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“Digamos juntos: ‘¡Gracias!’” Premiación de Concurso Solidario
- Monday, December 5, 2011
“Digamos juntos: ‘¡Gracias!’” fue el lema bajo el cual la Federación para la Paz Universal (UPF) de Argentina celebró el 5 de diciembre el Día Internacional del Voluntariado (Fecha ONU), en un emotivo acto llevado a cabo en la Sala Guimerá del Casal de Catalunya (San Telmo, Buenos Aires), donde fueron premiados los ganadores del Concurso Solidario "Acción Social: Voluntariado y Bien Común."
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Iniciativa “Matrimonio y Familia” en Argentina
- Monday, November 28, 2011
Anisacate, Argentina - El 28 de noviembre fue presentada la Iniciativa “Matrimonio y Familia” en Anisacate, una pequeña localidad del centro de la Provincia de Córdoba, ubicada en el corazón de Argentina, uno de los ejes de acción que está promoviendo la Federación para la Paz Universal a nivel global como fundamento para la paz.
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Guidelines for Reports, Photos and Videos
- Thursday, November 17, 2011
Suggestions for writing reports, taking photos and videos, and sending them to us. Communicate with us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
WRITING A REPORT
Check out these simple instructions: How to Write a News Story
UPF.org spreads the news about UPF's national, regional and global work. We are eager to present chapter activities persuasively and professionally, so the following guidelines can be helpful in preparing your reports and feature articles for the benefit of the global readership of our website.
Writing for the web requires concision and economy. We are looking for articles of 500 to 1,500 words.
Lead: The first paragraph is the most important and provides the gateway for the reader. Try to be concrete. For example: “Margarita got a used sewing machine for her sixth birthday as part of a UPF program in Lima, Peru, on June 20” instead of “Child labor is a serious problem in Peru,” or “UPF sponsored a seminar in Lima on June 20 called Child Labor in Peru.”
News Report: The web site is the public face of UPF, and what might be important in an internal report might not be interesting and engaging for the general public. Remember to answer the question, “Why should the reader care?” People from all over the world visit upf.org, and we are looking for content that has potentially a broad interest and conveys concepts or insights that readers may be able to apply in their own work for peace. Remember to answer the basic questions: who? what? where? when? how? and especially why? Spell out abbreviations and use words that the general public can understand. Give the full name and position of people the first time you mention them in a report, and use a shorter version in later references.
Tell a story, not just a report: We welcome brief news reports, but when possible give some interesting background and details. Many NGOs report on their work by describing how their activity impacted a specific individual or family. For outstanding examples from Heifer International, click here.
Use quotes: Quotes not only add veracity to a report or feature article but also add rhythm, interest, and an important human element. Again, look for colorful quotes that add originality and insight. Most spoken quotes can be cleaned up to improve the grammar.
Provide context: If you are reporting from Kathmandu or Kampala, add a bit about the local culture and situation. To describe activities without any context suggests a disconnect from the local culture and its people. More than simply a report on activities, try to identify the issues that drive your work and give some background that will help people around the world understand the impact you want to create. For example, a report of a seminar in Cote d'Ivoire or Kenya about principles of peace and reconciliation can refer to contested presidential elections that led to months of fighting. Include some background about how the violence affected people in the area, two or three relevant points made by the speakers, and questions or comments by people in the audience.
These are general guidelines that will not apply in some cases. Don’t worry if you are not a practiced writer; email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We welcome questions.
TAKING PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
Like reports, the best photos are vivid, focused, properly exposed and enhance understanding of the topic. Intriguing photos encourage the viewer to read the text. The better the photos you send, the better we can promote your work.
Take shots that we can use vertically and shots that we can use horizontally.
Get close: The closer the better. Clutter causes distraction and loss of impact. Look at print media and the Internet and see for yourself what photos make the most impression. For example, a tight close-up of two people in animated conversation has more impact than a large group of people who aren't interacting with each other.
Be careful about permission: When photographing someone close up, you should ask permission. Individuals should know you are photographing for publication, especially as the web is accessible everywhere. Group scenes or generic street scenes of street life generally don’t require any permission.
Get far away: A panoramic photo of participants in an interesting setting can be very effective. Include photos that show the “big picture.”
Find unconventional perspectives. Take some photos from the ground level looking up, framed by trees or stone gateways, etc. If the emphasis is on people, choose an angle where the background does not have a lot of distracting details.
Be careful about lighting: Shadows obscuring the face is one of the most common mistakes. On the other hand, direct sunlight requires caution. Early morning and evening often provide the best lighting conditions. If you are getting shadows in the photos, use a flash if your camera has one, even in sunny conditions, to illuminate the subject. However, the flash on most cameras will not light up all the faces in a large indoor audience. Don't take indoor shots of people in front of a sunny window.
Take lots of photos: With a digital camera that’s easy. Then select the best, along with captions if they are not self-explanatory.
Get the beginning, middle, and end: In reporting on an activity, get a panoramic view of the area and then close-ups of people arriving and participating in the activity. As an organization working for peace between people of different cultures, races, and religions, the ideal photos show diverse people communicating with each other and working together. Also include photos of related activities, such as briefings, lectures, group discussions, meals, cultural programs and outings to local places of interest.
These are general photography guidelines. As with writing, the more you practice the more skilled you will become. We have great resources in our chapters around the world. Let’s inspire one another and the wider public with effective multimedia reports.
SENDING PHOTOS
- We recommend creating a UPF-“chapter” account on Google Photos (photos.google.com); it’s free (and offers unlimited storage space if you limit photo resolution to 16 megapixels and video resolution to 1080p). You may continue using the same account to send all future photos.
- The resolution of the images should be 300 dots per inch. This means that if your picture is 72dpi and the actual width is 25cm (10 inches) your picture will print more than four times smaller, which would make it 6.25cm (2.5 inches): too small! So if the picture file is 72dpi you should divide its width by 4. The resulting number is the actual print width. So keep that in mind when reducing the size of your images. Send your original-size image files to UPF.
- You may decide to embed photos in a PowerPoint or a Word document with a caption or description. This is acceptable as long as we receive the most interesting image files as separate / individual files as well as the .pptx and .docx files which accompany them.
- We understand that for some countries sending large, high quality files may be difficult; in this case please use a free file-transfer site or save your files to a hard-drive, a flash card, cds, dvds or blu-ray and MAIL TO:
Universal Peace Federation
220 White Plains Road, Floor 5
Tarrytown, NY 10591
Phone: 1 914 631-1331
SENDING VIDEOS
- We recommend creating a “UPF-chapter” account on YOUTUBE.com; it’s free! You may continue using the same account to send/share all future video clips.
- Widescreen (16:9) and full-HD videos are ideal; however, all videos will be considered for inclusion!
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Une vision nouvelle pour la coopération entre l’Europe et l’Afrique et la culture de la paix
- Sunday, November 6, 2011
Conférence internationale pour dirigeants: Une vision nouvelle pour la coopération entre l’Europe et l’Afrique et la culture de la paix - 4-6 novembre 2011 – La Valette, Malte
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Soyons dignes: Pour une théorie globale de la dignité humaine
- Monday, October 24, 2011
La dignité est une notion relationnelle et qui passe par l’unification active du sujet aimant (Dieu) et de l’objet aimé (l’être humain), jusqu’à ce que l’être humain soit devenu parfait comme Dieu, et donc égal en dignité avec le Créateur. L’être humain, et lui seul, est le partenaire objet réfléchi et libre de l’amour de Dieu, lequel est un amour parental et personnel, adressé à cette personne-ci dans sa singularité, et non à l’humanité en général.
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Soyons dignes: Critique de la raison indignée
- Monday, October 24, 2011
Les mouvements d’indignés se multiplient dans le monde. Dans le meilleur des cas, ils traduisent de la sincérité, du courage et de l’engagement. Il y a aussi une dose de bonne conscience, de démagogie, de populisme. Surtout, le véritable enjeu de ce mouvement n’est jamais abordé. Car, au fond, qu’est-ce que la dignité humaine ? L’expérience montre que les mouvements protestataires et contestataires sans idéal positif aboutissent souvent à aggraver les maux qu’ils dénoncent. Nous proposons donc ici une critique de la raison indignée et une esquisse d’une théorie globale de la dignité.
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Links to Other Marriage and Family Organizations
- Wednesday, October 19, 2011
United Families International provides a vast amount of information and research on the local, national and international levels including the Guide to Family Issues which provides family advocates and policy makers with vital information that will aid in defending the family in area such as pornography, cohabitation, sexual orientation, and divorce. Its UN Negotiating Guide is the most widely used tool at the United Nations for defending the family in UN documents. It offers a newsletter, The Family Times.
The Doha International Institute for Family Studies and Development with a global span and interdisciplinary approach provides information on family policy, family research and implementation, and social outreach. The Global State of the Family Index and the Global Family Matters offer massive amounts of data related to family health and wellbeing including, for example, rates of infant mortality, maternal mortality, marriage and divorce, as well as educational attainment and family economic data for all nations. Data can be located by nation or topic. It provides numerous other resources such listings of family-related NGOs, family scholars, conferences, and institutes
The National Healthy Marriage Resource Center is a clearinghouse for practical resources for educating about healthy relationships, families, and marriage. It provides statistics, research, articles about the family and family policy, and educational approaches to strengthen marriage and the family. This site is particularly strong in providing supportive materials for a marriage educator with a long list of curricula and programs for all types of families as well as facilitation guidelines and resources for training. Some of the marriage and relationship curricula listed are free.
World Congress of Families: The Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society provides many resources such as research articles, publications, media, information on conferences and institutes for the purpose of defending the family and guiding public policy and cultural norms. The Howard Center initiated the five World Congress of Families known as “the world’s largest conferences of pro- family leaders and grass roots activists.” These international and regional conventions assemble representatives from many national, ethnic, cultural, social and religious communities to affirm that the natural human family is established by the Creator and essential to a good society.
Smart Marriages catalyzed the marriage movement in America through the annual Smart Marriage conferences that brought together researchers, marriage therapists and educators, authors, and policy makers. The website provides excellent resources such lists of marriage and relationship education programs, curricula, training and speakers as well as the latest research, articles and archived presentations related to strengthening marriage. Although the Smart Marriage conferences are no longer being held this organization still provides key and updated resources on issues related to marriage and the family.
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How to use the Marriage and Family Resource
- Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The Significance of Marriage and Family for Peace and Human Development
Resource Guide
The resources on this page are intended to provide you with several options for holding a program.
PRINT RESOURCES TAB
This is where you''ll find ideas for banners, fliers, and other print materials. These can be downloaded and adapted as needed.
If you have any problems with the download, contact Alberto Faccon, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
SAMPLE SEMINAR TAB -- <
This suggested schedule is for a whole day program, starting in the morning and finishing in the evening, with four or five sessions. Of course, you do not have to hold such an ambitious program … you could have just two or three sessions, or even just one. It''s up to you.
Some sessions offer "Option A" and "Option B." The idea would be that you choose just one of these.
And of course you can "mix and match" you see fit.
General Information
Each session contains several types of resources:
- The presentation (Microsoft PowerPoint) that can be given by the speaker.
- Handouts that can be given to the audience to stimulate questions and discussions, or to support the main points made in the presentation.
- Group Discussion Questions: hopefully the group will come up with their own questions, but these may help get the discussion going.
1. Session 1: Introduction
It would be a good idea to include an introductory session if many of the audience are coming for the first time or have not recently attended a UPF event. This session gives you an opportunity to update guests about UPF''s recent activities. You will find the following materials here—
- Moderator''s Message – some talking points for the MC
- A short video about UPF''s recent programs. This is available in several languages.
- The latest UPF PowerPoint report about the International Day of Peace, etc.
- The UPF Statement on the Family
- The UN Statement on the Family by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
However, if you are holding a meeting with a group that meets fairly regularly, you may not need a formal introductory session at all. It''s up to you.
Session 2: The Benefits of Marriage
This session is an overview of the "case for marriage" in sociological rather than religious terms. It is a good introduction to the topic, and there are useful checklists and discussion points for the audience.
Option A: The Benefits of Marriage. Whatever its critics may say, families centered upon healthy marriages have the best outcomes for children, adults, and society. The statistics speak for themselves.
Option B: Promoting a Marriage-Friendly Culture. This invites people to think about ways their community and nation can support thriving, lasting marriages.
Session 3: The Family as a School of Love and Peace
This session has a religious and interfaith focus. There are two alternative optional presentations that you could give here—
Option A: The Family as a School of Love and Peace. This is the standard International Leadership Conference lecture that has been presented for several years. There are quotations from many different religious traditions included.
Option B: Solving Moral Confusion. This lecture was developed by Dr. Robert Kittel of UPF-Asia. It introduces concepts such as dual characteristics and the importance of fidelity.
Session 4: Building Better Family Relationships
This session has a personal focus. It is aimed at providing some useful relationship and communication skills. If the audience is right, this can be fun. The presentations are currently being taught in a college-level setting in the United States by Mrs. Lynn Walsh, who is available to help you adapt them for local use. We are aware that many of the examples are appropriate for Western audiences and will need local adaptation.
Option A: Really Listening. Ideas for how men and women (of all ages) can communicate more effectively.
Option B: Parenting Teens. Ideas on how to break through in communication with teens … it is possible!
Session 5: Marriage and Family as Instruments of Peace
This session is another one with a more spiritual focus.
Option A: World Peace Blessing. It introduces people to the World Peace Blessing, the concept of peace through ideal families, and invites participation.
Option B: Marriage, My Spiritual Path. This introduces the idea that marriage can be a spiritual path.
Option C: Family Value and Peace. Clarifying the value of the family will help us strengthen this essential building block of peace.
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Journée internationale de la Paix en Benin
- Friday, September 30, 2011
Porto Novo, Benin - Le 30 Septembre 2011, dans la salle de Conférences de la Croix Rouge Béninoise s’est tenue la cérémonie de don de fournitures scolaires aux orphelins et enfants déshérités des Départements de l’Ouémé et du Plateau de la République du Bénin. La dite cérémonie entre dans le cadre de la célébration de la Journée Internationale de la Paix, édition 2011 au Bénin, par le chapitre béninois de la Fédération pour la Paix Universelle.
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El Día Internacional de la Paz en Bogota
- Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Bogota, Colombia - Como parte de las actividades que en el mes de septiembre se vienen realizando a nivel mundial en conmemoración del Día y la Semana Mundial para la Paz, en Colombia se realizaron varias de actividades con este mismo objetivo, actividades promovidas y realizadas por nuestros Embajadores de Paz, quienes comprometidos a la realización de un mundo de paz, vienen trabajando en la línea de promover un fuerte dialogo y cooperación interreligioso.
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Journée Internationale de la Paix au Burkina Faso
- Saturday, September 24, 2011
Nangreongo, Burkina Faso - Au Burkina Faso, la Journée Internationale de la Paix a été célébrée en partenariat avec le Ministère de l’Environnement et Développement durable, la région du plateau central, la chefferie traditionnelle sous la couverture de sa Majesté le Mogho Naaba et l’Association de paix Managr Naaba Sanem de Nangreongo/Koudogo le samedi 24 septembre à Nangreongo/Koudogo. Elle a été marquée par la tenue du 1er festival de la Santé par les plantes pour la paix, l’unité et la solidarité.
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El Día Internacional de la Paz en Montevideo
- Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Montevideo, Uruguay - La Fundación para la Paz Universal en el marco del “Día Internacional de la Paz” presentó la Cumbre Interreligiosa por la Paz el 21 de septiembre 2011 en el Radisson Montevideo Victoria Plaza Hotel.