One Planet Peace Forum to Hold Its First Virtual Gathering, September 25-27, 2020
PORTLAND, MAINE – One Planet Peace Forum (OPPF) will present a free interfaith, interdisciplinary gathering for building a culture of peace the weekend following International Day of Peace (September 21). OPPF was designed to be a more in-depth, focused follow up to this international event as an opportunity for people to spend quality time with internationally known peace builders who will offer their visions for a peaceful future.
With its holistic approach to peace making, One Planet Peace Forum is presented within the historical context of the peace movement, nuclear disarmament, civil rights, climate change, and social and racial justice, all of which have reached a critical tipping point in this tumultuous year. OPPF invites people from all walks of life to attend this year’s online program. “While we were initially planning to present this event in person, the move to a virtual format means we can offer a much-needed positive retreat – without travel – at a time when people need it most,” says Lori Whittemore, director of the Abbey of Hope. “No one will be turned away. We want to give everyone a chance to find hope and upliftment amid the many challenges of 2020.”
The program will take place from 3-5:30pm ET each day, Friday, September 25, Saturday, September 26, and Sunday, September 27. It will integrate short keynote talks, panels with discussion, contemplative practice, and sacred performance. Speakers will apply universal principles, values, and tools, such as truth telling and unitive justice, to find common ground through interfaith and interdisciplinary dialogue and cooperative action.
Sunday, the final day of the Forum, is a dedicated Youth Day, giving voice to young people, as they are so heavily impacted by the unrest in today’s world. Among other activities, it will feature a panel discussion between youth envisioning a peaceful future.
Speakers include: Audrey Kitagawa, Parliament of the World’s Religions; Rev. Victor Kazanjian, United Religions Initiative (URI); Kurt Johnson, author, The Coming Interspiritual Age; Layli Miller Muro, Tahirih Justice Center; Swami Tyagananda, Vedanta Society of Boston; Philip Hellmich, The Shift Network; Dot Maver, National Peace Academy; Mohammad Al Samawi, author, The Fox Hunt: A Refugee’s Memoir; William Smith, National Center for Race Amity; David Ragland, Truth Telling Project; and, Robert Shetterly, Americans Who Tell the Truth.
Sponsored by the Abbey of Hope, an interfaith Cooperation Circle of URI, and funded by grants from URI and the Maine Humanities Council, One Planet Peace Forum offers a universal platform for people of all religious, spiritual, and secular expressions to co-create solutions to the most challenging issues facing humanity today.
The Peace Forum is fully accessible by all people of all backgrounds. Registration is free; for more information about for One Planet Peace Forum, please visit: http://oneplanetpeaceforum.org/register.
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Contact: Robert Atkinson
One Planet Peace Forum
bob@oneplanetpeaceforum.org
(207) 756-9650
