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Day of Peace Promoted in Schools, at a Concert, and on TV in Moldova
Written by UPF - Moldova
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Chisinau, Moldova - A UPF-Moldova team appeared on the "Good Morning Show" (Buna Dimineata) on Moldova national television to share about UPF's vision and activities and plans for celebrating the International Day of Peace. Educational programs took place at the Academy of Sciences High School and Galata Middle School, and a famous Russian singer gave a concert in Transnistria, a disputed area between Moldova and Russia.
"Good Morning Show" on national television
A UPF-Moldova team consisting of Dr. Cuzuioc, Ms. Golovei, and chapter Secretary General Mr. Calestru appeared on the "Good Morning Show" (Buna Dimineata) on Moldova national television to share about UPF's vision and activities internationally, activities taking place in Moldova, and plans for celebrating the International Day of Peace, September 21.
The TV program also included two video reports prepared by Ms. Gutiera Prodan about the International Leadership Conference on Building a Nation of Peace that she attended August 20-24, in Seoul, Korea.
Ms. Golovei presented the pictures from the flash-mob she organized with the whole school the day before to celebrate the International Day of Peace and raise awareness about the need for peace and education for peace.
Dr. Cuzuioc shared his experience participating in Middle East Peace Initiative programs and other International Leadership Conferences in Seoul and Washington. His poetic talent served as a very persuasive tool for promoting the core principles of UPF: God, spirituality, family, service, unity, cooperation beyond race, religion, and nationality.
Calestru Mihai announced about the research contest for school teams of students from 14 to 19 years old; eight teams from different high schools in Chisinau submitted research reports, PowerPoint presents, and video clips on the on the UN's theme for this year's International Day of Peace: “Education for Peace.”
In after-program discussions Ms. Prodan suggested launching an Internet television channel to communicate good news. In her 26 years as a journalist with the national television, she always was an advocate and promoter of positive news, bringing before the television cameras both simple and extraordinary people. Her eagerness to share wisdom and promote good will in people's hearts inspired her to create this TV program dedicated to the theme of peace building up to the UN International Day of Peace on September 21.
Educational programs for high school students
UPF-Moldova in cooperation with Republican Movement Teachers for Peace and Mutual Understanding and Pro-success High School, Academy of Science High School announced a contest for young researchers teams on the theme "Education for Peace" on September 11.
On September 21, 53 peacemakers youth and teaches from five different high schools gathered at Academy of Sciences High School to celebrate the International Day of Peace. They participated in the First Forum of Youth and Teachers on the theme of "Education for Peace."
Each high school delegated a team of three to five young researchers to make a study, write a paper, and make a PowerPoint presentation and three-minute video clip on one of the suggested issues: "Education for Peace: myth or reality?", "Suicide: who is responsible?", "Violence in the school: reality, solutions, best practices, future?", "Modern communication technologies: advantages and disadvantages?", and "Freedom of speech or use of foul language?"
Teens between 14 and 19 years old submitted very good research papers, PowerPoint presentations, professional-caliber video clips, and were very persuasive in the their seven-minute presentations at the forum attended by students and teachers from various high schools.
One of the judges for the contest was Ms. Gutiera Prodan. She mentioned to the students that some of their video clips were so well made that they could be placed on national television. She personally selected some outstanding youths and invited them for a television program.
After watching all of the submissions, the judges came up with the idea of holding a series of programs with experts and youths together on some of the themes the youths chose for their research work.
Young volunteers had opportunities for discussions and interaction with their peers from other high schools and invited their colleagues to present their work in other institutions in order to increase the impact of the activity. In their reflections, all the participants mentioned that this forum was a great idea that deserves to be extended and established as an annual tradition.
After the contest, a team of 16 students and a teacher visited children at family-size orphanage to spend time playing with them, making paper pinwheels, and doing a small dove-shaped flash mob in celebration of the International Day of Peace.
Flash mob at Galata Middle School in the shape of a dove
At the Galata Middle School, Romanian and Russian speaking students who study together there organized a flash-mob on September 19 in the shape of a dove with students carrying pinwheels.
Inspired and guided by Mrs. Golovei Lilia (an Ambassador for Peace) 18 teachers and 308 students organized a dove-shape flash-mob to raise awareness about the need for peace. The activity turned out very well without any previous rehearsal.
The students were especially inspired by the process of making pinwheels out of paper and the joy of being all together, marching for peace around the school.
All the students from the fifth through the ninth grades were invited to a lecture in the main hall of the school presented by UPF-Moldova Secretary General Mihai Calestru. He spoke to over 145 students about the importance of building strong character through living and serving for the sake of others. He also spoke about the importance of purity before marriage and fidelity in marriage as cornerstones of peace in families, societies, nations, and the whole world.
Concert in Transnistria
A program in Tiraspol on the theme ”Say YES to Peace!” was organized by the public movement “Recognition” in cooperation with a number of other public organizations in the Republic of Transnistria. The International Day of Peace was celebrated on September 21 on the initiative of the UN General Assembly as a day of non-violence and rejecting wars. For the survivors of the conflict in Transnistria, the majority of whom are children and grandchildren of those who survived the Second World War, the value of the principle of non-violent coexistence needs no proof.
“Who else if not us, Transniestrians, know the value of peace?” said the PCI ataman, Igor Nebeigolova. “We have won the right to live peacefully and work peacefully on this earth. People who survived the war learned very well the value of peace and would do everything to save it. My wish is that no more Transniestrians will lose their loved ones in the war.”
The same was stated by representatives of public organizations that participated in preparation of this celebration, among them the Black Sea Cossack Army, the Association of Transnistria Defenders, the Russian community “Motherland,” the Association of Transnistria Moldovans, the Association of Tiraspol women, all-Russia organization “Vityaz,” “Ukrprosvita,” the International Association of Workers of Culture and Art, and the Tiraspol-Dubasari diocese. The gala concert was opened by the State Symphonic Orchestra under the direction of Gregory Moseiko, who was given the traditionally warm welcome by the audience.
Then the Ambassador for Peace, war veteran, Knight of the Order “The Heart of Danko,” singer Vazgen Hovhannisyan took the floor. He sang accompanied by the orchestra of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
A native of the southwestern Russian city Krasnodar, Vazgen Hovhannisyan was not making his first appearance in Transnistria. This famous Russian singer performs in front of different audiences especially in places where people need support and uplifting: hospices, refugee camps, orphanages, houses for veterans. The repertoire of the singer includes the most lyrical and favorite Russian songs from romantic music up to the songs of the 1990s. His beautiful voice allows him to perform both pop and opera works with equal success. The Universal Peace Federation appointed him an Ambassador for Peace in recognition of his peace efforts.
“The choice of repertoire is due to my love of this music, which it is clean, bright, and true,” he said. “And these works cannot be performed well unless you have some talent. You know, I sing even in kindergartens, and children listen eagerly. I think young people are in need of true beauty, and I consider it my duty to bring them the beauty of music and words.”
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