Dear Culture of Peace Initiative Participants and Supporters,

The International Day of Peace is one month away.  Many observances will start sooner.  One focus of this issue is to help organizations create and disseminate press releases to raise awareness of your Peace Day events - and your year round peacebuilding practices.  Below that is information on some new or significant events - as well as ways to network and promote your organization or efforts for this year’s global observance.

Press Release Tips:
It is important to obtain local media coverage to promote your event for the International Day of Peace.  In fact for many events, local coverage may be the most likely to occur.  Go to the websites of the top newspapers and TV and radio stations in your area to a link that says “Contact Us”, “News Tips” or “Press Releases”.  You should be able to e-mail or paste your press release into a form and submit it. 

The following link may be of assistance to you.  http://www.developer-resource.com/how-to-send-press-releases.htm Sending press releases to on-line newsletters and organizations that have such newsletters, or Facebook pages, or blogs, may also help to promote your event and / or organization.  If your NGO has many local branches (and some of you have hundreds), you may wish to forward your Press Release to these various locations for their own use.

Here is a Press Release Template - that you can use or adapt:

YOUR ORGANIZATION is…  Observing the International Day of Peace, Sept. 21

YOUR CITY / TOWN / LOCATION – This year much of humanity will conduct the largest global observance of the International Day of Peace ever on or around Sept. 21st.  Thousands of organizations and hundreds of millions of people worldwide observe this occasion.  Many events last for several days.  Some will start on this year’s 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001; others will continue through Oct. 2, Gandhi’s birthday and the International Day of Non-Violence.  One focal point across the entire planet will be the minute of silence at 12:00 noon, in all time zones worldwide, on Sept. 21 - as requested by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations.

(DESCRIPTION OF YOUR LOCAL, REGIONAL OR GLOBAL - EVENTS HERE.  POSSIBLY WITH A PHOTO / IMAGE FROM LAST YEAR OR ELSEWHERE.)

(NOTE, PROVIDING THE FOLLOWING BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE WILL HELP EDITORS TO UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE OF THIS OCCASION AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF YOUR EVENTS & ACTIONS - AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO WRITE ABOUT THEM & YOU.)

The International Day of Peace was established by a unanimous resolution of the United Nations in 1981. Its mission is to provide a common time period for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on or near a shared date, and to bring together efforts from around the world whose ultimate focus is to promote peace and sustainability.  This year marks the 30th anniversary of the International Day of Peace.  In recent years, this observance has included significant portions of humanity due to the proliferation of wireless technology, computers and cell phones,

The United Nations announced earlier this year that the theme for this year’s International Day of Peace 2011 is ‘Make Your Voice Heard’.  In doing so it thanked the thousands of organizations who have ‘institutionalized’ this observance worldwide.

Peace Day saves lives.  Nations and governing bodies the world over are joining the call for peace through a range of activities including ceasefires, proclamations, and pledges for humanitarian aid.  Religious groups and educational institutions across the planet are conducting both educational and community service programs.  Many non-government organizations use this occasion as an opportunity to promote their year round efforts, whether their focus is on human rights, the environment, humanitarian relief, poverty, health care, disarmament or international cooperation.  World leaders and public figures call for participation; businesses and professionals create various types of promotions; individuals can participate in many ways - even privately, or with friends and family.  The combination of all of these activities creates long term impact, beyond the annual observance.

One such peacebuilding effort, that (YOUR ORGANIZATION”S NAME) participates with, is the Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI), which is a UN-designated Peace Messenger program established by Pathways To Peace that includes thousands of organizations from around the world.  Pathways To Peace has been working with the United Nations to promote the observance of the International Day of Peace since its inception in 1981.  The Culture of Peace Initiative has promoted peace by bringing together previously unseen and unheard voices working towards peace, as well as uniting the strengths of established organizations to help create a worldwide ‘culture of peace’ for future generations.  For more information about Pathways To Peace, the Culture of Peace Initiative, and the International Day of Peace as well as listings of thousands of events worldwide, please visit www.internationaldayofpeace.org ,  www.cultureofpeace.org , andwww.pathwaystopeace.org .

Here is a link to a 3 minute informative and entertaining video about the International Day of Peace.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSr2gBsg9dI

(ADD YOUR ORGANIZATION’S LOCAL CONTACT INFORMATION HERE AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR PRESS RELEASE)

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Updates of significant programs and promotional opportunities:

The EVENT LOCATOR on our websites for 2011 is open for all to use.  Please post your events on our websites www.internationaldayofpeace.org and / or www.cultureofpeace.org .  Events posted on either site automatically show up on the other site.  This will give your event the widest possible global exposure.  Events listed will also be included in our annual Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI) report to the United Nations.  Thank you.

The Peace Wave: There will be a Minute of Silence at Noon in All Time Zones Worldwide, as requested by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the UN and sponsored by Pathways To Peace on behalf of the Culture of Peace Initiative.  We are a network of thousands of groups working year round to produce and promote practical peacebuilding activities.  Many groups are actively promoting this ‘Minute of Silence’ and tens of millions of people will be doing this.  Together we can envelope the world with a ‘Wave of Peace’.

For those who don’t know, Pathways To Peace initiated this program over 20 years ago - and even called it The Peace Wave back then.  In fact, the idea for the Secretary General’s annual request for the minute of silence at noon in all time zones actually stemmed from this program.  Of course, global technology wasn’t what it is today.  In more ways than one, this is an idea whose time has come.  Peace begins within - but extends to wherever we take it.

Our FACEBOOK PAGE has 35,000 members! People and organizations from all over the world post there - and learn about, and network with, each other.  Check it out.www.facebook.com/peaceday

You CAN NOW SHARE this newsletter on Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In by clicking on the icons at the top of this page - above our logo.

Peace Wave Facebook event: In keeping with the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s request for a Minute of Silence at Noon in All Time Zones Worldwide, we have created a Facebook event for this.  Please invite your Facebook friends to participate and share this.  Together, we can take this ‘viral’ and create a ‘wave’ of peaceful energies surrounding the planet and encompassing all of humanity.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/140189526027805/?id=218384681541622#!/event.php?eid=184359108294303

Peace Day TV will be promoting The Peace Wave: The Minute of Silence at Noon In All Time Zones Worldwide during their Global Peace Day Broadcast.  Every hour throughout the International Day of Peace, their broadcast will issue a reminder for people to do this in their particular time zone.  These reminders will include lists of countries and major cities in the time zone for each hour, as well as public service announcements by world leaders and public figures reminding people to do this.  They will also list organizations that will be promoting this observance to their members.  If you would like your organization listed there, as well as on the International Day of Peace Facebook page, please send the name of your organization topeaceday@comcast.net and melvin@pathwaystopeace.org .  Thank you.

CPI participant: Peace Day TV’s Global Broadcast: The two hour preview show is now available to embed on your website at this link  http://www.livestream.com/peacedaytv/share .  You can also watch the preview at  www.peaceday.tv or at the UN site located at:http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/2010/broadcast.shtml .  For more information on this 5 day long broadcast, which will run from Sept. 17 to Sept. 21, please contactunityfoundation1@aol.com .  This broadcast will feature films about people and organizations around the world that are doing something good for humanity, whether it’s about hunger, poverty, humanitarian aid, human rights, the environment, disarmament or international cooperation.

CPI participant:‎ 11 Days of Global Unity: From the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11/01 to the 30th anniversary of the International Day of Peace, 9/21, there is a global coalition promoting solutions with 11 themes of change to create a more peaceful, sustainable world.  These are: Unity, Interdependence, Environment, Economic Justice, Health, Children & Youth, Women, Human Rights, Freedom, Disarmament and The International Day of Peace.  Activities will range from volunteer and service programs to educational and interfaith forums.  Organizations can use this opportunity to promote their year round focus and / or particular aspect of the worldwide shift toward a ‘culture of peace’.   http://we.net/11days Also, here is a link to their press release, in case this is of interest.  11 Days of Global Unity Press Release June 20, 2011

A Special CPI Program!  International Day of Peace / Peace Pals Art Exhibition / Ambassador of Peace Collection: As we approach the International Day of Peace, tens of thousands of events are being planned worldwide to focus on, educate and celebrate the theme of Peacebuilding.  The Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI) is especially pleased this year to offer you the opportunity to host and exhibit the artwork of youth from around the world as part of your International Day of Peace program.  The Peace Pals Ambassador of Peace collection features artwork of youth between the ages of 5 and 16 representing 63 countries of the world.  Each artwork is a masterpiece giving expression to the hope, aspirations and inner beauty inherent within the hearts of youth everywhere. Included on each artwork is the message, “May Peace Prevail On Earth”. The Exhibition is made possible through a joint collaboration between theCulture of Peace Initiative (CPI) and Peace Pals International. To read more about how to organize your International Day of Peace -  Peace Pals Art Exhibition go to: http://www.wppspeacepals.org/idp

Our PROMOTIONAL VIDEO for the International Day of Peace has been updated to reflectthis year’s 30th anniversary.  Feel free to circulate it in - and to - all forms of media.  After all, The International Day of Peace is just a few weeks away.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSr2gBsg9dI

Dedication: We dedicate this issue to Grandfather William Commanda, the Algonquin spiritual leader, who passed away recently at the age of 97.  Elder Commanda was honored at the International Day of Peace ceremonies in Montreal, as “Pacifist of the Year” on September 21, 2006.  An Algonquin Elder from Kitigan Zibi Reserve, the great, great grandson of Pakinawatik, the hereditary Anishinabe chief who led his people to settle in their traditional hunting and trapping grounds in the Ottawa River area in the mid eighteen hundreds, Elder Commanda was also Keeper of three Wampum Belts of sacred and historic importance: the Seven Fires Prophecy Belt about choice, the 1700’s Belt about sharing, and the 1793 Jay Treaty Border Crossing Belt about borderlessness.

More recently, Elder Commanda worked with Cercle de Paix – Circle of Peace, which represents Pathways To Peace and The Culture of Peace Initiative in Canada.www.circleofpeace.ca He actively promoted a “Culture of Peace” as he pursued his Vision for the Development of A Healing and Peace Building Centre on the traditional Spiritual Meeting Grounds of the Anishnabec People until the very end.  Migwetch for your teachings Grandfather and for being such an example to us all. http://www.angelfire.com/ns/circleofallnations/page2.html  

May Peace Prevail On Earth

This newsletter is offered by Pathways To Peace, International Secretariat of the Culture of Peace Initiative, and a UN Peace Messenger organization. Pathways To Peace has been involved with the International Day of Peace since it’s inception in 1981 and has nurtured this occasion from a single event of a few hundred people into an annual global observance that is inter-cultural and inter-generational in nature, and that reaches hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Pathways To Peace has created and maintained the dedicated websites for the International Day of Peace and the Culture of Peace Initiative; we produce and distribute this newsletter; we held a successful campaign to have the International Day of Peace listed on most calendars across the globe; we are continually involved with communications and planning about this annual event both inside and beyond UN circles. To learn more about our programs, networks, campaigns and support materials please see our websites.

Pathways To Peace is a nonprofit organization, whose work would not be possible without our volunteers and your support.   Please click here to donate.

CPI Coordinator Michael Johnson
CPI Contributing Writer - Melvin Weiner
CPI Outreach Coordinators - Jordan Loder & Michael Kwan
Pathways To Peace is the International Secretariat for the Culture of Peace Initiative