Peace Pals International

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21 November 2017

It was an event to be remembered with International Partners #NatureForAll and DiversEarth celebrating with IUCN council members from over 30 countries and special guests from Geneva and abroad.

The event began with guests arriving to Cite Du Temps located in the heart of Geneva, Switzerland and in the middle of the Rhone River.  Guests were able to admire the artwork and faces of children which was displayed on various digital frames throughout the event hall.

The event began at 7:30pm with introductions in English and French by Sean Southey of #NatureForAll and Liza Zogib of DiversEarth both partners/collaborators of this year’s Peace Pals International Art Exhibition and awards. We also heard from John G. Robinson, IUCN Vice President and Councilor for North America and the Caribbean; and Chief Conservation Officer, Wildlife Conservation Society who expressed his congratulations to all the children who participated this year and left us with words of wisdom.

Liza Zobig, Director, Sandra Spissenger, Operations and Divya Venkatesh, Communications, spoke about their work with DiversEarth and their invaluable participation with this year’s contest, with the theme “Nature For All ~ Loving The Earth.”  Liza, Sandra and Divya were our team on the ground and with their help and expertise in Geneva, this event was an absolute success.

Fumi Johns Stewart, executive director of The World Peace Prayer Society and Jules Lamore, Director of the Peace Pals International program spoke briefly about Peace Pals International and the importance of Peace and Nature for all children and what it means to the youth who participate.  This year we received over 4,000 works of art and we encouraged all guests to encourage educators, parents and children from their communities to continue supporting this worthwhile program.

An audio visual concert was performed by Kenji Williams of Bella Gaia who took us through a 20-minute presentation of imagery accompanied by his violin playing.  Kenji’s magnificent visual concert allowed us to see the world through the eyes of NASA which left the audience speechless and stunned with a greater understanding and love for our planet.

The Peace Pals Awards were officiated by Jules Lamore of Peace Pals International who invited 12 presenters to join her on stage to present the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place winners from the 4 age categories.  The presenters represented their organizations; The World Peace Prayer Society, DiversEarth, IUCN and special young guests from The International School of Geneva.  Everyone in attendance celebrated the winners as the room filled with applaud for each of the talented 12 winners.

Following the awards ceremony for Peace Pals International Art Contest, Liza Zogib announced the local winners from The International School of Geneva, Switzerland.

Congratulations to all of our winners and finalists from both the international and local contests. The winners can be viewed by visiting:  http://peacepalsinternational.org/2017-winners-and-finalists/

During the program, Fumi Johns Stewart and Jules Lamore presented IUCN with an 8 language Peace Pole to be on permanent display at the IUCN offices in Gland, Switzerland.  Kathy MacKinnonm Chair WCPA, Kristen Walker, Chair, CEESP and Sean Southey, Chair CEC received the Peace Pole on behalf of IUCN.  In addition, desktop Peace Poles were gifted to Liza, Sandra and Divya of IUCN as a special  thanks for all their heartfelt assistance in Geneva.

 

 

 

The event ended with our World Peace Flag Ceremony Finale, which was led by Fumi Johns Stewart.  There wasn’t a silent voice in the theatre as people waved their flags for each and every country in the world as they sent peace to every country by name with a special emphasis for our host country, “May Peace be in Switzerland – May Peace Prevail On Earth.”

After the Finale, the guests were invited to view the art exhibition which featured the 12 winners from the 4 age categories and the 40 finalists of the 20^th Anniversary Peace Pals Art Exhibition and Awards.  Many of our guests took selfies of themselves with winning artwork from their countries.

We would like to thank our partners and supporters for making this event a great success.

Please view the video to see highlights from the event.

May Peace Prevail On Earth
Please visit Peace Pals International to see all the winners and finalists.

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[:en]When I heard about the Annual Peace Pals International Art Exhibition and Awards project I immediately thought of the many children in Brazil, my native country, and in England where I live, which I would like to invite to this wonderful initiative. We cannot be neutral in the face of the great need for peace in the world and this would be a great opportunity for children not only to participate in a contest but to get in touch with the PEACE theme.

Then, after getting in touch with the project, I planned to gather “Little Artists for Peace”. That would be the name of my work groups and I started my contribution with this significant project, which has Art as an ally.

As I had planned a trip to Brazil, I saw the opportunity to work with children from the school Escola Municipal de Educação Básica Maria Tomich Monteiro da Silva (EMEB), in the city of Cuiabá, Brazil. Teacher Vania Campos is a dedicated education professional, who has stood out for making a difference in the classroom. I contacted her, who immediately accepted the challenge.

The school has as Director the Teacher Maria Estevina Mendes de Souza, a young educator who runs the institution, with almost 400 students (according to the school sense of 2016) with a lot of competence and affection. Maria Estevina authorized the accomplishment of my work in the school institution.

The theme for this year’s contest is “Nature for Everyone – Loving the Earth”, and after following the initial directions of the project, the children made their individual drawings, but in a united way, exchanging ideas, talking to each other about the theme. It was a wonderful day!

When we started the conversation about the drawings, the children showed a lot of interest in knowing the work of the winners of previous years, drawings of children from all over the world, so even in school was having other activities that prevented the organization of a more formal exhibition, We present the drawings for the students, with improvised form.

I believe in art as a transforming expression, as a form of aesthetic expression capable of educating critical thinking for the construction of another reality from an existing reality.

Its importance is made by being essentially human. To bet on an education through art is, first and foremost, to choose to bring to the educational environment what we have most essential: the capacity to create and recreate. Therefore, art can be seen as a form of language of strong pedagogical character where the child expresses him/herself to speak about the world and to the world. It is a bearer of meaning, an expression of thought that precedes a practice.

In this way, artistic expression, allowing the dialogue between the real life and the desired life, can nourish and strengthen the desire for change, for a better world.

All drawings must contain, in addition to the name and age of the author, the message “May Peace Prevail On Earth”, written by him/herself.

After finishing the drawings, we talked a little more about the activity and the message that should convey. Some children asked about the details of the contest, others said they liked to draw, but what I felt most important in developing the project was the fact that every child was able to express the importance of being there, participating in something in the name of PEACE.

Sonia Palma
Nuneaton – England.
July 2017.[:]

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June 1, 2017

The Berlin “Peace Bell Society“, a wonderful WPPS partner for years now, applied for official funds this year from Berlin`s town quarter council to organize a wonderful International Children Day on June 1st focussed on “LOVE TO NATURE – LOVING THE EARTH” AS PER THE PEACE PALS ART COMPETiTION 2017.

I enclosed their application to the Berlin Authorities as our art competition is featured there. The Peace Bell Society  did get funds! 

The Children Day each June 1st was a big thing in East Germany, in West Germany it is hardly known! The program this year was to pick up refugee children living in  Berlin Marzahn, drive them to the Volkpark`s Peace Bell where they shall paint for WPPS and have a peace fun day there.

If you watch the children`s RELAXED faces you know how their day was! They were allowed to ring the peace bell made of former weapons.

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May 4, 2017

The second International Exhibition of Drawings of Peace was inaugurated on May 4th at the headquarters of the grouping of schools of Leça do Balio (Porto/Portugal).

The participants were children and teens from more than 100 countries belonging to schools, groups members of the Living Peace International  and  organizations partners of the project.

A very important sector was been reserved for the Peace Pals International Art Exhibition. Peace Pal International and Living Peace have been working together for 4 years  for the creation of a culture of peace.

Many schools, groups, scouts and organizations from the north of Portugal that visited the exhibition were deeply impressed by the beauty and wealth of values that the Peace Pals International drawings transmit, an authentic testimony of how much the youngest generations are protagonists in the construction of a culture of peace.

Carlos D. Palma
Living Peace International 

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Glenda Thronton
Allanton World Peace Sanctuary

This is the second time that I have visited Troqueer Primary School in Dumfries. During the first visit, I was with Primary 7 class for about 2 hours and explained to them about Allanton Peace Sanctuary and the work of the World Peace Prayer Society. The children started off at a distance from me, but, as I was talking to them, they moved their chairs closer and closer, it was lovely! One little boy said to me afterwards that no-one had every spoken to him like this before, and they all thanked me. They asked many questions and said that they would like me to go back again to visit them.

A few months later, I was asked to go and speak to the whole school in Assembly. As well as talking about who we are and the Peace Poles, I based my talk on the importance of our thoughts, words and actions and how they can affect the way that we feel. I talked quite a bit about different ways of behaving also and how this made us feel. They all really listened. I was being ‘hosted’ by Primary 7, who I had visited previously, and they really looked after me. After the Assembly, we had a little meeting with them and they then told me about their ideas to do some fundraising for the Allanton Peace Sanctuary – and talked about their ideas with the flags. I wasn’t sure if they would actually do this – but they did! How lovely!

This gives one real hope for the future of humanity!

Most recently we received a letter from Troqueer Primary School about a recent fundraiser they held. Please click here to read the letter from Troqueer Primary School.

For more information on Allanton World Peace Sanctuary in Dumfries, Scotland – Click here.

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On March 24th in the city of Iasi, Romania at the National Park Theatre “Teatrul Național Vasile Alecsandri’ a beautiful Peace Pole Dedication ceremony took place.

David Alexandru (2106 – 1st place winner in his age category) contacted Mayor Mihai Chirica and generously donated his prize of a Peace Pole to the city of Iasi.  Mayor Mihai Chirica accepted the Peace Pole and together they planned a beautiful event which was shared by the community.

Mayor Mihai Chirica shared on his FB page (Romanian) “The most important messengers of peace are children. In Iasi we have to promote the idea of ​​peace in the world, without, the future of humanity would be chaotic and makes us proud of our city’s ability.”  “David honored us with his benefits and Iasi managed to bring back to the world as a city of intelligence, culture and a talented young generation.”

The event included music, dance and special awards to young people in Iasi, Romania.

All of us at The World Peace Prayer Society, The Peace Pole Project and Peace Pals International are so honored to have played a small part in this.  We are also so proud of David’s accomplishments.

For more information on The World Peace Prayer Society and The Peace Pole Project, www.worldpeace.org

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