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International Day of Peace | September 21

The International Day of Peace is a globally shared day for all humanity to commit to building a Culture of Peace.

Teachers: Visit the free MY HERO Lesson Plan for International Day of Peace. Includes discussion guide and learning outcomes.

Finding Peace in this troubled world through animation and documentary.

The Curious Scroll: How Does Something Ugly Become Beautiful

Andrew Purchin
Being curious could just be the needed element to bring people together and overcome differences.

The Peace of Wild Things

Katy Wang
When despair for the world grows in me… ...I come into the peace of wild things. ~Wendell Barry

MY HERO's Film Festival Peace Prize Winners

Alan Magee: art is not a solace [excerpts]

By: P. David Berez, David Wright
This film comprises three short excerpts from a documentary about the artist Alan Magee.

Eight Points to Peace

Produced by:Twin Cities Nonviolent
The film discusses the solutions to the violence that plagues the Twin Cities

Eight Points to Peace is Nominated for a Special Award at MY HERO's 18th International Film Festival

By: Deborah Neff, MY HERO Staff writer

Fractured Democracy

Produced by:Palisades Charter High School
In this short documentary, I deeply analyzed Roe V. Wade's overall impact it has on the political state of the country.

MY HERO Global Ambassador and Peace Activist Mohamed Sidibay

International Day of Peace '14 (30min edit)

Produced by:The MY HERO Project

International Day of Peace '14. Mohamed Sidibay: My Journey From Child soldier to Peace Activist

Mohamed Sidibay: Teaching Peace

Produced by:The MY HERO Project
Mohamed Sidibay is a survivor of a horrific civil war in Sierra Leone, where he was forced to fight as a child soldier. Now he advocates for better access to education worldwide.

This selection of short films appropriate for Middle and High School students includes people who are dedicated to bringing peace into this troubled world. Some have overcome great adversity and have learned the power of forgiveness, tolerance, and compassion on the path to deeper peace.

Kim Phuc - excerpt from The Sunrise Storyteller

Kasha Slavner
Young filmmaker Kasha Slavner interviews Unesco Goodwill Ambassador Phan Thi Kim Phuc, who survived a napalm bomb when she was a 9-year-old during the Vietnam War.

Power of Compassion & Importance of the Work of CCARE

CCARE at Stanford University

Dr. James Doty speaks on the power of compassion and importance of the work of CCARE.

Upstanders: The Mosque Across the Street

Producer: Howard Schultz and Rajiv Chandrasekaran

What happens when a mosque moves across the street from a church in the Bible Belt?

Azim Khamisa: The Tool of Forgiveness

Producer: The Institute for Advancing Unity/The Working Group

A grieving father overcomes tragedy by creating something beautiful in his son's name - Tariq Khamisa.

International Day of Peace Celebration Honoring Ron Kovic

By: Daniel Chavez
The MY HERO Project honors activist, author & artist, Ron Kovic, for his tireless dedication working for peace.

Women Transforming Media - Appropriate for High School to College Level Students

Women Transforming Media: Abigail Disney

Produced by:Jeanne Meyers, Xenia Shin
We talk to documentary filmmaker and philanthropist Abigail Disney about why she became a documentary filmmaker, her award-winning film "Pray the Devil Back to Hell," and her organization Peace is Loud.

Stories

Samar Minallah Khan, Documentary Filmmaker and Human Rights Activist

By: Abigail Richardson

Mattie Stepanek: For Our World

Mattie's poems of peace and hope have touched millions of lives.

An Israeli-Palestinian Sisterhood

By: Ruth Ebenstein
American-Israeli Orthodox Jew Ruth Ebenstein and Palestinian Muslim Ibtisam became best friends after meeting at a support group for women with breast cancer.

Ron Kovic: A Hero to the Voice of Peace

By: Sophia DelaRosa
Ron Kovic is a Vietnam War veteran and anti-war activist who fights for peace. He is the subject of the book and film Born on the Fourth of July.

From Child Soldier to Human Rights Activist - Mohamed Sidibay

By: Pace Porter-Zasada
Mohamed Sidibay's Journey

Le Ly Hayslip

By: Claudia Hudson

Le Ly Hayslip is a humanitarian, memoirist, and peacemaker who founded East Meets West, a nonprofit humanitarian relief organization that strives to rebuild post-war lives both emotionally and physically.

Newswire Stories

Walk. Listen. Care. Grassroots women’s groups help keep peace in Kenya
Credit: Christian Science Monitor

Violence plunged after he brought the arts to a Tijuana neighborhood

By: Whitney Neulich - correspondent
Raúl Cárdenas Osuna has dedicated his life to creating social change through community-driven art initiatives. His outlook helped transform Camino Verde into a neighborhood of hope and promise.

COULD CONSERVATION PROVIDE GROUND
FOR PEACE IN CONFLICT ZONES?

By: EVA BOTKIN-KOWACKI CSM Staff writer

Accounts of scientists who state that conservation dialogues could bring areas of conflict to resolution.

AFTER EPIPHANY IN US, WOMAN FORGES PEACE AMONG INDIAN AND PAKISTANI YOUTHS

Aliya Harir was brought up in Pakistan to think of India as the enemy. So when she met Indians while studying in the US, she was surprised to gain a new perspective. She now works on peacebuilding initiatives.

HOW ONE MAN FOUND HIS CALLING AS A PEACEMAKER, ESPECIALLY IN PRISONS

By: DOUGLAS NOLL Encore.org

Douglas Noll was a trial lawyer for 22 years, but since leaving the courtroom, he has taught mediation techniques to inmates through the organization he cofounded, Prison of Peace.

Peace Is a Powerful Subject for Artists and Students Everywhere

Peace is often a common, yet powerful, theme for artists of all ages and done in any medium. It is a theme that resonates with people young or old, from all walks of life, and from anywhere in the world. 

Protect Kids Not Guns by Micah Bazant/ Amplifier

By: Micah Bazant
Protest Art created for March for Our Lives sponsored by The Amplifier Foundation

Peace Pals International

Celebrating 2017 art honoree, director Jules Lamore and the 20th Anniversary of Peace Pals International, which inspires global youth to make art for peace.


Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech

By: Joplin Lefrandt

Combining words with his portrait of Martin Luther King Jr, Joplin Lefrandt has created a powerful tribute to this African-American civil rights hero.

PEACE IN HEART IS PEACE ON EARTH- Painted by 6th grade students from Morocco with the Art Miles Mural Project

By: Grade 6 Class at Aghbalou Elementary School

To mark their place in The Hero Mile of The Art Miles Mural Project, the 6th Grade kids at Aghbalou Elementary School in Morocco make this painting a peace offering to the world.


Audio

The following stories have audio links that allow students to listen to the story as they read. 

Shirin Ebadi

By: Sabine from Beirut, Lebanon
Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.

Peace Pilgrim (Mildred Normal Ryder)

By: Shiloh from Alaska
Peace Pilgrim (Mildred Norman Ryder) was an activist, spiritual teacher and the first woman to walk the entire length of the Appalachian Trail in one season (over 25,000 miles) for peace.

Jeni Stepanek

By: Claudia Herrera Hudson
Jeni Stepanek is an ambassador for Muscular Dystrophy who continues to spread her son Mattie's message of peace.

Sadako Sasaki

By: Amanda E.
Sadako Sasaki inspired an international peace movement.

Enter the Ron Kovic Peace Prize in the MY HERO International Film Festival

https://myhero.com/ron-kovic-peace-prize

2021 CFE Kovic 10-1
Credit: MY HERO

The Ron Kovic Peace Prize is a $1,000 prize awarded to the short film that most effectively addresses the issue of world peace. 

Some recent Ron Kovic Winning Peace Films from MY HERO's International Film Festival

OutSwing [Trailer]

Samar Minallah Khan
On the outskirts of Islamabad, a committed coach teaches a team of unlikely players, their families, and a community how playing Cricket can change lives.

Bullets to Books (Excerpt)

Produced by:Andy Truschinski, Gail Prensky, Sean MacLaughlin
A film exploring The Jüdische Kulturbund Project and the critical importance of peace in South Sudan.

Reclaiming Pakistan

Produced by:Lisa Donato
A civil rights activist, Mohammad Jibran Nasir, sparks a social revolution after almost 140 children were killed in the Peshawar Army School tragedy.

Related Links

Resources for celebrating the UN International Day of Peace in the Classroom!

Day of Peace
Credit: MY HERO

An International program designed to encourage youths to become peacemakers dedicated to living in the spirit of the words, “May Peace Prevail On Earth.”

Peace Pals International
Credit: Peace Pals

The Carter Center seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health.

Carter Center Link
Credit: Carter Center

Further information about the International Day of Peace.

UN International Day of Peace
Credit: United Nations

Our Curators

 

Hero Stories curated by MY HERO General Editors Deborah Neff and Abigail Richardson.

 

Short films curated by MY HERO International Film Festival director Wendy Milette

 

Audio curated by MY HERO Audio director Stu Pearlman. 


Organizer created on 7/4/2012 7:54:06 AM by Becky Miller

Last edited 9/18/2023 2:05:02 PM by Abigail Richardson

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