Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Peace Day Parade at James Allen’s Prep School – Sept 2015
London UK– Following the lead of their hero—renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE—Students from James Allen’s Prep School in Dulwich, London hosted the 2015 UN International Day of Peace Parade on the school grounds, on Monday 21st September.Students flew a beautiful white Peace Dove that they had worked tirelessly to make, and shared many messages of Peace written by the girls.Dr. Goodall established Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Day of Peace in 2004 to encourage Roots & Shoots members and other interested individuals to promote peace in their communities and around the globe. Members craft Giant Peace Dove Puppets from reused materials and fly the Doves in their communities to symbolize their commitment to peace. In past years, Giant Peace Dove Puppets have flown in almost 100 countries in city parks, backyards, convention centers and even refugee camps. Held high by young hands, the Doves have spread their wings everywhere including the Coliseum in Rome, a monastery in Mongolia, the base of Mount Fuji and even the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro.“With so many problems in the world today that stem from war and unrest, that appear to be escalating in our society, it is even more imperative that young people get involved with activities that highlight the importance of peace and give them a sense of unity and collaboration in our society” said Tara Golshan (Executive Director, Education). These were the girls thoughts on Peace;“I think there should be peace all over the world. It’s not nice to have wars!”“Everyone deserves peace!”“Peace is the answer to everything!”“We had a wonderful Peace day! The girls made a fabulous peace dove and named her ‘Shalom’ (the Hebrew word for Peace). The entire school had a part to play in the building of ‘Shalom’; the 200 girls at James Allen’s Prep School all drew around their hands and cut them out. They wrote their name and a peace message on their hand, and these were stuck around the edge of our dove to make feathers!The girls loved flying the dove on the playing fields. Our girls would like to thank Dr Jane for all her hard work in making the world a better place, and inspiring us all through Roots & Shoots.” (Susie Raimes – Yr 4 Teacher)“With the Peace Doves, we remind everyone of the truth they sometimes forget—that peace is possible. We celebrate all that is free and noble in the human spirit. And we celebrate all that so many people have done throughout the year—and will do next year—to create a better world” said Dr. Goodall.
