The UN declared the 21 of September as the International Day of Peace to celebrate, to elevate our voices and “strengthen the ideals of peace.” This year we as MasterPeace celebrate our 10th anniversary and since the very beginning we have focused on this day as a unifying moment that creates momentum; organising a rich variety of music, dance events, dialogues and summits.
This year was truly a milestone as we co-created with our partners of the Peace Day Youth Assembly. Every Tuesday, for 52 weeks straight, together with our friends of The Hague Centre, Citytransformers and AIESSEC Denmark, we met and discussed the why, how, and what of this inspirational momentum. I am so proud of this genuine mix of passion and commitment based on mutual trust.
We are committed to continuing this work to 2030 and beyond with the ambition to strengthen networks of like minded, positive and impartial change makers and their organisations on a local, regional and global level. Together, we use our collective VOICE and ACT for a better, more sustainable world.
Why?
PeaceDay Youth Assembly 2021, is a global intergenerational dialogue led by young change-makers to address solutions to some of our lifetime’s most ‘pressing issues’, while respecting the ‘boundaries of the planet’. The Peace Day Youth Assembly 2021 is an umbrella ‘frame’ for 120 local events we call Peace Pop-ups, as well as 4 regional meet-ups leading up to the global summit
Throughout these three layers of activity, young people address the Burning Question: What can you and I do to help create a world that works for all within the limits of the planet? And, how to have fun while doing so?
What?
This year’s theme encouraged participants, through their Peace Pop-Ups, to focus on one quarter of the Doughnut Economics Model, concepts related to Health, Community (Connected), Upward Mobility (Enabled) and Empowerment.
How?
While focused on specific subjects, local events are a free format. They could be street art events, clean-up campaigns, panel discussions at a university, a movie screening, or an online webinar to name a few examples. Here is a brief overview:
Young people from Australia to Mexico organised 120 local POP UP PEACE EVENTS, creating the unifying momentum, encouraging them to continue to be the changemakers in their communities. They chose formats that best fit their local contexts, eventually resulting in three (shareable) actionable steps they commit to realising.
On September 19th we organised regional online meetings in 4 time zones, where representatives of Pop-Ups could meet and exchange their actionable steps. We also invited so called “Key Note Listeners” who gave their endorsements and a take away of the representatives’ discussion. The result was a fun and open intergenerational dialogue that crossed borders, cultures, and networks.
On September 21st, 250 young people came together on Youth Island/Denmark. There they participated in workshops related to this year’s theme. This was also an opportunity to celebrate peace while joining together in a call to action as part of an open dialogue with 3 representatives of the UN City in Copenhagen.
On the 21st we also harnessed the energy and ideas of the week in a livestream via our collective networks and their social media channels. We shared statements and showcases prerecorded during the local events; we were featured by AIME TV in Australia and, as grande finale, together with our global partner Ubiquity University we co hosted the Humanity Rising webinar with special guests like Emmanuel Jal capturing our imaginations, as well as a thrilling live performance by our friends ARKAI, and topping it all off – a panel discussion with our great partners Community Arts Network, ChangeMakerXchange, Doughnut Economics Action Lab, Initiatives of Change, and The Pop Movement.
As the dust settles on such an exciting and thought provoking few days, we look ahead at where we go from here. As a next step, the Peace Day Youth Assembly will connect the changemakers on the ground with 10 representatives of networks to discuss next actionable steps; to inspire and be inspired, to learn and grow, and above all to realise that together we are strong and can take on the enormous challenges that society faces.
Aart Bos
Global Leadership
MasterPeace
