Dear friends,
I am excited to share what's been happening at CryPeace.
In spring 2025, I spent 3 months in Uganda. We launched a new peace class in partnership with Sant'Egidio, an international organization that focuses on games for peace. What an ideal match - equipping current peace trainers with more practical tools to empower children for peace. The Ugandan coordinator, Dorothy, has become an active partner in training of trainers with CryPeace. Beyond introducing our peace and life skills curriculum, "Are We Together?", to her existing peace clubs in Kampala, she is training teachers at the Nyumanzi refugee settlement how to introduce "Are We Together?" in schools. She trained 7 youth leaders in Augst, and this October is training 49 teachers. We look forward to seeing the fruit of her labours.
Another exciting partnership is with Rotarians in Bushenyi, Uganda. Rotary International is a big supporter of peace education - in fact, I'm a beneficiary of their peace scholarships - but our goal was new: training Interact club patrons how to use "Are We Together?' in their clubs. Interact clubs are junior Rotary clubs in high schools, the target audience of CryPeace's peace course. What an ideal match! CryPeace, through Interact, can reach more students in our goal to raise a generation for peace, and Interact clubs receive a free resource to work on one of Rotary's focus areas, peace.
After months of online preparation following our meeting in March, the Peace Festival in Bushenyi was held in September. Young Rotarians from Mentoring Peace Champions Uganda brought 3,000 students to the three-day peace festival, which focused on promoting theatre and dance for peace. Meanwhile, CryPeace trained 12 active Interact patrons how to teach peace using the "Are We Together?" peace course. I had the pleasure of attending two peace club launches before I left Bushenyi, and we anticipate more Interact and peace clubs adopting the course next term. Especially encouraging was the promise of the Headteacher at Parental Care Primary School to teach 800 grade 1-8 students the attitudes and aptitudes of peace. Thank you, friends! It is only through partnerships that we can make a difference.
I want to take some time to celebrate these successes, and the seeds we've planted need nurturing, but I cannot help thinking about the future. What could we accomplish if we made more Interact clubs aware of our free, certified peace course, even in Uganda? Uganda has embraced Rotary, so the impact could be exponential. If we do well in Uganda, what could we accomplish if we expanded the outreach to other African countries? "Are We Together?" is contextualized for Uganda, so is more culturally appropriate for Africa, but its precepts are universal. I would love to see how well it translates to my own country, Canada, and with regional partners, we could contextualize it for new regions, or make its examples more universal. The skills it shares, however, are based on universal values, psychology, communications, and recognized peacebuilding practices, so it is relevant for everyone.
As the African saying goes, "it takes a village to raise a child," and it takes a village to raise a child in the path of peace. We are One Global Family; we are a global village. Will we take up the challenge to raise a generation for peace? The potential impact is as big as the investment we make. There is a great need for peaceful relationship skills, and unlimited opportunities for you to contribute your skills and dreams to raising a generation for peace. If you want to use "Are We Together?" to do so, or support CryPeace in our mission, I warmly welcome you to join us. We are growing, and need peace lovers with many talents to grow and partner with us. Please get in touch.
My name is Carole, and I'm your sister.
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Thank you to the Sunrise Rotary Club in Dundas, Ontario, and the Rotary Club of Guelph, Ontario, for inviting me to share with them this month. Attached is my presentation.
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