Chandigarh, May 9, 2009: Today, at KB DAV-7, on the concluding day of two day Peace Trainers Training Programme for the teachers in charge of Peace Clubs of around 100 Schools & Colleges of the city, it was unanimously decided to celebrate academic Year 2009-10 as year for the promotion of culture of peace and nonviolence in the city. Parmod Sharma, Coordinator, Yuvsatta informed that it’ll be further strengthen their resolve to take this beautiful city towards a status of Peace-city Chandigarh.
During the programme in various sessions guided by personalities like Padma Vibhushan Sunder Lal Bahuguna, gandhian Scholar Prof. N. Radhakrishnan, Mr. Justice Rajesh Bindal, Judge, Punjab & Haryana High Court, Mrs. Madhvi Kataria, PCS, Chief Manager, MARKFED, Karan Singh Jaglan, Dy. DEO, Education Department, Panchkula District, Vandana Shukla, freelance journalist & Saroj Mittal, Asstt. Director, AE, Education Department, Chandigarh, LIza from Chitti Si Aasha, teachers in charge of various Peace Clubs in educational institutions decided to lay more stress of on the following common activities to prepare a new generation of children with creative minds and caring hearts.
(i) Gandhi Corner in School Libraries: Schools will open Gandhi Corner in their Libraries with books on peace and nonviolence to strengthen good reading habits amongst the students.
(ii) Children’s Bank: A Children Bank will be opened by each Peace Club in the School, where the old and new clothes, toys, story books, shoe, spectacles; unused medicines will be collected for further distribution amongst the marginalized.
(iii) Rain Tours: On selected days at regular intervals Rain Tours involving all the Peace Club members for Cleaning Schools, Government dispensaries, public places, parks, forest areas, slum settlements and villages can be organized.
(iv) SAY NO TO TOY GUNS: Peace Clubs will make children and parents understand the value of saying no to purchasing and playing with toy Guns. So, no more toy guns for children.
(v) Virtues Project: Five Schools like The Gurukul, IS Dev Samaj Girls Sr. Sec. School, KB DAV-7, GMSSS-33 D and GMSSS-10 A, decided to opt for running a Virtue’s project in association with Yuvsatta in their Schools. Virtues are identified like Truth, Sincerity, Honesty, Love, Compassion, friendliness, etc. And there are 52 weeks in a year and in the School each week can be devoted to the inculcation of a specific virtue in the student.
(vi) Let’s be friends; The biggest ill of 21st century is the missing warmth in human relationships. Peace Clubs will take positive steps and become models in Inter-personnel dialogue between friends, Parents-children, children-relations, children-community, children of city-children in slums & villages.
(vii) We R One: As the world is multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic. So, no country can be monocultural, mono-religious and mono-ethnic. Peace Clubs will make efforts to teach children to give equal respect for all religions, all cultures, all languages, all races; all ethnic groups can ensure a society of permanence.
Presenting a valedictory address Mr. Justice Rajesh Bindal appreciating the efforts of organizers of the initiative, especially Yuvsatta, KB DAV-7, Indian Council of Gandhian Studies & Education Department, Chandigarh Administration remarked that Peace Club activities can protect children’s minds from being imbued by violence in the society. It’ll also prepare them for building a peaceful world by empowering them with necessary knowledge, attitudes and skills. And Schools can directly benefit from this programme, there is ample evidence to show that Peace Education improves the quality of teaching and learning, discipline and helps emotional development of children. Justice Bindal motivated the organizers to take this campaign to other parts of the country as well.
