International Day of Peace
September 21
See us on YouTube
Video of the
International Day of Peace 2008 featuring the Peace Choir and Greg
Mortenson
Video of the evening performance of the Peace Choir at the
Coronado Theater Sept 2008
Day of Peace Schedule of Events
What is the International Day of Peace?
The International Day of Peace, established by United Nations resolution in 1981, provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of Peace on a shared date (September 21). Around the world, the International Day of Peace is used to highlight the U.N. Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, 2001 to 2010. The International Day of Peace (IDOP) has been celebrated annually at the Peace Plaza in Rockford since 2003,
hosted by the Keeling and Puri families.
How is the Day of Peace celebrated at
the Keeling-Puri Peace Plaza
At the International Day of Peace, 2,000 individuals from the Rock River Valley, including over 1,300 elementary school children learn to:
- Celebrate the cultural heritage of our community
- Understand and appreciate individual differences and similarities
- Become aware of our responsibilities as global citizens to strive for peace in our world
Children, grades three through five, learn about peace through classroom study, music, Peace Day activities and meeting community and global peacemakers.
The Keeling-Puri Peace Plaza and The International Day of Peace |
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As its mission, the Peace Plaza strives to:
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Features at the Peace Plaza:
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International Day of Peace Activities
Promoting peace through education
Schools receive books about peace for their classroom or library, curriculum support and passport holders for each child to participate in Day of Peace activities at the Peace Plaza.
Promoting peace through music
One Drum Multicultural Music Ensemble (with music roots of Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean and the Americas) engages children during the week prior to the Day of Peace. One Drum emcees the Day of Peace, with interactive dancing, drumming, and singing. Schools are also encouraged to prepare songs, or dances to perform at the Day of Peace.
The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois and the Illinois Arts Council
provide funding for One Drum's workshops in schools and performances with
children attending the International Day of Peace .
Promoting peace through experiential learning
Hands-on activities have included flying giant peace doves, making “whirled peace” pinwheels, learning about the “power of the penny” and writing messages of peace on prayer flags.
Promoting peace by talking with peacemaker role models
Two recent special guests have included: Greg Mortenson (author of Three Cups of Tea and founder of the Central Asia Institute and Pennies for Peace); and “Jane Addams” (1931 Nobel Peace Prize winner and graduate of Rockford College).
For more information, or to participate in Rockford's International Day of Peace, contact Tom or Sandy McCullough.
Other Day of Peace Community Activities
The Rock River Valley community raised over $100,000 for Greg Mortenson’s Pennies for Peace Foundation to build and endow a school for the children of a village in remote Pakistan or Afghanistan. Our community’s involvement, spearheaded by the children, expanded to 50,000 donors and included most of our schools, as well as area businesses and individuals.
“This project captured the hearts of our children and community. In addition to the lessons of philanthropy and personal responsibility, the Pennies for Peace effort was a gift to ourselves, reminding us of the value of education for everyone in the world as a tool to peace, understanding and success in the future” said Jim Keeling, co-founder of the Keeling-Puri Peace Plaza.
At Peace Plaza,
One World
Comes Together.
May Peace Prevail on Earth