The International Day of Nonviolence is celebrated each year on October 2, the birth date of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of nonviolence. According to the United Nations General Assembly, in 2007 this commemoration was established to “ensure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and nonviolence.”

This year’s the Catholic Nonviolence Days of Action 2021 has had as its theme “Nonviolence as a way of life in the web of creation.” The days began on September 21, International Day of Peace, and ended today, October 2, International Day of Nonviolence and Gandhi’s birthday. The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative (CNI) believes that nonviolence offers an approach and tools to address the call to protect our earth, hence this year’s theme. In fact, CNI is contributing to the implementation of the 7-year plan of Laudato Si’ together with the Dicastery on Integrated Human Development at the Vatican.

This year our CCVI School, Colegio Central in Puebla (Mexico) has joined the initiative to recreate life from nonviolence actions in an intentional way. In fact, with joy and gratitude we share with you some of the edu-communication pieces made by the students in the framework of the Nonviolence Day. These edu-communication pieces are part of the educational effort to promote and embody in everyday life an inclusive love, forgiveness and resistance to systems of violence. We thank the educator Veronica Garcia for sending us these resources, and, in her, the entire educational community that are nurturing the active nonviolence of Jesus at all levels.

Hoping that today will be a day of peace as well as a time to re-encourage our commitment to nonviolence, we invite you to discover the message that these images want to offer you. We also invite you to pray with the prayer written by one of the students; perhaps it might serve as a significant resource for our personal or community prayer.

Nonviolence

We ask you Jesus, man of love
that on this day of nonviolence,
that women and men
value each other and help each other
so that a relationship of love and peace may be built,
so that this broken society may heal in harmony.
Amen.

Edu-comunicational pieces

Central School
Nonviolence Day
No more violence!
We want peace!
You are valued
You are important
You are loved

Insults, humiliation, discrediting, shouting, verbal aggression, harassment, abuse of authority, flattery, intimidation, physical aggression, abandonment, etc., can cause loss of self-esteem and independence, stress, terror, feelings of loneliness and isolation. No to psychological violence, violence is not just hitting When it comes to promoting non-violence towards women, men and women must participate equally. In relationships there must be respect and mutual care. Love and violence are incompatible.

Violence against the elderly Many older adults experience a series of inequalities that can accentuate their vulnerability and affect their quality of life. These inequalities have resulted in abuse and mistreatment.

Values that can promote nonviolence: