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Peace Tree Day... celebrating peace and diversity through the spirit of
children!
Peace Tree Day is
a vibrant new festival for children and families of every culture, race
and religion to celebrate peace and diversity together. Let us embrace
the beauty of every culture and faith to create peace in our world.
Mitra Sen
•
Educator, Director
Event: Peace Tree Day
Date: June 1, 2006
Time: 10:00am-2:00pm
Location: Nathan Phillips Square, City Hall, 100 Queen
St. W., Toronto, ON Canada
Presenters: Sandalwood Productions Inc., Harmony Movement
Schedule
Project Summary
Mayor David Miller proclaims June 1st as Peace Tree
Day in the City of Toronto
to mark the world
inauguration of Peace Tree Day, a unique festival where children and
families from every culture, faith and race can unite to celebrate peace
and diversity together.
On Peace Tree Day, 300 student Peace Tree Ambassadors from 40
schools across Southern Ontario, participated in this inauguration. Students
brought a handmade symbol from their culture or faith that they highlighted
on the city’s first Peace Tree in order to create The Peace Tree, a
symbol of ‘diversity in unity’. The student ambassadors dressed in
clothing from their own culture or a culture other than their own brought a peace flag created by students from their school that best
reflected diversity and children living in peace in our world.
To complement the message of The Peace Tree, young children performed
vibrant cultural dances and world music also highlighting the concept of
blending steps and rhythms from around the world in order to create new
and unique forms of artistic expression. Students shared peace
related art from their culture through interactive
performances/workshops and discussed peace initiatives they are developing
in their own schools and what we can do together. This in turn will enable them to grow up in a society where they will learn to understand,
respect and appreciate people of all backgrounds and create a world
where we can all live together in peace.
The objective of Peace Tree Day is to educate, share, and donate as we
celebrate our differences and highlight our similarities. The festival
will encourage young people to contribute back to the community and to
the world to children who are less privileged than they are and to those
children in war torn countries.
Description of Host Charitable Organization
Peace Tree Day is presented by Sandalwood Productions Inc., in
association with Harmony Movement. Sandalwood Productions Inc. produces
quality films and videos with inspiring stories that promote respect
between people of all backgrounds and celebrate diversity.
Harmony Movement is a non-profit, charitable organization founded in
1994, by three community leaders - Ms. Mary Anne Chambers, Mr. Gordon
Cressy and Dr. Joseph Wong. This organization encourages Canadians of
all racial, cultural and religious origins to embrace and promote
harmony, diversity, as well as equality. Harmony Movement encourages
Canadians to experience and appreciate the many faces, the many voices
and the visions that make up the human landscape of Canada. Harmony
Movement believes that everyone must make an effort to eliminate the
barriers to mutual understanding so that our differences can be
recognized and respected.
Peace Tree Day will…
-
help young people create a world where they can grow up in peace and
prevent the rise in conflict
-
inspire young people to take pride in their heritage and share it with
their peers
-
help young people and their families understand the value and benefits
of developing open-minds and experiencing the world outside their own
cultures
-
encourage young people and their families to gain a greater
understanding, respect, and appreciation between people of all
backgrounds
-
encourage young people to develop compassion towards children who are
less privileged through a variety initiatives making them aware of the
value of contributing to society
We hope that you will be able to support this unique festival which will
benefit all children and families and help create a world where we can
all live together in peace.
Gallery of
Photos from Peace Tree Day Proclamation on June 1st 2006
Three hundred Peace Tree Ambassadors attended the
proclamation of Peace Tree Day on June 1st, 2006, to mark the world
inauguration of Peace Tree Day in Toronto. Below are photos of
Toronto's first official Peace Tree at City Hall, along with photos from
the student led workshops including Tabla Beats, African Drumming,
Mehndi Mela, Spin the Dreidel, Bharat Natyam Dance Place, Paper Cranes
for Peace and many other activities. The day concluded with the vibrant
performances by Lotus Arts Group, The Ukrainian Academy of Dance Oakdale
Park Middle School Dance Group, Dancers Reaching Out, and Ngoma Dance
and Drum Ensemble.
Creating The Peace Tree...
Workshops...
Closing Ceremonies...
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