newsletters
October 2024
Seek peace within yourself and others • Reach out in service • Protect the environment • Respect diversity • Be a responsible citizen of the world
Mahandas K. Gandhi: “Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.”
WORLD CITIZEN PEACE JOINS WITH INDIAN ASSOCIATION OF MINNESOTA
On Saturday, October 5, 2024, World Citizen Peace (WCP) joined the Indian Association of Minnesota (IAM) at the Minnesota History Center to celebrate the 155th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and the International Day of Nonviolence.
The Saturday event at the History Center was the culmination of the overarching theme of Twin Cities 12 Days of Non-Violence, which has become a tradition in Minnesota. Beginning September 21 — the International Day of Peace — individuals and organizations promote peace and nonviolence in a myriad of ways, offering plenty of ideas for peace activities all through the year.
WCP Board members and Executive Director Dennis Hart were at the Minnesota History Center at the invitation of IAM Honorary Board of Director Ram Gada to share both WCP’s mission statement to “empower people to create a just and peaceful world” and the Five Peace Actions that provide a framework for WCP’s projects and programs. WCP’s Board Chair, Caren Stelson, was asked to be the keynote speaker of the day.
The program began at 12:30 with greetings, a fabulous Indian buffet and later a program filled with Indian cultural performances and speeches highlighting the impact of Mahatma Gandhi on personal lives and in the world.
As keynote speaker, Caren Stelson spoke of Gandhi’s influence on a good friend of hers, Sachiko Yasui, who survived the Nagasaki atomic bombing of her city in 1945 as a six-year-old girl. Later in her life, Sachiko’s study of Gandhi gave her the power to heal from the most extreme violence experienced by any human being and the courage to step out into the world to speak her story and to work for world peace. Sachiko always left her audience with these words — words that Caren shared with her audience:
What is peace?
What kind of person should I be?
Keep pursuing answers to these questions.
WRITING FOR PEACE
At the heart of World Citizen Peace stands the belief that peace can be expressed through writing. WCP supports our Peace Ambassadors as they express through written words our Five Peace Actions as we reach out in service as responsible citizens of the world.
We all are familiar with the saying that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” At World Citizen Peace, we work each day to advance this power of the pen for peace.
At World Citizen Peace we support the freedom to write and we support organizations such as Pen America to “champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world.”
Want to learn more about the power of the written word and protecting this freedom? Visit Pen America’s website to learn more.
REGISTER TO VOTE
Peace requires action by people. One of the most powerful ways to advance peace is to tell your government leaders to work towards peace, promote peace, and fund peace. An incredibly effective way to do that is to vote!
It takes all of us to reach out in service, protect the environment, and be responsible citizens. World Citizen Peace urges all Peace Ambassadors to voice their desires for peace through the ballot box. Register to vote today by going here.
ERDAHL PEACE SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEES
Join World Citizen Peace in celebrating the recent winners of the Erdahl Peace Scholarship. Our Peace Ambassadors submitted outstanding peace proposals. From those the following Peace Ambassadors were selected based upon their proposal’s alignment with our Five Peace Actions and the level of impact and community outreach.
Each recipient will be provided with $250 to help support their peace project. Please join us in congratulating our Peace Ambassadors as they help empower people to create a more just and peaceful world.
Kouakou Michel Konan, Côte d’Ivoire. The project is designed to educate students from this school about peace. First, I will give a presentation about peace, along with another local peace leader from an organization called UFPACI. After the presentation, students will have an art show. The show will be about art and peace. There will be a draw presentation, poetry presentation, song presentation, and role-playing. The best orientation in each category will be awarded to encourage them. Students are sensitized about peace and non-violence. Students know that they can use arts to promote peace and violence is mitigated in the school. A peace club is set up in the school.
Talia Pedersen, Canada. This project aims to organize an 8-week course entitled Introduction to Islam, taught by a local Imam, designed for students and community members near a Christian university in Hawaii. The course seeks to educate participants on the fundamental aspects and history of the Islamic religion and people. This will help to counter prevalent misconceptions about Islam and Muslim communities, fostering a deeper understanding and respect among participants. In light of the often polarized narratives surrounding Islam in the US, this initiative will promote dialogue and peace by providing a firsthand educational experience. The course will accommodate numerous participants, facilitating an inclusive environment where individuals can engage with authentic teachings and perspectives.
Kamilah Pedersen, Hawaii, USA. This project will raise awareness about sexual assault, discuss the prevalence of sexual assault and its effects on individuals and the community, highlighting the need for proactive measures. Promote Healthy Relationships: Encourage open dialogue about respect, communication, and boundaries to foster a culture of consent on campus. Empower Students: Equip participants with tools to intervene safely in potentially harmful situations and support peers who may be affected. Expected Outcomes: Increased understanding of consent among students. Enhanced awareness of sexual assault and its impact. Development of skills to create a supportive and respectful campus culture. Strengthened community ties through shared learning and dialogue. This workshop aims to empower students with knowledge and skills, contributing to a safer, healthier, and more inclusive environment.
Cantalise Ferreira, Hawaii, USA. My project will seek peace within yourself and others, protect the environment, and respect diversity. I want to help address Food Insecurity on my college campus and for students of BYU Hawaii by hosting a collaborative follow along cook night. I want students to understand that healthy eating can be fun and accessible through these cooking classes and by having access to resources available for rent in the library. This program would be an innovative way to combine campus resources such as the local community garden, campus clubs, and the library to prepare and cook healthy meals for a low cost. I plan to connect this project with the Kumuwaiwai center for sustainability to collect fresh local grown fruits and vegetables to use in cooking classes. This community connection will help to inform students of the goals and benefits of the gardens. I plan to work with the Joseph F. Smith Library to have a rental center filled with cooking equipment such as hot plates, bowls, cooking utensils, etc. I plan to work with the school to book a room where at a certain time each month we can hold a cooking class/seminar for the students.
Alexander Gwanvalla, Cameroon. The Anglophone conflict in Cameroon as a result of marginalization of the Northwest and southwest English-speaking parts of Cameroon, the Lake Chad basin crisis – climate related conflict, Incoming refugees from Central African Republic and the escalating violence in the North of Cameroon by Boko haram have left Cameroon hosting refugees and a daily increase in internally displaced persons. Child abuse, women abuse, child soldier on the rise daily, hunger and poverty are some of the challenges faced daily and on the rise. I lead Community Green Engagement Cameroon and serve as the National Coordinator of Kids for Peace Cameroon and Vice President of Parent Teacher Association Mark Inclusive Education Cameroon. I would like to engage decision makers, faith leaders, community leaders, community members, in peace building and learning to live together, bringing all the voices together to deliberate on issues of the community through a process of community consultation. Empower community members and displaced persons on regenerative gardening with a manual from Thrive Institute International on deep soil preparation, seed saving, healthy living, and planting of fruits and bee-friendly trees, beekeeping skills, and education using manuals from Planet Bee Foundation to alleviate poverty and restoring the ecosystem.
GIVE TO THE MAX AND GIVE TO WCP!
Mark your calendars — GIVE TO THE MAX DAY returns for a 16th year on Thursday, November 21, with Early Giving beginning on November 1. World Citizen Peace is partnering with Give Minnesota on our fall fundraiser.
Get ready for an extraordinary event this fall as we come together to make a lasting impact and create a just and peaceful world! World Citizen Peace is excited to join with Give Minnesota for our Fall 2024 Fundraiser. This event is not just a celebration of the season but a powerful commitment to “Empower People to Create a Just and Peaceful World.”
By donating here during November, you make World Citizen Peace eligible to receive prizes and awards worth thousands of dollars from Give Minnesota. That means your contribution of $50 could bring in 20 times that in funding from Give Minnesota.
Together, let’s create waves of change and make the Fall Fundraiser 2024 an unforgettable milestone in our movement toward a more just and peaceful world.
Give Minnesota has helped over 6,000 non-profits by collecting more than $300 million, World Citizen Peace included. Show your passion for peace by joining us this fall.
PEACE AMBASSADOR SPOTLIGHT
GLADYS BINEY, GHANA
In Ghana, peaceful elections are essential for safeguarding democracy. My efforts center on creating awareness about the importance of voting as a peaceful way to influence the future. Through educational campaigns, we emphasize that elections are a time to express diverse opinions constructively, not a cause for conflict. I encourage voters, particularly the youth, to engage in the electoral process with respect for differing views and to use dialogue as a tool for resolving disputes.
Achieving peaceful elections requires collaboration with key community leaders, civil society organizations, and peace advocates. We focus on conflict prevention through early mediation, voter education on electoral processes, and ensuring transparency with robust election monitoring systems. By addressing potential triggers of violence before, during, and after elections, we foster a peaceful environment that encourages high voter turnout without fear of unrest.
I hope to inspire US residents to approach their upcoming election in the same spirit — embracing their civic duty while maintaining peace and respect for one another.
DID YOU KNOW?
The famous artist Pablo Ruiz Picasso created artwork of doves as both pastel sketches and as lithographs on paper. Picasso’s love for the white birds didn’t stop there — he named his fourth child ‘Paloma,’ the Spanish word for ‘dove.’ His illustrations on doves are delicate and simple. The dove is a beautiful yet unassuming bird. Feelings of hope lie within these images.
In 1949 Picasso produced an image titled ‘Dove of Peace,’ it displayed a white dove situated on a black background. The image (under copyright, so we are not displaying it here) was used to illustrate a peace poster presented at the 1949 Paris Peace Congress — it also became an iconographic image of the period.
Here is an image of a dove created by our Peace Ambassador Shawna Fortin, who, like Picasso, expresses her desire for peace with her artwork.
WORLD CITIZEN PEACE THROUGH TIME
You all are aware that World Citizen Peace is guided and empowered by its Five Peace Actions. But did you know that they weren’t always as they are today? They evolved over time as World Citizen evolved and changed itself to better empower people to create a more just and peaceful world.
Here are earlier versions of our Five Peace Actions. Let us know which version you like and what you think about them:
1974 WORLD CITIZEN PEACE CODE OF CONDUCT
- Love thy neighbor, locally, nationally and internationally as thyself.
- Accept the human family concept regardless of differences in race, color, creed, religion or nationality.
- Develop a concern for the serious world problems of war, pollution, starvation, energy shortage, disease and inflation.
- Declare yourself a World Citizen, join the World Federalists or the United Nations Association and support a strong effective UN operating under a system of Just Law and Order as the best hope for the survival of the human family.
- Be a good local and World Citizen.
1990 — People who live and work in Peace Sites and are committed to
- protecting the environment
- promoting intercultural understanding
- seeking peace with themselves and in their relationships
- eliminating world hunger and economic injustice
- promoting world law with justice
2005 to present — Five Peace Actions
- Seek peace within yourself and others
- Reach out in service
- Protect the environment
- Respect diversity
- Be a responsible citizen of the world