Empowering children and youth to share their passion to create
peace and celebrate diversity through the arts, literacy and fusion!
Empowering children and youth to share their passion to create peace and celebrate diversity through the arts, literacy and fusion!
Peace Tree Day, founded by teacher/director Mitra Sen, is a festival for children, youth and families of every culture and faith to celebrate peace, diversity and fusion through the arts!
If you would like to have Peace Tree Day proclaimed in your city, then write to your mayor, city councillor, or MP and share the importance of celebrating peace and diversity through the arts and culture in your city. After organizing and celebrating Peace Tree Day in her school, Amita contacted the Mayor of Los Angeles to have Peace Tree Day proclaimed in her city. (please see her letter below) The students at Copper Cliff P. S. in Sudbury wrote to their Mayor to have Peace Tree Day proclaimed in their city and were invited by the Mayor for the proclamation.
Students who would like to have this inclusive festival proclaimed in their city can work together to write to their mayor and share the importance of creating Peace Tree Day for their city. A teacher in the school should assist students with the compilation of the package and to arrange the meeting with the mayor. Try to get some seniors from a senior’s home nearby involved in the initiative.
If your mayor decides to proclaim June 1st as Peace Tree Day in your city, you can begin your preparations. Arrange the venue for the Peace Tree Day celebrations (school, community centre, city hall). The following are some ideas that outline how to celebrate Peace Tree Day at school in an organization or at a community centre.
A part of Peace Tree Day is to inspire young people and their families to find unique ways to raise funds and donate to children less fortunate around the world. Any activities outlined below can be a means to fundraise for charities that the school or organization can support. Possible children’s charities to support include War Child Canada (warchild.ca), The Malala Fund (Malala.org), Because I am a Girl (becauseiamagirl.ca), He for She (heforshe.org) and Free the Children (freethechildren.org) the Salaam Balak Trust Fund (salaambaalaktrust.com), UNICEF (unicef.ca), Right to Play (righttoplay.com) and Free the Children (freethechildren.com).
In 2014, the Peace Tree Ambassadors at Copperfield P. S. started their Peace Tree Club and became the first school to write to their mayor to have Peace Tree Day proclaimed in the city of Sudbury. As a result, the Peace Tree Ambassadors were invited to the mayor’s office to receive the proclamation and meet the mayor.
Read their story… rainbowschools.ca/news/2014/30228.php
June 6, 2006
Dear Peace Tree Ambassadors,
My name is Amita Devi Pentakota and I am nine years old. This year I celebrated Peace Tree Day with my school on June 1st. I got the idea to celebrate Peace Tree Day when I went to the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles where I was invited to dance. After I danced, I went to see The Peace Tree. It was a great pleasure watching it and a lot of fun. It really made me understand about peace. I realized through that movie that knowing about other religions and understanding them will help us to respect each other.
Once I was back home, I got the idea of celebrating Peace Tree Day at school. I e-mailed the director and producer, Ms. Mitra Sen and got her authorization to celebrate Peace Tree Day at school.
So, I went to the Vice Principal and got her permission to honor June 1st as Peace Tree Day in our school. I started with flyers. My mom and I made a picture of the Peace Tree symbol. I added a few directions and put a border on it. I took it to my Vice Principal and she accepted it. Then we made a few copies and she told me that she would call for me the next morning.
The next day I went to school and waited, but she did not call me in the morning so I waited some more. Just after lunch I got a stomach ache and went to the front office. I just happened to see my Vice Principal walking through the front office. She gave me the flyers and I distributed them through the classrooms. Then I went home.
The next day I went to school and we had a talk with the class and they all got prepared. I waited patiently for two weeks. The kids shared what they were going to hang on the trees and why it represents Peace to them. I couldn’t wait for tPeace Tree Day and I was full of anticipation.
The next day was full of color. I entered the classroom, and there on the back counter all the symbols of peace lay. I looked at every one of them and a lot of the kids were explaining to their friends about their symbol. My mother came and filmed and photographed all the kids explaining what their symbol meant in front of The Peace Tree. I watched all the kids say what they thought Peace was and I was impressed.
At the end of the day my Vice Principal said that it was so good that next year they might make it an official day at school! It was a really fun celebrating Peace Tree Day this year. I just wrote to the Mayor of Los Angeles to see if he will proclaim Peace Tree Day in Los Angeles. Wish me luck. I hope that every child in the world can see this amazing movie!
Sincerely,
Amita Devi Pentakota