Peace initiave: Mosquito Camp 09 - CISV Möndal

Last summer CISV Möndal chapter in Sweden arranged a Mosaic project with the economical support of Olof Palme Foundation. This project was a succesful local camp for children with Culture of Peace as a theme and inspired by Mosquito Tactics:

Mosquito camp 09!

The summer camp this year was like an inspiration bomb that I didn´t see coming. Suddenly the camp had become a mosaic project and lots of serious meetings were booked up in my calendar.

Vi talked about how we were going to do something new out of the coming camp, how we in CISV could change our thoughts and opinions, but most of all: How we were going to the best local camp ever! Mosquito Camp!

The whole process with Mosquito camp has been a new part of my earlier experience of being a leader on local camps. All the activities were planned into every detail so that we always knew how, what, and why we did the activity, and also what mark it would leave in children’s life.

Mosquito Tactics gave us a clearer and more define picture of what peace education is. We got inspiration about how we should reach a goal and why we wanted to achieve that goal. The book gave us a way of thinking that is much more criticizing and it also brought up discussion questions that we used a lot after and during our activities.

The camp was a success and became the best local camp I have taken part of ever. Children´s way of taking part in the discussions, asking, giving their own opinion and listening to each other was almost like a shock to us towards the end of the camp. The kids brought personal things in the discussion and opened up themselves. It was quite fantastic to see that all the kids accepting each other’s opinions.

We succeeded with making eleven year old kids think more critical and realize that their own opinion was as much worth in the discussion than anyone else’s, and I would say that was our biggest goal with the entire Mosquito Camp.

They became fully completed “mosquitoes”.

Jesper Nilsson

Here is the rapport to Olof Palme Foundation (in Swedish) about the camp.

Mosquito tactics collaborates with UNESCO Power of Peace Network

Mosquito Tactics and Mosquito Tactics blog were introduce during the sesssion "Innovation in media and ICTs for peace: Youth leadership" in the Second Global Forum of the Power of Peace organized by UNESCOs department of communication and information

Together with projects from other international organisations, Mosquito Tactics was a good example of empowerment for youth involvement in the uses of media and communication tools (Mosquito blog) for self expression on matters like mutual understanding and peace.

Mosquito Tactics was well received by representatives from organisations in Bangladesh, South Korea, England, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, among many others.

Mosquito Tactics reporting from Bangkok

Today is the first day of the UNESCO Second Global Forum on the Power of Peace. This is a working conference designed for the further development of the Power of Peace Network (PPN). The main porpoise of PPN is to increase mutual understanding around the world by supporting diverse social and cultural self-expression through modern tools of information and communication.

Tomorrow morning, Mosquito Tactics and Mosquito Tactics blog will be present in the session "Innovation in Media and ICTs for Peace: Youth Leadership". MT blog will be shown as an effective communication tool for active global citizens and the sharing of their peace initiatives all over the world inspired by Mosquito Tactics.

This is a great opportunity to show how CISV collaborate with the development of more peaceful and justice societies.

Jan Eliasson has one

- get your own copy of Mosquito tactics at www.cisv.se/mosquitotactics

Mosquito tactics agree with Ban Ki-moon

UN Press, 2 October 2009

Gandhi’s message of non-violent struggle key to facing modern threats

Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy of non-violence in the face of aggression is an enduring symbol of hope for leaders and grass-roots campaigners alike in defeating the growing number of hostile forces threatening the modern world, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

In a message marking the third annual International Day of Non-violence, observed on 2 October in honour of Mr. Gandhi’s birthday, Mr. Ban said that Mr. Gandhi understood that a powerful idea could change the world.

“He knew that individuals, working alone and together, could realize what others might dismiss as impossible dreams,” Mr. Ban said of Mr. Gandhi, whose non-violent struggle led to an independent India and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom around the globe.

“We strive, for example, to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction,” he said. “Recent initiatives and meetings, including last week’s Security Council summit on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, have improved prospects for reductions in global arsenals.”

Mr. Ban underscored the importance of sustaining this momentum, and called on the international community to press for success at next year’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference and beyond.

“The call to non-violence need not apply only to the use of deadly weapons,” he added. “The United Nations and its grass-roots partners have long campaigned to stop the human assault on our planet.”

Greenhouse gas emissions have long threatened the planet, he said, urging activists everywhere “to turn up the heat on world leaders to seal a deal at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.”