Recently there was an exhibition of work young people had done in Novi Sad, Serbia. We share some of the points they made in that exhibition:
I wish to all people that there is no war.
I would tell all people not to go to war, not to argue and fight, not to do ugly things.
I would like for there never to be a war, I would like for fights to never exist.
People should not make war and make noise to people who are resting.
Silence is a kind of peace because it is the door of silence. I would like that no nation would ever quarrel with other nations.
Peace begins within us in one good word and the decision to be gentle with one another.
Peace is a state when everything around you and in you is quietly stable and without tension. An environment that is peaceful.
Your emotions that are balanced, your mind that is quiet and does not overturn thoughts constantly.
You people love each other a lot.
I want people to have some peace and tranquility, let’s be people.
Cooperation, support, respect, reconciliation, harmony, apology.
Peace, friendship, harmony, apology, respect, relaxation, harmony, team. Peace, cooperation, respect, camaraderie, calmness of people. There should always be peace.
Peace should always be kept.
Peace is the ability of people to listen, understand and respect each other even when they disagree. The world we live in is full of diversity. It is precisely these differences that make humanity richer, but they can also be a source of misunderstanding if we do not accept them with an open heart. Being at peace does not mean being the same. It means learning to live next to each other without fear of hatred and violence.
And from Peter in Zimbabwe, part of the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship Peace Poetry Project
What divides us;
That divides us
I can send a message sweet
To say I care for you.
No barrier is too big.
For those who talk peace
In a manner constructive!
Honest dialogue is peace’s mother
The silent shall be melancholy’s children
Communication that builds not destroys
Is possible in our lifetime
Let us all work together
To shout Hallelujah
By the gates of Eden.
Peter, Zimbabwe
Last, but not least, A Poem by the Young Ambassadors for Peace
Grange Primary School
“I Am Grateful”
I am grateful for the teachers, I am grateful for the people,
who guide us every day, who support me when I fall,
for showing us the path of peace who remind me I am capable
and lighting up the way. and help me stand up tall.
I am grateful for the calmness, I am grateful for my friends,
that settles in my heart, for every laugh we share,
for moments when the world feels soft for the way they lift my spirits
and worries fall apart. and show me they are there.
I am grateful for my family, I am grateful for my health,
so many who love me so, for running, playing, fun,
for hugs that feel like safety for the strength inside my body
and care that helps me grow. and the beating of my drum.
I am grateful for the food I eat, I am grateful for the sunshine,
for every plate and bite, for trees and sky and air,
remembering that somewhere else for nature’s quiet whisper
someone sleeps hungry at night. that tells me to take care.
I am grateful for my brother, I am grateful for the chances
annoying, loud, and sweet, to learn, explore, and see,
for the kindness in his laughter for every new adventure
and the love beneath his feet. that shapes who I will be.
I am grateful for my school, And most of all, I’m grateful,
for Grange Primary’s open door, for kindness – pure and true,
for teachers who believe in me for the kindness that I’m given
and help me to explore. and the kindness I can do.
I am grateful for my home,
a place where I feel safe,
where warmth wraps round my shoulders
like a soft and gentle embrace.