of Peace that I don't understand, and then see where I fit into helping the world, and eventually Bermuda, best. There is a lot to do, and it is just a matter of figuring out where I fit into the whole picture. I want to keep learning and learning as much as I can.

"At some point I will return home, hopefully much older and wiser and able to make a difference. Learning has never stopped anybody."