Picasa Web Albums from 14 February 2010 in Amsterdam
Poems on reflections on peace and love from Israel, Kenya, New Zealand, US, the Netherlands and other countries were shared in the heart of the city with 6,000 Fair Trade roses and local and Gaza carnations.
A night of spoken word performances connected with the idea of peace and more*
Led by international poet maverick Mark Maslow (free-speech-art) ABC Treehouse's Wordplay dedicates its night to the Project - co-hosting with an event in New York the evening will utilize a 'peace prompt' to conjur words meaningful for peace in interpretation, presentation and expression. Poems will be performed in NY and Amsterdam. Perform and have your say on your vision of peace - poems will be available which were shared 14 February with 6,000 flowers - reflections on Sunday's event will also be shared. Friday 19 February.
San Francisco
February 13 2010
Partnering with the Red Vic/Peace House and BuildOn the VPP brings hundreds of FTD Veriflora certified carnations and One World Flowers Fair Trade roses to distribute to the historic Haight St. district with international and local poetic musings on love and peace submitted to valentinepeaceproject.org. Contact Kai at
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to be a part of the give-out!
Connecting the dots to peace - personal, community and global by supporting developing world entrepreneurs, personal experience and conversation and community social action - welcome to the Peaceful World Foundation!
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In a separate action by poet Terri Glass with California Poets in the Schools students were guided through discussion to generating poetic gems to leave as secret surprises around the greater Bay Area for a Valentine Peace weekend.
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Felix Meritis - Amsterdam
Sunday 14 February 2010 * 'Happy through Merit'
Inspired by the ideals of the Enlightenment, the society of Felix Meritis was established in 1777 and serves as an independent international meeting place for European public debate, cultural processes and international projects and exchanges (such as A Soul for Europe). A 'platform for European cultural dialogue and cultural-political issues. The motto of Felix Meritis is Connecting Cultures'.
From Noon onwards on Sunday the 14th more than 3,000 roses and carnations from Holland, Gaza, Zimbabwe and Kenya will be available with copies of poems submitted to valentinepeaceproject.org to distribute as a wider message on Valentine's day to 'seed steps of love and peace'. Bring a bakfiets (cargo bike), your love and peace attitude and take part in city peace performance art!
Israel working together with the Palestinian Authorities and the Dutch government eased the Gaza blockade to let out thousands of carnations and other flowers to assist Palestinian farmers. It is the first time in years that the farmers will be allowed to export the entire harvest.
According to Agricultural Cooperatives and Pal Trade (Palestine Trade Center) strawberries, carnations, and cherry tomatoes have the greatest potential for growth in terms of value and volume income generation for the region.
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I opened my door
and many, many crowded to come in.
I therefore pushed back
the walls of my room
to welcome all my guests.
And my room became the home
of my friends
and my room became the world.
Amir Gilboa - translated by Israeli poet Ada Aharoni, International Forum for the Literature and Culture of Peace
Every product has a story, every country a flower, and every heart a poem . .
Palestinian carnations, Fair Trade Zimbabwe and Kenyan roses and Dutch carnations will be available with international peace messages and poems at the Felix Meritis on the Keizersgracht on Sunday February 14 to hand out throughout the day in Amsterdam.
US Student Peace Alliance
The TVPP working together with the Peace Alliance and the Students Peace Alliance to promote
The Youth PROMISE Act - a breakthrough piece of US legislation that will implement and fund evidence-based practices related to juvenile justice and criminal gang activity - strengthening and supporting prevention and intervention strategies.
Statements, poems and Fair Trade flowers work as a fundraiser for the Alliance in their campaign - sending Valentines to Congressmembers to support the Act.
The 2010 National Student Peace Alliance Conference is from February 26-28th at Southwestern University, Texas. US Student Peace Alliance
Chicago starlight Tekki Lomnicki and her Tellin' Tales Theatre - Workshop Sat. February 6 - Writing, Art, Thoughts on Peace (plus lunch!). Contact
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.
Part Two - Reading of poems and stories Sunday February 14 and then a walk to Millennium Park to share the results! (Sponsored by the Buckingham House Committee).
Poem workshop on writing/reflections on love and peace then to attach to carnations and roses from One World Flowers (oneworldflowers.org) to give away.
Haiti assistance through supplies and wishes of hope
Jason Brock and the PeacePodcast is organizing a fundraiser February 14 2010 in San Diego for Haiti - making donation requests, and sending medical equipment along with crafted Valentine's cards to the island nation:
"The people of San Diego join the world in an effort to provide continued aid to the people of Haiti this Valentine's Day 2010. Local San Diego artists and peace activists have organized a Relief Effort that will include music, art, and poetry in harmony with the theme of the Valentine Peace Project, and through this action will gather and send much needed supplies to the Haitian people. Please visit http://peacepodpodcasts.blogspot.com for audio podcast updates and blog post information."
A statement from the US Peace Alliance on Haiti: Haiti Support
United Network of Young Peacebuilders in The Hague, Netherlands
To celebrate the International Day of Love the United Network of Young Peacebuilders and the Valentine Peace Project are organizing a campaigning day, whereby fair-trade flowers with peace poems will be handed out in public areas - to celebrate and advocate for the wider and varied faces of love in action and the work of peace in the world. Teachers are invited to reflect with students on questions of peace and love and their meaning within the local context, and to create statements or poetry. The winning poems will be shared in the US, Netherlands and other countries as scrolls shared on the street or wrapped around flowers to share in public places, parks, hospitals, train stations or shopping centres as a message of peace. We encourage sharing the statements and poems about the philosophical meaning of Peace and Love within your community.
We also encourage discussions after the day. To facilitate the discussion we ask you to reflect.
How was it to think about the local meaning of love and peace with your students, friends or youth club members?
Did you also engage in sharing the poems and statements in your community? If yes, how did the community react?
Thank you for participating in this wider vision of 14 February - Valentine's Day!
UNOY Peacebuilders is a global network of affiliated members and organizations active in the field of peacebuilding and conflict transformation. More members and affiliates use artistic means to work on the prevention of violence, or to address the negative consequences of it. This is one of the reasons why the 11th African Conference, held in November 2009 in the Netherlands, was dedicated to the exchange and learning of how to utilize different art means (comics, participatory videoing, peace poetry, dance, theatre and new media) to work on positive societal change. The Peace Poetry Contest is a follow up activity of this conference.
The VPP also works to highlight Fair Trade and distribute Fair Trade flowers (many from Kenya) and/or Fair Trade chocolate. Many of these products are shared around the world in February and we want to draw attention to the economic justice of Fair Trade in these Valentine industries.
Los Angeles Gallery Event
Avenue 50 Studios in Highland Park, Los Angeles Poetry & Peace, A Night of Poetry, Music & Art
Join us with almost a dozen performing poets plus musician Rick Wilson.
We will be creating poem-wrapped flowers this evening as a call to peace.
Peace is freedom from the pain. Victory over the deep hurts. Love that will flow to others. Able to be the real me in my own country. (Cindy Rinne)
Zimbabwe Passion
From a table strewn with Zimbabwean roses Belgian author Patrice Delchambre introduced her Zimbabwean partner who sang a Zimbabwe greeting of love and peace to begin the evening of poetry from her collection Zimbabwe - een bijzondere passie (a special passion) - as a benefit for the Lawyers for Human Rights in Zimbabwe.
From Hub Amsterdam - Patrice shared flowers, food and stories from the Southern African country and an overview of the current political climate and the people's organization and hope.
The gorgeous flame lily represents a country of beauty and hope preparing to return to its former glory.
As awareness grows on the issues of chocolate development from child labor to issues of productivity on the sweet and unsweetened treat - including a significant contribution this past February to the World Cocoa Foundation by the Gates Foundation - Hub Amsterdam in conjunction with Hub Oaxaca hosted a brainstorm with various innovators as well as members of the Port of Amsterdam as part of the Choca festival (english link at bottom of page).
What are better ways to bring awareness to the chocolate supply chain and its impact on Africa and the consumer? How can this original ancient Food of the Gods better reflect a healthier and conscious global community?
One student's personal poetic view on the emotions of chocolate contributed to the Valentine Peace Project:
Promising "examples of some of the most innovative, vibrant and potent arts-infused approaches for conflict transformation from around the globe" Professor Judith Marcuse is just one of the presentors at the Peace Palace in The Hague for the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) and Building Peace in Africa.
The VPP was there sharing inspiring poetry submissions and with other peace initiatives- working together, sharing ideas and information, and promoting united world faith bracelets from Peace Mala in Wales, Fair Trade Ecuador roses from the Flower Label Program in Germany and creative card images from Daniel Dancer's Artforthesky in the US.
Bringing innovative business entrepreneurs, NGOs (community non-profits), and artistic strategies to methods of international peacebuilding.
Historical Peace Palace - "At the end of the 19th century, the idea of world peace was blooming as never before . ."
Fair Trade Weeks
All through the year, including Valentine's day, many products we associate with love - flowers and chocolate - are not as pure as they could be. It's an evolving story and companies don't change overnight - we support the process and promote those that do.
Components for powerful peace are justice, fairness and sustainability - one of the Millennium Goals is working to eliminate poverty and a fair wage promises that.
Using the Earth Charter as a peace of discussion and celebration from debates, music and dialogue on violence and the practice of non-violence particularly in the city of Rotterdam. Pax Christi celebrated the end of Peace Week (vredesweek.nl) - Sunday 27 September 2009.
We'll be quizzing Rotterdamers on their feelings about peace, personal and global and their responses to the Earth Charter and its vision and showing video interviews of Amsterdammers current reflections on meanings of peace.
A few weeks before the International Day of Peace (21 September) - members of Hub Amsterdam asked Amsterdammers a variety of questions on the nature of Peace - personal and global. This is what they said.
The community center of the pijp neighborhood in Amsterdam (buurtcentrum) worked on a community Valentine's day with 500 colorful carnations and poems from Amsterdam and around the world to wrap around them.
A neighborhood valentine - peace in the pijp - with drawings and peace valentine wishes made on the street. Poetry and flowers were distributed in the neighborhood and also the local Albert Cuyp Market - on Saturday 14 February.
Hub Berlin is the Berlin branch of the global Hub network (the-hub.net) - a social enterprise to inspire and support imaginative and enterprising intiatives for a better world. Members of Hub Berlin promoted the project to expand the campaign for a larger love valentine expression in the world!
Poems and quotes were assembled with flowers for distribution:
"Until one extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man will not find peace." Nobel peace prize recipient Albert Schweitzer
Led by Steven Dahlberg the Connecticut-based International Centre for Creativity and Imagination is a firm dedicated to applying creativity to improve the well-being of individuals, organizations and communities.
Steven's Creativity blog which highlights the Project explores ideas about creativity, creative thinking, creative problem solving, innovation and applied imagination in reinventing new solutions to social problems.
The Readers Blog of Ode magazine - the online community of intelligent optimists.
A collection of provocative, passionate people who represent a broad geographical, professional, personal and vocational range. Dr. Susan Corso presents the project in her featured blog.
Founded by Christine Escobar, Green Parent Chicago is a welcoming harbor for Chicago area parents interested in natural family living and caring for the environment.
Featured story on the project - greenparentchicago.com
Participants in the Project in Chicago include Code Pink, Neighborhood Writing Alliance, Harold Washington Library, Chicago Park District, Silverspace and Mess Hall.
Downtown San Francisco
The SF team of the project will be meeting at the North of Market/Tenderloin Community Benefit District located at 134 Golden Gate Avenue, Suite A at 4:30pm on Friday February 13, 2009. We will share poems and prepare the flowers.
Poems and carnations will be distributed at Justin Herman Plaza Saturday 14 February at One Market Street in downtown San Francisco. 12:30pm.
Lesson plans generated with co-creators - Buildon.org!
To participate contact Kai Wilson at
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Peace Poetry Garden
North Amsterdam
Children from Elzenhagen Elementary School will come to the Noorderparkkamer Friday 13 February to attach poems prepared in school to flowers from the Project, which they will hand out later that day in Amsterdam Noord. After a storyteller's tale on themes of peace and love the kids will plant flower bulbs in a poetry-garden. Their poems will be integrated in a large art display created for the poetry garden.
Everyone is invited to plant a flower bulb in the garden.
INHOLLAND together with the ACKUculturalofficewilljoin The Valentine Peace Project during INTERNATIONAL WEEK 9- 12 February.
The International Week is a project of INHOLLAND- University of Appllied Sciences in The Hague.
On Wednesday the 11thof Februarythe school will showcase the diverse talents of the students and led by Mr. Valentine (Valentijn Schulz) hundreds of flowers and poems will be shared as a peace valentine present . .
Enlightening songs in Amsterdam
Music night hosted by local leading man Luke Nyman
with Travlin' Tunes Tour - Luke, MiRco en Nadie, Ro Halfhide and The Woodwards.
11 February Wednesday - 21:30 at Sappho's in Amsterdam - Vizelstraat 103 - sappho.nl
Enlightening Songs for Troubled Times or (What's so funny about Peace, Love and Understanding?)
Peace & Political poetry evening
An open mic Evening of Peace and Political Poetry by the Valentine Peace Project and the American Book Center
ABC Treehouse Voetboogstraat 11 1012 XK Amsterdam
Please share poems, musings and songs on what peace means to you. Other topics can be - community or global citizenship, what does it mean to be a World Citizen in the 21st century?, the US elections, the growing EU, inner peace, (r)evolution and dare we say it ... Love.
Choosing Peace "The Choice of Non Violence" with CodePink, led by Sue Eleuterio.
A special seminar on different strategies of creative resistance to war and policy- writing exercises to inspire thoughts, ideas and responses on the subject.
Writings generated will be spread in the Chicago neighborhood February 5.
Sponsored by Neighborhood Writing Alliance (Journal of Ordinary Thought - jot.org) Thanks - FTD - providing Veriflora certified carnations.
"An international newsgroup, photo album and discussion of humankind's relationship with the floral world. We report on art, medicine, society, history, politics, religion, and commerce."
Getting ready for a love magic holiday HFP reports on the Project and Founder Federico Hewson with links to last year's photo album.
Love - The Poet & Philosophers journey Host: Martyn Claybrough - Philosopher / Soul coach -www.soulliberation.com
Within a space of trust and openness we will explore and enter together the realms of love, its mystery, and the limitations we attach to love, and then gently liberate love via our inner poet and philosopher, allowing them space to breathe and find expression in your life.
Sunday 25th January 13:00 - 16:00
Location: De Roos,Centrum voor Creatieve & Spirituele Groei P.C. Hooftstraat 183, 1071 BW Amsterdam
TVPP is developing new images to represent peace and global unity in the 21st century for a line of alternative valentine cards. Besides the familiar white peace dove what other images or symbols represent peace or current technological society working towards sustainability and non-violence? What photos or designs convey this message to you? Working together with poets, artists and world citizens the Valentine Peace Project aims to share dynamic messages and images about global unity, creative solutions to conflict and budding world citizenship. If you would like to submit an image for consideration please send it to
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.
UN Peace Day
21 September - International Day of Peace
The Valentine Peace Project worked with the Jane Goodall Institute - Netherlands on the Day of Peace - designated by the United Nations and recognized around the world. Peace Messenger and environmentalist Jane Goodall's international youth program Roots & Shoots work on peace actions around the globe each year on 21 September. Rootsandshoots.org
In Amsterdam adults and children were requested to write messages of peace for their neighborhood or the world in the local Nazomer - after summer festival in De Pijp. Painted doves with messages by the Oscar Carre school were displayed along with the tools to create and paint your own.
This small city in the East of Holland not far from the German border participated this past February with citizens and students distributing roses with poems in Dutch and English in different locations around the city.
Members of the Student Council of this school in NY sold candygrams consisting of peace poems, carnations
and chocolate kisses. Money raised was sent to Save Darfur. Creating a community service Valentine!
Students from this large school in Amsterdam went to Lucas Andreas Hospital to give away flowers and peace poems 'not to take romantic love away from the spotlight but to expand the total concept of 'love' and Valentine's day with peace, respect and community.'
North Amsterdam Radio featured students from the Dorus Rijkers school reading their poetry and singing on air - on their special Valentine's program featuring the Project.
Select February 14 to hear the program at 11:45am -
Avenue 50 Studios in Highland Park, Los Angeles