On the occasion of International Day of Peace at 21 September 2016, a special event was organised by Peace Revolution, World Peace Initiative Foundation, Pacific Peace Network (PPN) and Aspire Network at University of South Pacific (USP) Performance space, Suva, Fiji.
The United Nation General Assembly has devoted International Day of Peace for strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. The theme of the day for 2016 was “Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace.” The development Goals aims to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure Peace and prosperity for all.
This event was one of the building block for ensuring the peace and enhancing cooperation among pacific countries. In order to engage the young people in harmonious relationship, the ‘Pacific Peace Network’ (PPN) was officially launched by the youth of seven pacific countries including Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Solomon Islands. During the event, other Pacific Island countries also expressed interested in joining the Pacific Peace Network.
The Network aims to cover all Pacific nations and poise to be a common platform for young people across the region to create a happier and prosperous society. This network is intended to organize various events and exchange program by involving young people of pacific region in peace building process. This idea of creating this network was born to give an answer to the growing awareness among people for the urgent need of personal development and attaining inner peace. This initiative is of utmost importance, if we are to resolve the critical issues of our time and contribute peace to our societies.
The programme on International Peace day includes messages of peace from local young leaders, guided meditation session and talk on mindfulness, self-development and stress management.
The celebration event for International Day of Peace 2016 was formally organized by the participants of the First Oceanic Self-Discovery Camp, which was held at Nadi, Fiji from 30th August-4th September, 2016. The first Self-Discovery Camp was attended by 25 young people from eight pacific island nations. The event was an unique opportunity to gather a thriving global community of peace activists and visionaries from different fields, in order to share their stories, brainstorm ideas, launch initiatives, and share an unforgettable experience of solidarity in unfolding our vision of world peace. In this serious, the Second Pacific Self-Discovery Camp will be organised from 24th-28th March 2017 and two weeks long International Pacific Youth Peace Training in Fiji.
Lastly, in order to strengthen the existing ongoing initiatives, the World Peace Initiative Foundation has also launched two weeks long “Pacific Youth Peace Training” with the theme of “Creating Social Empowerment through Inner Peace” in order to provide a long term sustainable support for various peace initiative to pacific island countries.
The training offers a 14 days of intensive training program providing participants with deeper insight in the relationship between inner peace and sustainable world peace and enhancing their ability to create peace within their family, professional and social environment. In addition to mindfulness practice, participants will gain knowledge of various theoretical approaches including conflict resolution and the role of self-disciplines along with Leadership skills.
The training is scheduled from 13th to 26th November 2017 and the last date to apply is 31st July 2017. The application process and more information about the training can be found here
As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world’ as its important to start with ourselves first. Gandhi further said “whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it”. At Peace Revolution, we believe in try making a change every day, even if it’s not a huge one, as small deeds build up to something immense over time. Therefore we invite you to walk the talk with us and join us in making this world a better place to live.
