Fifth Annual Canadian Peace Awards 2004

ANNOUNCEMENT - FIFTH ANNUAL CANADIAN PEACE AWARDS - 2004

SUMMARY: In celebration of Peace Champions in Canada and the United Nations International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World, the Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace hosts the Annual Canadian Peace Awards. Awards are generally presented in 10 major categories for Canadian achievements in building a Culture of Peace and Non-violence, at home and abroad. The presentations also culminate in the inductions into the Canadian Peace Hall of Fame to be housed at the Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace and on its web site at http://www.peace.ca

The Award categories include peace achievements in government, business, the media, education, peacekeepers, peacebuilders in civil society, peace philanthropy, youth, and multi-cultural relations, to name a few.

The Awards are in the form of an engraved, soapstone 'Inukshuk'. For millennia, massive stone figures built in the image of a human have stood silhouetted on the treeless Arctic horizons. Created by Inuit people, these Inukshuks serve as guides to point out a journey or a safe passage. The Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace believes this is a fitting Canadian symbol of the journey to safe and caring communities and world. [See the Award at http://www.peace.ca/inukshukaward.htm ] The Awards have been crafted by the Inuit of Nunavut and supplied by the Nunavut Development Corporation.

Generally, the awards are presented on November 11 each year. November 11 was chosen as it is Remembrance Day in Canada . Each one of us has an obligation to the memory of the many men and women who died for our peace and freedom, to today's millions of needless victims of violence at home and abroad, and to future generations to do everything we can to bring peace to the world and preserve the integrity of this planet. The awards stress everyone's responsibility and potential influence in building peace in our families, communities and world.

Our vision is for the Canadian Peace Awards to take a prominent place among Canadian celebrations, fitting of the importance of the topic. In these violent and rapidly changing times, what could be more important than to celebrate the building of a Culture of Peace at home and abroad, for current and future generations?

For more information, contact Robert Stewart , Director, Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace at stewartr [at] peace.ca; or visit our web site Awards Page at http://www.peace.ca/peaceawards.htm

Peace Education Award

Education is a cornerstone in the peacebuilding process. As today's youth become increasingly desensitized to violence, the roles of schools and the curriculum they represent assume great importance. Schools have the power to shape the attitudes and skills of young people toward peaceful human relations. Through teaching young children values of respect, tolerance, and empathy, and by equipping them with the necessary skills to resolve conflict in a non-violent manner, they are provided with the tools they need, now and in the future, to foster peaceful relations at home, at school and around the world. Education builds the foundations for good citizenship, respect for self and others, democratic values and tolerance of opinions. Educational research indicates that when young people are trained in civics, mediation, ethnic tolerance and conflict resolution, the likelihood that they will resort to violence later in life is diminished. We firmly believe that we can not have a peaceful people without educating for peace.

Education - Dr. David Adams

David Adams Pramila Sinha Hon. Senator Doug Roche (retired)

Dr David Adams retired in 2001 from UNESCO where he was the Director of the Unit for the International Year for the Culture of Peace, proclaimed for the Year 2000 by the United Nations General Assembly. Following a career as Professor of Psychology for 23 years at Wesleyan University (Connecticut, USA), he had come to UNESCO in 1992 to develop the Culture of Peace Programme as an supplement and alternative to military peacekeeping operations. His responsibilities have included development of national culture of peace projects in El Salvador and Mozambique and research and development of the culture of peace concept. On behalf of UNESCO he prepared UN documents, including the draft Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace (1999). While at Wesleyan University, and previously at Yale University, he was a specialist on the brain mechanisms of aggressive behaviour, the evolution of war, and the psychology of peace activists, and he helped to develop and publicize the Seville Statement on Violence. He is the author of several books and numerous publications in neurophysiology, cardiovascular physiology, genetics, ethology, biopsychology, social psychology, cross-cultural anthropology, history, and ethics. A number of these studies have helped lay the scientific basis for work towards a culture of peace.

The world owes a great amount of gratitude to the work done by Dr. Adams in the development and promotion of the United Nations Culture of Peace Program. For this, we in Canada are thankful.

Acting as a mentor and presenter at many conferences and workshops, David has been a wonderful friend and supporter of peace education in Canada, and of the Canadian Culture of Peace Program initiative ( http://www.cultureofpeace.ca ). David has also supported development of the Culture of Peace News Network - Canada .