International Peace Tree Ambassadors - Getting Connected
During a screening of The Peace Tree film in Los Angeles, a nine-year old girl named Amita Pentakota came to see the film. She became so inspired by the message of the film that she decided to share what she had learned from The Peace Tree with her school and organized the celebration of Peace Tree Day at her school. Amita became the first Peace Tree Ambassador.
In 2006, Toronto Mayor, David Miller proclaimed June 1st, as Peace Tree Day at City Hall. For this special event, 300 Peace Tree Ambassadors representing 40 schools across southern Ontario attended the celebration bringing their handmade peace symbols to create TorontoÕs first official Peace Tree. Visit www.peacetreeday.com.
Following the Peace Tree Day proclamation, Aneta Fishman, the Vice-Principal at Bakersfield P.S. in York Region, was very inspired by the event and wanted to share it with more students in the area. As a result, she organized a Peace Tree Ambassadors Training Program and invited 55 students who were dedicated to promoting peace from 11 schools in York Region. Students discussed and shared new peace initiatives and learned how to celebrate The Peace Tree Spirit! and Peace Tree Day in their schools.
As the film continued to travel in various cities around the world, it inspired more children to get involved in The Peace Tree Spirit! and become Peace Tree Ambassadors, so they too could become leaders in promoting peace in their schools and communities. As the Peace Tree Ambassadors grew in various locations around the globe, it became important to connect the young people to each other so they could have a forum to share all their unique and innovative ideas for promoting peace.
On January 16, 2007, Neil Wu, a Peace Tree Ambassador at Henry Kelsey Sr. P.S. in Toronto, sent the first official correspondence to connect the Peace Tree Ambassadors in Los Angeles, Nassau, Chennai, Montreal, Vaughan and Toronto.
"The International Peace Tree Ambassadors' Network is a great way for young people around the globe to connect and share ideas to create a peaceful world for everyone," says Neil Wu, 13, the co-chair of the International Peace Tree Ambassadors. "It will take a lot of effort, but I really enjoy working together to create peace and connecting with other young people who have the same passion. So please email us at peacetreeambassadors@peacetreeday.com and get involved today."
We hope the Peace Tree Ambassadors' Network will continue to grow and connect children in all regions of the world so they can work together to create a planet where every child can grow up in a land of freedom and peace.
Please visit the site peacetreespirit.blogspot.com to view the Peace Tree Ambassadors blog site and join the Peace Tree Ambassadors' Network.
Fifty Peace Tree Ambassadors from Ten Schools in York Region Attend Training Session at Bakersfield P.S.
On
November 8, 2006, 50 students from ten schools in York Region District
School Board attended the first training session for Peace Tree
Ambassadors. Students were introduced to peacemaking initiatives by
Free the Children and watched The Peace Tree film. Following the
screening students discussed the message of the film and they learned
how to create a Peace Tree in their schools and celebrate The Peace Tree
Spirit through the year. Students also shared their thoughts on peace
and brainstormed their action plan to start Peace Tree Clubs in their
schools in order to promote peace activities throughout the year. On
June 1st, schools will participate in The Peace Tree Day
celebrations organized by the City of Vaughan.
A Letter from Amita Devi Pentakota our Peace Tree Ambassador in Los Angeles
June 6, 2006
Dear Peace Tree Ambassadors,
My name is Amita Devi Pentakota and I am nine years old. This year I celebrated Peace Tree Day with my school on June 1st. I got the idea to celebrate Peace Tree Day when I went to the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles where I was invited to dance. After I danced, I went to see The Peace Tree. It was a great pleasure watching it and a lot of fun. It really made me understand about peace. I realized through that movie that knowing about other religions and understanding them will help us to respect each other.
Once I was back home, I got the idea of celebrating Peace Tree Day at school. I e-mailed the director and producer, Ms. Mitra Sen and got her authorization to celebrate Peace Tree Day at school.
So, I went to the Vice Principal and got her permission to honor June 1st as Peace Tree Day in our school. I started with flyers. My mom and I made a picture of the Peace Tree symbol. I added a few directions and put a border on it. I took it to my Vice Principal and she accepted it. Then we made a few copies and she told me that she would call for me the next morning.
The next day I went to school and waited , but she did not call me in the morning so I waited some more. Just after lunch I got a stomach ache and went to the front office. I just happened to see my Vice Principal walking through the front office. She gave me the flyers and I distributed them through the classrooms. Then I went home.
The next day I went to school and we had a talk with the class and they all got prepared. I waited patiently for two weeks. The kids shared what they were going to hang on the trees and why it represents Peace to them. I couldn’t wait for tPeace Tree Day and I was full of anticipation.
The next day was full of color. I entered the classroom, and there on the back counter all the symbols of peace lay. I looked at every one of them and a lot of the kids were explaining to their friends about their symbol. My mother came and filmed and photographed all the kids explaining what their symbol meant in front of The Peace Tree. I watched all the kids say what they thought Peace was and I was impressed.
At the end of the day my Vice Principal said that it was so good that next year they might make it an official day at school! It was a really fun celebrating Peace Tree Day this year. I just wrote to the Mayor of Los Angeles to see if he will proclaim Peace Tree Day in Los Angeles. Wish me luck. I hope that every child in the world can see this amazing movie!
Sincerely,
Amita Devi Pentakota