Newark, New Jersey - Spirited music blared competing with sounds of the thunder of bouncing basketballs, as teams of young high school women played three on three hoping to secure some of $13,650 in scholarship monies during Scholars for Ballers held in Newark, New Jersey, USA, on August 30, 2008. Scholars for Ballers is a project of Religious Youth Service trainer, Diesa Siedel’s United Initiatives for Peace.
Supporting the cause, Religious Youth Service in partnership with Peace IN, Inc., created a peace mosaic. This project included inviting the athletes, sports staff, and community members attending the sports event to join in creating a mosaic which was designed to be a gift to the local St. Peter’s Recreation Center in Newark. The mosaic is meant to be a substantial reflection of the community, conveying a message of peace through cooperation.
A flyer titled Mosaic Society was distributed to explain the project and its internal message of cooperation beyond race, nationality and religion.
Mosaic Society
PUT YOUR ‘PEACE’ IN
A mosaic is an art form in which the image is composed of a combination of diverse, yet complementary elements. Therefore, it is an ideal metaphor for society. Oftentimes we think of peaceful society as a sort of melting pot of people and cultures living together in dynamic unity; however, to achieve true harmony and true peace, a peaceful society must also be like a mosaic where each individual life flourishes to support the greater whole.
Our peace mosaic as a communal expression affords the opportunity for everyone in the community to take part. Every individual tile represents someone in the community. Whether you work for five minutes or five days on the mosaic, your personal contribution is valuable, because every time a new piece is added, the mosaic changes and becomes richer. Without you, the end result would be different and, without a doubt, less dynamic. Again, a peaceful human society is like a beautiful mosaic where the importance of diversity is reflected in the beauty arising through the harmonious relationships of many unique tiles of various sizes, textures, and colors.