...Youth Moves ...Seeds of Peace

SEEDS OF PEACE CHALLENGE

On April 16, 2004, at UC Irvine, the Dalai Lama met with over 5,000 young people from over 70 schools and youth groups. He spoke about ethics, answered questions, received presentations, and called on all present to use their energy and talents for good in the world.

Sharing the stage with the Dalai Lama was a seedling of a Bodhi tree, which stands for the transformation of delusion into wisdom and violence into peace. And also on the stage were 108 redwoods, beloved by Californians and known to all as the world’s tallest tree.

The Bodhi tree is to be planted as a peace offering on the U.C. Irvine campus. The Dalai Lama Foundation is offering the redwoods to anyone – including you! – who rises to the Seeds of Peace Challenge. The gathering was concluded by surprise guest, actress Sharon Stone, who also left us this special message for Seeds of Peace participants:

After this morning of dialog and inspiration, the real challenge is to put these principles into action in your everyday lives. So…when you go back to your friends, classmates, parents and teachers, I challenge you to put your intelligence and imagination to work and come up with an idea that can bring some happiness to someone who really needs it, some reconciliation between groups in your community that are at odds, or some benefit to a community anywhere in the world. It has to be something you can, and really want to, actually do. You have the power to become Seeds of Peace to help make a better world.

Register your project here on the Dalai Lama Foundation YouthMoves Website by May 20, 2004. As your Seeds of Peace adventure unfolds, share your experiences with the online YouthMoves community.

Projects will be celebrated on September 5, 2004. All participants who complete their projects will receive a certificate from the Dalai Lama Foundation honoring their efforts, and (while they last) one of the redwood trees that shared the stage with the Dalai Lama at U.C. Irvine on April 16.