Hi.
Welcome to Peace Vigil. We design tools to promote peace. Enjoy your stay!
Welcome to Peace Vigil. We design tools to promote peace. Enjoy your stay!
The aim of Peace Vigil is to create a culture of learning and dialogue where diversity is embraced. Peace Vigil protects and promotes the human instincts of finding peace and the peace-building treasures of knowledge from around the world.
Our philosophy is that despite hate and violence, the love for life and the desire to live it well makes humans work for peace. Therefore peace is not only desirable but attainable. Peace Vigil argues that for peace to happen, we all need to see ourselves as part of a living tradition of humanity. We must search the world, our history, our culture and our own conscience for the good stuff - the stuff that unites us all rather than tries to divide people based on race, religion gender identity or any other ways.
What we do is three pronged. We make available the existing knowledge for promoting peace, develop new tools to forge understanding and end prejudices (pre-judging others) and encourage individual and collective action to end hate and violence.
How do we do it is through the various interesting tools we create. These include videos, songs, quizzes, workshops/trainings and writing. These tools are accessible to all and we can create content and style specific to your need. The tools can be used in schools, places of worship, offices, neighborhoods and even in your home.
The underlying principle of all our work is that peace needs all of us. Individual and familial thought and action is the driving force behind real social transformation. When we change the basic way we look at difference - seeing it as a reason for celebration and not contempt - we have already taken the biggest step towards peace. Peace education must happen at home, in schools and wherever people are. International treaties and documents protecting peace will only work when there is a culture of learning and dialogue in the society.
Baobab, Redwood and Neem are awe-inspiring trees. They bring to mind images of vastness, height and remedies. In our Baobab, Redwood and Neem (BRN) series we aim to inspire hope and the will to act on it. In addition to the videos, BRN episodes are also available as podcasts.
Video Essays: We use commentary and images to explain issues in a way that is easily understandable.
Drama: We use the tools of the stage to explain a subject.
Quizzes: You can quiz yourself to test and sharpen your knowledge of various important issues. This is also a fun way to share that knowledge with others by sending them the link of a quiz you have taken.
Songs: We create a lot of music. Check out our songs and play them wherever you feel they will help. Our songs are used in schools and playgroups as well as by organizations promoting understanding between communities.
Blog posts: We write on issues of peace and also have real-life stories that encourage everyone to be peace-vigilantes.
Story Time: This is a new series which delivers messages through the form of story-telling.
Shirin is a peace educator with over two decades of experience working with children, universities, places of worship and neighborhood initiatives. She uses an interactive approach with participants by applying music, song, drama and play. Her workshops are beautiful experiences that stay with you and help you become better equipped to wage peace. Shirin produces videos as well that are popular on the Peace Vigil channel and are used by organizations working in the field of education and social transformation. Her training as a journalist and work as a broadcaster have also made her an admirable interviewer. You can watch the interviews she has done on our website and also listen to them as podcasts. Shirin has a degree in Women's Studies from La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia and in Journalism from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi, India. She works in many countries and has lived in the United States, India, South Africa, Australia and the Philippines.
Sameer Dossani has been part of movements for global economic justice for more than 25 years. During that time he has held staff positions at international NGOs. He has lived in six countries and traveled around the world as a resource person for organizations working on peace and justice. He is also a trained musician. You can enjoy his music on the Peace Vigil channel. Sameer is currently completing his PhD on the economics of decolonization at the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation (IERI), South Africa.
