Peace, Tolerance, Diversity

I have been active in many different settings promoting peace, tolerance and diversity since I was a teenager. I believe that all divided communities can build bridges and that all societies can tolerate difference and diversity if they choose to do so. From raising money for Shelter, the charity for homeless people, when I was still at school, to working in schools in the UK and on the Continent promoting peace and tolerance, I hope that through my words, both spoken and written, I can help to make this a more peaceful and tolerant world.

What can you do for Peace?

Here is my #9 Point Plan suggesting how each and every child and adult can actively participate in the quest for peace in the world today.

Guardian Children's Books website.

"I'm going to raise my voice for peace from now on." Gulsah 14, Turkey.

I was invited to Lycee Maurice Genevoix, Paris, to run workshops on peace and tolerance. There were students from France, Germany, Turkey and Spain gathered together for this EU Peace Project.

I have blogged about my visit. 

One of the poems I wrote was translated into French and Arabic by two of the students and we were filmed as we read it out.

Here is the video:-

Light a candle

This is the poem I wrote for the workshops.

Light a candle

 

Light a candle

for your birthday

in memory of a loved one

for a welcome home

for romance

 

Light a candle

for the Sabbath

for the Virgin Mary

for the child who

sweats on their sick bed

 

Light a candle

to show the way

in a forest, a tunnel

a maze, a labyrinth

a path of rubble

a war

 

Light a candle

when you are afraid

lonely, angry, sad

without words

and in despair

 

Light a candle

light another one

light seven billion candles

 for Peace

 

                                                           © Miriam Halahmy

Diversity and my writing

Diversity has been a feature of my writing for most of my life. Social and political issues have always been part of my writing and coming from a very diverse background myself, different cultures have had a huge impact on my work. 

My Y.A. novel HIDDEN which is set on a small island off the south coast of England, focuses on asylum seekers from Iraq and how they interact with the local people. Themes of human rights and racism are tackled in the novel. Young people respond very positively to the book. 

One twelve year girl wrote after reading HIDDEN, I didn't know we had immigrants in England.

 

I have been interviewed about HIDDEN on Mirrors Windows Doors which focuses on diversity in children's books.