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PeaceJam Foundation Launches Campaign to Inspire Global Citizens Movement to Tackle Toughest Issues Facing Humanity

One Billion Acts of Peace Campaign Officially Launches at the Social Innovation Summit at the United Nations; Announcement of Founding Partners, New Website, Billboard Reveal

PeaceJam Foundation Launches Campaign to Inspire Global Citizens Movement to Tackle Toughest Issues Facing Humanity

One Billion Acts of Peace Campaign Officially Launches at the Social Innovation Summit at the United Nations; Announcement of Founding Partners, New Website, Billboard Reveal

Published 05-29-14

Submitted by PeaceJam Foundation

 PeaceJam Foundation officially launched its One Billion Acts of Peace campaign at the Social Innovation Summit at the United Nations in New York today. PeaceJam Foundation is a U.S. based non-profit organization and global leader in developing young activists and community engagement. Led by thirteen Nobel Peace Laureates, including the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the campaign is designed to inspire average citizens around the world to work together to create one billion high quality projects that address the most important issues facing humanity.

Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu stated, "As one human family, we need to create change every day, because it is each one of our small acts added together, that truly will have the power to change the world.” The Dalai Lama added, "Change only takes place through action, not by meditation and prayer alone." New Nobel Prize winner Leymah Gbowee said, "When the powerless start to see that they really can make a difference, nothing can quench the fire."

Core focus areas for the campaign will address issues such as rights for women and children, access to clean water for all, global climate change and alleviating extreme poverty. More information including how to make a pledge to the One Billion Acts of Peace campaign can be found at www.1baop.org.

PeaceJam Foundation marked the official launch with the announcement of its first four founding partners, including Google, Wells Fargo, Hill+Knowlton Strategies and Chadbourne & Parke at the Social Innovation Summit this morning. Representatives from PeaceJam Foundation, founding partners and spokespeople including, Canadian supermodel, Jessica Stam; Google’s Jolly Good Fellow, award-winning engineer, and New York Times bestselling author Meng and Ana Dodson, founder of Peruvian Hearts and winner of the CNN Heroes award will also commemorate the launch by ringing the NASDAQ Stock Market Opening Bell this morning. The group will convene later this evening to unveil the campaign message on Branded Cities’ iconic digital signs in Times Square that will run until the end of June.

Additionally, the One Billion Acts of Peace website, created by a Google team of volunteers, launched at 12:01am this morning. The website was designed to empower individuals and groups with the inspiration, collaboration and tools to take initiative and become an agent of change.

“We are thrilled to be able to launch this audaciously ambitious campaign at the United Nations today," said Dawn Engle, PeaceJam Foundation co-founder and executive director. "The thirteen Nobel Peace Laureates who are providing the vision for the One Billion Acts of Peace campaign spent two years in dialogue with each other and they have outlined the ten most crucial issues facing our planet today. We are now inviting leading non-profit organizations, corporations, governments and citizens around the world to join in our campaign and help tackle these pivotal issues, together."

"We are incredibly proud of the Google volunteer team which has come together to help create the infrastructure for this campaign,” said Diane Solinger, manager of employee social responsibility at Google. “Google volunteers have already donated tens of thousands of hours of their time; and over one hundred Google volunteers have joined in this effort from many different Google campuses around the world."

“PeaceJam is truly on a mission to change the world for the better. It’s committed to addressing a wide range of issues, like poverty, hunger, racism, the environment, and many other social justice causes,” said Jon Campbell, head of government and community relations for Wells Fargo. “We believe its unique approach, through partnerships with more than a dozen Nobel Peace Laureates, can start the process of bringing meaningful, positive change to the world, and we are pleased to support its mission.”

“We could not be more proud of our involvement with this incredible global initiative. Our work with clients across the globe is focused on communicating character, and there are so many examples of extraordinary character evidenced in the work of the PeaceJam Foundation. In today’s dynamic communications environment, bold approaches are required to effect real change, and PeaceJam is a shining example of this approach in action,” said Andy Weitz, U.S. president and CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies. “We are honored to be part of this movement.”

"We are extremely proud of our involvement with the Peace Jam Foundation," said Paul Tanck, head of Chadbourne & Parke's intellectual property practice. "Making an impact in the communities in which we live and work around the world is an important aspect of our pro bono legal services program, and we look forward to collaborating with the Peace Jam Foundation and our fellow founding partners to advance the cause globally."

“Our founding partners have afforded us with the opportunity to widen our reach and touch more lives and we are so grateful to be working alongside such inspiring organizations and leaders,” said PeaceJam Foundation President and Co-founder Ivan Suvanjieff. “Together we are on a mission to get people to think big and do something even bigger, even if that means starting small. The One Billion Acts of Peace campaign provides options to join an existing project; replicate a successful project or create your own amazing project, streamlining the process to allow people to put their brilliant ideas into practice as soon as possible.”

The One Billion Acts of Peace campaign is a five year project that will run until the end of 2018. To date, one million people have participated in PeaceJam programs worldwide, performing two million acts of peace.

The One Billion Acts of Peace U.S. launch will be followed by a two day global launch event led by Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and hosted by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco in Monte Carlo on June 8 and 9, in conjunction with the Monte Carlo Television and Film Festival. The global launch will aim to inspire millions of people worldwide to join the campaign.

The PeaceJam Foundation is an international organization whose mission is to create young leaders committed to positive change in themselves, their communities and the world through the inspiration of Nobel Laureates who pass on their spirit, skills and wisdom. The PeaceJam Foundation was launched in February 1996 by co-founders Dawn Engle and Ivan Suvanjieff to provide the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates with a programmatic vehicle to use in working together to teach youth the art of peace. To date, 13 Nobel Peace Laureates, including the 14th Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, President Oscar Arias, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Betty Williams, José Ramos-Horta, Aung San Suu Kyi, Sir Joseph Rotblat (Emeritus), Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi and Leymah Gbowee serve as Members of the PeaceJam Foundation.

PeaceJam Foundation logo

PeaceJam Foundation

PeaceJam Foundation

The PeaceJam Foundation is an international organization whose mission is to create young leaders committed to positive change in themselves, their communities and the world through the inspiration of Nobel Peace Laureates who pass on the spirit, skills, and wisdom they embody. The PeaceJam program was launched in February 1996 by co-founders Dawn Engle and Ivan Suvanjieff to provide the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates with a programmatic vehicle to use in working together to teach youth the art of peace.

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