Kids for Peace
Encyclopedia
Kids for Peace is a global, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) youth organization dedicated to “uplifting our world through love and action.” The mission of Kids for Peace is to cultivate every child's innate ability to foster peace through cross-cultural experiences and hands-on arts, service and environmental projects. Kids for Peace has over 100 chapters, spanning six continents.
The programs of Kids for Peace are all guided by its Peace Pledge, which emphasizes leadership, service, kindness, respect, unity, stewardship, responsibility and action.
(2009), Rob Machado
(2008) and Frances Fisher
(2007). Nominees for the 2010 Peace Hero award are Bindi Irwin
, Jane Goodall
, Dwayne Johnson and Jack Johnson
.
by Danielle Gram, then a high school student, and Jill McManigal, mother of Hana and Bodhi and a children’s playwright and director.
Ms. Gram’s work in creating Kids for Peace contributed to her selection as a winner of the Nestlé
Very Best in Youth Award in 2007. Danielle Gram is now a student at Harvard University
.
Ms. McManigal, a former elementary school teacher, is now the Executive Director of Kids for Peace. In November 2009, Ms. McManigal received a Bank of America
Local Hero award, recognizing her work through Kids for Peace.
From the initial gathering of neighborhood children in Ms. McManigal’s home, the organization has grown to over 50 chapters worldwide, spanning all six inhabited continents. Countries as diverse as Australia
, Sierra Leone
, Bangladesh
, the Dominican Republic
, Greece
and Mongolia
are now home to Kids for Peace chapters.
The programs of Kids for Peace are all guided by its Peace Pledge, which emphasizes leadership, service, kindness, respect, unity, stewardship, responsibility and action.
Peace Pledge
- I pledge to use my words to speak in a kind way.
- I pledge to help others as I go throughout my day.
- I pledge to care for our earth with my healing heart and hands.
- I pledge to respect people in each and every land.
- I pledge to join together as we unite the big and small.
- I pledge to do my part to create peace for one and all.
Peace Packs
Kids for Peace believes that learning about different cultures is an important part of building peace. One of the principal activities of Kids for Peace chapters is sending Peace Packs to other children around the world. Peace Packs are hand-painted knapsacks filled with school supplies, toiletries, a toy, and a personal note of friendship. Prior to making Peace Packs, Kids for Peace members learn about the culture of the recipients, often from a guest speaker who has lived there.Peace Hero Awards
Each year, Kids for Peace chooses a Peace Hero, a well-recognized role model chosen by the children of Kids for Peace. Peace Heroes are selected based on their living by the words of the Peace Pledge, their contribution to making the world a better place and the way they inspire youth to be their best selves. Past Peace Hero award recipients are Tony HawkTony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
(2009), Rob Machado
Rob Machado
Robert Edward Machado is an American professional surfer from Cardiff-by-the-Sea, a community in Encinitas , California....
(2008) and Frances Fisher
Frances Fisher
Frances Fisher is a British actress. She is known for her work on television, in theater and in films, including roles as Strawberry Alice, the madame prostitute in Unforgiven , and Ruth DeWitt Bukater, the mother of Kate Winslet's character in Titanic .- Early life and education :Fisher was born...
(2007). Nominees for the 2010 Peace Hero award are Bindi Irwin
Bindi Irwin
Bindi Sue Irwin is the daughter of The Crocodile Hunter star Steve Irwin. Bindi is a child celebrity who has tried her hand at acting, singing, songwriting, dancing, and rapping...
, Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall, DBE , is a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. Considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National...
, Dwayne Johnson and Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
.
The Great Kindness Challenge
In 2008 Kids for Peace launched an annual event called The Great Kindness Challenge. It takes place on the second Saturday in August and is open to youth of all ages. The Great Kindness Challenge is one day where kids around the world dedicate themselves to performing as many acts of kindness as possible, using a checklist of 50 suggestions. These acts of kindness range from holding the door open for someone to cleaning up a local park to making sack lunches for homeless people. In 2009, The Great Kindness Challenge involved at least 35 countries, in six continents. The next one will be held on August 14, 2010.Books
Kids for Peace published its first book, Peace Through Our Eyes: A Book of Hope and Inspiration, in 2008. It features words and drawings by kids responding to the question “What does peace mean to you?” Fulfilling its intention to make this a biannual project, Kids for Peace is now producing its second book, Wish Big: Children’s Wishes for the World. This book, to be published by the summer of 2010, will feature children’s drawings answering the question, “What is my wish for the world?”History
Kids for Peace was founded in 2006 in Carlsbad, CaliforniaCarlsbad, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Carlsbad had a population of 105,328. The population density was 2,693.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Carlsbad was 87,205 White, 1,379 African American, 514 Native American, 7,460 Asian, 198 Pacific Islander, 4,189 from other...
by Danielle Gram, then a high school student, and Jill McManigal, mother of Hana and Bodhi and a children’s playwright and director.
Ms. Gram’s work in creating Kids for Peace contributed to her selection as a winner of the Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
Very Best in Youth Award in 2007. Danielle Gram is now a student at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Ms. McManigal, a former elementary school teacher, is now the Executive Director of Kids for Peace. In November 2009, Ms. McManigal received a Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
Local Hero award, recognizing her work through Kids for Peace.
From the initial gathering of neighborhood children in Ms. McManigal’s home, the organization has grown to over 50 chapters worldwide, spanning all six inhabited continents. Countries as diverse as Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
are now home to Kids for Peace chapters.