World Peace Day at Alma

September 21^st is the United Nation’s International Day of Peace, also known as World Peace Day. Alma’s projects focus not only on critical and creative thinking but on harmonious values as well. And when we follow the trails of values such as honesty, respect, generosity, and taking care of the environment and people around you, we invariably arrive at the notion of Peace.

Therefore, to celebrate World Peace Day, students in Alma’s Bibliotecas are focusing over the next month on projects related to peace, what it means, and how they can implement it in their own communities. There are rich academic learning opportunities in the various projects the children develop, but the personal and social learning opportunities are much more profound. In a global culture that can feel ever more chaotic, maybe the voice of children can provide the needed perspective about what kind of world we are leaving for them and future generations. In return, the children themselves can see the tangible results of their own actions locally, while dreaming about their possible impact globally.

To help with that global vision, the children here in Peru will be sharing their projects with other International Day of Peace activities carried out by Alma Kids in Toronto and Newbury Elementary School in Vermont.

Chance Lindsley, Principal of Newbury Elementary, has been instrumental and inspirational in leading the charge for World Peace as a center piece for curriculum in public education and we look forward to sharing his students’ experience with ours and vice versa.

As for Alma Kids, our own superstar volunteer, board member, and all around motivating friend Annie Villaran and newest Alma volunteer Urbino Luna are organizing a group of children in Toronto to play an active role in all things Alma. I can’t wait to get them in touch with the kids down here!

I was recently in San Lorenzo, where students are creating a stop-motion animation short about respect, generosity, and peace. The project is hands-on, creative, meaningful – and the kids are loving it! They are as excited as I am to share their work with other communities in Peru, Canada, and the United States and to speak to them about what peace means here in the Andes.