Peace One Day offers education resources to help children learn about peace
Wouldn’t it be nice to have just one day of peace on Earth? Well, it is Peace One Day’s goal to institutionalize September 21 which is the International day of Peace to a global day of ceasefire and non-violence. According to an analysis of McKinsey (PDF), 280 million people or 4% of the world population were aware of Peace Day. The analysis also shows that 70% of this awareness was thanks to advocacy efforts and activities of youth.*
Peace One Day wants to drive debate and practical action around issues of peace, education and sustainability, using Peace Day at a focus. To help with this, we offer great education resources for teachers and parents.
Free Peace Education Resources
The Peace One Day Global Education Resources provide over 15 inter-active lesson plans. Each lesson is complemented with support materials and resources and available in the 6 official languages of the United Nations: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Mandarin. This makes it easily accessible for millions of teachers and children worldwide. You can register to get the free resource here.
Through my own experience as a class teacher, and my engagement with the Peace One Day’s education team, I have connected with thousands of children in England and the world through Skype – and have experienced first-hand the power of the Peace One Day story. Children understand how important this day of peace is. They look around their communities and their wider world, and they see that change is needed. They see how life-changing it can be to be involved in peace work.
Who will you make peace with?
This year we are asking children: Who Will You Make Peace With? Just this week – in the final build up to the International Day of Peace 2013 – I have personally connected with schools around the world and have been amazed by stunning Peace Poems children have prepared and by other wonderful activities. One school in Russia is organizing a community event today that will likely see 8,000 citizens join together for peace.
Check out our 24-hour live webcast on September 21 celebrating the International Day of Peace all day long
The practical implications of a day of global peace truly inspires young minds - whether it is a child not bullied that day, a woman not hit or a gun not fired. Children see small peace actions as a logical step forward for humanity. Time and again I see pupils embrace the day’s purpose with a sense of ownership, which opens vast and truly exciting educational possibilities for teachers and parents.
Children with an open mind keen to learn how they can help make the world a better place are an educator’s golden ticket.
As teachers, parents and active community members, it is our responsibility to create engaging and inspiring projects that help children grow into responsible, caring and contributing global citizens.
Subjects like math, sports, art, literature, music, history and geography can all be linked to Peace Day lessons and projects. Beyond this, practical life skills such as event organization, team building and diplomacy can be engineered through exciting learning adventures where children see real-life effects.
So, have you asked your children today: Who Will You Make Peace With?