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| Peace Boat creates a unique environment in which people can live, learn
and relax together while visiting some of the most fascinating regions on earth. During each voyage,
Peace Boat organizes a range of educational activities, including language classes, peace education
workshops, lectures, and cultural programmes. The themes of these activities link Peace Boat’s
fields of work with contemporary issues in the countries we visit. |
| A
Floating Peace Village |
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| Each Peace Boat voyage is a fascinating mix
of people from different cultures, ages, professions and countries. The wide range of experiences,
outlooks and viewpoints on building a culture of peace combine to create an eclectic onboard
environment that mirrors the diversity of the world and its peoples. |
| Peace
Education |
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In order to achieve a global culture
with values reflecting a genuine desire for peace and a rejection of violence, peace education
must be more widely promoted and access to it increased. Since our foundation in 1983, Peace
Boat has been active in peace education through the organization of educational voyages, and
study and exchange programmes all over the world.
On each voyage, Guest Educators are invited onboard to give lectures about the history, culture,
and contemporary issues of the countries that Peace Boat visits, as well as present on global
justice issues including human rights, peace education, the environment and sustainable development.
Participants can take part actively in lectures, workshops and discussions with specialists
from diverse learning backgrounds, as well as exchanging ideas and opinions with members of
the Global University and International Student programmes. |
| Self
Planned Events |
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| All participants are encouraged to contribute
to life onboard by sharing their skills, talents and interests through the organization of their
own events. The result is a constantly changing daily schedule of dozens of activities, including
expert lectures on global issues, salsa dance classes, Swahili conversation lessons, music festivals,
documentary movie screenings, soccer games on deck and whatever special skills, knowledge or
experience that a Peace Boat participant may wish to share. |
| Cultural
Events |
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| The diversity of cultures that participants
encounter onboard Peace Boat is often celebrated in the many festivals and cultural events held
onboard. In ports of call, local musicians, singers, dancers and performers are invited onto
Peace Boat to share their cultural history, heritage and identity with participants. Every voyage
is coloured with this celebration of differences, and past onboard events have included a Viet
Namese wedding ceremony, performances from a New York gospel choir, traditional singing from
South Africa, Didgeridoo carving and playing, Japanese dancing and a Peace Boat “Cultural
Day” in which the array of different nationalities showcase their countries in an onboard
carnival. |
| Language
Courses |
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| Peace Boat’s onboard language programmes
are open to everyone and include full-time courses in Spanish and English. Shorter pre-port
lessons are also available to prepare participants for basic communication in some of the countries
we visit each voyage. Languages taught on previous voyages have included Arabic, French, Korean,
Russian, Swahili, Tagalog and even Sign Language for the Hearing Impaired. As Peace Boat is
a Japan based organization, our Japanese lessons offer students the chance to learn a language
while immersed in the culture in which it is spoken. |
| Advocacy |
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One of the main elements of Peace Boat's
work is cooperation with local and international NGOs. In most of the countries we visit, we
organize a wide range of programmes around the arrival of the ship that allow us to support
grassroots initiatives and contribute to local development.
By holding NGO forums around the world onboard, Peace Boat also offers itself as a neutral and
alternative space for networking between groups that share common concerns. The unique mobility
of Peace Boat allows us to provide a venue for NGOs that are not able to convene or participate
in the major international conferences. Our own participation in international civil society
conventions allows us to bring to a wider audience these groups' voices, concerns and proposals. |
| Leisure |
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| Sports, music, dance and art transcend language
and cultural barriers onboard a Peace Boat voyage. The outdoor sports deck is a venue for basketball,
soccer, karate, volleyball, tai-chi and also a rehearsal space for dance or musical performances.
Art and craft groups form on each voyage, often working to create something to be presented
in a port of call or used as part of an advocacy campaign. The open-air decks are also spaces
to watch the roll of the ocean, take a swim in one of the pools or chat and meet with other
participants. |
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