Gearing up for the International Day of Peace on the 21st of September, as Tropical Storm Florence continues to wage war by dropping unprecedented amounts of rain on a swath of states. My town is in the direct path of the storm, likely arriving within the day. We have prepped in the usual manner, stocking up on water, batteries, and ice. How lucky are we who have the means and availability of this type of certainty and comfort during a dangerous time? Earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, tsunamis, drought, and monsoon season challenge other parts of the world on a regular basis. Humanity cannot control natural disasters; the same cannot be said for conflict and war. The International Day of Peace came about through one man’s efforts to promote Peace Day. Through Jeremy Gilley’s efforts the United Nations adopted the idea and established the International Day of Peace in 1981. A day that allows humanitarian workers to bring needed supplies into war-torn areas while cease-fires are observed.
Just for One Day. Imagine P E A C E. All day-long. The power of us all uniting, imagining Peace on the same day, together!
All of us who have food and water in abundance.
All of us who have electricity.
All of us who have shelter and warmth and no conflict.
And all of us who don’t.
Imagine all of us coming together on September 21st.
We get to think about how we can impact PEACE in our homes, communities, and yes, PEACE in the world. For one day, we get to acknowledge the multitude of gifts that our lives afford us and maybe think about ways to give back. We do this together.
Peacedoodle.com is starting with doodles but we won’t stop there.
Spreading awareness by collecting images showing the diversity of responses to “What does the right to Peace look like to you?” The images will take many shapes and sizes. A high school dance class has brainstormed around the United Nations’ statement in order to understand the complexity and depth of human rights and how they manifest in everyday life.
Simple statements like, “Be nice to each other.” “Don’t judge and be friendly.” And, “Helping each other creates Peace,” emerged from the discussion. Groups of 2 or 3 are choreographing dances to commemorate the day. Their performances will be recorded and shared here.
Elementary art students will create silhouettes and mixed media collages to show their understanding of the right to Peace. High school art students will study propaganda posters throughout history that promote war and the military. They will contrast these with the notion of propaganda posters for Peace and the impact that could have. These students study the concept that art changes opinions and can influence society. How powerful to show that art’s influence could be used to foster peace? Imagine the beauty of this.
Stay tuned while the responses are collected and shared here.
To participate follow us on Instagram @peace_doodle and Twitter
@peacedoodle. Tag us in your photos and use the hashtag #peacedoodle21Sept. You can also upload your images here on Google. I will be collecting them to share here in the gallery.
Participate whenever you are able and take pictures of your students, or groups drawing and upload those as well. Together we can spread Peace, One doodle at a time.