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CPI is stewarded by Pathways To Peace
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What's Your Pathway to Peace?
In today's newsletter, we are featuring extraordinary Peace builders from diverse pathways to Peace. Pathways To Peace (PTP) recognizes that everyone is a pathway to Peace. Today we ask the questions: what is YOUR pathway to Peace? And, how are you building a Culture of Peace? We'd love to feature your Pathway on our website. It's easy, so check it out at: https://pathwaystopeace.org/your-pathways-to-peace/
Activating A New World
An Interview with Sheva Carr on the Business Plan for Peace Workshop Series
Among her many other titles and accomplishments, Sheva Carr is the Co-Vice President of Pathways To Peace (PTP) and Representative to the United Nations, Founding CEO of Heart Ambassadors, Fyera!, The Fyera Foundation, and Director of HeartMath's HeartMastery Program.
Last Fall Sheva Carr, in concert with 3x Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Dr. Scilla Elworthy, launched an online workshop series that is based on Scilla's book The Business Plan for Peace. It provides personal skill-building and practical applications to embrace and create real Peace. Scilla's practical, real-world business plan for peace, in concert with Sheva's applications of scientific break-throughs for generating peace within human physiology, results in a potent framework for making Peace a reality in our lifetimes. And, it's available to all of us through this dynamic workshop series. The online series is open to anyone dedicated to a world at Peace.
As active and engaged partners in this online workshop series, PTP views The Business Plan for Peace workshop series as life-changing. So, we decided to check-in with Sheva to capture her reflections at this point in time. We hope you'll be as inspired and informed by Sheva's reflections as we have been through the workshop experiences!
Sheva's excitement about The Business Plan for Peace is evident as she shares her reflections about what influenced her desire to bring this important work to a global community. In her endeavors, Sheva has observed that the creation of a business plan results in manifestation. Sheva has spent a lifetime dedicated to Peace, so she was motivated and inspired by the opportunity to add her skills to a business plan for Peace that would manifest Peace as a lived reality.
Growing up, Sheva's heroes were Nobel Laureates. As a child, she wanted to know who they were and how they gained that distinction. Meeting and getting to know Scilla Elworthy, a 3x Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, learning about her extraordinary work and what made her tick, compelled Sheva to create a way to share Scilla's work and effectiveness with other Peacebuilders.
Sheva is disturbed by the lack of resources dedicated to the development of Peace in our world.
"In the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), SDG 16 is the Peace and Justice Goal. SDG 16 gets the least amount of funding, although all other goals are in service to it and it is required for the accomplishment of all other goals. And it is the goal the United Nations was founded for! The cost of war is extraordinary,- 1.6 Trillion annually. When we calculate the cost of Peace, we find out about how little resource it would take, only 2 billion dollars over 10 years. The world spends $9B a year on ice cream! When we take a business approach, we find that achieving Peace is do-able!" Sheva wants to make Peace more fundable.
When asked what she has learned through The Business Plan for Peace workshop series and what has most inspired her, Sheva shares several highlights. She recognizes that working at both the high and practical level to manifest Peace impacts all living things. Sheva continues to be delighted and inspired by the workshop participant's projects to bring Peace, both internally and externally, acknowledging that "Peace within" is necessary to building Peace externally.
"Not everyone has an activist nature and often participants feel that inner Peace is not enough, yet it is critical! If we are to sustain our efforts and commitment, we need to invest our life force into it. Without the tools to create and maintain inner Peace, we will not achieve outer results. We get to validate the absolute value of inner Peace."
Sheva continues to be surprised about how energizing the workshop sessions are - for herself, as well as the participants.
"The majority of us are not ready to leave at the conclusion of the 2-hour online workshop. We are more energized than when we arrived!"
And, Sheva says, everyone is a Peacebuilder! The following are just a few of the many participant testimonials, these come from students that brought The Business Plan for Peace through the pathway of performance and art:
"The most important lesson I'm taking away with me is that I have more power than I believe as an actor to create or begin social change. Community based on trust is stronger than we perceive and can lead to a movement of unstoppable positive change." - Angelica
"Although we many not be aware of it, all of us are practice-based researchers; through our art we can pose a question to ourselves or to the audience; we gather information on our project/role; and we share our results with the audience. Our science is measured in the hearts of our audience." - James
"Through the vessel of my body and my voice, I am capable of creating change at the intersection between performance and protest." - Cynthia
"Peace-making is only possible once you find the peace in yourself." - Carlos
Sheva reinforces the importance of creating and maintaining Peace within: "It is inspiring to witness that while not everyone has an activist nature, everyone is in a position to contribute to Peace. Some of the most compelling peace projects have come from the most unexpected people and places. Everyone can contribute to creating Peace and a new world - a world at Peace."
Thank you, Sheva for your dedicated leadership and your commitment to bring innovative education and tools to our global Peacebuilding community. PTP is honored to be a sponsor of the Business Plan for Peace workshop series.
"Many people feel powerless in the face of what they see on TV or read in the news - a world in crisis, with wars and violence taking place across the globe. The Business Plan for Peace teaches you how to step out of helplessness and apply your own personal skills do something about challenges now facing us." - Scilla Elworthy
Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
in the
Universal Language of Music!
"Pathways To Peace (PTP) is delighted to announce an exciting new Peace Day event that you won't want to miss! Starting this month, everyone is invited to join a global singalong and dance party to Every Man, Woman, and Child, a musical presentation by Merrill Collins of Spiraling Music. Every Man, Woman, and Child, is a musical celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
An a capella version of this beautiful song, which was originally recorded when Merrill was composer-in-residence at Pathways to Peace in the 1980s, won a Global Peace Song Award last year. This year, new versions of the song are being recorded to engage every audience, from a hip hop reading of the articles to a global meditation to a West African Highlife! Everyone and all communities are encouraged to use Every Man, Woman, and Child to create their own events and dance videos
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"If I can't dance, it's not my revolution!" - Emma Goldman
UN CSW63: Pathways To Peace Delegates
Share Reflections
The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) concluded on March 22nd, and yet the experience lives on in the hearts, minds, and Peacebuilding work of the PTP Delegates.
CSW63 took place March 11th through March 22nd, 2019. The Pathways To Peace (PTP) delegates came together from all over the world, represented many cultures, ages, and backgrounds - each expressing an extraordinary commitment to Peacebuilding.
Following are reflections from some of the delegates. We hope it will give you some insight into this life-changing experience, as well as a sense of how the experience shaped, informed and inspired their Peacebuilding work. We hope their words will lift and inspire you as you create a world at Peace.
"One of the most touching moments for me was when a seasoned UN peacemaker I had met and was getting to know asked a Ugandan woman who joined our table what she could do to help her in her country. To be able to ask that question, and have resources on hand that could actually respond, was thrilling to me. It opened up a world of what is now possible. I discovered that there are real women and girls all over the world who are aware of the challenges in their countries and are giving significant time to making a difference on their local, national, and state levels." - Manju Bazzell
Manju Bazzell in the middle
"Regarding the sounds and sights; I can't find the words to describe them in detail, but I can say that my favorite part was sitting in the meeting room waiting for the Secretary-General to arrive, while the different women from around the world represented their countries and cultures in songs and chants. The support and comradery that was witnessed were unique all in its own way. The fact that women from different parts of the world could come together for the same cause and could work together on ways to address similar issues was amazing to witness."
- Marlenis Rosa
Pathways To Peace Delegation
"I learned through the CSW experience that one's pathway to peace is best realized through action and involvement. It's not enough to know about and financially support a pathway to peace. I need to participate in opportunities that occur in my own community. That's where it starts and where I can be most effective." - Patricia Sempowich
Delegates and dinner after the presentation
"I loved our panel and the work being done in various sectors. PTP has a strong history, which I knew prior to attending. However, it was incredibly valuable to have a first-hand experience of our place within the peacebuilding community. The history was palpable when speaking to members of other organizations." - Deborah Greene
"For us, the most exciting part of being there is really being in SUCH a global village and learning about the difficult but essential work that is happening at a grassroots level. From work with widows to sex trafficking, we heard many shocking stories that nonetheless left us inspired by the strategic work women are doing to heal our planet."
- Stephen Dinan
Stephen Dinan on left, Devaa Haley on right
"I was so inspired by seeing women from all over the world 'rise up' to bring peace to the world. I truly believe that the key to world peace is through the empowerment of women! My personal pathway is through teaching young girls from different tribes and different religions to learn and grow together. That way they learn that they are really all the same and share the same hopes and dreams. Their parents and the community view this group of young girls who do not discriminate against one another living in peace. It's a great lesson that there is no 'other' to hate. While we are all on different paths, we converge in our quest for compassion, empathy, acceptance of differences, and ultimately, peace." - Lily Yoseph
"I learned how many ways there are to spread a culture of Peace. I felt HOPE! Everywhere I went there was a feeling of prevailing love on earth, and that it's getting stronger all the time." - Georgie Chapman
Georgie Chapman
"The experience at the UN It empowered me to find my inner strength and continue on my pathway to peace. It gave me insights to improve my pathway to peace. I will make women coffee farmers the leaders of my education project in Colombia and empower them to teach and promote resilience exercises in their families and community. Most probably I will create a coffee made only by women, and part of the proceeds will go back to empowering them and give them visibility in the coffee industry." - Melissa Amin
Melissa second from the left
"I was inspired by so many people coming from such distant walks of life, walking up to the building and looking at the flags was a new experience each day. The first day I was overwhelmed but as the days passed on the reality of the conference began to set in, and it was a moving experience to each day place a new real living face next to each flag. I think in this world of internet and electronics something is getting lost in our human interactions, especially internationally between citizens of different countries, and those visceral moments of placing real faces to the flags of all the attending nations were truly inspirational. I met the Liberian activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee. Her story of perseverance and strength was very inspiring. One of her quotes is below, she is extremely empowering, and her passion speaks to all of us." - Rosa Davis
"There is something in this world that every individual can do. God has created all of us with something unique to contribute." - Leymanh Gbowee.
Tezikiah Gabriel, Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury, Irene Kai and David Wick meeting to discuss guiding the Culture of Peace
Thank you PTP CSW63 Delegates - for your wisdom, leadership, tenacity, and innovation!
You inspire us!
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Peacebuilding Around Our World: Your Pathways To Peace!
Quote of the Day
"If you want to end the war then Instead of sending guns, send books. Instead of sending tanks, send pens. Instead of sending soldiers, send teachers."
~ Malala Yousafzai
(17 year-old Noble Peace Laureate)
About Pathways To Peace and the Culture of Peace Initiative
Together, we are building a sustainable culture of Peace for all. For over four decades you've supported our work, we would not be here without you. Thank you, in advance, for your generosity. All donations are tax deductible.
Thank you from the Pathways To Peace Team!
We wish you Peace!
About Pathways To Peace
Pathways To Peace expands the understanding and expression of Peace, fosters Peacebuilders and Peacebuilding activities, and builds an integral movement for a Culture of Peace.
Pathways To Peace (PTP) is an international Peacebuilding, educational, and consulting organization. For over four decades, PTP has been actively making Peace a lived reality. PTP is an UN-designated Peace Messenger Organization and has Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). PTP works locally and globally, inter-generationally and multi-culturally, to support Peacebuilding, Peacebuilders, and to collaborate with other organizations in initiatives that advance the Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI).
Since its inception in 1981, PTP has worked with the UN to expand awareness of and engage in the International Day of Peace (Peace Day), which is held annually on September 21st. Peace Day has grown from a single event of a few hundred people into a global movement that reaches hundreds of millions of people. Peace Day, as established by unanimous United Nations resolution in 1981, provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace.
http://internationaldayofpeace.org
With participants from around the world, the Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI) is a cooperative local-global Peacebuilding Initiative, uniting the strengths of organizations, networks, projects, and people to realize a Culture of Peace for the Common Good. The CPI also serves as a vehicle for bringing to light many previously unseen and unheard Peacebuilders working along diverse paths, who are embodying the emerging Culture of Peace within Humanity. The annual highlight of the Culture of Peace Initiative is the International Day of Peace, which provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations, and nations to work together, on a shared date, to create practical acts of Peace with a year-round impact.
"Peace is both an innate state of being and a dynamic, transformative, and evolutionary process."
This is how PTP defines Peace. Peace begins within, and as we discover inner Peace, we radiate Peace and engage in a Peaceful way of life. At PTP, we see this happening around our world, as seen in the spread of the
International Day of Peace and the growing
Culture of Peace Initiative. We are moving beyond separation and recognizing our common humanity. We are acting to end violence and to embody the Peace our humanity cries out for and demands. We are envisioning and creating a world at Peace.
This newsletter comes to you from Pathways To Peace (PTP),
steward of the Culture of Peace Initiative (CPI) newsletter. PTP is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, whose work would not be possible without our volunteers and your support. If you would like to support Pathways To Peace and Peace Day activities around the globe, you can do so by clicking the Donation Button above. A heartfelt thank you from the Pathways To Peace Team!
Thank You!
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Pathways To Peace, P.O. Box 1057, Larkspur, CA 94977
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