Proclaim














Peace Tree Day is a new festival for children and families of every culture and faith to celebrate peace and diversity TOGETHER!

How to Proclaim Peace Tree Day in Your City

If you would like to have Peace Tree Day proclaimed in your city, then write to your mayor, city councillor, or MP and share the importance of the festival in your city. After celebrating Peace Tree Day in her school, nine-year-old Amita Pentakota decided to write to her Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to request the proclamation of Peace Tree Day in Los Angeles.

Students who would like to have this inclusive festival proclaimed in their city can work together to write to their mayor and share the importance of creating Peace Tree Day for their city. A teacher in the school should assist students with the compilation of the package and to arrange the meeting with the mayor. Try to get some seniors from a senior’s home nearby involved in the initiative.

  1. Write a letter with the whole class requesting your mayor to proclaim June 1st as Peace Tree Day in your city. Make sure to explain why this festival is important to every citizen and how it will enrich the lives of every child and family.
  2. Request a meeting with the mayor to discuss the initiative.
  3. Prepare a portfolio highlighting activities and peace initiatives you have created in your school.
  4. Prepare a presentation that outlines your plans to celebrate Peace Tree Day in your city.
  5. Share photos and other images of your school’s Peace Tree and Peace Tree Centre at the meeting.
  6. Before you leave your meeting, be sure to take the contact name and number of the person in the mayor’s office with whom you can follow up.
  7. Make sure to write to the mayor and thank him for the meeting with a formal letter written by the class.
    8. If you do not hear back from the mayor, try and contact the city councillor to follow up.
If your mayor decides to proclaim June 1st as Peace Tree Day in your city, you can begin your preparations. Arrange the venue for the Peace Tree Day celebrations (school, community centre, city hall). The following are some ideas that outline how to celebrate Peace Tree Day at school in an organization or at a community centre. A part of Peace Tree Day is to inspire young people and their families to find unique ways to raise funds and donate to underprivileged children around the world. Any activities outlined below can be a means to fundraise for charities that the school or organization can support. Possible children’s charities to support include the Salaam Balak Trust Fund (www.salaambaalaktrust.com) and Free the Children (www.freethechildren.com)

As the focus of Peace Tree Day is to discover the world, it is important that students learn, and then teach, an activity outside their own culture. If the activity is more complex (such as Bharat Natyam dancing or Tai Chi), a student from that culture can be the main workshop leader, but his/her assistants should be from diverse cultures. Remember to work with some seniors from the community, as they can be a great resource and bring a lot of experience and knowledge to the event.

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