|
|
“Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war”.
Maria Montessori.
|
Peace promotion is a practical project. Whilst kids are products of their environments they all share a desire to be liked, understood and respected; to be part of a community that shares the same values, to learn, and to have fun.
"The potential of children to meaningfully interpret their world and effect change is highly underestimated"
Melinda Webber, 'Children as Change Agents of Peace'.
Click to read Melinda's paper (PDF)
Watch video from Luke Sumich - Principal, Summerland School
1p1p’s core activity is the provision of a web portal which harnesses current and future communication technologies to create a virtual meeting place and a global community of Peace Pals.
We are unique in that we are child-focused and child-driven .... We see our role as facilitators, collaborators and enablers - Watch video from Luke Sumich with serious intent to make this as safe and secure a virtual 21st century club as we can. To this end we employ the best safeguards and precautions and are advised by the Internet Safety Group and other selected consultants.
Initially schools-based, we work with children aged 5-12 years to develop child-driven and child-focused peace and sustainability projects within the school environment. We are working with principals, teachers and kids in 1p1p schools to develop a programme of projects, linking schools in New Zealand and expanding into other countries. Examples of some of these projects can be seen in Gallery we welcome your interest and involvement at all times.
Watch video from Barbara Dysart
The kids are encouraged to develop their own projects, strategies and concepts of the steps and process towards a sustainably more peaceful world in their own fun way, and in their own words - Watch video from Barbara Dysart . Some amazing projects have come out of this ... and we look forward to many many more. When the Peace Pals present their project ideas to us, we put the ideas in front of our Teacher Advisory Group (TAG Team) - a dedicated group of educationalists who generously donate their time and expertise (our thanks to Mike Anderson ADE, Barb Dysart, Mark Thompson, Stephen Gordon and Jenny Sinclair). The TAG Team model the project and prepare a paper for easy assimilation into your curriculum. A starter or introductory kit which includes the paper for the Peace Banner Project is available for download.
|
|
Showcasing Kiwi Ingenuity:
In the future we plan to augment our activities with PlanetMobiles and Peace Pal Pods. These are travelling, or portable, internet portals designed to bridge the digital divide where necessary, meaning kids all over the globe are empowered to be a part of this growing community.
Endorsement:
Over five years serious design, research and consultation backs our progress and our projects. We owe a great debt of thanks to the generous support of a wide group of experts and advisors. We are endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a wide range of recognised experts in the education, peace and sustainability fields.
|
|
|
Jenny Sinclair (Kaiapoi Borough School): Participating in 1p1p has encouraged my students to explore, question and construct their own moral framework in which to view their world, now and in the future. They are constantly asking “Are we making a difference”?.
Integral to their ongoing commitment to rethinking is the real connecting to real people available through 1p1p network.
Today’s children are the citizens of tomorrow. Their future is being made today! They inherit a very different world, full of pressing issues that come straight into their homes each night. The pro-active approach through 1p1p gives a human face to the issues and they are gaining a sense of actively participating in making a better future. The opportunity to actively make decisions and see their ideas come to life has an enormous impact on their motivation to learn and to see that learning links to action. They are so passionate about being listened to, and 1p1p has been great in allowing them to tap in to authentic concerns and learning.
The contribution they are making through this involvement has had a positive impact on self-esteem and they are beginning to understand that we need to accommodate different world views.
Barbara Dysart (Summerland School): Involvement with 1p1p has highlighted a number of reasons for listening to our children - including moral and practical reasons. Listening to children is common sense as they can often shed light on a topic an adult can overlook. Children are not so blinkered by differences that may exist, such as race or religion. They can give us impetus and valuable feedback, and have a lot to teach us about the world and its problems - and this is the world that they, the kids are going to inherit. For these reasons, we need to give them the opportunity to share together and develop their perceptions of the problems and issues they experience. Let them develop into their growing role - architects of their future lives. They are the future of this world. As the 1p1p network continues to grow and evolve I can see it becoming more and more valuable, both in schools for the children, and for the world at large.
Stephen Gordon (Sunnybrae Normal School): Involvement in 1p1p projects has been an interesting and valuable experience. The 1p1p approach is student driven; students not only decide what question or statement they wish to respond to, but also how they will respond; with a picture, written response or podcast, for example. The teacher supplies the question and guides from the side. I have been impressed by the deep thinking and the responses from the students. It gives me hope for the future. 1p1p is an important opportunity, for all of us. It is future focused, developmental and child-driven.
Vikki Rihari (Henderson North School): When I present the 1p1p projects to my class, I begin by talking to them about the impact of war on the world ... I then introduce the concept behind 1p1p and explain that we have been invited to share our ideas about peace with the rest of the world and to help 1p1p develop into an organisation which really represents the children’s point of view.
The children get a buzz at the mere thought that they can have a voice - and maybe someone will listen. It’s been a great learning experience for them to think about how they could change the world and what would happen if we could all just get along.
As a result, the children have been kinder and more caring towards each other, which has been a great outcome for me as the teacher. With more schools on board, and if the media became more interested and involved and supportive, I think 1p1p could develop into something enormous and incredibly valuable socially.
Francis J Heslin, Waikato
“.. in schools in New Zealand now we experience a high cultural diversity and we also experience the growing use of information technology as a requisite educational tool. I absolutely endorse this exciting idea of children communicating with children using the most modern communications technology to bridge the barriers ...”
|
|
Endorsements
R.A. Harvey, QSO, JP - Mayor of Waitakere, Chair of 1p1p Advisory Group
“I am delighted to endorse the aim and vision of One People One Planet. Once in a while a stimulating and positive concept comes along that can make the world a better place. ... to assist and work with children is a realistic goal. Because 1p1p is a well balanced, positive and “home grown” idea I believe it needs your support. This is a group of people who have brought together professional individuals with extensive expertise - their strategic plan is well considered and underpins the organisation. I wish this organisation well and I am proud to have been able to be a part of it from the early years. I am sure it will be very successful ...”
Graeme Dingle, ONZM, MBE, Founding Trustee now Senior Advisor
“I was a Founding Trustee of 1p1p because I am passionate about the healthy development of young people, even in New Zealand there is too much violence, and we can do much more to ensure that our children learn the value of peace in its broadest sense ... The issue of creating a platform from which peace can develop and flourish has never been more important ...”
Yvonne Duncan, “Cool Schools” Peer Mediation Programme
“The concept of children ... communicating with each other across boundaries of nationalism, race, creed and gender to create a more peaceful world is one that I support. The technology is available to do this ... children are the co-creators of the project - and empowering youth is another concept I strongly support ... I commend the trustees of 1p1p on this innovative project ...”
Sue Leadbetter, Dip.Teaching.Ed
“I have been exposed to the concepts behind the 1p1p programme and believe it has a powerful and rightful place in the education of our children today and in the future. Coming from a teaching background (16 years), having 12 years experience in senior management in schools and as a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of Auckland ... I believe this is a timely initiative. I am excited to support and be actively associated with this venture...”
Alex Grayson, IT Educator and Company Director, London, UK
“I share the belief that our future generations will shape the future of our civilisation and that the ever increasing accessibility of new technologies, coupled with rapid uptake of these technologies by our younger people make possible initiatives that really do make a difference - for perhaps the first time in history ... 1p1p is just such an initiative, an elegant concept which will make a measurable difference to the ways in which our children communicate, and which will ultimately give them the means to develop shared strategies of global communication and an expanding interest in a sustainably more peaceful world by providing the mechanisms for children to bridge distance and explore common values ...”
Ian Fraser, IT Lecturer
“...The innovative vision of 1p1p to use the whole range of community building and communications technologies to assist and empower children to connect with each other and develop natural understanding, respect and tolerance is, in my opinion, sound, timely and very workable. The vision is holistic and far-reaching, extending well beyond the conventional notion of the computer classroom - moreover, from an educator’s point of view; the intention to develop the programme’s elements by working directly with t he children and tapping their natural creativity is fundamentally important ... the Trustees and Advisors of 1p1p are well placed in terms of experience and expertise to deliver this concept which will enrich society in New Zealand ands ultimately on more global scale ..”
Judith Cartwright, Educator and International Business Communications Consultant
“... From my personal experience since 1965, respectively as a teacher, lecturer and tertiary academic manager, I am totally confident that the learning principles on which 1p1p programmes are based are well informed and sound. As an educator and consultant in the field of international communications, I am delighted to see that the Trust’s programme seeks to assist children in using modern communications technologies to involve and empower them, and to help train them to communicate with one another across cultures. These competencies are essential in our increasingly global society; the sharing of news and views fosters development of mutual understanding and respect ... out of this process comes shared values and growing awareness of the need for peaceful co-existence and enjoyment of diversity that enriches us all. ... In putting “the customer first” and placing the children themselves at the centre of development, 1p1p is, to the best of my knowledge, unique ...”
|
Dalai Lama
|
“I am very pleased to learn about One People One Planet, a global charity whose purpose is to bring together the children of the world to achieve mutual respect leading to world peace. I firmly believe that peace studies programmes such as the one you offer are generally a constructive way of creating peace, but in this case I am especially encouraged that young people become actively involved. Today we are so inter-dependent that without a sense of universal responsibility, a feeling of universal brotherhood and sisterhood and an understanding and belief that we really are part of one big human family, we cannot hope to overcome the dangers to our very existence - let alone bring about peace and happiness. .”.
|
|
|
