Kids tell Bush and Blair to tackle small arms
-15/06/06
Pupils from a school in south
Kids tell Bush and Blair to tackle small arms
-15/06/06
Pupils from a school in south London will hand in a peace petition, signed by more than 4,000 children, to Downing Street in the run-up to the forthcoming United Nations Summit on Small Arms in New York (26 June – 7 July 2006).
The petition ñ run by Christian Aidís childrenís website globalgang.org.uk ñ encouraged 8-12-year-olds to send a message of peace to Tony Blair and George Bush, urging them ëto do everything they can to make the world a peaceful place to live in.í
Children from Pilgrims Way primary school, Southwark, an area of London where gun crime is of concern to local residents, will be bringing along their dove of peace sculpture, made out of toy guns, toy soldiers, war planes and coins.
One child that took part in the workshop said: ìSome of my friendsí dads have guns and they think theyíre cool, but I would never get a gun.î
The children used the British Museumís Throne of Weapons sculpture for inspiration at a workshop in the Livesey Museum for Children.
The Throne is made of decommissioned guns by artists at the Christian Aid-supported Transforming Arms into Tools project in Mozambique.
The project encourages ex-soldiers to hand in their weapons in exchange for ploughs and bicycles. The weapons are dismantled and turned into sculptures ñ symbols of peace.
Comedian Mark Thomas, who is publishing his first book next month ëAs used on the famous Nelson Mandela – Underground adventures in the arms and torture tradeí, said: ìPeople tend to think that arms dealing only happens abroad in places like Africa and affects people there.î
ìThey forget that it’s actually an issue very close to home, I doubt that you could find a place to live in London or Manchester that’s further than 400 yards away from a gun crime sceneî, he continued.
ìItís great to plant the seed that you can change this, and that you can have a part to play in shaping the world, which is what Globalgang have done with this peace petition and workshop.î
Sophie Shirt, editor of globalgang.org.uk, said: ìItís great to see how a successful weapons amnesty project is inspiring people all over the world, including children in London.î
She explained: ìMany children play war games and see weapons as exciting and fun. Giving away their toys can be difficult! But through this workshop they were able to exchange these symbols of war for symbols of peace and understand the dangers of real guns.î
ìWith our peace petition, we wanted to give children the opportunity to both share their feelings and take action to influence decision-makers,î said Ms Shirt.
In developing countries, the uncontrolled arms trade can have a devastating impact. According to the Control Arms coalition, which brings together a range of NGOs and church groups, the number of deaths and injuries from war and violence will overtake the number of deaths caused by killer diseases such as malaria and measles by 2020.
Worldwide, half a million men, women, and children are killed by armed violence every year. Christian Aid, the development wing of a number of UK denominations, says it supports the Control Arms campaign in calling for an international arms trade treaty to regulate the spread of small arms and light weapons globally.
[Also on Ekklesia: Canadian churches back action against small arms; UN urged by Vatican to examine arms trade; Churches urged to renew action for peace and healing; C of E accused of hypocrisy over links to arms company; Decommissioned gun sculptures raise cash for peace project 15/06/06; Christian Aid wins prestigious PR award for peace project; Tree of guns to take root at British Museum; Documentary explores ‘beating swords into ploughshares’; Violent God, Nonviolent Jesus, Violent Christians: The Tragic Legacy of Biblical Violence June 24, 2006 A day seminar with Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, organised by the London Mennonite Centre and supported by Ekklesia]
Kids tell Bush and Blair to tackle small arms
-15/06/06
Pupils from a school in south London will hand in a peace petition, signed by more than 4,000 children, to Downing Street in the run-up to the forthcoming United Nations Summit on Small Arms in New York (26 June – 7 July 2006).
The petition ñ run by Christian Aidís childrenís website globalgang.org.uk ñ encouraged 8-12-year-olds to send a message of peace to Tony Blair and George Bush, urging them ëto do everything they can to make the world a peaceful place to live in.í
Children from Pilgrims Way primary school, Southwark, an area of London where gun crime is of concern to local residents, will be bringing along their dove of peace sculpture, made out of toy guns, toy soldiers, war planes and coins.
One child that took part in the workshop said: ìSome of my friendsí dads have guns and they think theyíre cool, but I would never get a gun.î
The children used the British Museumís Throne of Weapons sculpture for inspiration at a workshop in the Livesey Museum for Children.
The Throne is made of decommissioned guns by artists at the Christian Aid-supported Transforming Arms into Tools project in Mozambique.
The project encourages ex-soldiers to hand in their weapons in exchange for ploughs and bicycles. The weapons are dismantled and turned into sculptures ñ symbols of peace.
Comedian Mark Thomas, who is publishing his first book next month ëAs used on the famous Nelson Mandela – Underground adventures in the arms and torture tradeí, said: ìPeople tend to think that arms dealing only happens abroad in places like Africa and affects people there.î
ìThey forget that it’s actually an issue very close to home, I doubt that you could find a place to live in London or Manchester that’s further than 400 yards away from a gun crime sceneî, he continued.
ìItís great to plant the seed that you can change this, and that you can have a part to play in shaping the world, which is what Globalgang have done with this peace petition and workshop.î
Sophie Shirt, editor of globalgang.org.uk, said: ìItís great to see how a successful weapons amnesty project is inspiring people all over the world, including children in London.î
She explained: ìMany children play war games and see weapons as exciting and fun. Giving away their toys can be difficult! But through this workshop they were able to exchange these symbols of war for symbols of peace and understand the dangers of real guns.î
ìWith our peace petition, we wanted to give children the opportunity to both share their feelings and take action to influence decision-makers,î said Ms Shirt.
In developing countries, the uncontrolled arms trade can have a devastating impact. According to the Control Arms coalition, which brings together a range of NGOs and church groups, the number of deaths and injuries from war and violence will overtake the number of deaths caused by killer diseases such as malaria and measles by 2020.
Worldwide, half a million men, women, and children are killed by armed violence every year. Christian Aid, the development wing of a number of UK denominations, says it supports the Control Arms campaign in calling for an international arms trade treaty to regulate the spread of small arms and light weapons globally.
[Also on Ekklesia: Canadian churches back action against small arms; UN urged by Vatican to examine arms trade; Churches urged to renew action for peace and healing; C of E accused of hypocrisy over links to arms company; Decommissioned gun sculptures raise cash for peace project 15/06/06; Christian Aid wins prestigious PR award for peace project; Tree of guns to take root at British Museum; Documentary explores ‘beating swords into ploughshares’; Violent God, Nonviolent Jesus, Violent Christians: The Tragic Legacy of Biblical Violence June 24, 2006 A day seminar with Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, organised by the London Mennonite Centre and supported by Ekklesia]