The American Montessori Society Named a World Citizen Peace Site

April 22, 2019.

The American Montessori Society was recently designated a World Citizen International Peace Site by World Citizen, a nondenominational and nonpartisan organization dedicated to invigorating and empowering communities to educate for a just and peaceful world.

By becoming an International Peace Site, AMS has committed itself to the following 5 Peace Actions:

• Seeking peace within ourselves and others
• Reaching out in service
• Protecting the environment
• Respecting diversity
• Being responsible citizens of the world

Following the designation, we were honored to host two representatives from World Citizen at The Montessori Event in Washington, DC, which took place March 21 – 24, 2019. The World Citizen representatives attended a guided networking session dedicated to peace and social justice, and had a booth at the Exhibit Hall.

While onsite, they presented us with a Peace Pole, which is a handcrafted wooden monument that displays World Citizen's 5 Peace Actions on each side of the pole. The Peace Pole acts as a constant reminder for us to visualize and promote a harmonious world. We now proudly display the pole at our headquarters in New York City.

Many AMS member schools have also been named International Peace Sites. The AMS Peace & Social Justice Committee enthusiastically initiated the designation process for AMS because the 5 peace actions from World Citizen are closely aligned with the work of the Peace & Social Justice Committee.

About World Citizen

World Citizen was founded in 1972 by the late World War II veteran Lynn Elling. Upon serving in the South Pacific during WWII and witnessing the carnage of the battle of Tarawa, he made it his life’s mission to create a world without war. Since its founding, World Citizen has dedicated hundreds of schools and other organizations as Peace Sites. They have also developed Peace Education classes and events, and partnered with communities around the world, all to promote peace and social justice.

Elling also co-founded the Nobel Peace Prize Festival, now known as The Peace Prize Forum, in 1996. This collaboration between the Norwegian Nobel Institute and 5 Midwest Norwegian Lutheran Colleges is held annually at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN.