Background

Susan Carew is the founder of Worldpeacefull and a Rotary Peace Scholar. She is a former economist and market analyst. Susan dreamed she was teaching peace in 1998 has been developing peace education programs and approaches to building inner/outer peace for 17 years.

Susan is a World Peace Sustainability Clown and was invited to Russia with the famous clown Doctor Patch Adams. It was there that she saw the connection between clowning (positive wellbeing) and peace (unity). Susan wrote a values based peace, nonviolence and anti-bullying program entitled REAL HOPE which was successfully taught in schools. One Principal stated our world needs REAL HOPE!
Refer http://schools.worldpeacefull.com/anti-bullying/ and testimonials.

Susan developed training programs for businesses to understand bullying and transform conflict into peaceful behaviour, she discovered the root cause was powerlessness, therefore empowerment is the key to sustainable change.

In 2010 she travelled the world to 20 countries to work on inner and outer peace. She spoke at universities, schools, clowned in hospitals, on the streets, to audiences and promoted positive peace in blogs. Refer www.worldpeacefull.com (Clowning Around the World).

Susan then travelled Australia offering training in peace and sustainability to schools and practicing inner peace. Since then she has undertaken peace projects with Rotary in South Australia teaching peace, workshops with teachers, radio interviews and community building. She was invited to Nepal to teach Cultures of Peace to teachers and clowned in schools (anti-bullying). She attended the Rotary Peace Forum in Hawaii and saw first hand the power of young people focused on peaceful change. It is in their hands.

In 2015 Susan has published 5 e-books on clowning, nonviolence, proactivism, universal peace education and peace or bullying? Refer http://www.worldpeacefull.com/author-presenter/

In 2016 Susan is establishing the Sustainability Peace Encouragement Award for Kids to Unite People (SPEAK UP Award) as a solution to engage young people in peace and sustainability. As a Rotary peace scholar she can access Rotary and as a member of Golden Key, there are connections there. She will actively invite other organisations/individuals to become involved. She aims to visit schools around the world to speak about peace and sustainability and invite young people to develop their own projects for a positive, sustainable future.

The World Peace Sustainability Clown (Peacefull) is an important messenger that is positive, uplifting, fun and demonstrates the fool's journey (heroes journey). Peacefull explains to the children that the most important goal of life is happiness. We can realise this when we understand peace is sustainability and work together to achieve our collective goals. They will be reminded of Gandhi's vision 'be the change you wish to see in the world'.

Susan circulated the SPEAK UP idea to experts in key areas and received comments:

Dear Susan, dear Antonio - very impressive, totally original, never seen anything like it before. Forward it to Olivier Urbain for Arts and Peace - please -- all the best johan in California. Professor Johan Galtung, Transcend, Oslo, Norway

Dear Susan, I really admire your noble effort to educate and inspire children, particularly to understand peaceful philosophy and also the education that you have given yourself in this area.
Dr. Helen Caldicott, Author, Public educator about the medical hazards of the nuclear age

Dear Susan, thank you for sending me the advance copy of your interesting proposal for a Rotary International Peace Award for the Children of the World – a very commendable concept.
Dr. Henry Gardiner, Past Governor, RI District 9700 1995-96

Dear Susan, congratulations for taking on this very ambitious project/journey/quest. Owen Secombe, UNESCO APNIEVE, Network for International Education and Values Education

Context

“Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words ‘Too late.’ There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect. The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on …We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation. This may well be mankind’s last chance to choose between chaos and community.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

American clergyman,
civil rights leader
Nobel Peace Prize winner

On January 12, 2001, 100 of the World’s Nobel Peace Laureates published a ‘Dire Warning For Planet Earth’, reinforcing the idea that it is time to change the way we think:

“The most profound danger to world peace in the coming years will stem not from the irrational acts of states or individuals but from the legitimate demands of the world's dispossessed… It is time to turn our backs on the unilateral search for security, in which we seek to shelter behind walls. Instead, we must persist in the quest for united action to counter both global warming and a weaponised world. To survive in the world we have transformed, we must learn to think in a new way. As never before, the future of each depends on the good of all.”

Mahatma Gandhi considered himself a practical idealist. As leader and founder of the nonviolence movement in India, his work stands as a testimony for alternatives to violence and war. The success and popularity of his approach was evident by the global response to his actions of leading his people in a nonviolent struggle for their independence. Gandhi believed the future is in the hands of children, he stated:

“If we are to reach real peace in this world and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we have to begin with the children.”

As an intergenerational concept, sustainable development requires present generations to nurture the world’s social, economic and environmental wellbeing, and to enable next generations to do the same. The transfer of critical knowledge to today’s young people is vital, yet its realization is threatened by crises in resource-stressed regions and by diseases threatening to obliterate whole generations. At present, youth under the age of 25 comprise over 50 per cent of the world’s population. This scenario calls for significantly more attention to be paid to preparing youth for the challenges ahead. Many solutions have been proposed to bring young people to the forefront of sustainable development practices and policies, but without sufficient response from national-level policymakers, young people can become marginalized in the political sphere, left with the impression that their input is not valued.

The UN General Assembly’s Special Session on Children in May 2002 attracted 69 Summit level participants and 190 high level national delegates. The session included political leaders, UN agencies, religions, business, arts, academia and civil society. Five Nobel Peace Prize Laureates attended and 1,700 delegates representing NGO’s from 117 countries. For the first time in the history of the UN meetings, more than 400 children were there as delegates and active participants.

The UN Secretary General told delegates that ‘the children in this room are witnesses to our words”. The children were more than that as they challenged the adults, informed them and provided stories of their lives. The children inspired all present with their belief in collective change and their hope.

The children addressed the Assembly on 8 May 2002. Two delegates representing the Children’s forum stated the following:

“We are the world’s children.

We are the victims of exploitation and abuse.

We are street children.

We are the children of war.

We are the victims and orphans of HIV/AIDS.

We are denied good-quality education and health care.

We are victims of political, economic, cultural, religious and environmental discrimination.

We are children whose voices are not being heard: it is time we are taken into account.

We want a world fit for children, because a world fit for us is a world fit for everyone.”

Child delegates: Ms Gabriela Azurduy Arrieta (Bolivia) and Ms Audrey Chenynut (Monaco)

Severne Suzuki speech to the United Nations, says it best.

Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF stated “what must now follow their words are their actions (Assembly) for the future of humanity depends on them.”

The current situation for children around the world is a reflection of the violence of adults and it is passed down one to the other, the cycle of violence must be stopped and society no longer considers violence as acceptable or indeed, normal.

The 1959 Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets a universal standard on the rights of children. The declaration highlights the need for children to develop individual abilities and learn to be useful members of society, protected from harm and exploitation. Moreover, the responsibility of parents and others is to provide conditions that will foster the development of children, enhance confidence and self esteem enabling them to develop to maximum potential.6

The Problem

The problem is two fold. The world is facing the twins of climate change and violent conflict. At this point it is not understood that the conflict is connected to climate change in terms of conflicts over resources and non-renewables. Conflict is a sign of negative inner climates that have not changed. This discord fuels consumption.

The Climate Change Conference in Paris reinforced the desire for a sustainable future and changes in behaviour to ensure global warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celcius target by 195 countries in a historic agreement and a sign of the seriousness of the problem. The approach to-date has been to change our behaviour to live sustainably, yet it is evident the global population are not changing fast enough given economic patterns, beliefs and expanding materialism (growth, jobs). Nations act separately not as one family.

As climate change worsens there will be conflicts over resources causing ecological refugee flows according to Al Gore. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre estimated 22.5 million climate refugees every year.

Lack of peace (fear) drives insecurity, inadequacy, conflict, competition and fears of 'not enough' and debt slavery. Therefore, the desire to satisfy material needs and wants, greed, status together with marketing and societal aspirations propels this unconscious behaviour to desire more in order to be more (happy), yet the reality is the destruction of the earth and increasing conflict. This is called the 'do to be to have' paradigm'. Education remains focused on societal goals of economic growth rather than happiness, wellbeing, peace and sustainability.

The deep unhappiness that is increasing around the world has arisen from not doing what makes people truly happy, they are working for money to live and have disconnected from their true nature and connection to the earth. They feel emptiness as they attach to external materialism hoping to fill inner gaps to satisfy temporary pleasure or fulfilment, This is what fuels consumption and climate change in a perpetual expanding cycle. There is no peace on this treadmill.

To solve the problem it is wise to consider Einsteins words:

"No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.".

The young people are the next generation and future stewards. They are the ones that will inherit this unsustainable future past generations created from a fear based consciousness. To create real change it is important to focus, inspire, educate and support young people in 'taking responsibility' for future change by developing projects in peace and sustainability around the world. This is a global problem requiring the enthusiasm, positivity and kindness of young people who 'know they can change the world' and to start working on new ways. They will learn to think globally and act locally. They will lead.

Rotary's philosophy is enshrined in the 4 Way Test. It is an excellent test to determine if a project will benefit humanity as follows:

1) Is it the TRUTH?

2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3) Does it promote GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIP?

4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? (inclusive of all life on earth)

To change consumption patterns of the past it is important to learn to think in new creative ways and work collaboratively together. The new paradigm is 'to be to do to have'. The focus is on being. Peace is about well=being in alignment with nature. Peace is our true nature and when the focus is on peace with sustainability, the outcome is to recalibrate humanity to adapt to the harmony of the planet to discover sustainability is our true nature. We are out of balance with our true nature which is why we are out of balance with the planet. Therefore it is time to SPEAK UP and work on projects that bring people and the planet back into balance.

Solution: SPEAK UP Award

It is proposed that an International Sustainability & Peace Encouragement Award for Kids to Unite People (International SPEAK UP Award) be established. The International SPEAK UP Award will have as its call to action ‘to be the change you wish to see in the world’ (Gandhi). This is a powerful message that leads by example and encourages ethical conduct and real-world community service. This is an important message for children and world citizens around the World.

The purpose of the international SPEAK UP Award is to empower the next generation to lead by example sharing their visions and actions for peace between people and with natural systems (making peace with nature). The Award empowers children by awarding and acknowledging their ideas, creativity and capabilities in peace building and ecological sustainability in their local communities.

The International SPEAK UP Award raises awareness of the critical importance of children as future stewards, to be actively empowered in peace building and ecological sustainability in alignment with The United Nations Agenda 21. Agenda 21 Rio Declaration advocates to ‘think globally and act locally’ to unite people in their local community and inspire the world.

It is proposed that crowd funding generate the needed funds to establish the International SPEAK UP Award for the people by the people. It makes sense that the community, philanthropists and service organisations fund this. This project will empower a real future for children inspired by the theme ‘to be the change you wish to see in the world’ (Gandhi) and inspiring world citizens towards self responsibility, peace as personal change and to action peace and sustainability in their world.

It is proposed that the International SPEAK UP Award is piloted and promoted worldwide to schools and submissions collected at the local level. Rotary is invited to overview meritous projects for grants. The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.

Susan Carew, a Rotary Peace Scholar, will travel to nominated countries over a 8 month period of time as Peacefull the World Peace Sustainability Clown. As a peace messenger, Peacefull will promote the International SPEAK UP Award to schools, communities and organisations. Peacefull will visit schools and speak to children about peace and sustainability at assemblies, teach classes to demonstrate educational approaches. Children eligible to participate will be between 10-18 years of age.

Susan Carew is a trained market analyst and will conduct market research with schools. The research is entitled Children’s 2050 Visions of the Future. The research will provide an opportunity for children to voice their ideas on what peace and sustainability means to them and the world they envisage. Moreover, it will provide important global data and provide alternative visions for the future.

A documentary film will be produced about the International SPEAK UP Award. The film will trace the journey, highlighting the highs and lows and the many hands linking together in selfless ways. Interviews will be conducted with principals, teachers, children, parents, communities and interesting individuals met along the way revealing their impressions and what they are learning about peace and sustainability. The documentary film enables the voice of children to be heard, promoting how children envisage peace and sustainability and how children express how they can make a difference in harmony with Gandhi’s vision ‘to be the change you wish to see in the world’. Children will realise that when they change this changes their world locally and globally.

Funds

The funds are estimated as follows:

World ticket: US, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, Oslo, Nepal, Hong Kong home then to Australia. Flight Centre (22/12/2015) = $7,040 (prices subject to change)

Kodak Zi8 camera (High definition) = $399 (Amazon)

Documentary maker = estimated hours 200 @ ($50 AUD per hour), $10,000

Additional unforeseen expenses = $2,561

TOTAL: $20,000

*NB: The minimum required is the air ticket, the rest can be raised as needed. Accommodation and food will be provided by Rotary or Couch surfing.

You can join us

Worldpeacefull is interested in attracting positive, proactive volunteers to help with this project. Required skills are in social media, film making, journalism, education and networks, environmental expertise and other peace makers who feel inspired to contribute. This is a community project and I am deeply grateful to share this for the betterment of others and our beautiful planet. It will be fun and illuminating. There is nothing we can't achieve when we choose a positive empowered future. Love does not spin and get nowhere.

Thank you for supporting children!

For your support I will send you links to the blog I will be writing to keep people up to date. I will be uploading YouTube video's to highlight the amazing children, teachers, Rotarians, community members I meet along the way. I want to inspire a conversation, enthusiasm and a realisation we can create the change.The main perk will have to be 'service above self', that is how I have worked for 17 years, for me the reward has been the joy of working for peace and humanity and to see lives change.I did this for free.

You will be supporting a person who is committed to this and has a track record of working for peace successfully. I am resourceful and confident as I have done this before and I know people will contact me and get involved as they see how the children respond and the real benefit.

I often say 'our happy destiny is unavoidable'. That is coming from a clown so it has to be true. I know the world thinks differently, but that is the point of this work, see change.

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