Rotary Demerara activates peace initiative for cadet schools   

In February, the Rotary Club of Demerara completed the first phase of its 2024 Peace Initiative through schools attached to the Guyana National Cadet Corps (GNCC).

According to a release from Rotary Demerara, Rotary International (RI) designated February as Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution Month. Given current world events, understanding and working toward peace is more critical than ever.

It further explains that GNCC and the teachers’ role in bolstering the diversity of each child’s education is vital.

“Incorporating some level of Positive Peace, Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding, and Peacemaking training into this curriculum seemed apt in the current climate and undoubtedly beneficial to all concerned.

Positive Peace is associated with the long-term health and resilience of societies, better performance on ecological sustainability, improved wellbeing, stronger GDP growth rates, and better business outcomes”, the club explained.

The Peace Initiative took a two-pronged approach – challenging the GNCC Cadets, the wider student body, and teachers in each school to complete a short online Positive Peace Course run by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) and Rotary International and installing Peace Poles in six schools.

The first Peace Pole was installed at Hope Secondary School, and five more will follow in the upcoming weeks.

A Peace Pole is a monument that displays the message and prayer “May Peace Prevail on Earth” on each of its four or six sides, sometimes in different languages. Planting a Peace Pole brings people together to inspire, awaken, and uplift human consciousness the world over.

The Rotary Club of Demerara thanked Christine Bradford-Porter, the teachers of all participating schools, and the students who participated in this activity.

For those wishing to complete the course, it is open to the public and can be accessed at: https://www.positivepeace.academy/rotary .