In a world that wants to label us by where we are from, what we look like or what languages we speak, we are:
Defining our identity and creating our own paths.
Choosing to live by and teach compassion. Developing heartfelt connections across long-held divisions and hate. Building our communities to be places where everyone is welcome and can live in peace.
We are kind. We are brave. We are resilient. We are choosing compassion, connection, and community. We are Play for Peace.
While this an ongoing message in all of the work we do at Play for Peace, this sentiment shaped the recent Play for Peace Global Games that took place in December, which offered our clubs a unique way to work together to serve our community and the planet, create peace, and celebrate our year.
The Global Games is a series of collaborative events designed to amplify peace and bring social change in our communities around the world. We host four Games each year, with each one aiming to connect people across divides, demonstrate how we should care for our planet, celebrate peace movements, and share our clubs’ successes.
In this final Global Games of the year, we focused on appreciating ourselves and others, and our clubs participated in a variety of games and activities to demonstrate this theme. One of the most popular activities among our clubs was a “Positive Identity Signs” exercise, where each person in the group was asked to choose a printed sign that lists an admirable trait or quality about themselves (i.e. I am brave, I am smart, I am resilient, etc.). If they wanted to select their own words (in their own languages) participants could also select blank signs to fill it out. Everyone then sat in a circle and read off his or her “I am” statement out loud. Some participants also went on video to share their signs and explain why they identify with the statement.
Beyond the sign activity, other Global Games sessions included everything from club members participating in collaborative Play for Peace rituals to creating “appreciation bags,” which are decorated bags filled with notes of acknowledgment and appreciation for other group members. From India to Vietnam to Senegal and beyond, our community joined together to make the Global Games a success, ending the year with a celebration of compassion, connection, community, and peace. We are so proud of our clubs and the amazing work they did last month, and can’t wait to see what happens at the next Global Games!
