Kids Against Violence
For the second year the kids in our Youth Learning and Leadership program have demonstrated their leadership qualities by spending the summer promoting non-violence in their neighborhood. Project Reach Out was designed to share a message of peace and acceptance with their community.
Their message came from the understanding of how to resolve conflicts peacefully. Each week the kids participated in discussion groups, which taught them the tactics used by the peacemakers of the world and how those tactics could be used in their own day to day lives. Whether it was dealing with bullies or finding the patience for a younger sibling our kids learned that although they can’t control what happens to them they can control how they react.
Part of their project was to leave impermanent peace art to remind people that peace is not a one-time act; it must be worked on each day. One sunny afternoon chalk was used to leave messages of peace on the pavement in front of Centro Romero. The art covered most of a city block and in four days was gone. Two weeks later the kids walked to Pratt Beach leaving flyers inviting the neighborhood to join them and fly a kite for peace on the day of their march. Various peace messages were designed and created out of sand and sticks and seaweed while another group sang songs of peace. A peace message banner was created for anyone to sign. That banner celebrates the diversity of our neighborhood by containing messages of peace in 17 different languages and is now hanging at Centro Romero.
The older kids formed two creative groups. One group wrote a peace song, which will be performed on Children’s Day and the other made the anti-violence commercial, which was posted on YouTube and can be viewed on this page.
The summer ended in the 2nd annual Kids Against Violence March through Rogers Park. Kites with messages of peace, love, tolerance, and acceptance were sent up to the winds.
Once again the kids of Centro Romero proved what Mother Teresa said, “We may not all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.” Share the LOVE. Teach PEACE.
Click here to view last year's project Power of Words project
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