(Spotlight4763)One Day One Goal 19 September, 2011
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Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Ryan Geertsma. Voice 2
And I'm Robin Basselin. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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September 21st.
Does this date mean anything to you? Do you think of it as a special day? Most people would answer no. Jeremy Gilley believes THAT is a problem. This is because September 21st IS a very special day. It is the International Day of Peace.
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Jeremey Gilley started an organization called "Peace One Day." This organization works to educate people about the International Day of Peace. And one way they do this is through football. Today's Spotlight is on "One Day, One Goal". Voice 1
Jeremy Gilley is a British actor and film maker. In 1998, he began to think about issues of human nature, war and global peace. At the time, there was an International Peace Day. But it was not very well known. The date changed every year. Jeremy thought that peace was increasingly important to the world. He decided to help people learn more about this day.
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Jeremy knew this was not something he could do by himself. So, he decided to make a film. Jeremy travelled all over the world. He talked to many famous peacemakers like the Dalai Lama. He also met and talked with many government leaders and United Nations representatives. Through his film project, Jeremy raised a lot of support for an international peace holiday.
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For years, many organizations and individuals like Jeremy worked to establish an official yearly International Day of Peace. And in 2001, their goal was achieved. The United Nations General Assembly voted to establish a yearly day for peace. The International Day of Peace is now on September 21st of every year. And on this day, people all over the world agree to stop fighting and celebrate non-violence.
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Having the UN establish an international peace holiday was a major achievement. Jeremy Gilley was very excited and proud. However, he knew that his job was not done. He knew there was much more work to do. Officials and leaders had established International Peace Day. However, Jeremy believed it would not be a true day of peace until normal people all over the world knew about and celebrated the day.
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So now Jeremy has a new goal. He is spreading the message about the International Day of Peace. His organization, "Peace One Day" hopes it will reach 3 thousand million people with the message of Peace Day by September 21st, 2012. And "Peace One Day" is using some interesting ways to inform and educate people around the world - things like film, music events and even football. Voice 2
Football may seem like an unusual way to spread peace. But "Peace One Day" does not think so. They know that football is popular around the world. They also understand that football can encourage powerful unity and team work. So, in 2008, "Peace One Day" launched their "One Day, One Goal" program. Since the beginning, the large athletic clothing company "PUMA" has supported this program. Together, PUMA and "Peace One Day" have a goal. They hope people all over the world will play peaceful football games in honor of International Day of Peace. In fact, they hope games will be played in every country of the world this year on September 21st.
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In 2009, individuals and organizations in 200 countries played Peace Day football games. There were over 700 games total. "One Day, One Goal" hopes to increase the number of games played within each country this year. Voice 2
"One Day, One Goal" also hopes to increase the number of Unity games played in 2010. Unity games are football games which are played to achieve peace in a particular area and between particular groups of people. In Unity games, teams often include players that would not normally play together. In 2009, a whole day of unity games were played in Darjeeling, India. Young players from ten different communities came together to play football.
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However, the community teams did not play each other. You see, football in Darjeeling can often be very competitive. Sometimes, when different communities play each other, the football games will start fights. Fighting is not what Peace Day is all about. So instead, all the players from all the communities were mixed together and then divided into eight teams. Each team had players from each community.
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By playing together, the players from the different communities learned to work together. They learned to respect each other. Football can help the players to not concentrate on differences. Players from one group can look for strengths and similarities in the 'other.' They can even learn to have fun together. These actions are also the basic tools of peacemaking. And this peaceful play is the goal of "One Day, One Goal." Voice 1
After the day of unity games in Darjeeling, a player named Prakash Pradhan from the Dhooteray community said,
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"The idea of playing football in a mixed team has increased unity within our individual communities. Today we have understood how sports can help to bridge relations between people." Voice 2
Individuals and communities, like those from Darjeeling, are not the only ones that played football on the International Day of Peace in 2009. As an example of peaceful teamwork, two huge sports clothing companies decided to play a unity football game. Forty workers from the PUMA and Adidas companies gathered together in a town in Germany. They played on mixed teams. They used a ball with both the PUMA and Adidas names on it. And they wore a mix of PUMA and Adidas football clothes. The game was a success. And after the game, many PUMA and Adidas workers joined together to watch Jeremy Gilley's film "The Day After Peace." Voice 1
"One Day, One Goal" games do not need to be major events. Many of the games are played with just a group of friends that want to celebrate the International Day of Peace. In fact, any one, any where can play their own "One Day, One Goal" football game on September 21st. And by going to the "Peace One Day" website, any game can be officially recognized and counted as a "One Day, One Goal" game. For more information, you can find a link to the Peace One Day website on the script page for this program.
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So, are you doing anything for the International Day of Peace on September 21st? Are you looking for a way to celebrate? Do you and your friends love football? If so, Jeremy Gilley and "One Day, One Goal" want to know "Are you ready to play?" Voice 1
The writer of this program was Robin Basselin. The producer was Ryan Geertsma. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find this program and others on our website at http://www.Radio.English.net. This program is called "One Day, One Goal." We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!
