More than 6,000 children from 35 countries have spoken – their words now have a place where we can all hear them

The international project, carried out within the framework of the UNESCO Associated Schools Network of Slovenia, connected more than 6,000 children from 35 countries around the world. Through messages, drawings and written reflections in ten travelling notebooks, children addressed adults and expressed their wishes for a safe and peaceful future. The resulting collection offers a unique insight into the thoughts of children around the world and conveys an important message to decision-makers about the significance of peace.

At the opening of the exhibition, the audience was addressed by Professor Dr Karmen Pižorn, from the UL Faculty of Education, Professor Dr Ksenija Vidmar Horvat, Vice-Rector of the University of Ljubljana, Professor Dr Maja Zalaznik, President of the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO, and Professor Dr Gregor Torkar, holder of the UNESCO Chair on Teacher Education for Sustainable Development at the University of Ljubljana, who also headed the preparation of the exhibition.

“We entered the 21st century full of hope that it would become a century of peace. Today, however, we find ourselves living in a world shaken by wars and the disintegration of ideas of global justice. Through their Wind of Peace messages, children remind us of the commitments we must fulfil if we are to deserve their trust and maintain our standing in the eyes of future generations,” said Professor Dr Ksenija Vidmar Horvat, Vice-Rector of the University of Ljubljana.

Professor Dr Maja Zalaznik, President of the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO, stated: “Through Wind of Peace, children use their own eyes and understanding to express and illustrate a mirror of today’s world. Sincerely and directly, in a way only children can. This provides a lesson for all of us, for all the decision-makers of this world and for all those unwilling to preserve peace and humane development. Thank you to all supporters and co-creators of Wind of Peace. May it become a recurring wind of change leading towards a better world. Today and tomorrow. And especially for all those who will build the world in the future.”

The project leader, mag. Barbara Urbanija, emphasised that “Wind of Peace is one exceptionally beautiful story about connection and the power of children’s voices. We heard children from forgotten corners of the world, some of whom felt connected with their peers around the globe for the very first time – and in doing so, we gave them hope.”

Members of the project team, Ksenija Fänrich Vuga and Meta Dobida Verdnik, also shared their experiences with participants and highlighted the importance of cooperation and the active involvement of children in peace education. “The notebook, through its physical presence, connects and conveys the message: ‘Look, I was in the hands of children from another country who share the same wishes as you – to live and work in peace’,” said Ksenija Fänrich Vuga, national coordinator of the UNESCO Associated Schools Network and member of the project team.

“Reading the messages in the notebooks deeply moves anyone with even the smallest amount of empathy and understanding. For us, as the creators of the exhibition, it was a great responsibility to give young people the voice they deserve,” said Professor Dr Gregor Torkar, Head of the UNESCO Chair.

The visual identity of the project and exhibition was co-created by Grega Križnar, Mojca Zlokarnik, Gregor Kokalj, Gregor Torkar and Uroš Kristan from the UL Faculty of Education and the UL Academy of Fine Arts and Design.

The event was further enriched by an artistic performance by students who, under the mentorship of Dr Vesna Geršak, Assistant Professor of Dance Expression and President of Dance and the Child International, expressed messages of peace and connectedness through movement.

The digital exhibition, prepared in cooperation with the UNESCO Chair on Teacher Education for Sustainable Development, provides the wider public with access to selected children’s messages, photographs and the journeys of the notebooks that connected children around the world.

The exhibition therefore represents not only the conclusion of the project’s first cycle, but also the beginning of a new one. The notebooks set out on their journey again the following day – waiting for their pages to be filled with new voices of children calling on adults to take responsible action in co-creating a peaceful and safe future.

View the Wind of Peace exhibition