Seek peace within yourself and others • Reach out in service • Protect the environment
Respect diversity • Be a responsible citizen of the world

Dalai Lama XIV: “World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.”

Photo: Alphabet Forest, mnstatefair.org

This summer World Citizen Peace heads to the Great Minnesota Get-Together, the Minnesota State Fair and to the popular booth, the Alphabet Forest. The Alphabet Forest was the brainchild of children’s author Debra Frasier of On the Day You Were Born and has grown into a lively literary booth for kids of all ages. Children enjoy hands-on activities and opportunities to meet Minnesota “Blue Ribbon” children’s authors as they read their books in their own voices.

We at World Citizen Peace are proud that the Alphabet Forest has been a World Citizen Peace Site since 2013. On Friday, August 23, Debra Frasier and World Citizen Peace Board Members and friends will rededicate the Alphabet Forest as a Peace Site and renew commitments to World Citizen Peace’s mission, to “empower people to create a just and peaceful world.” Join us at the Alphabet Forest on Friday, August 23 at 2:30 pm for the rededication and stay for an origami peace activity led by World Citizen Board members. See you at the Fair!

Your commitment to peace is truly inspiring, and we are deeply grateful for your ongoing support. Together, we are making a tangible difference in the pursuit of a more peaceful world. Please contribute to World Citizen Peace by clicking on the Donate Now button below. We can’t do this without you!

The following is taken from a speech given by Peace Ambassador Vivek Goyal at the Rotary event in Jaipur, India:

I would like to thank all the Rotarians present here for their valuable time. This is the first step towards our common goal. We aim to build a strong collaboration and friendship between our Rotary Districts in the future. We are excited to share with you a collaboration project aimed at fostering peace and harmony within our communities and beyond. As we both are peacebuilder clubs, with great enthusiasm and a sincere commitment to promoting peace.

We take a step forward with the establishment of “Peace Building Benches” at a public place in Jaipur, India. In today’s world, marked by conflict and discord, it is crucial to cultivate spaces where individuals can come together to promote peace and understanding. Public parks, Educational institutions and places of high footfall serve as ideal venues for fostering community engagement and interaction. By installing Peace Building Benches, we aim to create a tangible symbol of unity and cooperation within our city.

Our projects also include planting trees, which are critical due to the monsoon season in Southeast Asia, and an awareness session on maternal and child health, which is also the rotary theme for July. Peace begins at home, so mother and child’s health is very important.

Our peace project in collaboration with Barrington RC, D6440, USA is also in place. The launch event is still in waiting and it’s a bit delayed due to the rotary year ending and the new rotary club board has just taken charge. Once that mega event is organized, I will surely post the pictures on World Citizen Peace Facebook page.

Recently Peace Ambassador James A. Olugbohunmi attended a peace conference and also presented a paper titled “Legal Framework and Ethics of the Justices of Peace.” He is actively promoting a more just and peaceful world in a variety of official positions, including:

The International Day of Peace (“Peace Day”) is on September 21. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace. 

You can help celebrate Peace Day and promote peace by establishing a World Citizen Peace Site in your school, neighborhood, workplace, public space, or where ever! As part of our commitment to celebrating Peace Day we are offering $50 off the price of a Peace Site during the month of August.

Show the world your commitment to Peace Day and order your Peace Site by going to this page on our site.

In early 2013, long-time Montessori teacher Kathy Adams approached me and suggested that we get a peace pole. Kathy was excited to share the purpose of the peace pole and how we could express wishes for peace in languages that were meaningful to our community. It was my first year as Head of School at Harbor Montessori School and we had a budget that was so tight, I was afraid to veer from it by even a single penny. However, Kathy, who was a persuasive gal, said something along the lines of “how could we afford not to get one?” And so we did.

A small group of teachers got together and chose the languages — English, Italian for Maria Montessori, American Sign Language, and Coastal Salish in honor of the many nations and tribes whose land we benefit from here in Gig Harbor, Washington.

About four or five years later we became aware of the opportunity to become an International Peace Site. We researched the five peace actions from World Citizen. The peace actions aligned well with our school values. Our teachers, families, and students were excited to dedicate HMS as an International Peace Site, and what better day to do that than on the United Nations International Day of Peace? Our joy and commitment to peace was seen far and wide via our social media and our local newspaper. The journalist was impressed with our commitment to a peaceful and inclusive world.

We have many traditions at school, and one of our favorite is to gather around the Peace Pole on the International Day of Peace and “Sing Peace Around the World.” It is one of the few times that students from our Infant Room through our Junior High program all gather together. In the past few years we have added additional campuses to our Harbor Montessori School family. I am proud and honored that each campus has a beautiful Peace Pole and we continue to “Sing Peace … ” together every year.

In the fall of 2021, we dedicated our Peace Pole to Kathy Adams who had passed away that summer. We know that Kathy’s spirit of peace continues on with us here at HMS. We are proud to be a school that continues to recognize the importance of being engaged and peaceful world citizens!

Aimee Allen, M. Ed.
Harbor Montessori School

The International Day of Non-Violence, celebrated on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, emphasizes the power of non-violent resistance and peaceful means to achieve social and political change.

It was established on 15 June 2007 according to United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/61/271. The day is an occasion to "disseminate the message of non-violence … through education and public awareness ... and reaffirm the desire for a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence."

In 1982 World Citizen Peace became a tax deductible organization that promoted global education and the UN’s World Citizenship values to Minnesota schools. We were formally launched on UN Day with the support of Richard Green, Superintendent of Schools, Jack Edie, Headmaster of Blake Schools, and Reverend John Cummins of the First Universalist Church.

Initially World Citizen Peace focused on forming peace clubs with community schools and churches. Our very first project was with Sanford Junior High School in collaboration with Craig Swensen, a science teacher deeply committed to promoting peace. 

One early project was to have students from Sanford travel around the world carrying a beautiful banner. As the students traveled to various countries, they would let other students sign the banner. We helped students learn and appreciate the cultures, values, religions, and languages of others. This belief is still a core principle of World Citizen Peace and remains one of our Five Peace Actions: Be a Responsible Citizen of the World.