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| Source: Pencils for Peace |
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| Source: Operation Democracy |
The student-designed logo for the Pencils for Peace Project captures the essence of the peace symbol with a ring of adjoining children holding hands, and as one first grader told us, "it looks like there are hearts between each one." The long-term goal is to promote peace-building ideas and activities to resolve conflicts to make the world a more peaceful place.
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| Source: Operation Democracy |
The original Operation Democracy began in 1947 as a grassroots effort to supplement the Marshall Plan after World War II. In 2010, the organization released a movie called the "Mother of Normandy" which is the story of:
"a remarkable woman, whose devotion to a generation of heroes transcended all boundaries. Mde. Simone Renaud witnessed the liberation of France on 6.6.44, from home in Saint Mere Eglise."The rekindled Operation Democracy hopes to carry out the idea behind the original mission of humanitarianism and to reinstitute the historic concept:
"...the belief that peace cannot be achieved by governments alone but must start in the hearts of people themselves. It was felt that no government process could be a substitute for human understanding and that some way had to be found for the average American to do something about peace."The goal to help our students become a generation of peace builders goes far beyond each of our local communities. In a world of war, violence and bullying, it is within our power as educators to promote peace and understanding. Whether through Pencils for Peace or Operation Democracy, let's build more bridges between our schools and communities to make the world a more peaceful place. It is a fitting reminder on this Memorial Day.
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| Source: Pencils for Peace |
