LONDON - 10 March 2008 - 290 words

Young peacemakers head for Pax Christi gathering in Florence

Four young people: Emma Atherton, Reggie Doherty, Daniel Hayes and Claire Linford, from St John Fisher RC School in Wigan, will be making a trip to the Pax Christi Peace House in Florence next month, as the winners of the 2008 Pax Christi European Peace Contest. There they will meet with other young people who have participated in the contest from Portugal, France and Belgium.

Their challenge was to create a film or powerpoint to increase awareness of the link between peace and the environment and of how we can help build peace by living more sustainably and sharing the world's resources. Commenting on the winning entry, 'A little piece of peace', Hilary Topp, the Peace Education worker for Pax Christi said: "A little piece of peace" shows how complex issues of poverty, peace, the environment, and global warming are all linked and suggests practical ways that all of us can build a more peaceful world.

The winning teams meet in Florence between 3-6th April this year. They will be staying at the Pax Christi Peace House (Casa per la Pace). The programme for the weekend will include activities to explore the theme of Peace and the Environment, an 'Art and Peace' tour of Florence, time for reflection and opportunities for the young people from Italy, France, Portugal, Belgium and the UK to learn from each other.

Pax Christi hopes to strengthen this contest in 2009, encouraged by the quality of work presented this year and in the belief that young people have important messages to communicate to others as to their own views on what it takes to make peace in our world. As an international movement for peace, Pax Christi believes that encounter visits such as this are invaluable in breaking down barriers between people and building friendships that stretch across national and cultural differences.

© Independent Catholic News 2008


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