Kids for Peace is a global, nonprofit, 501(c)(3)

youth organization The following is a list of youth organizations. A youth organization is a type of organization with a focus upon providing activities and socialization for minors. In this list, most organizations are international unless noted otherwise. ...

. Kids for Peace has over 100 chapters, spanning six continents.

Peace Packs

One of the principal activities of Kids for Peace chapters is sending "Peace Packs" to other children around the world. ''Peace Packs'' are hand-painted knapsacks filled with school supplies, toiletries, a toy, and a personal note of friendship.Kids Working for Peace
Christian Science Monitor, April 9, 2008. Prior to making ''Peace Packs'', Kids for Peace members learn about the culture of the recipients, often from a guest speaker who has lived there.

Peace Hero Awards

Each year, Kids for Peace chooses a ''Peace Hero'', a well-recognized role model chosen by the children of Kids for Peace. ''Peace Heroes'' are selected based on their living by the words of the ''Peace Pledge'', their contribution to making the world a better place and the way they inspire youth to be their best selves. Past ''Peace Hero'' award recipients are

Tony Hawk Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first documen ...

(2009),

Rob Machado Robert Edward Machado (born October 16, 1973) is an Australian-born American professional surfer. Early life Machado attended San Dieguito High School. He describes himself in interviews, vlogs and social media as a "soul surfer," or fre ...

(2008) and

Frances Fisher Frances Louise Fisher (born May 11, 1952) is a British-born American actress. She began her career in theatre and later starred as record executive Suzette 'Red' Saxon in the CBS daytime soap opera ''The Guiding Light'' (1985). In film, she is ...

(2007). Nominees for the 2010 Peace Hero award are Bindi Irwin,

Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best kn ...

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...

and Jack Johnson.

The Great Kindness Challenge

In 2008 Kids for Peace launched an annual event calle
''The Great Kindness Challenge''
It takes place on the second Saturday in August and is open to youth of all ages. ''The Great Kindness Challenge'' is one day where kids around the world dedicate themselves to performing as many acts of kindness as possible, using a checklist of 50 suggestions. These acts of kindness range from holding the door open for someone to cleaning up a local park to making sack lunches for homeless people. In 2009, ''The Great Kindness Challenge'' involved at least 35 countries, in six continents.
NBC San Diego, September 2009. The next one will be held on August 14, 2010.

Books

Kids for Peace published its first book, ''Peace Through Our Eyes: A Book of Hope and Inspiration'', in 2008. It features words and drawings by kids responding to the question “What does peace mean to you?”
NBC San Diego, 2008. Fulfilling its intention to make this a biannual project, Kids for Peace is now producing its second book, ''Wish Big: Children’s Wishes for the World''. This book, to be published by the summer of 2010, will feature children’s drawings answering the question, “What is my wish for the world?”

History

Kids for Peace was founded in 2006 in Carlsbad, California by Danielle Gram, then a high school student, and Jill McManigal, mother of Hana and Bodhi and a children’s playwright and director. Ms. Gram’s work in creating Kids for Peace contributed to her selection as a winner of the

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since ...

''Very Best in Youth'' Award in 2007.The 2007 Winners
, Nestlé, 2008. Danielle Gram recently graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

and is currently working in

Pader, Uganda Pader is a town in Pader District in the Northern Region of Uganda. The town is administered by the Pader Town Council, an urban local government. It is the largest metropolitan area in the district and the site of the district headquarters. ...

, teaching life skills to child victims of the

Lord's Resistance Army The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), also known as the Lord's Resistance Movement, is a rebel group and heterodox Christian group which operates in northern Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the ...

. Ms. Gram's service work and travels can be followed on he
''blog''
Ms. McManigal, a former elementary school teacher, is now the Executive Director of Kids for Peace. In November 2009, Ms. McManigal received a

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...

''Local Hero'' award, recognizing her work through Kids for Peace.$200,000 Grants Given to Two Nonprofits, Bank Also Rewards 5 Community Leaders
San Diego Union Tribune, November 5, 2009. From the initial gathering of neighborhood children in Ms. McManigal’s home, the organization has grown to over 100 chapters worldwide, spanning all six inhabited continents. Countries as diverse as Australia,

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

, the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

and

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

are now home to Kids for Peace chapters.

References

External links

* Youth organizations based in California Carlsbad, California {{DEFAULTSORT:Kids For Peace