Last week the global community commemorated the date that marked the end of one of the most tragic and devastating chapters in human century – The World War II.
The day that laid the foundation of a new world which was meant to become more peaceful, compassionate and free.
And while the legacy lives on and there have been no conflicts of a similar magnitude ever since, we are still far from those ideals of global harmony and coexistence that the peacemakers of 75 years ago and now dream about and strive for.
Roots has long been there to uphold and spread those ideals – “World by word: hiSTORY behind us” online event in cooperation with YMCA Netherlands on May 7th was an international endeavour to delve in the past and “find stories of loss, violence and regret, but also of friendship and kindness.” And to search for the ways to remember our shared history and draw conclusions from it to “help us with peace work in the present”.
And while the original plan to bring participants together for a physical event was rendered impossible by still rampant Covid19 pandemic across the globe, the interest and turnout for a digital event was still very high – 20 participants from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Nagorno-Karabakh, The Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia & Ukraine came together to reflect upon and share their personal stories.
And while the large majority were born long after the war was over, everyone had something to tell and someone to remember… As well as to once again realize how closely related we all are – in misfortune and in joy… And only together we will manage to reach the goal that united us online last Friday evening, will reunite us in the Netherlands next year & will keep us pushing forward for – the belief that it takes each and every one of us and every little step we take to make our shared home a better place… Not just for us, but for everyone!
Because peace can only be achieved and sustained if one works for it every day – and each day safeguarding it is a Victory Day!
Some of the stories can be found here: Special Storylines
The event recording below:
P.S. To sum it all up, attendees were asked 2 questions: Empathy & Love came on top as keywords to what they considered as the most crucial part of peace work; while Open Mindedness & Hope were the major takeaways from the event, among others.
