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Please read this
We at THE CENTRE love PEACE ONE DAY so much we had to tell you about it...
Filmmaker Jeremy Gilley stood at a concert in 1998 wondering why the world was so full of conflict. He wondered why there was no starting point for peace. He listened to the music and started to plan. He realised that as a part of the media he had a responsibility and decided to use his filmmaking skills to investigate if the world community could come together in a unified moment – an annual Peace Day.
The resulting documentary ‘Peace One Day’ tells the inspiring story of Jeremy's remarkable adventure to create an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence; a day which not only brings an opportunity for warring parties to pause and for life-saving activities to take place, but also a day when all individuals can come together to declare their commitment to a more peaceful society.
The film sought to answer basic questions about humanity and peace. For Jeremy the film would search for an answer to the question 'where does peace start?'
' The cast of Jeremy’s “story” is astonishing: then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the UK Government (indeed Governments around the world), His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and many others. But Jeremy does not just interview the peacemakers of the world. The film features interviews with combatants and those whose lives have been devastated by violent conflict all over the world. The interviews are frank, honest and revealing.
To learn more about the story visit: www.peaceoneday.org
When Jeremy first contacted the UN he needed a mentor to guide him through the maze of politics and red tape. Sir Kieran Prendergast, then Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, met with Jeremy and concluded that he was either a fool or a visionary. In 2001 Jeremy’s first objective was fulfilled, with the unanimous adoption by UN member states of a General Assembly resolution, sponsored by the UK and Costa Rican governments, formally establishing an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence on the UN International Day of Peace fixed in the calendar as 21 September – Peace Day. Sir Kieran later mused that Jeremy might just be a visionary after all.
Since then, Peace One Day has worked to inform the world’s people of the Day’s existence. On Peace Day 2006 there were activities in 200 countries, directly involving 27.6 million people - visionary indeed!
The Goal
For Jeremy and his team, the goal of Peace One Day remains the empowerment of ordinary individuals. Jeremy believes that if you stand for peace, there is no excuse for not getting involved. Peace One Day is not about governments, religion, politics, culture, class, colour or any of the traditional dividing lines. It is beyond all of those issues, not above them, but simply, beautifully, beyond them. No judgement. No pressure. Just peace.
Peace One Day is about people. As Jeremy puts it, “Peace is in our hands and if it does not come about we have no one to blame but ourselves. It is our responsibility to acknowledge the only day of peace adopted by all UN member states. If the will of the people is for peace then peace will prevail.”Peace is also, crucially, about sustainability. When people have a safe and respected environment they tend towards peaceful behaviour. More often than not, it is the threatening of one's environment and survival that leads to conflict. Peace towards people requires peace towards the planet.
Triumphs thus far?
There have been so many so far and no doubt there will be many more:
· Meeting His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who sent out letters on Peace One Day’s behalf to world leaders, asking them to sponsor the resolution at the UN General Assembly (it worked by the way)?
· Pulling off a last minute and packed out concert at the Brixton Academy when everyone said it simply could not be done.
· Building a relationship with Ecover who have sponsored the creation and free distribution of a Peace One Day Citizenship Resource Pack to every secondary school in the UK.
· The World Food Programme dropping food into Sudan on 21 September 2006.· The story of a young girl torn from her family by war being reunited with them.
So we at the Centre are holding a special evening for peace one day ON Sunday 21st September at 6.30 All donations will go towards Peace One Day.
So come on and fill this Centre, as the song says
“ALL IT TAKES IS ONE VOICE AND ALL THE WORLD WILL SING”
And finally…
“The opportunity to live in a world which can sustain itself exists - it begins with a shift in consciousness, and requires a starting point, a day of global unity - we need to lift the level of consciousness that exists around two fundamental issues: protection of each other and of our environment. We are in this together. And it starts on 21 September” Jeremy Gilley.
The toughest challenge Jeremy faces is to make the Peace One Day project self-sustaining. The best way we can all show him he is not alone is to commit to doing something on the day; to buy the DVD of the film; to believe in the vision; to donate online; to stand together with Jeremy and his team and to make our voices heard for peace.
Some may say he is a dreamer but thankfully he's not the only one
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