United Nations International Day of Peace summit

By Year 10 Student, Ariadna

Last Friday, 19 September, a group of Year 10 students had the privilege to attend the United Nations International Day of Peace commemoration. This summit, celebrating 80 years since the creation of the United Nations, was held in Canberra's Nara Peace Park, home to the Canberra Rotary Peace Bell.

The ceremony started with an amazing guitar performance by Victor and Alexander, followed by a performance by A Chorus of Women. Several dignitaries attended the ceremony, including the Ambassador of Japan, Kazuhiro Suzuki, and the United Nations Youth Representative, Satara Uthayakumaran. Messages from the Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres, and the Governor-General, Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, were also read out to those in attendance. Each message addressed the urgent challenge of maintaining peace in today's world, while offering hopeful solutions to global problems, such as conflict and inequality.

The Radford contingent also had the opportunity to talk to some of the dignitaries and ask them questions about their lives and careers. For example, the UN Youth Representative, Ms Uthayakumaran, told us about her trip to New York to present her findings to the United Nations committee and call them to action, addressing problems in Australia's underdeveloped areas, and allowing the silenced to finally have a voice.

The most memorable moment of the event was ringing the Peace Bell together and taking turns reading parts of a poem about peace aloud. The Canberra Rotary Peace Bell was a gift from the people of Japan after the Second World War, and it signifies peace between our nations, and the ability to sustain friendly and conflict-free relationships. Ringing this bell and listening to its sound resonate across the lake leaves one with a feeling of peace and hope for our future.

Attending this summit made us all reflect on the role that young people play in shaping the world we live in. To save our future, we must act today, because the longer we wait, the harder it will be to reverse the consequences of our actions.