A year after the great meeting in Madrid, young people from 33 countries around the world met to renew their commitment to be builders of peace and spreaders of its culture.
This year it was a virtual meeting, but this did not affect the warmth and enthusiasm that accompanies the ” Ambassadors of Peace ” of the Living Peace International project! The video conference was a succession of experiences and testimonies that confirmed that nothing, not even the pandemic, can prevent us from living in peace and for peace. On this occasion, 15 new Ambassadors of Peace were appointed by the Universal Circle of Ambassadors of Peace! Many testimonies and experiences were shared during the meeting: Nahuel told us about the experience of the young people who wrote to the UN for the seventy-fifth anniversary of its foundation: “In addition to a greeting as young ambassadors of peace, we felt the need to forge an even closer bond with the UN, now a “veteran” in building peace in the world.” The response of the United Nations has renewed in everyone the desire to continue working in this direction. In Argentina, the young ambassadors have kept in touch with their Spanish-speaking peers and have experienced important moments of training and exchange throughout the year. In addition, in June, they began a collaboration with a children’s center in a poor neighborhood called “La Lata” , where the economic situation has worsened significantly due to the pandemic. A collection was held in the city to contribute to the purchase of vegetables and basic necessities that were distributed to the center every Monday. Also in Argentina, some gifts were prepared to be distributed to the children of the Dr. Victor Vilela hospital in their city. Due to Covid-19, children are very bored in the hospital because they cannot receive any visitors. The young people then organized, together with schools, foundations and other youth groups, a collection of colored pencils, markers, mandalas, drawings and encouraging messages, which were then taken to the hospital to cheer up these little patients. In Portugal, an international and inter-religious festival of songs for Peace was organized. It was born with the aim of bringing together children and young people from different religions and different Christian churches to build peace through the universal language of music. At the height of the pandemic, some areas of the Philippines experienced devastating typhoons that destroyed many homes, infrastructure, commercial establishments and agricultural farms in large areas of Luzon, and in some cities of the metropolitan region of Manila. Funds were raised for the victims of the floods under the Kulayan and Bayani ni Juan project; in collaboration with Apexpoint, some young people went to the province of Isabela for a relief operation for the victims of the flood. In Bagong Silangan, Quezon City, activities were organized with children, to help them overcome the trauma of what was happening around them.
These are just a few testimonies of the many peace projects implemented during this year. Now, with fire in our hearts, we continue our journey more united than ever, putting our talents, strength and time at the service of peace.
