Peace Art 4 Syrian Refugees

 Promoting a Culture of Peace for Children Society provides small grants to support people who work with children in doing projects to promote peace education with students from pre-school to Grade 12.  This year there have not been a lot of requests for grants but one funded project has made a difference throughout the entire school community and in the lives of the Syrian Refugees who it has touched.  It is called #WelcomeSyrianRefugees.  It started as a peace art project and has grown to incorporate many literacy outcomes.  Check out the Inquire2Empower blog for the full story.

 

Welcoming Syrian Refugees

Students at Tecumseh Elementary School are putting the final touches  on their Welcoming Syrian Refugee    Art project with local artist, Larkyn Froese.

The project started on Human Rights Day on December 10th.  Students initial focus on the right of all children to go to school, snowballed as they learned about the plight of Syrian refugees.  A grant from Promoting a Culture of Peace for Children Society helped them to create peace art from  this wooden suitcase that arrived in Canada in 1947 with a family starting a new chapter of their lives in Canada after World War II.  Splatter painting reminiscent of Jackson Pollock represents difference people coming together to create a thing of beauty.  Flags from the students country of origin and welcome messages adorn the other surfaces.

This art was part of a larger project that also included writing and participation in a United Way Welcoming Luncheon for Syrian refugees.