The more than two week Imagine festival is all things for kids of all ages in wonder and imagination. Including children hosts, DJ Doctor Octopus and Private Peaceful - the 14th is one day to contribute to children's creativity, literature and music.
The Project will distribute hundreds of submitted poems - particularly those written by US children on a peace themed Valentine's Day - their thoughts on chocolate, shopping, love, peace and the Sub for Cupid. Two thousand roses from Zimbabwe will be distributed provided by Global Flower Trading in the Netherlands - 'participating in Fair Trade - dialogue, transparency and respect in sustainable development.'
Join hundreds of kids and adults and share in a Valentine's Day of love, peace and creative community.
Peace Day * The Hague & London
Share a Peace
London
11am - Volunteers of the VPP and Thinking Flowers? (contact
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to participate) will hand out dozens of VPP poems and reflections on peace from around the world in varied languages - to international visitors and guests strolling along the Southbank Centre on Wednesday 21 September 2011 - the International Day of Peace.
Join us and bring flowers to share with the poems. These gifts of peace are a reminder of this important day to think and act on what peace means in our lives and in the world. Give out beautiful and intimate words of peace submitted to the Project to give away in shared international reflection.
The Hague
Week long activities with themes of peace participation and art start on 17 September 2011 from UNOY (United Network of Young Peacebuilders). Fairtrade roses provided by Global Flower Trading. (Ask for Fairtrade flowers and support economic justice.) Other partners with UNOY besides the VPP are the American Book Center, the Miles Davis festival, The Hague World Forum, and Cafe Quirky. On-line activites include Blogs for Peace: Young people living in (post) conflict societies write about their daily lives and what youth can do to bring positive change. Learn what's going on by individuals working as conflict resolution builders around the world and discover activites on and around Peace Day at Internationaldayofpeace.org.
Swansea is the historical port city of Wales and its national flower is the daffodil.
In February VPP participants - kids and adults of organisation Peace Mala shared international as well as self-created poetry on themes of peace and love wrapped around local flowers - out of The Kitchen Table.
"Everyone involved with Peace Mala is delighted to support the Valentine Peace Project. We look forward to taking part in this joyful activity every year. VPP has also been included as a worthwhile peace activity in area seven of our Peace Mala Accreditation activities for schools, youth groups and community groups. Wonderful messages of peace are spreading across the UK and further afield as more and more groups get involved with VPP and Peace Mala." Pam Evans, Founding Director, Peace Mala
Learn more about these special kids here - or participating with the VPP on their website.
"How could we not participate in such a worthwhile project, which helps to spread peace and goodwill throughout our community? For me it's important to plant the seed in my students that even at the ages of 5 and 6, their actions can positively impact those around them." LaShawn Moore, Educator, McKinley Elementary, Santa Monica
McKinley Elementary is located in Santa Monica, California, USA - home for the many flowers placed at the distinctive Arlington West project; professional peace activist Jerry Rubin; and Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots annual Day of Peace recognition in September - 'engaging and empowering local youth' in the work of community and global responsibility and celebration.
Love for London
From Putney to Peckham, Goldsmiths College, Kings Cross, Islington, Hackney, Lambeth to Lewisham - well planted individuals will give out VPP poems in the varied boroughs of London- to their friends, to a significant other, to a 'stranger'.
Reflections on Love * Poems on Peace - a Valentine wish, a blessing, a secret hope, a call to action:
14 - 18 February - Location - London
'This poem isn't here to make you feel guilty, But to make you stop and think about the world around us. ' (VPP submission - Laura, student, Marlborough High School, Los Angeles)
Hollywood Community Valentine
Throughout the week of February 14 the Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic - 3324 W. Sunset Blvd. in Silverlake - will hand out poems to visitors - reflections on love and peace from around the world. We invite you to bring your own artistic creations (cards, origami) to give to the clinic for them to share - a Valentine peace wish for a fellow Los Angeleno.
Connecting international reflections on love and peace and ethical Fair Trade roses (One World Flowers) for the neighborhood- it's a true glocal Valentine.
Nice VPP write-up in Southern California's Whole Life Times magazine.
Peace is always beautiful - Walt Whitman
G Gallery * Amsterdam
The VPP and the G Gallery on the Singel canal * Love in the City * Peace on Earth
14 February 2011 G Gallery Singel 188 1016 AA Amsterdam, The Netherlands 11am - 7pm
Poems on peace submitted from around the world, Fair Trade African roses, Middle East carnations, materials, music and a space for your creativity for a community Valentine. Come by with a friend, kids, and your significant other or self and make or pick up something to share on the canals of Amsterdam in the day and into the evening . .
Hubs in Post-Conflict Areas
“It's got to start" says Hub Rotterdam member Moraan Gilad at a meeting spearheaded by her in Hub Amsterdam on launching Hub in post-conflict areas. Attendees included the Executive Director of Peace Direct from London as well as Hub members, individuals from IKV Pax Christi NL and the Dutch government. While the focus was on forming a Hub in Ramallah (Palestine) and one in Kigali (Rwanda) possibilities for a Hub Jenin also came up and one individual mentioned possibilities of a Hub in Beirut "which used to be the Paris of the Middle East." On hearing that comment I remembered an organization I was a member of called the Global Renaissance Alliance. Global renaissance indeed. Earlier this year campaigning in the UK elections Gordon Brown gave a speech at a Hub London location stating “The Hub, which in year two of opening has managed to attract over 300 members working at the forefront of technology and innovation is a brilliant place in which to launch our strategy for the future of Digital Britain."
I was there as a member to research future product possibilities as I work to launch the VPP brand - to make a difference for the hardest hit areas of the world - increase the visibility of peace as well as specific work of conflict resolution and re-building through new economies.
For more on the Hub Post-Conflict Zone project click here. For a recent VPP write-up in Ode magazine's blog click here. And for photos (like the ones below!) from the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) - statements on peace from around Holland shown during recent UN Peace Day activities.
September Peace Power
With 1,000 tulip bulbs and hundreds of Kenyan Fair Trade peace-tagged* roses the United Network of Young Peacebuilders and the Peace Portal partner with the VPP for Peace Day in The Hague with hundreds of local children, poems, and the conversation cafe on strategies of peace. New partners Stuurbloemen and Preijde Bulbs build visibility, ethical trade awareness and a creative call to peace on this day announced as a 24hr global day of ceasefire.
* Peace Day * Dag van de Vrede * Fair Trade * Peace at Work
This month also launches the groundbreaking powerful Peaceweek program with dozens of peace leaders from around the world for live discussion and strategy. Ben & Jerry's and the US Peace Alliance work together to impact the passage of the Youth Promise Act in the US and Pax Christi Netherlands holds activities through their Vredesweek and Nacht van de Vrede. But next to all the activities, energy and creativity it's good to take a quiet moment and reflect - What am I doing towards greater peace - in my life, in my community and towards a world with better methods of conflict resolution. As VPP poet Ammar Banni states from Algeria - featured in this Soundscape from Los Angeles DJ Paul V: 'You are the white doves of Peace.'
Peace = Future
International Day of Peace 2010
Peace = Future, the Math is Easy is the creative theme for this year's International Day of Peace - 21 September. 2010 marks the end of the International Decade of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World in a year marked as the International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Understanding - this year the Day also falls within a summit on the world's largest anti-poverty campaign the Millennium Development Goals. Peace One Day will hold a concert in Paris 17 September and further its extensive educational outreach registering individual commitments to this day and its purpose. VPP poet Walter Keyombe is leading the World Peace Poetry Festival in Nairobi, Kenya. On 21 September in The Hague the VPP will share Fair Trade Kenyan roses for the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) working with live streaming video from international partners to ask:
The VPP is proud to be a part of the 25th year of the York Peace Festival in the historic city of York. In partnership with the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) of The Hague, and Chocolala - Fair Trade chocolate, the project will distribute poems on peace received to us from around the world and sell designed chocolate peaces to benefit the DEC Pakistan Flood Appeal.
Working to connect the dots between many levels of peace - sharing international personal poetry, creative Fair Trade chocolates (Swap Your Choc) and supporting the global community response to Pakistan - TVPP is glad to share in the fun at Rowntree Park on Saturday 5 September!
Atlanta Peace Gardens
From the IWPRG:
Thank You Valentine Peace Project from International World Peace Rose Gardens!
International World Peace Rose Gardens (IWPRG) is advancing peace and understanding in the world through the creation of rose gardens that become centers for youth and community activities. The California, USA based organization most recently celebrated the 18th Anniversary of their Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have a Dream" World Peace Rose Garden in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. For the first time, international students participated in the Inspirational Messages of Peace Contest. Students from the Gaza Strip, Peace Ambassadors-Pakistan, and the Valentine Peace Project were winners in this year's competition. Congratulations to Valentine Peace Project winner, Ammar Banni's poem from Algeria. For more information on IWPRG projects and site locations, please visit: www.WorldPeaceRoseGardens.org.
Also, our State Capitol World Peace Rose Garden in Sacramento, Claifornia, is competing for the "Best Public Rose Garden in America" and needs votes to win. Please vote for our garden at: www.WorldPeaceRoseGardens.org. It is the only Capitol in the world that has a rose garden dedicated to world peace.
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 center of the city with 6,000 Fair Trade roses and local and Gaza carnations.
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 their 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.
Chicago Blooms
TVPP Workshop and Show
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)
Chocolate Evolution
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:
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.
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 . ."
Minnesota Prairie Peace
Eden Prairie News
News, sports, politics, blogs and forums from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA
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
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.
Participants in the Project in Chicago include Code Pink, Neighborhood Writing Alliance, Harold Washington Library, Chicago Park District, Silverspace and Mess Hall.
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 . .
Chicago Pink Peace
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)
"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.
TVPP desires to help develop a new vocabulary of images to represent peace and global unity in the 21st century. 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 for innovative products and cardlines. If you would like to submit an image or idea contact
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.
Roses in Almelo
Almelo, Netherlands
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.'
Paul Revere Middle School of Los Angeles, California
A call went out to the this entire school for submissions led by English Department Instructors Cynthia Murphy and David Baca. A large hearty group of respondents generated inspiring visions for peace, which were shared throughout the school.
Sundance Elementary - an alternative public school with a focus on environmental and social consciousness - in Victoria, BC Canada made recycled paper flowers which were passed out with their peace poetry to local neighbors and businesses.
VALENTINE PEACE
Peace, love and kindness The love is all around us Come have peace on earth. By Aislynn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace is like little circles. Camryn's shirt says Peace. Peace is doves. Peace is a feeling in my heart. Peace means no wars. We wish for peace. The children of Mrs. Ready & Mrs. Robertson's class
Peace Mala in Wales
Peace Mala participates in Wales
Peace Mala (creator of the Peace Mala beads) takes to its community in South Wales with messages of peace attached to daffodils. Wearing the Peace Mala bracelet is a promise to help create a better world.
Youth peace education for global citizenship check out peacemala.org.uk!
Valentine Peace Project Featured in Vision Magazine
Students of Mosaic The City - Community Unity Society
Founder Sylene Schlackl joined students to write poetry to distribute in Victoria, British Columbia. Creating paper flowers the students will pass out their creative writing to fellow young Canadians.
Avenue 50 Studios in Highland Park, Los Angeles