Dear Reader,

Climate change has been very much in the news in September. When the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres convened the Climate Action Summit in New York, he recognised that climate change is probably the biggest threat to world peace and urgent action is needed by world leaders to deal with the problem as a matter of urgency.

On a local scale, Coventry Climate Action Network (organised by the Coventry United Nations Association) is working to encourage individuals, businesses and local government to take action to reduce their carbon footprint.

Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee are putting the final touches to plans for the Coventry Young People’s Peace and Reconciliation Conference to be run in November funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. It will focus on listening to the voices and feelings of young people concerned about the epidemic of violence and knife-crime. They will then work together with peace activists to generate ideas for new projects that can be run in schools and communities.

Coventry and Warwickshire Children's Peace Poem Competition is now in full swing and already receiving poems with the theme of human rights. If you know any children aged 16 or under make sure they tell their RE or English teacher to visit the peace poem website covpeacepoem.uk

The new edition of the classic book "Ruined and Rebuilt" is currently being prepared for the printer. We are delighted that the Archbishop of Canterbury's heartfelt tribute will appear on the back cover of the book. In the book, Provost Richard Howard describes how he tried to save the cathedral, decided it would have to be rebuilt and led the team which achieved this mighty effort.

More information about all this below, plus other peace and reconciliation related events in Coventry and the wider world.

Please do let us know of any peace-related news or activities happening in or near Coventry and we will be happy to add them to our website http://coventrycityofpeace.uk and include them in a future edition of this newsletter.

Philip Brown
Chair, Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace & Reconciliation
covlmpc@gmail.com

Peace News

Climate Change is a Threat to Global Security - UN Secretary General

On 21 September, International Day of Peace, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said "Peace is at the heart of all our work at the United Nations. And we know peace is much more than a world free of war. It means resilient, stable societies where everyone can enjoy fundamental freedoms and thrive rather than struggle to meet basic needs." …

Forgiveness Project

The Forgiveness Project collects and shares stories from both victims/survivors and perpetrators of crime and conflict who have rebuilt their lives following hurt and trauma. Founded in 2004 by journalist, Marina Cantacuzino, The Forgiveness Project provides resources and experiences to help people examine and overcome their own unresolved grievances. The testimonies we collect bear witness to the resilience of the …

Forthcoming Peace-Related Events in Coventry

Coventry & Warwickshire Children's Peace Poem 2020

The Children's Peace Poem 2020 will be open to children in Coventry & Warwickshire until the closing date of 30 November 2019. Schools, home educators, parents and children aged 16 or less on 30 November 2019 are invited to register on the website covpeacepoem.uk. The authors of the best three poems will: Meet the Lord Mayor of Coventry or the …

Junior Peacemakers Workshop to Prepare for Anti-Bullying Week

What will this workshop do? This free workshop on 11 or 14 October will explore the impact of bullying on individuals, friendship groups and the whole school. We will be discussing different types of bullying, including online as well as in person. The workshops are for 4 pupils and one or two members of staff. This team of Peacemakers will be …

Faith and Peace Exhibition

The exhibition 'Faith and Peace' will be in the Chapel of Unity at the Cathedral from the 28 October until the 12 November. This exhibition looks at the way in which the three Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) promote peace – in their teaching, and in the lives of their people. It tells stories of their peace-makers. It shows …

Hidden Figures Film Showing

On 28 October Coventry Against Racism will be showing the Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures in Coventry Council House. Hidden Figures tells the incredible story three brilliant African-American women working at NASA, Katherine Jonson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae), who were the brains behind the launch into orbit of astronaut John Glenn, a stunning …

Coventry Young People’s Peace and Reconciliation Conference 2019

Coventry Lord Mayor’s Committee for Peace and Reconciliation invite schools and home educators to send up to 3 students from years 6 to 9 (age approx 11-14), to Coventry Young People’s Peace and Reconciliation Conference on the afternoon of Friday 8 November 2019 in Coventry Council House. Students will be able to say how they feel about violence, peace, justice …

Paris Peace Forum 2019

On 11-13 November 2019, the Paris Peace Forum will place global governance at the top of the international agenda for the second time with its annual Forum. It is a unique event where stakeholders discuss global governance issues and cooperate on innovative solutions. In 2018, 65 Heads of State and Government as well as 10 leaders from international organizations attended …

Forgiveness Project Annual Lecture 2019

The Forgiveness Project will be running their 2019 Annual Lecture on 12 November in London to be delivered by their Founder, Marina Cantacuzino. In Power and Persuasion: the urgent need for restorative narratives in unforgiving times, Marina will explore the intersection between turbulence and forgiveness. Amid a seemingly global rush towards hate, division and insularity, she will consider how forgiveness …

RISING Global Peace Forum 2019

RISING Global Peace Forum will be 13th and 14th November 2019. The theme for both the Symposia and the main Forum is ‘The Ecology of Peace’ and we’ll be exploring and celebrating the many different routes by which peace can be made and sustained: top-down, bottom-up, with/without a formal peace deal, peace between nations, individuals and with our environment and peace through …

Where Light Falls

Historic England, working with the Poetry Society and leading creatives Double Take Projections, invite you to Where Light Falls – a series of spectacular, free illuminations at St Paul’s Cathedral and Coventry Cathedral this autumn. Where Light Falls tells the story of those who risked their lives to protect the places they loved during the Second World War, at two …

Re-publication of Ruined and Rebuild

On November 14, the anniversary of the bombing of Coventry Cathedral, Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace & Reconciliation working with Coventry Cathedral will re-publish the book "Ruined and Rebuilt" written by Reverend Richard Howard, Provost of Coventry Cathedral. In this classic book, long out of print, Howard describes how climbed onto the roof to smother with sand the incendiary …

Lord Mayor's Peace Lecture 2019

Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace & Reconciliation are delighted to announce that Baroness Shami Chakrabarti has agreed to deliver the Lord Mayor's Peace Lecture on 14 November in Coventry Cathedral. She is a barrister who was previously the director of civil liberties and human rights grups Liberty and is currently Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales. The details …

Jai Jagat Global Peace March 2020

Jai Jagat is a campaign to promote Gandhi's message of non-violence. Its name means "the victory of the World" in Hindi. Their main aims are Eradicating Poverty Eliminating Social Exclusion Ameliorating the Climate Crisis Halting Conflict and Violence In 2020 they will be organising a "Global Peace March 2020" whose aim includes raising awareness of climate justice. Some people will …

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Website and newsletter created by Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace and Reconciliation

For their generous support, the Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace and Reconciliation expresses our thanks to the Lord Mayor's Office and Coventry City Council. We also thank Coventry Cathedral, Coventry University and Warwick University for their support and assistance.