[HWPL]

[HWPL] HWPL's New Year Peace Educator Meeting

Chairman ManHee Lee is the head representative of the global peace organization HWPL (Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light), which is striving for the enactment and implementation of the international peace law 'Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)'. The  DPCW is a legal instrument comprised of 10 articles and 38 clauses that can end wars and hostilities throughout the world. HWPL is also spreading a culture of peace and implementing peace education.

Chairman ManHee Lee experienced the cruelty and tragedy of war as a veteran of the Korean War. This is one of the reasons why he founded a global peace campaign as the head of HWPL. He has traveled the globe more than 35 times to meet and persuade politicians, legal experts, journalists, professors, peace activists, civil organization leaders, heads of tribes and others to unite them for the work of peace. The significant fruits borne out of his hard work are the World Alliance of Religions' Peace (WARP) Summit and HWPL Peace Committee. The DPCW was drafted and finalised by the HWPL Peace Committee.

How, you may wonder, do I know this? About 10 years ago, when I had just been discharged from military service, I came to know HWPL and Chairman ManHee Lee while researching the topic of civil conflicts to satisfy my curiosity in ongoing global issues. At that time, the island of Mindanao in the Philippines was suffering from a major civil conflict that lasted more than 40 years, and Chairman ManHee Lee and HWPL resolved this conflict through non-violent means.

Chairman Lee brought an end to the conflict in Mindanao by holding a peace talk between the warring Catholic and Islamic groups. Before the talk, HWPL and Chairman ManHee Lee held a Peace Walk to spread the culture of peace in Mindanao with the many locals who had gathered out of a desire for peace.

Chairman ManHee Lee's pressing appeal today is that humanity unites for sustainable peace in order to pass on the legacy of peace to future generations worldwide. He doesn't just talk peace, but has worked tirelessly for it through practical peace campaigns for over a decade.

I decided to become a supporter of HWPL and Chairman ManHee Lee's peace initiatives because I also desire a world of peace for all posterity.

Today I'd like to introduce an article from HWPL official homepage regarding HWPL's New Year Peace Educator Meeting :)

National HWPL New Year Peace Educator Meeting

The ‘HWPL New Year Peace Educator Meeting’ was held online on January 14, 2023, with sixteen peace educators from Croatia, Kosovo, Greece, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Pakistan participating in HWPL’s peace education activities. Teachers and professors who have completed peace educator training and are conducting peace education, as well as those who will participate in future educator training, also attended the New Year Peace Educator Meeting.

The event began with teachers who previously received peace educator training introducing the peace education they conducted in their respective countries last year, along with their impressions of the education. They announced their plans for how they would conduct peace education this year.

Dr. Hajdi Xhixha, professor of business and technology, emphasized the importance of peace education for the future of the country. “The Balkan Region has suffered a lot from continuous wars and conflicts, and states of the Region are still suffering from ethno-nationalism conflicts. In addition to this, my presence here with you and also being a peace educator, means a lot for me, and also for Kosovo. Kosovo state needs educated generations with peace culture, with the aim to bring a better future for Kosovo society.”

He expressed his feelings about attending peace educator training. “I have attended the peace educator training during September – November 2022, where I have learnt a lot on how to orientate students and young people to perceive all kind of relations through peace culture.  As a professor of political science, after the peace educator training, I think it will be better that our study curricula includes peace culture knowledge.”

Ms. Zeljka Gospočič, an English teacher at Croatia’s Ante Starcevic Zagreb Elementary School said, “What I like about this peace education program is that children learn outside of their books. They learn more about other people, culture, and heritage. They learn why it is important to respect each other and preserve their own. They learn how to be kind to each other, how to be grateful for what they have, and how to respect their teachers and their parents. I am very glad to say there were many students interested in working on this type of project. As I said, we were in a war thirty years ago and I don’t want my children to grow up hating one another. Beyond just the war, I don’t want them hating each other just because we are different. I want them to learn to respect others so they can enjoy and live in a peaceful world.”

In particular, the teachers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who are suffering from ongoing civil war, expressed a strong desire for peace.

Mr. Bertin Kabumba Cituli, an English teacher at Horizon 1 High School said, “As you may know, the context of war caused by the M23 armed group in the DRC from the last two decades up to now ties up the stability of the country.

“I would like to challenge my country to take a commitment to incorporate Peace Education of the HWPL in our education curriculum as a contribution to the restoration of peace in the world. It is true; if children incarnate the culture of peace from a young age, it is another way to interrupt drama that could occur if this were not done. I am therefore convinced that we should protect the future generation by feeding the young people and the communities with peace as a legacy for future generations.” He said he plans to spread peace education to schools in the Democratic Republic of Congo that will change the future of children.

Presentations by the more experienced teachers served as inspiration for the teachers who are planning to engage in peace education. The event also included a question-and-answer session for participants to encourage and support each other. The event concluded with the teachers who attended writing a pledge to reaffirm their role and mission as peace educators, and to commit to fulfilling their responsibilities in their respective countries.

Interested in HWPL's Peace Education? Please visit following link :)

HWPL Official Homepage

https://www.hwpl.kr/language/en/home-hwpl-_en/