Many of us feel powerless in the face of wars in so many parts of the world right now. The sense of justice that children and young people have so innately is often not heard.
Power of children
But we are never powerless and we have the power to ensure that children and young people are heard. There is always kindness and love. From the strength of those feelings and actions, we can strive for peace in our hearts, minds, and world.
Message of Peace
This December, schools might like to learn a little about the powerful message of peace from a young Japanese girl Sadako Sasaki who was 12 years old when the Hiroshima bomb was dropped in her country.
Paper crane creativity
In her short life, she left a huge legacy of peace and one which has inspired thousands of children ever since….the origami paper crane initiative.
Spread peace
Creating paper cranes for peace could be a rewarding and meaningful way for schools to talk to children and young people about peace, about how to heal divisions, find common ground. It also encourages students to do more in real life without their phones.
Simple step by step guide
Here are some simple instructions on how to make an origami paper crane- ideal for all ages!
Students could decide to gift a crane to a family member, friend or to someone living alone to show that you are thinking of them or even place it on a Christmas tree, in school or in the community.
1,000 paper cranes
Sadako believed that if she made 1000 paper cranes that she would get better. 1000 became the number of paper cranes that supporters of the idea believed helped achieve a sense of calm and spread the message of peace globally.
Will your school take the Peace Crane challenge?
In a world filled with turmoil, upset and hatred we need to spread the message of love and peace now more than ever.
Maybe your school could encourage students to help create 1000 peace cranes this Christmas?
Share your images
Share your images of these symbols of peace and hope on your school’s social media under #PeacecranesIRL
Together we can make the world a better place one paper crane at a time and help grow Sadako’s dream of a brighter tomorrow.
Contact us
If you have any questions or suggestions about the #PeacecranesIRL project simply contact us here or message our team on social media @inspiringyouirl
Supported by
The Peace Crane Challenge for Irish schools this December is being promoted by Inspiring You Schools of Sanctuary Ireland and Galway City Partnership.
About Inspiring You
Inspiring You was founded in 2017 by Galway based teacher Philip Cribbin and filmmaker Kamil Krolak. It is a platform which encourages children to use social media less and do more in real life. In the past we have devised a number of successful child friendly concepts promoting empathy, music
and activity which encouraged children to create a “brighter tomorrow”.
projects have been supported by many primary and secondary schools throughout Ireland. We have worked with Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental, musicians Damien Dempsey, Sharon Shannon and sports personalities such Shane Long, Catherina McKiernan and Rena Buckley.
We hope that our ideas and actions help to inspire greater empathy, awareness and more real-life activity in children nationwide.
About Schools Of Sanctuary Ireland:
Schools of Sanctuary Ireland (SoSI) was formed in 2019, following the ongoing success of the initiative in the UK (incl. Northern Ireland) and now is proud to support a network of more than 70 Irish primary and post primary schools who are or are working towards becoming a ‘Champion
School of Sanctuary’.
In becoming a ‘School of Sanctuary’, schools undertake to become the best examples of inclusion and welcome that they can be. At the heart of the wider Sanctuary message is the call to develop a deep understanding and welcoming of refugees and asylum-seekers in our schools and societies.
Staff and students work together to then weave this empathy and learning into all aspects of equality, inclusion and diversity in the school. In a School of Sanctuary, ALL students, particularly those who fear marginalisation or prejudice, have a valued and respected place in the school community. In a School of Sanctuary, all students are asked to share the gift of sanctuary and equality with others wherever they go.
ABOUT THE BRIDGE PROJECT, GALWAY CITY PARTNERSHIP
The BRIDGE Project, Galway City Partnership was established to provide reception and integration supports (including one to one advocacy and referrals) to Asylum Seekers and Third Country Nationals living in Galway. Working collaboratively with a broad range of stakeholders, the project provides multi-lingual social, healthcare, education, language, employment and immigration supports. In addition, the project will shortly launch its Intercultural Strategy for Galway City.
The BRIDGE Project works with children and adults to combat racism and discrimination in Galway and as such the Schools of Sanctuary vision: ‘that anyone who is in need of sanctuary for any reason will find safety and welcome wherever they go’ perfectly matches the aspirations of the BRIDGE Project for all aspects of Galway life. Our project is delighted to work with Schools of Sanctuary to launch the Peace Crane Challenge in Galway, which simply generates free, creative, time to reflect and examine peace in all forms.
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