Jodie spoke about the "field of generosity".
Andrew taught us that social peace must include
social opportunities.
Laura reminded us that peace is a practice and invited us to commit to one another.
Erin said for us to begin by saying 'hi' to our neighbor.
I was moved by the level of service represented in this circle of peacemakers. Each of them has put their hand to their city, their nation, their world in order to lift it out of our old programming (as both Jodie and Laura especially spoke to--the assumptions we make that we have to let go of!) and to intervene in our old oppressive societal structures.
You will love this next hour and a half as much as I did.
The Third Edition of A Conversation with Leading Peacemakers is now available for you to watch.
It will be available for several days so that you can watch it when you have some time to relax into it.
If you would like to share with your friends, could you please invite them to sign up
HERE? Thanks!
Peace be unto you,
Jennifer Boyatt
"Thank you Jennifer and thanks to the other presenters, Laura, Erin, Judy for setting the pace here..I mean, we all know how it works, peace building can be sometimes be frustrating for peace activist, it is a challenging experience. But with the kind of energy like we demonstrate here, the passion and commitment there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, there is always hope, and with this hope comes our own nature to inspire others in our own generation to change the way they are.
I always believe that peace is not only a core human value, but a core human rights and for every generation that is confronted with different challenges there needs inspiring people to come into the fray to help stabilize societies.
Whilst seeking refuge in Guinea, I didn't sulk to the problems of being a refugee, I looked at the possibilities of helping people in the communities there and other compatriots of mine. I joined the campaign for good Governance in Guinea whilst I was a refugee creating this advocacy materials with the hope of creating awareness not just in Guinea but across the world about the plight of Sierra Leone.
In 1999, I developed the concept of opportunities for youth and children because I realized that just saying peace, you know, live in peace and non-violence without the opportunities that will bear will not create the necessary change that you want, because
peace has to come with opportunities, it has to provide the leverage for people to overcome the challenges that they have, to overcome poverty, to be able to live without hunger and starvation, to have the basic necessities of life, clean water etc. with that in mind, I thought about how I can generate programs that could help to build not just the peace, but education, hope and transformation in the lives of young people
When the war finished and the government was reinstated, in 1998, I had to return to Sierra Leone to finish my undergrad. And during that time, I wrote my dissertation on Gender Politics, and the role of women, knowing that peace process and democracies has been supported on all fronts by women as well as young people.
So, there are four aspects of my intervention: One is democratization, the second is human rights, the third is peacebuilding and the fourth is innovation and creativity.
So, I caught up with the international education and resources network in New York through Dr. Ed. Gragert who became my first contact, and he said what can you do in Sierra Leone to help create awareness about peace programs through telecommunication? as a result of that, I talked with the local government through the Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Dennis Bright, who welcome the idea of me creating innovative centers for peace programs.
I shipped my first computers from Computer Aid International in UK, going back and forth in England to help create awareness about it and shipping them and setting up the computers in such a way that, children can have a safe environment where they could learn, and grow and train. Thanks to the Minister of youth and sports at the time, who created the initial center, i was opportune to provide 20 workstations and connected them to the internet. But before that time, I had the obligation to go to computer centers and internet cafes and shepherd young people at different cafes so that they could have sometime on the internet. the time we had was helping us to showcase their stories about how they got involved in the war as child soldiers. I decided to expand the program beyond just war affected youth and those who have fought in the war as child soldiers, to include all and sundry students from a variety of schools in the country. I started to speak at different schools encouraging teachers and principals to be aware about how innovation could help transforming information at a steady pace and create connections that could heal and create peaceful co-existence beyond borders. so, the centers grew to include schools in communities where i shipped computers and helped set them up in schools.
The child soldiers project actually had its root in a friendship between myself and a Canadian teacher Bill Belsey in Alberta in Canada, and the two of us talked collaboratively about what we can do to help the children of Sierra Leone heal from the war. We met in China in the summer of 2000 and i shared my stories of peace promotion and human rights, and how technologies can help to facilitate that, and he was moved by the steadfastness and my courage to create this kind of opportunity. so, on returning home i was able to get his support through letters that he sent as a moral support that could help my projects to go on. This created further connections. I was able to connect with war-child Canada, we developed a project called the no war zone. this was a collaborative project that helped children in war zones to talk about the effects of war in their lives their families and communities through storytelling and through arts. the project expanded in three other countries affected by conflicts in Columbia, in Angola in Afghanistan and all three countries were able to adapt the project. in 2003, the cable and Wireless, ChildNet awards at the science museum in London recognized our efforts as one of the best digital ideas that creates opportunities for the children. this endorsement was very significant because it creates added impetus for our work, it created the platform so that we can expand, the UN recognized our efforts as well.
These connections were very vital because it provided young people with the opportunities not just within their communities, but to see beyond borders. it also provided hope for children in different countries to commiserate with their plight, you know, sharing thoughts of empathy, you know, encouraging them in the face of the high odds they faced.
As the program grew, I was able to include other programs like video documentaries, creative writing, short stories, and drama, and these were also helpful in the healing process. And these opportunities also chiseled in young people the fact that they are not just victims of war, but they could be transformative agents in societies, many of them went on to be videographers, worked on radio and TV, many of them have created their own innovation centers to replicate the initial center. as the work grew i was able to share my experiences in over 30 countries about my work and developing training and curricula programs that have been used for education for peace and non-violence ".
[Andrew Speaking at 'The Rise of the Peacemaker']
Comments