Kaierouann Imarah Radix, on the Day of Peace event she organised in Guyana.
Follow Imarah on Twitter: @ImarahRadix
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September 21st, International Peace Day, has been allocated by the United Nations as a day of ceasefire and non-violence for all nations. A day where weapons are put down and gunfire is silenced. Yet the nations who have voted this day into existence are still not taking concrete measures and action to ensure peace prevails across the world. This year’s Peace Day was shattered by the news of those killed in the Westgate mall in Kenya. This horrible tragedy serves as a reminder to leaders and citizens across the world that they must get involved as ambassadors for peace. We must continue to promote principles of peace not just for one day but we must integrate it into our lives and build up a culture of peace.
As project champion for the “I AM PEACE PROJECT“ I organised an event on behalf of the Global Shapers Community Georgetown Hub in support of Peace One Day to bring together a cross section of civil society organisations, the diplomatic community, thought leaders, young people and other members of society in the name of peace. There was an NGO fair where 12 organisations displayed their work, promoted volunteerism and handed out educational materials.
We also showed Peace One Day Founder and One Young World Counsellor Jeremy Gilley’s short film “The Day After Peace” and had a Peace Panel with Shapers and prominent members of society, including the First Lady of Guyana Mrs. Deolatchmie Ramotar, encouraging youth to take action to promote a more inclusive and nonviolent world. After the film, attendees were invited to discuss ways of promoting peace in their communities and to share their views on what peace means to them. All who attended shared their messages of peace on our peace wall.
As part of the “I AM PEACE PROJECT” I teamed up with fellow Shaper Yaphet Jackman ,Director Mason Richards (The SeaWall), Designer Michael Cooper and photographers Leon Bacchus and John Greene to create a short infomercial to raise awareness about Peace Day and the event asking citizens who will you make peace with in the popular locations of the Stabroek Market, Sea Wall and Main Street in Georgetown. The photos and short clip were used to promote peace via social media.
Earlier in the day I attended the United Nations Association of Guyana’s observance of Peace Day at the Parliament of Guyana where I was given a united nations peace award for my contributions towards promoting peace ,harmony and non-violence in Guyana I was also made an Ambassador for Peace by the Universal Peace Federation that evening at the close of the Global Shapers event.
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I believe that every One Young World delegate, Ambassador and Councellor is an Ambassador for the peace of their country and their community. We can effect change through the use of social media, hosting events to raise awareness and by supporting public dialogue to formulate pragmatic solutions that bring about a more sustainable and peaceful world for the generations of the future.
The power to change the world lies with us, so the only thing left for you to do is to create that change through your projects, initiatives, organisations or companies. Who will you make peace with this year? I will be bringing the message of peace with me to South Africa, to share it with everyone I meet because, to me, it is so important. We define ourselves and our generation by our actions, as Martin Luther King said: “Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.”
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