A thousand PeaceWomen visit Mir Centre
By Contributor
Selkirk College’s Mir Centre for Peace will be opening its doors to the general public on a weekly basis starting January 2011 to increase awareness of the Centre and assure participation in events hosted by the Peace Café.
A display entitled 1000 PeaceWomen Across the Globe will be available for onlookers to view and Peace Studies student Celina Silva will be available to tour individuals around the grounds and the Mir house.
Additionally, community groups are invited to use the space and be part of weekly Peace Cafés taking place at the Mir Centre on Thursday evenings.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other better,” said Mir Centre for Peace chair Randy Janzen. “We are excited to be opening our doors a little wider and host a series of events that will be interesting and beneficial to people in our communities.”
The 1000 PeaceWomen Across the Globe exhibition will host 1,000 photos and biographies of women from all over the world that are aiming to strengthen the influence of PeaceWomen in contexts of peace, security and sustainability.
PeaceWomen Across the Globe is the organization following the 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005 initiative. The organization succeeded to nominate 1,000 PeaceWomen from all over the world collectively for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Afternoon tours of the Mir Centre for Peace and surrounding grounds will highlight the history of the region, while Thursday evening Peace Cafés will endeavor to provide an opportunity for individuals to produce community-based solutions for global challenges and encourage “reconciliation and connection” through open discussion.
“We’ve been running successful Peace Cafés in various locations for about a year-and-a-half,” said Janzen.
The Centre hopes to continue to host informative community events. On Thursday, Jan. 27, the Peace Café will host the Amnesty International Film Festival starting at 7 pm.
Opening hours for the Mir Centre exhibition and tours will be on Thursdays (starting Jan. 6, 2011), from 1-4 p.m. The Peace Cafes will also take place on Thursdays at 7 p.m. Admission is by donation.
Community groups are encouraged to bring forward their ideas for Peace Cafés. For more information contact Randy Janzen at 250-365-1234.
