JOIN USStudents from across 60 schools in the City will come together to spread the message of peace on International World Peace Day this month.
These students, from both private and government schools, are all set to take a pledge for strengthening harmony.
At least 1,000 students from various schools in the City will spend one hour on September 21, 23 or 24 on a worldwide interactive project, ‘Peace Crane Project’.
Not only children from the City, there will also be children from across various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, England, France, Russia, Hong Kong, Africa, Nepal, Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon and Sri Lanka who will be part of the peace-keeping initiative.
The project invites every child in the world to compose a poem, write a message or paint a picture of peace and fold it into an origami crane. The cranes can then be shared in the community or exchanged with children from around the world through the Peace Crane Project website.
Any school, individual or community can be a part of the peace crane project by having themselves registered online.
Details are available on the Peace Crane website and there are no registration charges. Schools can either have themselves registered and click photographs of the origami art work and upload the pictures online for which they will receive a certificate.
They can also exchange their art work with the children from another school that is listed on the website. The school, however, must be ready to bear the postal charges.
Armed with arts
The Peace Crane project is initiated by a United States-based non-government organisation called Armed with Arts.
“They can draw, paint, write poems and then fold it into an origami crane to show their participation,” explained Kranthi Varma, the Indian head for Armed with Arts. The children would also be taught simple dance steps or songs to creatively express themselves for the cause.
Both Varma and his Australian counterpart, Rubia Braun, with a group of volunteers, will go to schools in the City and in Mysore and Mandya to spread the message.
“The United Nations is of the firm belief that if we have children participate, then awareness can be created among adults also. Hence the initiative,” said Varma.
Currently, Jain University has agreed to send its art pieces to another school in the United States of America, said Varma, adding that it would be great if more schools could do the same.