The Peace Club is based in Dunedin at the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic. The Peace Club is open for everyone to join, regardless of their religion, belief, gender or age. We expect that whoever participates in our events will realise their own inner peace and pass that on to others in  society so that they can find  real peace within themselves. Inner peace can inspire people to share peace, loving-kindness and compassion to their societies, and can encourage people to think more about peace and to create more activities around the issue of peace in society.

Peace is not just the absence of conflict but the prevalence of justice. It’s about hope opportunity, empowerment and dignity. Peace guarantees the world is preserved for generation to come by ending poverty combating climate change and fighting injustice and inequality. Peace is the ability to differ in opinion, culture, religion, ethnicity, ideology and live united in the same community.

It’s about how we act toward one another in the face of challenges instability and terror. Peace is about respect for human dignity, respect for human life, respect for neighbours and strangers alike. A threat to peace anywhere is a threat to peace everywhere. We must think of ourselves as global citizens and not just citizens of our community and country. For peace to prevail we must bring hope to the hopeless, opportunity to the underserved, empowerment to the oppressed, and dignity to the disrespected. The conditions that threaten peace are man-made and it will be the actions of global citizens that reverse these conditions. Now is the time to mobilize people from around the world to commit to creating peace. We must create awareness, advocate for peaceful communities, and take action together. Let’s make peace possible!

Our activities in 2021-2022 :

1. Otago Peace Day
Otago Peace Day took place on 26 February 2021 from 4.30pm to 6.00pm on the lawn in front of the Clocktower building at the University of Otago. This event involves meditation for one hour and is open to everyone, regardless of religion or belief. The project expects that whoever participates in the event will realise their inner peace and pass that on to others in society to find real peace within themselves. Inner peace can inspire people to share peace, loving-kindness and compassion in their societies. As a result, 77 students joined this program.

2. Meditation sessions for children
The event was organized on 26 February 2021. In addition, The Peace Club members arranged meditation classes for 30 children at Kindergarten in South Dunedin. 6 volunteers from the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic and 36 children joined this event.

3. Meditation class every Friday
The program involves meditation for peace to everyone, regardless of religion or belief. We arranged the meditation session every Friday in the first semester. About 6-10 students meditated with us every week.

4. Online English Courses for young people
Online English Language Tutor by The Peace Club Members. It is three months (12 weeks) course from 20 March to 6 June, every Saturday from 10.00 am to 12.00 pm (2hrs), and every Sunday from 11.00 am to 12.00 pm (1hr). Tutors are members of The Peace Club at The University Of Otago. We want to help young people improve their English reading, writing, speaking skills and learning about peace. Our tutors are student volunteers, and these lessons were offered for free. Participants are young students from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar who lack the opportunity to learn English with a native speaker. Over 700 students joined us every weekend via zoom. Moreover, we offer them prize scholarships in a total of 3,450 NZD and one scholarship to study in New Zealand. Prize and Scholarships are funded by the 60th Dhammachai Education Foundation of Australia and New Zealand and Dhammachai International Research Institute (DIRI) of New Zealand.

5. “Peace is Possible” Film documentary.
The project is a documentary film about peace in society in Dunedin, New Zealand. The documentary features interviews with people of diverse thinking, diverse age groups, and scholars and politicians who influence society. The concept for this documentary is that peace is not just the absence of conflict but the prevalence of justice. It’s about hope, opportunity, empowerment and dignity. Peace guarantees that the world is preserved for a generation to end poverty combat climate change, and fight injustice and inequality. Peace can differ in opinion, culture, religion, ethnicity, ideology and live united in the same community. This project is funded by Ministry for Ethnic Communities, New Zealand

6. Art for Peace Competition
On Tuesday, 21 September 2012 and International Day of Peace (United Nations) 2021. We are delighted to support this Competition. By encouraging young people to create beautiful images of peace, we hope to encourage them to realise the importance of inner peace for themselves, their communities and the world. We believe that art can make peace and art forms such as drawing and painting grant individuals a canvas upon which to express emotions that they cannot express with words. Thus, those who are reluctant to verbalise their thoughts and fears can do so through art. Art can act as a non-verbal language accessible to all regardless of gender, social standing, political affiliation or religion. We know peace is significantly essential to all communities, so why not “Art for Peace” will not be needed.

7. Volunteer Teaching and Meditation Retreat in Thailand
Looking for volunteering experience overseas? Want to develop yourself by taking part in The Peace Club Volunteer Teaching and Meditation Retreat in Thailand Project? Join us today to support children in obtaining the education they need for a better future.
We know that education is critical for breaking down poverty and inequality barriers. On our international Teaching Project, we observe it every day. By becoming a volunteer with us, you will affect this change yourself.
You will be an English teacher in secondary schools or high schools in a rural city, Thailand, working with local English teachers as a teaching assistant. This means you’ll be in real classrooms, contributing to lessons and working closely with children and young people.