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Peace Education
Planting Seeds of Hope in Tucumán
Written by Miguel Werner, UPF-Argentina
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
A festival was held on January 28, in San Miguel de Tucumán, a city in northwestern Argentina. It is called the "Birthplace of Independence" and the "Garden of the Republic" because of its historical significance.
The Universal Peace Federation (UPF) Regional Director, Gerardo Alcaraz, is the main promoter of this program together with Pastor Rubén Contreras from Buenos Aires explained the purpose and the meaning of the social action project. Starting from Independence Square, the young people cleaned the area around the Museum House, where on July 9, 1816, a small group of patriots declared the independence of Argentina. Following an interesting itinerary, the activity ended with a donation of clothing to the local children's hospital, Hospital Niño Jesús.
The seed
The young people who participated in the service activities wore shirts with slogans: "Celebrating Life" and "A Global Family under God." Also they carried signs such as "For Tucumán without drugs, AIDS and alcohol." During the activities many people noticed them and approached them expressing their surprise and appreciation for the initiative. "It's beautiful what you are doing!" "Everybody should do what you are doing!" and "I want my children to know all about this," people said.
At the end, the participants gathered to reflect on their experiences during the activities. Many ideas emerged about how to inspire people with the vision of One Family under God.
"This was only the seed. We have to show that all this has great value. This has to be multiplied," reflected Mario Agostini, leader of an NGO who arrived from another province (Salta) to participate in the event.
Translation by Rosetta Conti Castellán
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