A Weekend for Peace
Culture is defined by the images and symbols we use, our rituals and ceremonies, our histories and legends, and our heroes. The weekend of September 21-23 is a major opportunity to celebrate Peace in a public and audio/visual way that directly builds a culture of peace...it is a time to be the change we wish to see. Please consider how you can help locally.
We have some major opportunities for building a local culture of Peace coming up, and the main purpose of this post is to solicit volunteers for a variety of roles within that effort. September 21st is International Peace Day, and the Peace Alliance – the folks behind the campaign for a federal Department of Peace – will be coming to Ojai on that weekend to perform their play “The Gift of Peace” at our own Libbey Bowl. There will also be an Interfaith peace-focused schedule of ceremony, prayer, and music on Sunday the 23rd. The collective Retreats of Ojai are on board with this in a big way and are organizing events during the entire Peace Weekend, and the Ojai Peace Coalition is going to be a part of it!
• we’re going to award our first-ever Noble Peace Prize! The ceremony’s exact date/time/location are yet to be determined, but there are some specific needs that we have in order to make this happen:
donations toward the creation of the medals that will be given as the prize in the coming years. The up-front cost is around $200 (i’m still doing a little bit of price shopping), but then we’ll have many years worth of prizes! I’ve set our Chipin to last until October, because donations to cover this investment can certainly be made up to and after the awarding of it. You can also send me checks of that’s more comfortable for you, as one $50 donor has already done!
technical needs for the presentation of the award include a podium, chairs, video and/or sound recording, and a contact at City Hall for use of the Park’s power and/or turning the fountain off during the presentation. If you can help in any of these ways, please let me know NOW.
• we’re going to plant a new Peace Pole! Meg at Ojai House has been eyeing just the spot for one in front of her shop, and who better than the OPC to build and plant it? There are some unique needs for this project as well:
materials: as far as i can figure, include one 8-foot-tall 4x4, one shovel, one level, and a few bags of post hole cement. We’ll need a router to carve out the phrase “May Peace Prevail On Earth” on the four sides in four languages, and some earth-friendly paints and weather-coating to finish it off. If you can help with any of this – even if it’s just research – please let me know NOW.
• we’re going to screen the film “Peace One Day”! It’s about the creation of International Peace Day, and the continuing campaign to get it recognized and celebrated. A precise date and time have not been selected, but it’ll likely be screened on the patio at Ojai House, so we’re talking outdoors in the evening when it’s dark enough. Our only need for this project at this time is a projector. If you can help, please let me know NOW.
In peace,
-evan
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Comments (1)
This sounds like a fantastic weekend - so great that it's here in Ojai. Thanks for all you and the others are doing to make this happen!
Comment #1 Posted by: Sally | August 12, 2007 05:11 PM