SI MONTHLY NEWS APRIL 2007 Peace
From SI Exco News
50 Ways to promote peace
This continues and completes what was started last month. Just some ideas to get us thinking and maybe being active.
25. Stay tuned to what’s going on in the world through newsletters, periodicals, newspapers, radio, TV, and online.
26. Educate yourself about the violence threatening kids in your community and nationwide. Help bring safety and peace to kids at Children’s Defense Fund and End Abuse.
27. Learn another language. Being able to communicate in a foreign language helps you participate in diverse cultures.
28. Help bring peace to the environment by reducing your carbon load emissions. Learn what you can do at our global warming campaign site at www.onesweetwhirled.org
29. Learn how to fight fairly. Fight to resolve differences, not to win.
30. Register people to vote. One reason the political game’s gone sour is that too few of us play. Find out more at Rock The Vote or Project Vote Smart.
31. Become a volunteer on a peace project. Check out Peace Brigades International, Seeds of Peace, and the Peace Corps.
32. Volunteer at your local battered women’s shelter. Learn about the importance of non-violent conflict resolution.
33. Sign-up as a member of a peace organization like Global Exchange, United For Peace & Justice, or Peace Response.
34. Call a radio talk show. The good ones are often the town meetings of the airwaves.
35. Write letters and articles in support of peace and non-violence to the editors of your local media. Published, they can change minds, and even unpublished they can impact the media.
36. Sign a peace pledge. A good place to start is www.peacepledge.org
37. Adopt a politician. Write a monthly letter to your Representative, Senator, or President on peace-related issues.
38. Take social action to support specific legislative peace initiatives. Try the Waging Peace site to get started.
39. Vote. Voting is your hard-earned right and your official voice. For information about the democratic voting process, visit the Federal Election Commission or the Center for Voting and Democracy.
40. Support organizations and/or campaigns that fight for basic human rights for all people. Social justice promotes peace. For a start, visit Global Exchange or Amnesty International.
41. Run for elective office. Be a voice for non-violent conflict resolution, reasoned sanity, and balance.
42. Learn about nuclear weapons from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Sign an appeal to end the nuclear threat. Visit the Nuclear Threat Reduction Campaign and www.WagingPeace.org
43. Take part in online advocacy for peace. Some good sites to get started are 20/20 Vision and The Interfaith Alliance.
44. Write to your own government; write to a foreign government. Let them know you care about what they do and hold them to the same standards for peaceful conflict resolution.
45. Call your City Council and attend the next meeting. It’s often through the strength of a group that changes are made and community is built.
46. Encourage peace projects for school classrooms. You can find some great ideas at www.CelebratingPeace.com and UNESCO.
47. Teach young people skills for non-violent conflict resolution. Learn about some great strategies from the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program or www.Images-Education.org for teachers, classrooms, parents, and students.
48. Teach young people about peace. Let your behavior reflect the values you want them to espouse.
49. Support your community’s efforts to create jobs and training opportunities for kids that help them become productive, contributing adults.
50. Dig deep. Oftentimes, reaching peaceful resolution means understanding what’s at the root of a problem rather than what’s most apparent on the surface.
Peace - an essay contest
Dear Friends of Peace,
Young people from around the world are invited to enter the 2007 International Essay Contest. We are pleased to announce that starting this year, this annual contest is a joint UNESCO-Goi Peace Foundation program.
The theme for this year's contest is "The role of media and information and communication technologies in building a peaceful world." The deadline for entry is June 30, 2007. First prize winners will receive a cash award and a trip to Japan.
Please see the complete guidelines below. The same information can be found on the Goi Peace Foundation website:http://www.goipeace.or.jp/english/activities/programs/0702_00.htm and on the UNESCO Youth website: http://www.unesco.org/youth
To read winning essays from last year's contest, go to http://www.goipeace.or.jp/english/activities/programs/programs-17-00.htm
Please spread the information about the essay contest to young people in your network
May Peace Prevail on Earth!, The Goi Peace Foundation
The United Nations has designated 2001-2010 as the "International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World." Not only should young people benefit from this global movement, but they should be empowered to play a leading role in the creation of a culture of peace.
The theme of this year's International Essay Contest is "The role of media and information and communication technologies in building a peaceful world."
Young people from around the world are invited to submit their creative ideas on this theme. *This theme was a central topic discussed at the UNESCO Euro-Mediterranean Youth Forum held in November 2006.
- Theme: "The role of media and information and communication technologies in building a peaceful world"--
TV, radio, Internet and other forms of media have great influence in shaping our lives and society. What should be the role of the media and communication technologies in the future. How would you make use of these various tools of communication to help create a better world.
2007 International Essay Contest for Young People
Organized by The Goi Peace Foundation and UNESCO, Endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan Japan Broadcasting Corporation, Nikkei Inc., Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education Supported by Japan Airlines and Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd.
- Guidelines:
1. Essays may be submitted by anyone up to 25 years old in one of the following age categories:
a) Children (ages up to 14) b) Youth (ages 15 - 25)
2. Essays must be 800 words or less, typed or printed in English, French, Spanish or German.
3. Essays must have a cover page indicating
(1) category (Children or Youth), (2) essay title, (3) name, (4) present address, (5) phone number, (6) fax number, (7) e-mail address, (8) nationality, (9) age as of June 30, 2007, (10) sex, (11) school name and grade, (12) word count.
Teachers and youth directors may submit a collection of essays from their class or group. Please enclose a list of participants' names and the name and contact information of the submitting teacher or director. (Entries missing any of the above information will not be considered.)
4. Entries may be submitted by postal mail or e-mail.
5. Essays must be original and unpublished.
6. Essays must be written by one person. Co-authored essays are not accepted.
7. Copyright of the essays entered will be assigned to the organizers.
- Deadline: Entries must be received by June 30, 2007.
- Awards: The following awards will be given in the Children's category and Youth category respectively:
1st Prize: Certificate and prize of 100,000 Yen (approx. US$900) ... 1 entrant 2nd Prize: Certificate and prize of 50,000 Yen (approx. US$450) ... 2 entrants 3rd Prize: Certificate and gift ... 5 entrants
Honorable Mention: Certificate and gift ... 25 entrants All entrants will receive a certificate. (Certificates, prizes and gifts will be mailed to the entrants by the end of the year.)
- 1st prize winners will be invited to the award ceremony to be held in Tokyo, in November 2007.(Travel expenses will be covered by the sponsor.)
- All prize winners will be announced in November 2007 on the Goi Peace Foundation web site (www.goipeace.or.jp ) and UNESCO web site (www.unesco.org/youth ).
- Please send your entries to:
International Essay Contest c/o The Goi Peace Foundation 1-4-5 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0093 Japan E-mail: essay[at]goipeace.or.jp
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