2001

AllinPeace Festival for Children

In July 2001, the first-ever international children's peace festival took place in Olympia and Delphi, Greece. Its aim was to enhance the notion of peace in the hearts of the 200 11-year-old participants - most of whom having come from conflict areas in Europe and the Middle East. The communities that had sent their children were: Jerusalem (Israel), Bethlehem (the Palestinian Authority), Belgrade (Yugoslavia), Prishtina (Kosovo), Maubeuge (France), the Irish Republic, Olympia (Greece), Alexandria (Egypt) and the Greek Community in Cyprus. (At the last moment the Cypriot Turkish children were not allowed to board the plane by their own authorities.) Important to mention is that the training and the participation were of "normal", complete classes. In Greece the kids were joined by Zulu sight impaired youngsters from South Africa, who during the Festival, covered the distance of 160 miles in a special Marathon they had developed, running all the way from Olympia to Delphi. Most of the kids were flown in by Greek Air Force Hercules planes. When he saw them disembarking, the Airbase Commander said: "For a few hours, an instrument of war has transformed into an instrument of peace!"
The slogan of the Festival was the Greek word, ekecheiria, which stands for the Holy Olympic Truce. According to legend, the wish to install peace was the reason behind the Games. When a Greek king appealed to the Oracle in Delphi to give him guidance as to how to rid his city from incessant wars, the Oracle's answer was: "Wage sporting events instead!" Historically, since that time (776 B.C.), every four years, for six months, before and after the games, all warfare ceased in ancient Greece - allowing the athletes to go, train, compete and return in peace to their homes. Furthermore, a city from whose midst came an Olympic winner pulled down its wall - since such a city, so favored by Zeus, could not be threatened by war and destruction anymore! This practice endured for uninterrupted 1200 years.
What was so special about the new idea was the concept that peace can be best instilled in the hearts and minds of eleven-year-olds by means of the pentathlon - the five branches of the ancient Olympic "noble sports", including discus and javelin throwing, wrestling, running and jumping. These branches were specially adapted for that age group by the American psychologist and master sportsman Jaimen McMillan, who named his method Spatial Dynamic. What matters most in this newly-created noble competition is not the quantative achievement - how far one throws the discus or which runner gets there first etc. - but, rather, the beauty of the movement, the harmony it achieves and cooperation with one's competitor.
The event lasted 8 days and included, in addition to sport, art activities, social games and communication skills, with the purpose of developing and encouraging social and emotional openness among the participants whose countries were often at war with one another. The young youth leaders who came voluntarily were keeping it all going, they were divided into new groups - bearing the names of the famous Greek city-states, such as Athens, Sparta, Thebes etc. - so that the new teams would include members from each community. Consequently, 8 different languages were spoken in each team! This intermingling had a powerful effect on communication: something new was happening every moment, which never failed to enhance the emotional ties between the kids. After the Festival, Sinisa Jukic, the sport master from Belgrade, said: "The children had grown and opened up in a new manner: not only were they more able to enjoy themselves as kids, but, at the same time, were the first to volunteer and carry out tasks of creating new ties with minority groups [Gypsies]." The final ceremony took place at Delphi's Ancient Stadium, where the participants welcomed the arrival of the Zulu runners with great acclaim. Each child received a medal - not for having won a race, but for having successfully "competed with himself, in which competition he or she succeeded in discovering the beauty of the other."
Since then, similar noble competitions have ensued in different communities.
Amos mokadi