A Million Acts of Service & Kindness builds momentum for a Culture of Peace

While the U.S. Congress debates strategies for peace in the world, a model of peace among nations and races came to the backyard of the U.S. Capitol on August 6. Hosted by the Global Peace Festival, a district-wide day of service enlisted an inter-religious, international cadre of young men and women who braved Washington's torrid summer heat to make a statement for peace.

More than 1000 area youth went to work throughout the district in service projects coordinated by the U.S. National Parks Service, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the National Arboretum, the DC Office on Aging, Washington Parks and People, and the Anacostia Watershed Conservancy, among others. The Day of Service was the first act of a new nationwide GPF service initiative: A Million Acts of Service and Kindness, conceived by the Points of Light Institute, a founding partner of the GPF.

"Our message is that it is not just governments who are going to bring peace," says volunteer Somiya Chapman, who traveled to Washington from New York for the day of service. "Peace depends more on the kind of people we are. Serving side by side with people who may not be like you not only gets the job done, it helps you see that your differences are less important than your common goals and commitments."

"Peace starts with the individual," adds Kristi Graham-Mas, a media liaison for the Day of Service with the Youth Federation for World Peace, a GPF partnering organization. "When one gives one's time to serve the needs of others, one naturally begins to feel value in oneself and compassion towards others, and that builds into confidence. Confidence may make a leader, but compassion and confidence makes a great leader."

The service projects included invasive plant removal in Marvin Gaye Park, Rock Creek Park , and the U.S. National Arboretum in the District, and in Greenbelt National Park in neighboring Greenbelt, Maryland. The efforts at the National Arboretum were "much needed," according to U.S. Department of Agriculture research support staffer Perry Wilcox. "This work helps geneticists get access to these plants. Some of these bushes are one of a kind, and research with some of the plants has been going on for twenty years. We have no staff for this kind of invasive plant removal, so this project is greatly appreciated."

Young volunteers also visiting Seniors Housing Projects and worked with the teen community to foster AIDS Awareness, and Peace through Sports at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington. Youth programs also included quilting, ceramics, a poetry and fashion show, a mural for world peace, a food drive, and a Hip-Hop community concert.

Following the Day of Service on August 9, the Global Peace Festival will launch a long-term initiative promoting cooperation and harmony among the members of the entire human family. The Million Acts of Service and Kindness is a five-year initiative, says GPF service project coordinator Carissa Ruf. "We have three more days of service planned for the Washington metropolitan area following the festival. We're especially anxious to involve DC teens, who have a chance to meet young people from other backgrounds and work together to help their communities."

The message of peace through service has attracted the support of major performing artists, local personalities, and government officials. "We want to get there attention, and let them know that we care about our communities and the families with in them," says Graham-Mas. "Demonstrating a national culture of service to America's leaders is more persuasive than talking about it. That's what this initiative is all about."

The Global Peace Festival promotes the themes of compassion, family and peace, and works through the Million Acts initiative to further the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which address poverty, hunger, education, equality, health, the environment ,and development for all the world's peoples.

Help us create a culture of peace through service and kindness. Service can be part of organized program, in a group, or on your own. An act of kindness may be less structured, but just as meaningful. To join in the campaign for service and kindness be sureto register your acts and share your experience at www.millionacts.org. To learn more or get involved with the Global Peace Festival, visit www.globalpeacefestival.org.