Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Heeding the Call: A Program on Justicemaking for Junior High School Youth

Taking It Home: The Call for Peace

Peace begins with yourself, with the way you treat your family, your friends, your communities, your country—but it does not stop there. Peace that begins in the hearts of children can cover the whole world. — Mayerly, 14, Colombian Children's Movement for Peace

In Today's Workshop...

We learned peace-building tools like active listening. We discussed a story about children in Colombia living through civil war. We also learned that peace it is not about an absence of conflict but rather a way to resolve conflict without hurting each other. One of the tools we learned about was "knowing your stuff." What is your stuff? Your stuff is everything about you: good, bad, ugly and beautiful. It is your past, your present, your perceived notions and aspirations for the future. It is all you have experienced, thought of, dreamt of, felt, seen, heard, smelled. It is your beliefs, values, stereotypes, judgments. Your "stuff" is what makes you distinct from all others. It's you!

Peace Building

  • The quote above is from a young person involved in the Children's Movement for Peace in Colombia. Read more of the experiences of these young people and other children inflicted with war at photographer Sara Cameron's website.
  • Young people tell their own stories about the Columbian Children's Peace Movement in Sara Cameron's book, Out of War: True Stories from the Front Lines of the Children's Movement for Peace in Columbia (New York, NY: Scholastic, 2001).
  • Play the "Guess Whose Stuff" game with your family. Have everyone in your family write down seven things about them that makes them unique individuals. This could include their likes and dislikes, things that "push their buttons," and things that inspire them. One of the seven things must be what their favorite Principle is out of the seven UU Principles. Then, ask a family friend to type them up (so that the handwriting will not be recognizable) and cut them into strips. Place all of the strips in a basket and have family members draw them one-by-one with everyone guessing whose "stuff" that is.
  • Mind Tools has tips on how to become a better listener.
  • The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama is a multi-media art exhibition that brings together 88 respected artists representing 30 countries. With the full life of the Dalai Lama as inspiration, the intention for this project is to shift the world's attention toward peace. You can be a part of this art project by contributing ideas, words, and images through Missing Peace.
  • The Dalai Lama is a world-renown leader who advocates strongly for peace making. Read his short biography online.
  • The Peace Seekers (Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publishing Company, 1992) has biographies of several recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, an award given to peace building leaders of the world.

Justicemakers Guide

  • Remember to use the Justicemakers Guide to note experiences you have this week with justice or injustice. What did you see? Were you able to help? If not this time, will you be able to help in the future? How will you enable yourself to be ready to help in the future? Do you need the help of others?