Youth to Youth Projects Facilitated by Children of the Earth

The Tsunami

Bear Hug Project

Vermont Teddy Bears with personal notes from American school children were escorted by teachers training in Thailand to Knuk Wanipha's school outside of Bangkok. On September 21, 2006, Nina Meyerhof celebrated the International Day of Peace with the Crown Princess of Thailand in the midst of a military coup. The Teddy Bears were distributed to children in southern Thailand where the tsunamis hit.

The Vice Abbot of Dhammakaya

connects heart to heart with an American child’s gift of hugs

and a Vermont Teddy Bear.

April, 2007:

Children of Pulaski Middle School,

New Britain, Connecticut, USA,

sent Teddy Bears and personal messages to

The Forgotten Children of ACHOLILAND,

Northern Uganda, Africa

The Youth-To-Youth Bear Hug Projects will continue. Organize your own special project. If you want to arrange for a specific group of young people to make friends and send Teddy Bears and hugs to another group of children, please send e-mail with information about yourself, your group and your proposal to:

givehugs@children-of-the-earth.org

Nina Meyerhof, President

Children of the Earth, Inc.

26 Baycrest Drive

South Burlington, VT 05403

If you have questions:

coevt@aol.com

802-862-1936

World Spirit Youth Council*

Peace Education*

Apeadu Children’s Peace Center*

Links*

Contact COE Sitekeeper

The Hurricane Katrina

Bear Hug Project

The Peace Alliance Foundation, Children-of-the-Earth and The Vermont Teddy Bear Company collaborated to invite children and youth throughout the country to write their own personal messages, each one to be delivered with a Teddy Bear to a child whose home in the gulf coast area was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Sixteen schools throughout the United States participated in this project. The bears, each with tags and personal notes attached were carefully packed in cartons and shipped to NewOrleans to await the reopening of Craig Elementary School.

Disaster and tragedy can occur anywhere. Our Youth to Youth Program links children heart to heart. It enables them to learn about one another, recognize their common humanity, demonstrate caring and share the spirit of peace and love. This is an on-going program led by a Youth Leadership Team to unite children around the world and promote the International Day of Peace, September 21 of each year. Each project focuses on a different situation and responds to those children’s needs.

The Bear Hug Projects

Receiving a personal expression of friendship, a teddy bear to hold, can help heal the aching heart and develop a mutual ethic of compassion and friendship.

Patty Roeding of the Peace Alliance and Vermont student, Liz Mooney, presented the teddy bears to the children when the school finally reopened at the beginning of June.

Youth to YOUTH

Children of the Earth, Inc.

an educational non-profit and official NGO of the United Nations