#142

Since 1981 when the United Nations designated September 21 as International Day of Peace, people around the world have sought on this specific day to make the world a better place.

Each year has a different theme around the concept of peace. This year’s theme is Shaping Peace Together. Per the UN website, we are implored to, “Celebrate the day by spreading compassion, kindness and hope in the face of the pandemic. Stand together with the UN against attempts to use the virus to promote discrimination or hatred. Join us so that we can shape peace together.”

• Despite this International Day of Peace video being ten years old, the message therein continues to be relevant for this year’s International Day of Peace and no doubt for those in future years.

• Peace One Day’s website serves to provide further information about the organization and includes a video about its rationale and actions to promote peace each and every September 21 and with the view to institutionalizing peace around the world beyond just one day a year.

• As shared in last year’s blog post, International Day of Peace, the following resources (aimed more so for elementary/primary aged students) may be of use:

BOOKS RELATING TO PEACE:

• Baskwill, J. If Peace Is …

• Coerr. E. Sadako And The Thousand Paper Cranes

• Cooper, I. The Golden Rule

• Halpern, W. A. Peace

• Hines, A. G. Peaceful Pieces: Poems And Quilts About Peace

• MacDonald, M.R. Peace Tales World Folktales to Talk About

• Pinkey, A.D. Let It Shine: Stories Of Black Women Freedom Fighters

• Scholes, K. Peace Begins With You

• Winter, J. Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story From Afghanistan

• Winter, J. Wangari's Trees Of Peace: A True Story From Africa

• Zalben, J. B. Paths To Peace: People Who Changed The World

WEBSITES RELATING TO PEACE:

• Kids for Peace

• Nobel Peace Prize - articles

• Nobel Peace Prize - laureates

• Peace One Day

• Teaching Tolerance

PREVIOUS BLOG POSTS FOCUSSING ON PEACE:

• Good Hope (September 2019)

• Franklin (August 2019)

• Dr. King (January 2019)

• Kindness (December 2018)

• Kindness is the Sunshine in which Virtue Grows (May 2018)

• Peace is an Action (September 2016)

QUOTES PERTAINING TO PEACE:

How will you be engendering peace during this year’s International Day of Peace and beyond?

References:

• Brady, A. (2019) International Day of Peace

• Peace One Day Peace One Day website

• Peace One Day Peace One Day Introductory Film

• Rooted in Peace (2010) International Day of Peace promotional video

• UN (2020) International Day of Peace