"PeaceIN" is a cultural outgrowth of the Religious Youth Service, and was founded in 2004. This "For Purpose" organization promotes art as a means toward friendship, cooperation and community development.
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
MISSION
To promote world peace and friendship through the arts.
Strive to create a movement toward “Art for the Sake of Others” or “Art to Promote Peace”
PeaceIN facilitates an environment that encourages global understanding and allows future leaders opportunities to experience culture and art in a way that unites both a hands-on and "head-in" approach
History
PeaceIN is an outgrowth of the Religious Youth Service (RYS). RYS is a project of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) . The RYS has done projects in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania.
RYS is an experiential, service-learning project with a special focus on developing personal leadership and peacemaking skills. Through living and providing altruistic service within a community. RYS demonstrates that it is possible for our global human family to live together in peace and co-prosperity.
The UPF/RYS is in support of the United Nation Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)– which form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions.
In 2004, the first RYS art-based project was held in Bristol England where youth representing 5 religions adorn the walls of the Bristol Central Mosque with our first RYS mosaic. The design for this project was developed as a composite drawing from the art work of 21 the Islamic youth. Seeing how creating Art together could be a means to serve the community, and to transform the lives of the participants more projects were scheduled as we began developing a movement toward “Art for the Sake of Others” or “Art to Promote Peace”.
Eventually, in Spring of 2008 a project titled, “PeaceIN” was held at the Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA where students members of clubs and religious organizations were invited to take part in the creating of a mini-mosaic Peace Park. As the project unfolded participants invited passersby to “put their ‘peace’ in” to the mosaic and thus the PeaceIN concept began. All “PeaceIN” projects welcome partnerships and community involvement.
Please visit our projects page to learn more.
“I think being able to work together with a group from Honduras was a really valuable part of the experience, because even though there were language barriers, the experience of doing something for a higher purpose with people from a different culture was something that helped me gain a better perspective of the world and the relationship between people of different backgrounds.”
Creating PEACE parks
What is a “Peace Park”?
A park (or garden) built in a place reflecting the potential harmony of even exceptionally diverse peoples
A place where art is used as a vehicle to express universal ideals of peace and harmony
A place built by our future - youth with youth (world youth)
An identifiable place reflecting universal ideals of the world family or community.
A living work of art, in which the people, materials, and space, and all subsequent relationships created in building and appreciating the park are part of the artistic event
Purpose
To go beyond cultural differences and engage in cultural cooperation
To create a working model of cultural cooperation
To create substantial reflections of peace and harmony
To provide an opportunity for young artists to develop a future art movement toward a “Culture of Peace” or “Art for Humanity’s Sake”
To begin the work of creating Peace Zones, by building “Peace Parks”
Goals
To create a transforming learning experience through the process of building together
To create a park that reflects the individual beauty as well as collective potential of the people involved – a park that reflects peace through its design
To build a park as a seed to "Peace Zones", one of the goals of the Universal Peace Federation
To bring youth who adhere to different beliefs, customs and perspectives together in cooperation
To build a model of unity through the cooperative efforts of youth
What We've Achieved
Successfully completed seven 1-2 week projects in five countries
Two projects constructing a sawdust carpet in the United States (including one at the United Nations Plaza)
Constructed 10 large mosaic pieces with help from thousands of community members
Ongoing project to build a Peace Park in Tela Honduras (3 projects 2017-2018)
Bristol, England - brought together five different religions to construct a mosaic at a mosque
Built relationships with local governments and companies in all locations