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| This year's Peace Day events |
 On Peace Day there were: Peace Pole plantings, tree plantings, and fields of pinwheels for peace (millions of them); films, tv & radio broadcasts; parades, marches, stand ups and meet ups; social network observances, including campaigns about forgiving and thanking someone. There were school activities - from pre-school and elementary school to high school and college; and there were teleconferenced forums. There were religious observances & interfaith activities; worldwide synchronous moments of silence, yoga events, vigils, and even meditation flash mobs. There were community service projects, humanitarian aid fundraisers, and proclamations from local, regional and national governments and their agencies worldwide; there were calls for a global truce and some local cease-fires. There were hundreds of concerts, dances and cultural celebrations; there were cooperative sporting events, newspaper articles and even an entire newspaper taken over by musicians for peace. There were peace parties, peace poems, candle lighting ceremonies, walks, food drives, environmental and animal rights observances, art exhibits, essay contests, human peace signs, free hugs, free flowers, neighborhood pot luck dinners, and random acts of kindness. There were events in all nations on this planet, among or within all cultures, religions, races, genders, ages, socio-economic backgrounds, and personal beliefs and interests. We - you - did it. THANK YOU.
| Push4Peace / Pledge4Peace |
 September 21- December 22: Launched this year on the International Day of Peace,
Push4Peace is a ninety-day global call to action for peace. During this period, numerous organizations and millions of people will come together to create multiple actions around the world. Over the past few decades, there has been an exponential growth of Peacebuilding efforts quietly emerging around the world. This emergence has spread over multiple sectors of society and across a continuum ranging from inner to international peace. In 2012, a group of strategic partners is catalyzing a worldwide celebration of these diverse efforts. Their aim is to reach one billion people and inspire a billion actions for peace through pledges for peace. This period of celebration and action began on the International Day of Peace, September 21 and reflects this year's theme: Sustainable Peace for a Sustainable Future.
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| Rotary International |
Rotary International. in keeping with this year's theme "Peace Through Service", has truly embraced the International Day of Peace as an opportunity to enhance its community service programs through its 34,000 chapters in over 200 nations and geographical areas; this includes their Youth Leadership Program. Here is a 1 minute video message from the President of Rotary International, Sakuji Tanaka, about the International Day of Peace. One program they launched this year is their worldwide Rotary 24 Hour Peace Marathon: Peace Marathon. Next year they hope to greatly expand on this initiative.
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Mayors for Peace
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All 5413 Mayors for Peace member cities celebrated the "International Day of Peace" again this year through a "Minute of Silence - Moment of Peace" ceremony that was heard around the world. At 12 noon in all time zones, Mayors for Peace on all continents held a "Minute of Silence - Moment of Peace" ceremony in response to Mayor of Montreal Gérald Tremblay's call to celebrate Peace Day in this time honored tradition (initiated by Pathways to Peace in 1983).
MATSUI Kazumi, Mayor of Hiroshima and President of Mayors for Peace showed his support and honored both the "International - NGO Committee at the UN" and Mayor Tremblay for their initiative, in this brief video.
| National Peace Academy FREE online curriculum |
 In celebration of the International Day of Peace, the National Peace Academy is launching a FREE online curriculum, "Peace, Peacebuilding and Peacelearning: A Holistic Introduction." This study guide is designed for peace and community change leaders; and has units for children, youth and adults, who wish to create significant, meaningful and sustainable change in their personal lives, their communities, and the world at large. The curriculum provides exercises and resources appropriate for the primary (elementary) and secondary (youth-adolescents) classroom. The adult curriculum is intended as an introductory self-study guide. Use of this curriculum is free - no registration is required. The 90-day curriculum is divided into 12 weekly lessons.
| World Peace Prayer Society / Peace Pals Art Contest |
 Paintings from the winners and finalists of the 2012 Peace Pals International Art Competition for Children can be seen in this webpage.
The theme this year was "My Hero". Our children know so well who the heroes in this world really are. You will see paintings with firemen, teachers, animals, indigenous people, and more. If your organization is interested in exhibiting this artwork, or knows of an art gallery, culture hall, school, library, hospital or business to exhibit these pieces of creativity for peace - contact Peace Pals via their website.
Peace Day TV
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 People from 140 countries viewed the Peace Day Global Broadcast on Peace Day TV. A rebroadcast of the 'highlights' is running there right now, and will continue for a few weeks. Last year as many people watched the highlights as watched the actual events (which lasted 3 days and were from 25 countries this year). In addition, several segments have been archived and can be selected for viewing anytime. These include concerts from Bangladesh and Vietnam, the Listen For Life All-Star Band, and a rockin' session from Peace Day New Orleans featuring former Grateful Dead Drummer, Mickey Hart. PeaceDay.TV also, of course, airs news and documentaries from Peacebuilding organizations and spokespeople across the globe, from the Dalai Lama to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Many of these are archived as well. Enjoy!
The Shift Network - Birth 2012
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 The Shift Network empowers a global movement of people who are creating an evolutionary shift of consciousness that in turn leads to a more enlightened society - one built on principles of peace, sustainability, health, and prosperity. Their online Summits and Courses have served hundreds of thousands of people, who are committed to changing our world's operating system through personal transformation and collective change work.
Featured speakers have included: Barbara Marx Hubbard, Jack Canfield, James O'Dea, Neale Donald Walsh, Steven Dinan, don Miguel Ruiz, Lynn McTaggart, Jean Houston, Michael Beckwith, and dozens of others. Check out their upcoming schedule.
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Global Peace Film Festival on-line
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This year the Global Peace Film Festival (GPFF) inaugurated an on-lineGlobal Peace Film Festival, by embracing the expansive potential of the web to bring even more films to their audiences and to stimulate discussion and action on the various topics key to realizing peace within our own hearts and minds, and between our neighbors and across the world. Each year this film festival features about 40 films; yet, there are always more compelling, thought-provoking and engaging films submitted than can be programmed into the traditional festival screening program and now they have developed a way to include these, too. We hope you enjoy partaking in the festival wherever you are.
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United Nations agencies and affiliates
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 The United Nations, of course, operates year round to create peace worldwide on many levels. Did you know that the UN has over 60 agencies and programs? Here are just a few: World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Educational, Scientifc and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), World Food Program (WFP), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Women's Empowerment Program (UN Women). Each of these agencies conducts many activities across the planet - often in conjunction with some of the hundreds of UN affiliated NGO's all over the world.
Following are some of the words spoken by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the UN on the International Day of Peace, setting the tone for the upcoming year as the General Assembly opened the very next week: "Armed conflicts attack the very pillars of sustainable development." "Natural resources must be used for the benefit of society, not to finance wars." "Children should be in school, not recruited into armies." "National budgets should focus on building human capacity, not deadly weapons." "We need to change the conversation." "We cannot fight for peace - we must stand for it." There is yet much more work to be done...
| NEW ! From the Culture of Peace store |
 NEW! From the Culture of Peace store:
Mugs, clocks, water bottles, coasters, magnets in 6 different designs adapted from our logo.
Bring Peace home, to work, to school, to your friends and have the Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI) logo be a reminder that you too are a Pathway To Peace!
The logo was created by international artist, author and peace ambassador Irene Kai, and has inspired millions of people around the world. It is now available to you. By purchasing these products you will be supporting the Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI), a United Nations Peace Messenger Initiative, and Pathways To Peace. Designs include: May Peace Reside in Your Heart; Going Green and more.
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Wiser Earth Network
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Wiser Earth Network includes activities from hundreds of organizations on their website Wiser.org . There is a 'culture of peace' group and a Peace Day group where community members who support peace and peace-building have been gathering. Volunteers there help to share peace events and activities which are being organized around the world across theWiser.org network and other social networks. Recently, they have noticed a lot of small local initiatives in Africa in places such as Liberia, Sudan and Zimbabwe.
International Day of Peace on Facebook
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 Facebook reported that our posts reached 758,990 people in the week during which the International Day of Peace occurred. We THANK the many people who shared our posts. We continue to post daily, because there are important Peacebuilding events and inspirational ideas to share all year about the emerging "Culture of Peace".
Send us your news! What did you or your organization do to observe The International Day of Peace? What are you doing throughout the year to build a culture of peace? This is your newsletter. Let us know. We encourage you to upload photos and videos onto the Culture of Peace website. Having them on our site can serve to inspire others for future Peace Day observances. Thank you very much.
Our supporters: Check out the extensive list of organizations on the left side above - their names are actual links to their websites. Some of these groups have hundreds of activities annually in observance of the International Day of Peace - more importantly most have year round Peacebuilding programs.
Please share any and all of this information on your web sites, in your newsletters, on your Facebook posts, or in other media. Also please invite others to sign up for this newsletter so they can receive the information directly. You can forward with the button below.
Thank you!
Building pathways to Peace toward a Culture of Peace for the Common Good. May Peace Prevail On Earth!
Sincerely,
David Wick, Team Leader
and the CPI Team: Michael Johnson, Melvin Weiner,
Jean Trudel and Avon Mattison
About the Culture of Peace Initiative and Pathways To Peace
The Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI) is a cooperative local-global Peacebuilding Initiative uniting the strengths of organizations, networks, projects and people to realize a Culture of Peace for the Common Good. The CPI also serves as a vehicle for bringing to light many previously unseen and unheard Peacebuilders working along diverse paths, who are embodying the emerging Culture of Peace within Humanity. The annual highlight of the Culture of Peace Initiative is the International Day of Peace, which provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to work together, on a shared date, to create practical acts of Peace with a year- round impact.
This newsletter is offered by Pathways To Peace (PTP), International Secretariat of the Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI) which was inaugurated in 1984 and received a UN Peace Messenger award from the UN in 1987. CPI is inter-generational, inter-cultural, and has Participants in all regions of the world. PTP has consultative status with the United Nations (ECOSOC), (DPI). PTP has worked with the UN to observe and promote the International Day of Peace since it's inception in 1981, and has nurtured this occasion from a single event of a few hundred people into an annual global observance that now reaches hundreds of millions of people.
PTP has created and maintained the dedicated websites for the International Day of Peace and the Culture of Peace Initiative, including event locators for all to use; we produce this newsletter and also provide daily updates on the International Day of Peace Facebook page; we held a successful campaign to have the International Day of Peace printed on calendars across the globe; and we are continually involved with communications and planning about this event both inside and beyond UN circles. To learn more about our programs, networks, campaigns and support materials please see our web sites or visit our Facebook page.
Thank you.
Pathways To Peace is a nonprofit (501c3 U.S. tax exempt) organization, whose work would not be possible without our volunteers and your support. To help our efforts, please donate and click PayPal button on the left column.
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