The Peace Cranes activity is an important and symbolic way for children and young people in North East schools to participate in a global project for children, promoting messages of peace.
The festival allows young people in our region and in their partner schools across the world to give voice to their ambitions for peace, whether that is in their own language, a language they are learning or through the simple act of folding a piece of paper.
The project was inspired through collaboration with The Hiroshima Memorial Peace Museum in Japan and brings together children in over 170 schools and in 18 different European countries as well as from communities in USA and India.
Some of the 8000 cranes will be sent to Hiroshima to be placed at the foot of the Children’s Peace Memorial once the project has come to an end – a symbol of our young people’s united expression for peace in the world.
Brian Stobie, International Durham, Durham County Council
Our Festival Peace Cranes activity
Our project is to ask pupils to create colourful peace cranes which will be displayed as part of an art installation at Prince Bishops Place in Durham City for all to see. We want to allow our young people to have a voice and to gather together thousands of origami cranes as a symbol of the children’s call to live in a peaceful world.
We ask learners to write their own personal message about peace or to write the word peace in English, or in any other language, on their sheet of coloured paper before they begin folding.
Schools and groups then post the peace cranes to us for inclusion in the installation.
Schools with international connections can also do this activity with their partners and schools from abroad can also send their peace cranes to be part of the installation.
The art installation is being curated by artist, Jo Shippen, originally from the North East, Jo is renowned for her window displays and retail concepts. The display will be available to view from 18th March to 15th April in Durham, after which a selection of the peace cranes will be sent to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Japan and be added to the children’s peace memorial.
Get involved
The project is open to schools, colleges, community schools and groups in the North East of England.
Simply register your school’s interest by emailing international@durham.gov.uk
You will be sent the peace cranes templates and an instructional video in Japanese and English,
There are two templates; one easier than the other. We will send you the templates, a link to the “How to” youtube video and give further information about Sadako and her story to share with your pupils.
We require all cranes for inclusion in the art installation to be posted to us by 6 March to: Sarah Edgar, Education, (School Effectiveness), Newcastle Civic Centre, Newcastle NE1 8QH. The children and young people’s work can be viewed in Prince Bishops Place in Durham from 18th March until 15th April 2024.
