A Fairer World :: Youth

Peace and bullying

Make A Difference - Links - Did You Know?
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“First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others.”

Thomas A. Kempis

“Treaties are negotiated by governments. Peace is made by people.”

Seeds of Peace

Multimedia Links

Recommended sites

Clarence High School students have had some thoughts on child soldiers.

Global Education: “Preventing and resolving conflict before it results in violence is far less costly, both in human and financial terms, than responding to it once it has occurred. Action to address the underlying causes of conflict include strengthening governance, improving access to human rights, economic and social development, destruction of weapons and developing a culture of peace.”

Photo of people

Decade of Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010): “As defined by the United Nations, the Culture of Peace is a set of values, attitudes, modes of behaviour and ways of life that reject violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation among individuals, groups and nations.”

Bullying.org: “Bullying happens in many different forms. It's doing, saying or acting in a way that hurts someone else or makes him or her feel bad on purpose. Some kinds of bullying are:

  • Verbal (name-calling)
  • Physical (punching, pushing)
  • Social (leaving someone out of a game or group on purpose)
  • Extortion (stealing someone's money or toys)
  • Cyberbullying (using computers, the Internet, mobile phones, etc. to bully others) ”

Bullying UK: “If you see someone being bullied and you don’t do anything to help them then you’re helping the bully!”

Bullying. No Way!: “Bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence can seem too big for us to do anything about. When we think we have no power, we do nothing and things get worse. We are not powerless! Bullying CAN BE FIXED – so long as we're willing to try. It takes one person to get started. That person can be you! ”

TakingITGlobal: “Violence is not restricted to times of war; it exists everywhere: in homes, schools and communities. Where there is injustice, there is conflict.”

Ministry for Peace: “If we look to the past history of humanity we see constant wars and battles between countries, nations, states, tribes and even families... As a consequence every country has a Department of War usually called a Department of Defence... It is now time for a DEPARTMENT OF PEACE... A world of freedom, of abundance for all, such a world is our destiny when peace becomes the organizing principle in our societies and when every Government in our world has a Department of Peace.”

International Campaign to Ban Landmines: “As of 2008, 38 nations have stopped production [of landmines], and global trade has almost halted completely. Unfortunately, 13 countries continue to produce (or have not foresworn the production of) antipersonnel mines. Nine of the 13 mine producers are in Asia (Burma, China, India, Nepal, North Korea, South Korea, Pakistan, Singapore, and Vietnam), one in the Middle East (Iran), two in the Americas (Cuba and United States), and one in Europe (Russia). ”

ican (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons): “There is no other weapon that can kill hundreds of millions of people in a few hours and bring about the end of human civilization. Nuclear weapons are illegal, immoral and genocidal. They have no legitimate purpose, and are futile against any of today's real security threats, such as climate change, poverty, over-population and pandemics. In fact, they divert funds needed to address these problems.”

Did You Know?

  • There are 20 significant conflicts currently raging throughout the world. Every year, half a million men, women, and children are killed by armed violence - one person every minute.www
  • Of the 29 state-based armed conflicts in 2003, only 2 were interstate (India against Pakistan and the US-led war against Iraq). The remaining 27 were civil wars (government against rebels).www
  • The number of children under the age of 18 who have been coerced or induced to take up arms as child soldiers is generally thought to be in the range of 300,000. www
  • The budget for UN peace keeping operations for the 12 months to June 2007 is about $4.75 billion.www
  • In 2009 the 5 least peaceful countries were Sudan, Israel, Somalia Afghanistan and Iraq.www
  • In 2009 the 5 most peaceful countries were New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Austria.www

These sites have ideas on how to make a difference.

Reach Out: “get info about keeping the 'good stuff' in your life 'good', about building upon those things that are already going well in your life to make them better, and about taking action to make sure you are equipped to handle situations you come across which may be challenging.”

Teacher Resources