The Tamar Community Peace Trust is pleased to announce the Peace in Schools Program for the 2021 Tamar Valley Peace Festival. The program has been made possible by the generous support of the WD Booth Trust and the University of Tasmania.

The Peace Trust has its origins in remarks that Governor Peter Underwood made at an Anzac Day Ceremony in 2014. Lamenting the loss of life and recognising that the Great War had indeed not been the ‘war to end all wars’, the Governor challenged Tasmanians to “actively strive for peace on a daily basis and learn ways of resolving conflict without violence”.

The goal of the Peace in Schools Program is to inspire young people to find their way to strive for peace both individually and collectively in their homes, schools and communities. This year the theme of the Peace Festival is ‘’peace in recovery’’ as we work together to move beyond the devasting impacts of COVID-19 – and to celebrate the resilience required to overcome the many challenges and obstacles we face on our life journey.

The guest speaker for this year’s school program is Matt Etherington. Matt is a young paralegal who is passionate about delivering high-impact, innovative solutions to social problems. In tackling exclusion, he aims to cultivate healthier and more just communities. Matt believes in the power of dialogue, empathy, lived experience and vulnerability to break down barriers. His goal is to invest in people, so they can realise their potential to help others.

Matt will visit over 10 schools and colleges in northern Tasmania to participate in workshops and assemblies engaging over 2000 students.

In an exciting innovation, facilitated by UTAS, one of Matt’s presentations will be live-streamed and available to every school throughout the State.

The Tamar Community Peace Trust hopes that young people and their school community will enjoy this opportunity to come together to find peaceful ways to recover from COVID-19 and build a brighter more peaceful future together.

Live Stream
Thursday August 5th
1:30pm - 2:30pm
Register here

If you are a student or staff member within a school, you can come along to the University of Tasmania Newnham campus to watch his presentation live.
Register here

This event is proudly sponsored by University of Tasmania and W D Booth Charitable Trust.