Peacebuilding Stand Together For Peace
A guidebook for troop leaders and parents/guardians for how to earn both the GSUSA and WAGGGS World Thinking Day Patches virtually.
Prepared by Girl Scouts of Western Washington Global Action Committee Table of Contents
Page Introduction and Background...... 3 What is Peacebuilding...... 4 Peacemaker Face-Off (All Levels)...... 6 Exploring World Thinking Day...... 7 Stand Strong...... 8 Decoder (D/B)...... 9 Calm Sphere (J/C)...... 10 The Power of Words (S/A)...... 11 Stand Up...... 12 Who Caused the Conflict? (D/B)...... 13 Women Peacebuilders (J/C)...... 14 Please Stand If… (S/A)...... 15 Stand Together...... 17 Ripples of Peace (D/B)...... 18 Thinking About Peace (J/C)...... 19 Things I Can Change (S/A)...... 20 Get Inspired by Peacebuilding...... 21 Peace Heroes (D/B/J)...... 22 Get Inspired By Your Sisters...... 23 Create A Peace Pledge (All Age Levels)...... 27 Pinwheels for Peace (All Age Levels)...... 29 Reflection...... 33
World Thinking Day Program Links:
GSUSA Resources WAGGGS Resources Activity Guide D/B/J Activity Guide Activity Guide C/S/A
With Special Thanks to:
Claudia Augustine, Samantha "Sam" Ayers, Lynda "Wombat" Baxter, Karen Galdo, Pam Green, Kathi Hamilton (GAV), Joanne McWilson, Sandy Poort, Jo Riffner, Alysia Scott, Karmel Shields Introduction and Background
World Thinking Day
Celebrated since 1926, World Thinking Day is a day of international friendship. On February 22, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world celebrate a diverse global sisterhood through activities and projects around an annual global theme.
The World Thinking Day 2021 Theme is peacebuilding. Girl Scouts are invited to celebrate what it means to be a peacebuilder as they explore and practice the skills to resolve conflict in peaceful ways and take action to make our communities more peaceful places.
Today, 10 million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 150 countries join together through the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) and the Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) join together to explore what it means to be a peacebuilder. Check out our activity guides to explore this theme—and celebrate being part of the diverse global sisterhood that is Girl Guides and Girl Scouts!
The Juliette Low World Friendship Fund
Juliette Low was committed to offering Girl Scout Scouting to girls around the globe. The Juliette Low World Friendship Fund was established in 1928 as a living memorial to Juliette Gordon Low, founder of Girl Scouting in the United States.
It perpetuates the belief, held by Juliette Low, that Girl Scouting and Girl Guiding could make a positive contribution to peace through the friendship of young people of the world who have the common bond of Girl Scouting/Girl Guiding, whatever their language or nationality.
Juliette Low devoted that last decade of her life to furthering the international friendship aspects of the Girl Scout movement. The fund supports international friendship projects between Girl Scouts in the United States and Girl Guides of other member countries. Every year, on World Thinking Day, troops are encouraged to donate to this fund.
3 What is Peacebuilding
4 What Is Peacebuilding?
Peace is... not just the absence of war. It means dignity, safety, and well-being for all. How peace is defined is different for everyone. It can range from being happy in ourselves and seeing our loved ones' smiling faces to conflict resolution within a community and ending violence and harmful practices around the world.
Peacebuilding is... about dealing with the reasons why people fight and supporting people to manage their differences and conflicts in a non-violent way.*
It is very important to develop positive, personal, and group relationships across different races, beliefs, cultures, and classes. Understanding why people are different and why this is valuable and important helps us all to live in harmony.**
* (What is peacebuilding?, 2020). ** Ref: International Alert. 2020. What Is Peacebuilding?. [online] Available at: https://www.international-alert.org/what-we-do/what-is-peacebuilding [Accessed 27 July 2020].
5 Peacemaker Face-Off Explore how listening and respect can help build peace.
Each participant will need 5 pieces of 20 min. paper and markers/crayons.
Activity Steps
Each participant will make 5 emoticon masks: When you are finished, ask participants happy (smile), sad (frown), angry (eyes to think and talk about the statements narrowed, frown), worried or afraid (squiggly What statements did you line mouth), and unsure or don't care (straight immediately have an emoticon for? line for a mouth) Were they any statements you had to think about for a minute? Does everyone feel exactly the same way about things? Read aloud the following statements and have Why should you respect the way each participant hold up the emoticon mask someone else feels? that matches how the statements make them What does respect mean to you? feel. When two sides are arguing, and you Emoticon statements: want to make peace, how does being You lose at a game. respectful help? Your sister calls you a name. How do you think observing and Your mom bakes your favorite cookies. listening to people will help you be a You see something funny on TV. better peacebuilder? Your friend isn't sharing. Your sneaker's shoelace breaks. You were picked last for a game. You woke up thinking it was a school day and then realize it's a Saturday. You're sleeping at a friend's house and find out they have different rules and do things differently than your family does. You eat something you would never eat before and find out you like it. You tell your friend a secret but now think she might tell someone else.
6 Exploring World Thinking Day
7 Stand Strong
We will Stand Strong by exploring the foundations of peacebuilding.
Stand Strong activities help Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to: Understand what peacebuilding means Explore the issues and actions that can lead to conflict and those that lead to peace Empower themselves to be peacebuilders
8 Decoder Explore how messages in the media can be a tool or obstacle for peacebuilding.
20 min.
Activity Steps
Watch the videos by double-clicking on the images below. What is the main message of the lyrics? How does it promote the inclusion of people or the exclusion of others and their ideas? Do the songs bring people together or push people further apart? Do you think this represents most of the media you listen to, read, or see? Why? How do you think these messages help build stereotypes of prejudice or help to break them? What is the one way you can decode media in the future so that it has less impact on your daily life?
A stereotype is a category or a group that we put Prejudice means ‘to judge before.’ It is people into. It is when we think that people will when we form a negative opinion or act, talk, or think in a certain way because of how feeling about a person or group of people they were born and where they are from. without understanding the bigger picture.
Idea provided by: The PeaceJam Foundation 9 Calm Sphere Recognize the impact negative thoughts can have on your decision-making.
A clear jar or bottle with a lid for each participant, 20 min. water, sand/glass beads that are two different colors.
Activity Steps Fill 80% of your jar with water. Choose one color and add a little bit of sand or glass beads. This represents your positive thoughts about other people. Shake your jar for five to ten seconds. Now add a different color of sand or glitter. This represents your negative thoughts about other people. When you see the materials spinning around your jar, what emotion does it remind you of? When we feel anxious, frustrated, angry, or stressed, it is harder to see through our negative thoughts and perceptions of others. Especially people that we see as being different from us. What types of decisions and choices do you think we make during these times? Now, wait for the sand or glitter to settle. It may take some time. As you watch the materials settle, think of things you can do to calm your mind when you feel like this so that you do not make permanent decisions based on temporary feelings. Make a list as a group of some simple ways you can calm your mind. Such as counting to 50, exercising, listening to calm music, sitting quietly, taking deep breaths, and/or hugging. Now, make a list as a group of some ways you can understand people who are different from you.
Read aloud: We don’t know when our environment will change. It could be a global virus or a violent incident of hate. It is very difficult to control our environment and society, but much easier to control ourselves and what we allow into our heads. Before trying to change our society, let’s unpack our heads' negative thoughts and prejudices because this may turn into a dangerous tool when our environments are shaken up!
Idea provided by: . Querétaro 16 from Guias de Mexico 10 The Power of Words Explore how words we use can create conflict and also build peace.
20 min.
Activity Steps
Choose two of the four inaugural poems written by four poet laureates. Watch the video by double-clicking on the image or read the poem by clicking on the link below the video. What is the main message(s)? How does it promote the inclusion of people or the exclusion of others and their ideas? Do the poem(s) bring people together or push people further apart? What words reflect this? What was going on at the time that is reflected in the words of the poem(s)? How do you think these messages help build stereotypes of prejudice or help to break them? What is the one way you can decode media in the future so that it has less impact on your daily life?
A Stereotype is a category or a group that we put people into. It is when we think that people will act, talk, or think in a certain way because of how they were born and where they are from.
Prejudice means ‘to judge before.’ It is when we form a negative opinion or feeling about a person or group of people without understanding the bigger picture.
Idea provided by: The PeaceJam Foundation 11 Stand Up We will Stand Up for peace by challenging ourselves to understand different perspectives and to resolve conflict.
Stand Up activities will help Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to: Explore conflict situations from different perspectives Practice adapting their behavior to resolve conflict and build peace Explore the link between discrimination, exclusion, and peace
12 Who Caused the Conflict?
Get inside the world of others and view conflict situations from different perspectives.
15 min. Each participa. nt will need paper and a pen/pencil.
Activity Steps
Choose three storytellers. The first storyteller has 90 seconds to tell a story about themselves involving conflict. It can be as simple as something that happened to them today. The story needs to include interactions with other people. Everyone has ten seconds to decide who caused the conflict. Now the second storyteller has 90 seconds to tell the same story, but from another person's point of view in the story. Do not be afraid to invent a back story for the people you play/act out! Everyone has ten seconds to decide who caused the conflict (you can change your mind). Now the third storyteller has 90 seconds to tell the story from the point of view of a different character in the story. Everyone has ten seconds to decide who caused the conflict. Have you changed your minds again? Let’s reflect. Did telling the story from different points of view help you think about the situation differently? If everyone in the story thought about the different perspectives, how do you think the situation may have changed?
13 Women Peacebuilders Recognize the contribution the women have made to peacebuilding.
15 min.
Send a copy of the Inspiring Wom. en cards to all participants. There are blank cards at the end of the deck if you choose to add additional inspiring women.
Activity Steps
Select a card at random. This person is now a Noble Peace Prize nominee. If this woman has already won a Noble Peace Prize, pretend she has not. Imagine you are a member of the Noble Peace Prize committee. The committee tries to agree on the selection of the Peace Prize Laureate. When there is not a unanimous decision, the selection is decided by a majority vote. You must convince the other committee members (everyone else in your group) that the person on your card deserves this prize. Spend time preparing your pitch. Each person in your group will have 45 seconds to convince the committee members to vote for the person on their card. Look at your card and think about: The steps they made to build a more peaceful world The barriers and obstacles they overcame The difference they made in the world How they inspire you Now that you have heard everyone’s pitch, vote on which woman you feel should be the next Peace Prize Laureate.
The Noble Peace Prize is an award given to someone who has done great work in building peace between countries, reducing standing armies, or creating peace organizations. Of the 107 individuals awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, 17 are women.
14 Please Stand If... Explore the link between discrimination, exclusion, and peace.
15 min.
Activity Steps
Choose a narrator and read the following: “When you hear a statement, stand up if you have had that experience. Look around the room, then sit down again, ready for the next statement. This is a silent activity, so please do not talk until the activity is completed. Trust is essential, so do not share other people's personal experiences outside this group without their permission." “Please Stand (or turn your camera on) If…” I have made changes in my daily life (for example, changing friends, how I dress, how I talk) to fit in. Sometimes I do not feel welcome in my Girl Guide/Girl Scout troop and the local community. Someone has said something to me that has made me feel excluded. A friend, a family member, or I have been threatened because of race, ethnicity, gender, or nationality. Someone you know personally has been in a situation where they have been scared for their safety. Let’s reflect. What did you notice from our pattern of standing up? What does this tell you about exclusion in your community? What does this tell you about your own lives? How do you think young people in other parts of your country or other parts of the world would respond to these statements?
Activity Steps continued on the next page...
Idea provided by: The PeaceJam Foundation 15 Activity Steps Continued
Now repeat the activity using the following prompts: “Please Stand If (or turn your camera on)…” You have felt safe in your Girl Guide/Girl Scout troop and the local community. You have done something to stand up for someone in the past month. You have an adult (leader, teacher, parent, relative) that cares about you. Someone has done something nice for you in the past week. You have a place you can go to in your local area or community that feels safe and peaceful. Let’s reflect. What did you notice from your group's pattern of standing up? What does this tell you about your community? How do you think young people in other parts of your country or other parts of the world would respond to these statements? What does this activity tell you about the relationship between peace and discrimination in your lives?
16 Stand Together
We will Stand Together to support peacebuilding and create spaces that champion equality and promote peace.
Stand Together activities will help Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to: Make choices rooted in their values Consider the ripple effect of their actions and how they may impact different groups Take action towards creating a more welcoming and peaceful society
17 Ripples of Peace
Explore how a single small act of peace can have a wider impact
A waterproof container with a wide opening, a jug filled 15 min. with water, medium-sized pebbles, and markers
Activity Steps
Drop the pebble into the container of water. Watch ripples move. Did they reach the edge of the container? Read aloud: The pebble represents each small act of peace and kindness we do, and the ripples represent how our actions reach out to others. What would happen if ten million Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all took one action toward peace? What would those ripples look like? What difference would that make in the world? Now pick up the pebble and close your eyes. How does the pebble feel in your hand? How heavy is it? How strong is it? Where do you think it has been? Now think of the pebble’s home and what amazing, joyful, and peaceful moments it has seen. How can you bring that same energy, tranquillity, and peace to one person in your community, perhaps someone you have never met before? On your pebble, write down one action you can take within the next week to build this feeling of peace. If you are in a group, put all your pebbles together, and build an image of peace. This can be anything that symbolizes peace to you. Keep your pebble as a reminder of the impact you can make as one of ten million to build peace.
18 Thinking About Peace
Reflect on what peace means toyou and inspire others to think about peace.
20 min.
Activity Steps
Read the definition of peace and peacebuilding. Peace is not just the absence of war; it means dignity, safety, and well-being for all. How peace is defined is different for everyone. It can range from being happy in ourselves and seeing our loved ones' smiling faces to conflict resolution within a community and ending violence and harmful practices around the world. Peacebuilding is about dealing with the reasons why people fight and supporting people to manage their differences and conflicts in a non-violent way. It is very important to develop positive, personal, and group relationships across different races, beliefs, cultures, and classes. Understanding why people are different and why this is valuable and important helps us all to live in harmony. In a group or as an individual, reflect on what peace means to you. Write down any key thoughts, images, and ideas, and decide how you can creatively present these ideas. You can choose to create a painting, collage, drawing, or another piece of artwork using natural materials, perform a drama skit, write a song or a poem. It is up to you. Your goal is to inspire others to think about what peace and peacebuilding mean to them. Write some words or a short description to tell others what your creative work is all about and what peace means to you. Let’s reflect. How can art be used to promote peace? How can you as a group use art to inspire others to build peace?
Idea provided by: 2nd Brownie Troop of Larissa from the Greek Girl Guides Association. 19 Things I Can Change
Reflect on things that are preventing peace and understand things we can control.
15 min. A timer, pen/pencil, post-it-notes/small slips of paper
Activity Steps Take a five-minute walk or look outside of the door or window. Think about the people and places in your community. What issues stop your community from being as equal and peaceful as it could be? Read aloud: Peace is not just the absence of war. It means dignity, safety, and well-being for all. How peace is defined is different for everyone. It can range from being happy in ourselves and seeing our loved ones' smiling faces to conflict resolution within a community and ending violence and harmful practices around the world. Peacebuilding is about dealing with the reasons why people fight and supporting people to manage their differences and conflicts in a non-violent way. It is very important to develop positive, personal, and group relationships across different races, beliefs, cultures, and classes. Understanding why people are different and why this is valuable and important helps us all to live in harmony. Participants should spend five minutes exploring deeper and answer these questions in the Change Picture template: What one issue did you feel most strongly about? What do you think causes this issue? What would your ideal and peaceful solution look like? What obstacles make it hard to reach that solution? What actions could be taken to remove the obstacle or resolve the issue? Write one action idea on each slip of paper. Share your ideas. Many things impact our lives, and some are easier to change than others. Arrange the actions on a scale of easy, medium, and hard. Once you have sorted all the action ideas, look at where they are on the scale.
You have the power to build peace and create change! Are you ready to act on the issue you identified? Remember it when you think about your global promise at the end. What do the ‘easy’ actions have in common? Is there anything you think is impossible to change? Why?
20 Get Inspired By Peacebuilding
21 Peace Heroes Learning from others.
20 min.
Select a virtual guest speaker and/or ask a participant to choose their peace hero to share. You can find a list of Nobel Peace Prize winners here.
Learn about a peace hero by talking to someone in your community who works in conflict resolution or doing independent research on a peace hero in the world at large.
Invite a mediator, judge, law enforcement officer, or other conflict resolution professional to your virtual meeting to talk to the Girl Scouts about what makes them a good peacebuilder and what tips they have for building peace, among others.
If a virtual attendee is not available, have the Girl Scouts brainstorm and select famous peacebuilders to research and report back on during a virtual meeting. Consider Nobel Peace Prize winners: Malala Yousafzai, Leymah Gbowee, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Wangari Maathai, and Jody Williams. Girl Scouts like Samantha Smith have also been peace activists.
Each participant may choose their own peace hero, or you can choose to do this as a troop.
Questions to ask your peace hero: Who is your peace hero? What is her/their name? Where does she/they come from? What is her/their goal? How does she/they work on her goal? What is the best thing about her/their work? What is the most challenging thing about her/their work? Are her/their methods peaceful? Has she/they been successful in her goals?
A peacebuilder does not have to be someone famous! Maybe someone in your community is also a peacebuilder?
22 Get inspired by your sisters
Send each participant a copy of the stories 20 min. from around WAGGGS about advocacy.
Just like Girl Scouts in the United States complete take action projects and awards, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts make a difference worldwide. They are doing things like raising awareness about HIV and AIDS in Bangladesh and finding ways to get girls back into schools in Zambia.
For this activity, team up to learn about a WAGGGS advocacy champion from the stories in the “Get Inspired by Your Sisters: WAGGGS Advocacy Champions.”
Then share what they’ve done to change the world with the group.
Afterward, talk about each story. What stood out to you the most? Do any of the stories inspire you to think about a project you could do in your own community? How can we learn from and celebrate our global sisterhood?
23 24 25 26 Create a Peace Pledge
27 Peace Pledge
A pledge is a promise or agreement you all make together and will agree to keep. As a group, come up with a peace pledge. Start by thinking about the kinds of things you hope for. What is it that you want to do? Who do you want to help most?
A sample pledge might follow this template:
I am a peacebuilder because ______. I am making this peace pledge to ______. I believe we should have ______in the world. I want to help make a difference for peace by ______. It’s important to respect and listen to others because ______. I pledge to be a peacebuilder every day in my home, school, community, and the world.
28 Pinwheels For Peace Project
Make a Pinwheel for Peace and organize a troop or community-wide Pinwheels for Peace movement around World Thinking Day.
Use the 3-D template on the next pages to create pinwheels from paper and coloring supplies. Girl Scouts can plant pinwheels in their garden or yard, around their neighborhood, and at local community gathering places (with permission).
Or use the 2-D template to create a Pinwheel for Peace to place in your window.
Write your thoughts about tolerance and living in harmony with each other on one side. On the other side, decorate your pinwheel to express your feelings about being a peacebuilder visually.
On World Thinking Day, February 22, exhibit your Pinwheel for Peace masterpiece.
31 32 Reflection
Reflecting on what you have accomplished is an important part of growth. Take a few minutes and discuss the following questions.
How do you feel about earning these patches? What was one thing you learned that was new to you? Did it change your mind about something? How do you think you could/will use this information in the future? Order Your Patches GSUSA World Thinking Day Patch WAGGGS World Thinking Day Patch Share Your Peacebuilding Journey
Share your discussions, pictures, artwork, and pinwheels with us on social media!
Follow and tag us @GirlScoutsWW so we can share your peacebuilding journey.
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