“Though at the level of the individual,
our actions are as light as a cloud,
united they can change the colour of the sky.“
Yvette Pierpaoli, Refugees International in McGhee, H.M Come with me.
What might it mean to individual communities and indeed to our world if we each committed to exercising courage, empathy and understanding as everyday agentic behaviours?
On this International Day of Peace we invite communities to reflect on the potential of individual actions, that in collaboration have the potential to achieve a safer and more peaceful world.
Is peace simply the absence of conflict, or might it more aptly mean to live in the presence of justice, empathy, connection, and care?
For children, peace is found in belonging, in safety, in the capacity to exercise their right of freedom to explore the world with enthusiasm, curiosity and joy.
For families, peace lives in the rhythms of daily life; in the embrace of understanding, in shared laughter, and in the strength of love that holds through uncertainty.
For citizens everywhere, peace is both a right and a responsibility, built not only through policies and advocacy, but through relationships, listening, and the courage to imagine otherwise.
In the spirit of the Reggio Emilia philosophy, we are reminded that peace grows from actions that are undertaken in the everyday, in the hundred languages of children, in the dialogue between generations, and in the fabric of community woven with trust, respect, and reciprocity.
Peace is not a distant or abstract ideal; it is enacted in our everyday citizenship, co-constructed in learning communities, in neighbourhoods, and between people willing to see each other not in opposition, but in relationship as companions in the shared project of humanity. It is a hope we all long for.
“We share a common human bond – we all have hearts.” (Matteo, 4 years old).
Reggio Children International Network message for peace.
Today, and every day, let us promote peace not just with words, but with actions that nurture friendship, value diversity, and invite us all – no matter who we are or where we live – to build a world where difference is celebrated, and where community wellbeing and peace rests at the heart of all we do.
“Liberty is friends with peace because they’re both the same.” Laura, 5 yrs.
The December 2022 ReChild is dedicated to the themes of liberty and peace:
https://www.reggiochildren.it/en/rc/publishing/rechild/liberty-is-friends-with-peace/
Watch below: Liberty is friends with peace
REAIE literature recommendations to invite children’s reflections on belonging, friendship and peace:
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), to which Australia is a signatory outlines the rights of the world’s children to live in a world of freedom, peace and safety. https://www.unicef.org.au/convention-rights-child-summary
Wishes for Children – REAIE Publication
Wishes for Children – There are 40 contributions to this publication, including a foreword by Claudia Giudici and Jan Millikan and a contribution from Balducci Preschool in Reggio Emilia. Prompting conversations about the future with colleagues, families and local communities. Purchase this publication via our online store HERE.
