WHY HAVE A PEACE MUSEUM?

We all need inspiration to counter the increasing violence of modern life and to help build what UNESCO has called a ‘culture of peace'.

By learning from the peacemakers of the past—at home, in our local community and internationally—we can more readily understand the present and build the future for which all humanity yearns.

Amongst the others are:

US Museum of Tolerance, Los Angeles, California

The $50 million US Museum of Tolerance (left) is an imposing block-like structure housing a compelling Holocaust section and much more.

L.A.'s Museum of Tolerance goes beyond its Holocaust mandate to force visitors of all racial and ethnic background to confront their prejudices.  During your tour, you finally reach a point where you are confronted by two doorways.  One is marked "Prejudiced" and the other "Unprejudiced".  Try to pass through the second doorway and you'll find it locked.  The message is implicit:  nobody is totally free of prejudice and intolerance.

And when you reach the Holocaust section of the museum, the full horrifying consequences of intolerance are laid bare.  As you enter, you are given a photo "passport" of a Jewish child trapped in the Holocaust; as you leave, you insert the passport into a computer and learn the fate of that child.

Called the Museum of Tolerance, and although the Holocaust forms its dreadful centrepiece, it also seeks a wider mandate -- to challenge visitors to confront bigotry of every kind and to examine their own consciences and actions.  The Museum of Tolerance is located at 9786 West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, and is open every day except Saturday and certain secular and Jewish holidays.  There is an admission charge.   Its phone number is (310) 553-8403.  View their website here.

Kids' International Peace Museum - http://www.ih.k12.oh.us/ps/peace/ - GRADE LEVEL: K-12 - The Kids' International Peace Museum displays "world peace" themed artwork and poetry created by children from around the world. This Web site is the project of Indian Hill Primary, (Cincinnati, Ohio) and contains a vast collection of artwork and poetry by students from around the world. The site is divided into four "wings." The West Wing is dedicated to the work of Indian Hill Primary; the North Wing is dedicated to other U.S. schools; the International Wing is dedicated to the poetry and artwork of schools in foreign countries; and the East Wing is dedicated to Special Exhibits. This is a great site where you can let your students wander safely; there are no outside links to stray to. It is an inspiring site for several reasons: It encourages global participation of students, it combines art and social consciousness, and it instills pride in students whose work is published online. Also, it provides inspiration for teachers who might tackle an online project with their students --- and some ideas for how that might be done. It gets to the core concept of the Internet: The process of learning and creating provides the building blocks for others anywhere to learn and create, and thus the cyber pyramid grows!

How about a Canadian Peace Museum!!  Is it not time?  How would you design a Canadian Peace Museum?