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Children's Peace Festival
Second Annual Children’s Peace Festival Fortifies Idea That“Peace Begins with Me”
Taking place Saturday, November 2, between 2-5 pm at the Chatham Summit Quaker meeting house, in Chatham, NJ., the Festival will build upon its inaugural success and bring an expanded roster of youth performers, art projects, games, peace-building activities including a Peace Garden community project.
This year’s expanded event will include partners such as NJ Family, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, and youth performers from the Papermill Playhouse, Elefante Music & School for the Performing Arts, Kent Place School and more.
Anna Whitely, a rising junior at Summit High School, who founded the event and is coordinating this year’s festivities said, “This year’s event will be centered on the idea that peace begins with me. If fostered individually, it can expand locally and even globally.”
While the event itself is non-religious and non-political, Whitely, 16, is a Quaker and wanted to highlight the Chatham Summit Quaker meeting house as a hub for peace, especially so during this time of international conflict and domestic discord.
With support from the members of the meeting, the event is a gift to the community and its activities are free and open to the public with a special invitation to young families with children of preschool to middle school age. There will also be food trucks, with items for purchase, such as The Empanada Lady. There will be opportunities to donate to peace-building organizations.
The afternoon will include creative activities for youngsters to experience peace and peacemaking through a wide variety of peace-centered arts and crafts, music, meditation, introspective forest walks and cooperative games.
For example, The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey will orchestrate a clay project, where each participant will be given some material to shape into a tree showing how peace can grow. The final product will be on display at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey.
"The Visual Arts Center is excited to partner with the Children's Peace Festival in their second year! It is lovely to contribute, in any way, to this event with such a beautiful message of peace," said Rachel Aponte, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey’s Director of Education & Community Engagement.
Folks can get started on the fun early by creating a flower out of upcycled materials. The flowers will be collected and put on display during the event. This reflects the community's wishes for peace and the event’s sustainability pillar, which is critical to peace.
This event has been made possible with volunteers and the support of several local businesses, including Fusco Brothers, the Farm at Green Village, and GCI Outdoor are lending in-kind support to the festivities. If you or your company would like to contribute or participate in the peace garden, email [email protected]
Chatham Summit Quaker Meeting is located at 158 Southern Boulevard, Chatham, NJ. Overflow parking will be available at Southern Boulevard School. In case of unfavorable weather, all activities will be moved inside. More information, including a schedule of events, is available at the Meeting’s website https://www.chathamquakers.org
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Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/2710849-0
