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How to Create Zones of Peace Within Homes, Schools, and Ourselves Young people the world over witness terrifying incidents of violence. Recently some youth and those who work with them have begun developing an antidote to this growing epidemic by creating Zones of Peace, model sanctuaries within their homes, schools, places of worship and within themselves. The youth - Indian, Tibetan, and American - come from vastly different cultures. Yet they have all been inspired by the vision of peace put forth by Ivanka Vana Jakic and the Seattle-based Zones of Peace International Foundation (ZOPIF). Real peace has a sacred character," says Vana. "When people desperately yearn for peace, their way of thinking begins to change. Only then does peace begin to re-enter their lives." Finding Sanctuary In India, for instance, the faculty of the Tibetan Children's Village in Dharamsala declared their village temple as a Zone of Peace; they plan to expand the Zone to encompass the entire school and eventually surrounding villages. Similarly, instructors and trainees at the Manava Bharati Nursery Teacher's Training Institute in New Delhi have declared their assembly hall as a 'room of peace' in affirmation of India's cultural heritage of nonviolence. Creating Peace The idea has also taken root in North America, where violence and emotional abuse are undermining young people's lives. In Auburn, just outside Seattle, the First United Methodist Youth Fellowship's director, Susan Voorhies, invited Vana to introduce the Zones of Peace concept to fellowship members. "The opportunity to find peace within themselves and to declare a room or a part of their home as a Zone of Peace was very appealing to them," says Voorhies. "It was the starting point to finding peace within their homes." Huggable Kids "We are building peace inside of us, spreading it out, and sharing it with everyone else outside of the church and our families," says Julie Smith, a tenth grader. "Now others ask us why we are so huggable and caring." Native Americans, too, are actively exploring ways of using Zones of Peace to preserve their community's peace, dignity, and integrity. The American Indian Heritage Public School in Seattle is already a drug-free zone with an established nonviolent conflict resolution curriculum, says Director Bob Eaglestaff. The school is also exploring Zone of Peace status. "We can all benefit from embracing the concept of peace," says Sue Voorhies, "beginning on an individual level and then rippling out to others until the whole surface of our planet will be blanketed in peace."
This article was written by Patrick Harrigan and originally appeared in In Context magazine, and appears here with their permission. In Context magazine is a publication of Context Institute, a nonprofit research organization. Since 1979 they have been exploring and clarifying just what is involved in a humane sustainable culture. Here's how they define human sustainiable culture: A good life for all life that can be passed on to everyone's great, great grandchildren, and a culture that is meaningful and satisfying to its members today and that does not need to destroy or deplete its environment in order to be that way. Visit them at http://www.context.org/.
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“The only lasting safety and security come from the peace that you create within yourself. Tune in to how you are feeling when you've severed the influence of the mass media. ” |
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