by CPT-Iraqi Kurdistan
In May, three CPTers took the Children’s Art and Peace Project to students at Kobani School in Suleimani. The children are refugees from Syria. Their cheerful faces did not betray any of the suffering they have endured. They participated enthusiastically in the program, demonstrating in many ways the resilience of children.
Eager to demonstrate that working together is enriching, we explained that we come from different countries - Poland, Canada and the USA - with the same dream. “We are a peace team,” we said. “We are working for peace no matter how our own governments’ approach solutions to violence. People all around the world are joining hands, seeking peace, dreaming of what a world of peace would look like.” Then we asked them, “What does peace look like to you?” Their responses included:
Peace looks like me sitting with my family.
Peace looks like safety, no police raids.
Peace looks like kind words.
Peace looks like a circle, people holding hands.
Peace looks like bringing flowers after an argument.
Peace looks like riding a bicycle free and unafraid.