Pii: Building Peace Through Children

The Peace Initiatives Institute is using a mix of TV advertising, animation, and activism to make a difference in regions dealing with social strife. It’s the first organization to combine TV ads with comprehensive in-class teaching to teach young children to move against the tide of deeply rooted social prejudices that have had (and continue to have) devastating and infectious effects on societies worldwide. Pii’s first program, called the ‘Media Initiative For Children"“ Northern Ireland,’ was successfully launched throughout Northern Ireland in 2005. It has shown initial signs of success, reaching 200 schools to date, and aims to reach all preschool age children throughout Ireland by 2008. The Northern Ireland project was just a first step– Pii hopes to take its Media Initiatives for Children to other regions in the near future. Each initiative is launched with significant input from local partners, ensuring that it reflects the local culture and is sensitive to the entrenched beliefs of the adult community in any particular culture. While Pii is certainly not the be all end all solution to achieve world peace (as the founders will readily admit), it’s addressing the problem from the right angle by focusing on children. Pii is a non-profit organization and accepts donations if you want to give.