Chelyabinsk, Russia - An International Day of Peace project took place on September 20 at the Gagarin Central Park for Culture and Recreation in Chelyabinsk, a city in the Urals region.
Before the project began, it started raining, and organizers were not sure if they should proceed. They decided to go ahead, and in a few moments the rain stopped. Fifteen university and school students initiated the project. About 100 people who gathered in the park participated in different competitions.
Project activities included:
1. Photo competition: Participants evaluated photos about peace which were submitted by a children’s studio.
2. Asphalt drawings: Both children and adults created pictures on the theme of peace on asphalt. In general, the children’s creations looked more radiant and had richer content.
3. "Speak out your opinion about world peace": Passersbys were interviewed and asked two questions: What is your opinion about world peace, and what is the way to achieve it? They gave interesting answers, which will be used in future projects.
4. "Give joy to people": People wrote messages of good will on the surface of a balloon and gave the balloon to an unfamiliar person.
5. Weightlifting competition: The challenge was to determine who could lift a 16 kg-weight the most times. The record was 55 times.
All participants in the competition received gifts.
To read UPF's Declaration on the International Day of Peace 2009, click here.