Rotary District 7500 Peace Forum
Rotary Sponsors International Peace Forum
Proving how small the world really is these days, Asbury Park Rotary took part in an International Peace Forum to discuss world peace on February 24, 2013 at Lenape High School in Medford, NJ. Interact students from Serbia, Israel and the Philippines engaged in a live exchange via the Internet with students of the Interact Club of Lenape H.S. about the effects of war and violence in their countries. Before the youth group's discussion, Rotarians from District 7500 related stories about themselves or family members during armed conflicts of the past involving the United States. The forum proved to be an incredible experience.
Peace Forum participants (Lenape High School Interact Club in fromt row) join, electronically, with students from the other countries as the Philippine students lead in singing "We Are the World."
This Peace Forum was sponsored by District 7500 at the request of Rotary International president Sakuji Tanaka whose theme this year is Peace Through Sevice. Other worldwide peace forums were conducted by RI in Berlin, Hiroshima and Honolulu to further Rotary's goal of world understanding.
Dave GoWell and Rotary eclub7500 organized the event which involved projecting an internet connection, between the four countries, onto a large screen in the school's auditorium for a simultanious discussion.
The first exchange invovled similar interests the students had. Like the Americans, the Serbians enjoyed tennis and basketball; the Israeli student prefered pasta and Ben & Jerry's ice cream; the Filipino students ate pizza and went to the beach.
Next, came the somber moment when the students related their personal experiences of war in each of their countries. The Serbs showed pictures of the bombing of Belgrade in the 90's when they were young children during the Bosnia War. They did not go to school for three months. Now Rotary clubs between the warring nations are cooperating. The Israeli student knows what it is like to live with the constant sound of an air-raid alarm. He asks, "Why war?" and calls for peace with no victors. The Philippine students want an end to violence and showed a music video they made on peace, followed by a live presentation of "We are the World."
The forum concluded with the students from each country making a personal plea to their nation's leader not to go to war and wishing everyone peace in their native language: Serbian, "mir," Hebrew, "shalom," Tagalog, "kapayapaan" and English, "peace." It was hard to say goodbye after such a heartwarming exchange.
You are encouraged to view the editted version of the Rotary District 7500 International Peace Forum on Youtube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6Ba0wBvW8w
The inspiring music video by American Matt Harding promoting world harmony was part of the forum and may be viewed on Youtube at:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pwe-pA6TaZk?rel=0
Projected Internet images from top to bottom: Serbia, Israel, Philippines, USA