Notes for International Day of Peace PowerPoint
Slide 1
September 21st is International Day of Peace. It was first established in 1981. This year’s
official poster is on the right hand side of the slide, along with this year’s slogan –
“Partnerships for peace – Dignity for all”.
We can see from the slogan that ‘dignity’ is an important focus of this year’s peace day. This
resource will pay particular attention to dignity, giving students the opportunity to define it
in their own words, apply it to the lives and apply it to the works of Jesuits around the
world.
Slide 2
For more information regarding the history of International Day of Peace, you may want to
go here: http://internationaldayofpeace.org/
Apart from dignity, the UN doesn’t give an exhaustive list of what the ideals of peace are.
They are perhaps leaving it open to interpretation and discussion (see the next slide
activity).
Slide 3
The UN doesn’t give an exhaustive list of the ideals of peace (apart from dignity), so get
students into pairs or groups to discuss the question on this slide. They can think in
reference to current affairs (i.e. “refuge”, “safety”, “environmental responsibility” etc).
Picture 1 (going clockwise from top left) - In the Central African Republic, the Jesuit Refugee
Service (JRS) provides education for children and adults affected by the country's violence.
Many families were displaced during conflict in 2013.
Picture 2 – Tamil Nadu: JRS summer camp. Students participate in courses which help them
to de-stress and focus on self-awareness.
Picture 3 - JRS school in Kafar Zabad, Lebanon. In addition to learning English, French,
Mathematics and Arabic, refugee students also partake in sport and psychosocial activities
allowing them to just be kids again.
Picture 4 - After his visit to Lampedusa, Pope Francis again made a call in favour of
welcoming refugees at a visit to the soup kitchen of Centro Astalli (2013, JRS)
Once students have shared their answers, you could give a definition of dignity provided by
The Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Pope in Laudato Si – “Being in the image of
God, the human individual possesses the dignity of a person,
who is not just something, but someone….capable of self-knowledge, self-possession and of
freely giving him[her]self and entering into communion with other persons.”
Slide 4
Students can swap partners to discuss this question, or stay with the same partners.
As mentioned earlier, dignity is one of the key ideals mentioned by the UN. We can see that
it is mentioned specifically in this year’s slogan.
Dignity is an open ended concept, open to interpretation. Encourage students to think, to
invoke their own experiences and to consider the things they have seen happening in the
world to help with their ideas.
Slide 5
These quotes come from the stories of migrants and asylum seekers who spoke to the JRS.
Slide 6
Funded by Jesuit Missions, the Jesuits in Lebanon have been able to provide foodbanks, for
Syrian refugees. These pictures show lay staff and Jesuit workers from the JRS at the
foodbank.
Slide 7
Ask the students to consider which of these values they think inspires the Jesuits as they do
their work in the Middle East. If there is time, they can share to the rest of the class.
The Jesuit Pupil Profile was provided via the Jesuit Institute: http://jesuitinstitute.org/
Slide 8
This map shows the majority of conflicts happening in the world, taken from the
International Crisis Group. It is up to date as of September 2015 (subject to frequent
change - http://crisisgroup.be/maps/crisiswatch/index.html). Not all conflicts from the
website have been documented on this map. Summaries on these conflicts are available on
the accompanying word document.
Ask students for their reflections on what they get from this map. After considering the map
generally, focus on the Middle East again, elicit from students what they think is happening
(particularly in Syria).
Slide 9
The Peace Makers Activity. Full instructions, are available on the accompanying word
document.
In this simulation, students will assume the role of The
Government of Syria. Each group will take turns giving speeches on whether or not they
support the conflict happening in Syria. They can debate opinion within their groups, but
they must have a uniform opinion by the time of the whole class discussion.
Afterwards all the groups can ask each other questions, and then they will vote on a draft
resolution to END the conflict.
Slide 11
For a complete list of UN recommended activities, go here:
http://internationaldayofpeace.org/actions/
Slide 12
As a final reflection, lead students through The Prayer of Saint Francis (as often attributed).
This can be done through singing, or through private, Examen-like reflection. You could also
have one/a number of students read through each slide, pausing on each so the students can
see the pictures and focus their thoughts.
This photo was taken in Photo taken in July 2015, In Bangui, the capital of Central African
Republic. Families fled shootings and house-burnings in December 2013. Christians and
Muslims clashed and many people died. The Jesuit Refugee Service runs a preschool in a
troubled area, providing 3- to 5-year-old children with education and fun. On the final day of
preschool before a break, children celebrated with games and more.
Slide 13
August 2015: Young Eritreans paint grim realities
“I painted this after hearing from my friends who made it to Europe. These are refugees
who made it to Libya and are risking everything to get to Italy by the Mediterranean Sea.
They finally made it on a boat but there is now no one to save them.
"The smugglers stayed on the shore, sending them off without a captain. The person driving
the boat is a refugee himself who doesn’t know how to drive a boat. They have no
guarantee of survival. The smugglers just collect money and do not care if they arrive dead
or alive," Michael Araya, 24, describes his painting.
Slide 14
Syrian refugees in Lebanon. June 2014
Slide 15
In 2013, Jesuit Refugee Service/USA chaplains spent 1,086
hours visiting detainees in special housing units as well as another 1,655 hours providing
detainees with religious items, processing requests for religious diets. Volunteers played a
significant role by giving more than 1,538 hours for religious services, religious teachings,
and spiritual support.