![our_color_is_peace_tagline[1]-02](https://ocipeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/our_color_is_peace_tagline1-02.png "our_color_is_peace_tagline[1]-02")
Carlos Cortiñas
The world needs a voice of unity and peace. Who better than our youth to convey this message. They inherit a fresh perspective, and the energy needed to take on such a monumental task. They can be the Ambassadors of Peace to the world.
The current crisis of faith that exist in society is largely attributed to a lack of leadership. A leadership that should be promoting unity, equality, and respect for the uniqueness of each individual. As a society, our focus has shifted to one of competition without principle. This lack of principles contributes to feelings of fear, and a separation of people, culture, race, and religion. As Mark Nepo, illustrates in his book “More Together Than Alone,” there are two very different reactions for when seemingly disparate communities of people meet one another:
The fearful one says: You are different go away. The other says: You are different “Come and teach me.” We (Our Color is Peace) believe it is ultimately our differences that will be bring us together. And we believe our strongest Ambassadors reside in the classrooms of our schools and colleges.
It seems as Humanity has chosen this “go away” mentality, which only promotes more chaos and suffering. We need a voice of unity. We need the voice of the youth to promote and inspire change at their schools, in their communities. A message that clearly states:
NO TO VIOLENCE, YES TO PEACE.
To fulfill this dream, we need the cooperation of school districts, government, media, families, and communities. This type of work can’t be developed for a non-profit organization on its own. We can provide tools such as speakers, leadership conferences, a yearly peace youth award, collateral, etc; But we need the administration of schools to not only open the doors to us, but also to participate in the peace movement. We need parents to motivate the children, the media to spread the message, and our governement to get involved. We need to transform anger, hate, and weapons into love, compassion, and understanding.
Any person or organization interested in supporting this program, or youth 13 or older interested in being an Ambassador of Peace, please contact Gladys Gonzalez at 801-888-2705 or send an email to gladys.gonzalez@ocipeace.org