Imagine peace
In 1915, more than 1,300 women came together in The Hague in the Netherlands to protest the First World War.
They were the founding members of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.
One hundred years later the same organization is hosting a world forum in The Hague from April 27-29 called Women’s Power to Stop War.
Life coach Shelley Hannah said she had fully planned to attend the conference but instead has chosen to mark the anniversary at home with people who are invited to put an emphasis on imagining peace.
“I never knew that over 1,000 women, 100 years ago, given their circumstances, communicated with each other and rallied themselves and organized themselves to go and make a real concerted effort to see what they could do to stop the war that was already in motion,” said Hannah.
“I feel really committed to inclusivity and for many things around global political stuff, unconsciously we as women tend to back out of thinking we can have an influence. Lots of people do period, but even more so for women… Women have something to contribute to the conversation around peace and war particularly because that’s not how we chose to engage when we have conflict locally or globally so I would love to empower us as women to come to believe and know and expect that we do have something different and really valuable to add to that conversation.”
She said in order to continue that effort and honour the desire for peace there will be a community gathering on Sunday, April 26.
“It’s for me and other locals to come together and bring consciousness to that but also our energy, our wishes, desires and imaginings, hopes and expectations that we can make a difference. We can be a part of imagining a world that doesn’t include war,” said Hannah.
She is inviting all people, not only women, to The Log Cabin from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Hannah will welcome people and offer information about the event and share her inspiration, followed by a Rainbow Web Weaving for Peace when people will be invited to contemplate, dream, imagine and weave their imaginings, desires and expectations of peace into the web.
From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Debbie Ebanks-Schlums will host a soap, soup and sounds station when people are invited to wash their hands with traditional-style Syrian soap but made from local hemp oil and made by a Syrian refugee in Toronto.
While being served a bowl of soup, Ebanks-Schlums will ask people to speak into a voice recorder and on the topic of policies for peace and peaceful governance and then send the audio files to our parliamentary representatives.
Anyone interested in being involved is welcome to contact Shelley Hannah at anewworldcoaching@gmail.com or 705-532-7375.
