Peace

It may never have occurred to you when you were kind to someone who was different or when you took a time out so that you wouldn't hit your brother or sister that you were working for world peace.

But guess what -- that's just what you were doing. Because every time we make a choice that creates more peace in our own life....we are practicing a way of being, a way of doing that can stick with us our whole life long and have huge consequences, for ourselves, for our families, and for many others who touch our lives.

Perhaps no one can say where the little choices we make in our lives will lead, nor what big choices we may have to make later in our lives.

But one things for sure, the people you see or hear about who do things that really hurt people (sometimes large numbers of people) almost certainly did not get enough practice making peaceful choices -- before their lives took them to them moment where they began doing serious harm to themselves and to others.

If they had been practicing the art of choosing peace long before that moment, then they would have known the right thing to do when the time came.

So now is the time to begin asking yourself, "What can I do to create more peace, in my own life... and in the world?" Look over the links below for more information on how you can help create peace in the world. Then talk it over with your family, your friends, and your teacher. Make a plan for what action you can begin taking, right now.

Meditation exercise

Amnesty International -- Act Now!

Did you know that kids have written letters to leaders of other countries to get other kids freed from prison and from forced military duty? Yes, they have. And you can too. Contact Amnesty International to find out what you can do to help.

Children's Peace Prize

The International Children's Peace Prize is presented annually to a child, whose courageous or otherwise remarkable acts have made a difference in countering problems, which affect children around the world.

International Committee of the Red Cross

The Red Cross does more than give out bandages and blankets in times of disaster. In countries torn apart by war, members of the Red Cross have taken an active role in trying to negotiate peace between warring groups. They also work to convince people to respect humanitarian law [to lessen the cruelty inflicted], help reconnect families torn apart by war and disaster, and provide information about crisis situations in other countries long after our own news media has grown bored and stopped talking about it.

To make a donation or to learn more about what's going on in the world, check them out!

Life-Link Friendship-Schools

This Swedish based organization has contacts in 60 countries around the world. It "aims to promote contact and cooperation between young people around the world and their schools, through active participation in shared projects, vital for our time (e.g. Environment, Human Rights, Conflict Resolution and Constructive Collaboration)." Check it out and learn how you can take action for Peace.

Peace Crafts

Peace crafts and peace art themes are popular in all cultures throughout the world.

Peace Pal Projects

The Peace Pal Projects are the work of One People, One Planet whose visions states that, "The children of the world will no longer see war or mutual hostility as an acceptable condition, because they have learned to accept and value each others’ differences."

Pennies for Peace

War and hatred is fed by ignorance, frustration, and the despairing belief that only violence can make change. But in his travels through the mountains of Pakistan, chronicled in his book Three Cups of Tea, Dr. Greg Mortenson rediscovered the fact that education, and the positive opportunities it created, could help set young people on the path toward peace and prosperity - even when many outsiders thought these same young people were inevitably fated to embrace violence, bigotry, and hatred.

The Pennies for Peace project is a grass roots effort to raise money to build schools for those who would otherwise have none. Learn more

Promote Tolerance

40 terrific ideas you can use to promote tolerance and peace.

Resolving Conflicts