On 21 September we celebrate the International Day of Peace, a day which seeks to strengthen the co-existence between not just countries and nations, but humans as individuals. Peace is an idea that sometimes fades from our minds; however, it is vital to the sustainability of life for future generations. The International Day of Peace, also known as World Peace Day, was first observed 34 years ago.
The InterNations Volunteer Groups celebrate peace not only once a year, but in their activities all year round. Through the month of August our groups in Sydney, Shanghai, and Bangkok have incorporated the ideals of peace and kindness in their activities. Find their activities here and get inspired for your own way of celebrating World Peace Day!
The Bangkok Volunteer Group Gives Back to Thai Children
Ussama Kaewpradap, Bangkok
On 24 August, the InterNations Bangkok Volunteer Group visited the kindergartners at the Duang Prateep School. The school is run by the Duang Prateep Foundation, which actively seeks to combat child abuse and improve the standard of living for people of all ages living in the slums.
Over 15 of the Bangkok volunteers assisted in teaching English to Thai kids aged from four to six. The group is actively establishing a sustainable English teaching program supported by both InterNations volunteers and locals from the Bangkok Community. At the August event, they also collected donations — money as well as supplies — for the kids’ upcoming sports day happening later this year.
Devoting a Morning Full of Cheer to Children with Special Needs
Boya Xu, Shanghai
InterNations member Boya Xu, Consul of the Shanghai Volunteer Group, recruited the volunteers for their mission of bringing some extra joy and happiness to children with intellectual disabilities. On the morning of Saturday, 20 August, 13 volunteers visited a center for children with special needs and made their day by singing and dancing with the kids. Other volunteers spent time playing various games, attending classes, or simply sharing a moment of interaction using body language and smiles in order to be understood.
Organizing a Bake Sale Fundraiser for Animal Welfare
Nami Otani, Sydney
Peace is not only about how we treat other people, it´s also how we treat our fellow friends: animals. The recently opened Sydney Volunteer Group kick-started their commitment with their very first activity and made an incredible difference to animals. The members of the group gathered on Saturday morning to sell 280 homemade cupcakes and join the non-profit organization RSPCA for their 2016 Cupcake Day.
Nami describes their highly productive morning: “I baked cupcakes on Friday until 2:00 in the morning. When I came to the market on Saturday morning, all the group members had a big smile on their faces, and before we knew it we started talking about different sales strategies for the cupcakes.”
Both the delicious cupcakes and the smart sale strategies must have helped, because a total of $915.50 has been collected and donated to the RSPCA, which helps to fight animal cruelty. “After the activity, we went to the pub to warm ourselves up after this cold winter day. I told the group how much we raised and we immediately started celebrating our big success!”
Create Your World Peace Day Activity!
Looking forward to this month’s World Peace Day, the Volunteer Program Team would like to share this day with our global InterNations Community.
Post an activity in your local Volunteer Group and gather the members in order to create your own peace sign. Take a picture and share it with your community to show the world that your group strives to overcome differences of race and religion and seeks to improve the lives of those around us instead. Let´s stand together in peace as we celebrate this day!
Find out more about the InterNations Volunteer Program on our About Page or write to support@internations.org.
(Image credit: 1)-3), InterNations, 4) iStockphoto)
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