Today may be Mid-Autumn Festival in China and parts of Southeast Asia, but on a grander scale, did you know that Sep 21 is observed around the world as the International Day of Peace?
Peace Day provides a valuable opportunity for students to consider the concept of peace and how they can be peace-builders in their communities, as well as to express their visions for peace – whether they be personal, local, and/or global. Observing Peace Day is also a powerful way to facilitate dialogues around interpersonal respect, compassion, and local/global citizenship. Peace Day activities are flexible and can connect with multiple curriculum areas and anti-bullying programs.
We invite you to join the efforts of the United Nations family by taking part in any of the following activities:
- Observe a minute of silence at noon on Sep 21 in the spirit of our shared humanity and desire for peace. This is a global activity that takes place in all time zones. Join the peace wave! You can silently say to yourself, “Breathe In World, Breathe Out Peace.”
- Plant a peace pole (there are more than 500,000 of these worldwide!), peace rocks, or a peace garden at home or on your school grounds.
- Organize or take part in a local volunteer project or a fundraiser to benefit people somewhere else in the world.
- Make and display “Pinwheels for Peace” outside your school, with art images on one side and wishes for peace on the other.
- Use sidewalk chalk to draw images of peace on your playground or sidewalks outside your school.
- Join the global “One Day One Dance” initiative!
- Watch “I Will Be a Hummingbird” (two-minute animated video) and then talk/write about how you can play your part in a more peaceful world.
- Have each student write and draw a Peace Pledge (you can download a template from the UN website). Students should be encouraged to put their peace pledges where they can see them daily.
- Write a letter to a child from a part of the world where there is conflict. Teachers can help research information about children elsewhere. Think about what it must be like to live in an area where there is war, displacement, lack of basic services, etc. (Suggested for 4th and 5th graders.)
- Research and write about one or more of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
Whatever you choose to do, share your Peace Day activities, ideas, and messages using the hashtag #peaceday.
The 2021 theme for the International Day of Peace is “Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world.” We can celebrate peace by standing up against acts of hate online and offline, and by spreading compassion, kindness, and perhaps most importantly, hope.
As we heal from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are inspired to think creatively and collectively about how to help everyone recover better, how to build resilience, and how to transform our world into one that is more equal, more just, equitable, inclusive, sustainable, and healthier.
The pandemic has been accompanied by a surge in stigma, discrimination, and hatred, which only cost more lives instead of saving them: the virus attacks all without caring about where we are from or what we believe in. Confronting this common enemy, we must be reminded that we are not each other’s enemy. To be able to recover from the devastation of the pandemic, we must make peace with one another.
And we must make peace with nature. Despite the travel restrictions and economic shutdowns, climate change is not on pause. What we need is a green and sustainable global economy that produces jobs, reduces emissions, and mitigates problems impacting the climate.
The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire.
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Images: United Nations / Manuel Elias
