New Peace Seed on the Earth
Georgia Servas Peace School, Sakartvelo
Servas Peace is a free school for children, local people and international volunteers.
We organise the school usually in rural areas, villages to bring colors of the world there and to enjoy the local cultures. Each person, volunteer or child, shares what she/he knows, skills and cultural background, blended with the dream of peace on Earth. Volunteers usually stay with local families so that the exchange of endless richness can be accomplished.
After many years of peace school events in Ekinci-Aydiy Antakya of Turkey we came together for a Servas Peace School in a village near Tblisi, Georgia for the first time. Apart from the local volunteers, official village school teachers and parents, we were eight volunteers, including children, that travelled from Turkey Servas Peace School to help sharing the experience of how to set up a peace school for the first time. More Servas volunteers joined us from Korea, the Netherlands, Jordan, The USA, Colombia, France, Italy and India. A good thing is that some volunteers were coming from non-servas organisations as well.
When we took the bus from Turkey to bring us to Lamovini village (41 hours), we were very excited, full of joy and beautiful expectations, just like little children. It was like we were going to make our dreams come true in a village, even if we hadn't met any people from the there before. Partner coordinator Nino Piri, Nino Kund., Kate and Servas members and her wonderful team did a great organisation to bring local volunteers around a meaningful goal. People of the village believed in her. The school professor, L. Gaga, teachers and parents were very helpful with good hearts, colorful personalities and enthusiasm.
What happened then?
- Children enjoyed cooperative, inclusive games with international people.
- We cooked and danced together.
- We created art works using our backgrounds and natural materials around.
- Volunteers,( also between themselves), and locals, felt closer in a short time and enjoyed hugging each other in every chance.
- Almost all activities were held outdoor, under the bright sky with amazing clouds, cool weather, green landscapes and linden trees.
- We enjoyed the black and white berries and learnt sweet words from languages of each other. We realized again that when you stay together it is easy and fun to learn a language.
- We admired the colours and vibrant look of Kura river.
- Children enjoyed showing their talents, sharing their lives to the newcomers, being themselves all the time without feeling the stress of a conversational school atmosphere. Because peace school is a free school. Peace school doesn't have a curriculum but it follows the passion, needs and interests of children and young people.
- Local people became aware of the values, richess and beauties of the culture and their nature.
- We looked into the eyes of each other deeply and it made us get closer.
- We were jealous of the free cows in the nature and on streets ignoring everything to live themselves fully. Can people of the world become as free as these Georgian cows one day? 😊
- Children and young people realised that there is a door opening in and for their lives.
- We had the chance to listen to worries and dreams of each other and especially the teenagers'
- In Peace school of Georgia, people said goodbye, hugged a few times and moved slowly to leave usually with tears in eyes and happy ache in hearts.
- Games break all ice and can bring even enemies together. Adults, after ages, felt the childish joy of playing and running after another.
Visible and invisible borders are just monsters in papers.
Servas Peace school in Georgia, proved us that visible and invisible borders are just monsters from papers. Whatever divides people become meaningless when people of the world come together with good intentions. Like intentions of Servas Peace school.
We can not forget the sadness, with tears in the faces of people waving hands and saying -come again, goodbye- to us at the gate of the school, when the week was over. We were connected and more villages of the world will be connected through Peace School very soon.
Georgia Servas peace school experience showed us that peace school is possible and encourages us to move forward and reach more villages.
Peace cannot wait, because wars never stop.
Mehmet Ateş
June 29, 2024
On the bus, near Batumi
Cows everywhere, they seem to be happy.
