Messages of peace and kindness, led by the advertising community, will ring across North America just in time for International Day of Peace on September 21. Peace Paper [1], a non-profit initiative on a mission to inspire a more peaceful and kinder world, was created by Minneapolis-based independent agency Periscope as a way to use creativity to impact positive change. The organization just announced two big developments in the Peace Paper movement, which will go live this week in celebration of the peace-inspiring holiday. First, A billboard campaign, courtesy of Outfront Media, will kick-off on Monday, Sept. 17 and run through Sunday, Sept. 23. Digital billboards across the country will share out-of-home messaging to inspire people to think differently about what peace means and activate them to be a part of making the world a kinder and more peaceful place.
Periscope’s CEO, Liz Ross said “At a time when negativity runs rampant, we wanted to create something committed to putting only goodness out into the world. Advertising is one of the most powerful tools of change that we have available, and we have the power to use it to not just sell products but also impact positive change in our society.”
On International Day of Peace (Friday, September 21), Peace Paper will officially launch Peace Paper education kits. The kits are funded through the sale of Peace Paper and use art-centered education tactics to bring peace education into public schools. Including Peace Paper, paper-making supplies and curriculum for grades K-12, education kits will be donated to schools in need through an open nomination process accessible via the Peace Paper website. The curriculum, which was developed in collaboration with Hopkins Public Schools and ties into core standards, fosters the development of skills in several key areas, such as communication, self-expression, diversity of thought, inclusion, collaboration, and activism.
Jodi Senese, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of OUTFRONT Media told us “Peace paper is using creativity to channel positivity and provide a much-needed outlet for self-expression. Now more than ever, it’s an important initiative and we wanted to be sure that word got out. Out-of-home advertising is based in community. It’s the perfect medium to capture the attention of audiences that already feel that sense of togetherness, and to remind them to be kind to each other.”
The Peace Paper education kit launch event will take place at West Junior High School, in Periscope’s home state of Minnesota, where students and faculty are overcoming the loss of three students last year and are eager to start of the new school year on a peaceful and positive note. The event will be shared via Facebook LIVE and through Peace Paper’s social media channels, where people across the world are encouraged to post their own messages and creative expressions of peace. By using #PeacePaper, images posted online will also be considered for future editions of Peace Paper. For more information about Peace Paper and its impact or to nominate a school to receive a Peace Paper education kit click here [2].