ESCUELA D-4 ARICA won the Environmental Certification of Excellence Award once again

It is the only and at the same time the First School in the Region in Chile to receive this distinguished award, which consisted of a green flag with the logo of the Ministry of the Environment and the logo of Sustainable Development (see photo).

The Minister of Environment of Chile has granted this Award through the Ministerial Secretary of Environment of Arica, highlighting that of all the Schools it is the first to obtain the so-called ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION OF EXCELLENC. This Award obtained is for the outstanding Sustainable Development activities carried out within the School Curriculum as well as outside the School, with exchanges with other schools in the city as well as with the Ariqueña Community.

It should be noted that the responsible participants belong to the School Management Team, which includes students, parents, teachers, assistants, city representatives, neighborhood councils, regional authorities, and most importantly the NGO LIFE-LINK.

We appreciate the LIFE LINK support, stating that we will remain committed.  And we will continue to be committed.

NOTE The inclusion of Life-Link UNESCO in the curriculum of the Schools of the community of Arica Chile has been possible:

For the ethics that support the NGO Life-Link in Self-Care, Care of others and Care of Nature. Contributing to developing valued actions proposed in the study programs of the Ministry of Education of Chile.

Life-Link in the City of Lights: Conference Report 2024

The Life-Link Friendship Schools Conference 2024 was held in Paris, France, during June 14-17. Organized in collaboration with Molook Khadivi, a board member and long-standing supporter of Life-Link, the conference welcomed students and teachers from various countries including Egypt, Georgia, Sweden, and Türkiye. The conference featured workshops on sustainable development and peacebuilding, alongside opportunities to explore one of the world's most vibrant cities.

The first day of the conference was aimed at getting to know each other, as well as our host city, Paris. The day began with a visit to La Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, where participants engaged with an interactive exhibition on climate change. Activities included calculating carbon footprints, comparing different climate scenarios, and learning about ways to contribute to environmental sustainability on a local scale. The exhibition gave rise to many interesting discussions between students and teachers. Following the exhibition, participants enjoyed a tour of Paris, which took them to some of the city’s most iconic sites, including the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe. A guided visit to the Louvre Museum ended the tour, allowing participants to take part in Paris's rich cultural heritage.

The first day ended with a multicultural evening hosted by board member Peder Palmstierna. As Peder put it – culture is what differentiates us, but it is also what unites us. Indeed, this idea of “unity in diversity” was embodied throughout the evening, as students showcased their cultural traditions through songs, dances and samplings of local foods and pastries. The event was held at the Swedish students’ home in Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, a collection of international student housing organized by nationality with the aim of fostering intercultural understanding, aligning closely with Life-Link’s ethos.

The second day began with a presentation by Life-Link board member and environmental expert Hans van Thienen on Belgium's transition to sustainable energy sources. The presentation resulted in discussions about the interplay between policy and environmental reform. This was followed by an “action workshop” led by board members Alice Ekwall Sundby, Anton Nyman, and Daniel Demitz-Helin. In this workshop, students first discussed sustainability-focused projects in smaller groups with students from other schools. Following this, the students reconvened with their peers and designed projects to be implemented in their local communities. In the afternoon, board member Hiba Ballout hosted a digital workshop on non-violent communication, consisting of several activities to deepen our understanding of the role of communication and empathy in peacebuilding. The conference concluded with a diploma ceremony, celebrating the contributions of students, teachers, and board members.

Despite a reduction in participants due to ever-stricter visa procedures, the board of Life-Link Friendship Schools deemed the conference a success. The board extends gratitude to all students and teachers for their dedication, and hopes that they return to their communities with renewed enthusiasm for Life-Link's mission and the principles of the 3 Cs: Care for yourself, Care for others, and Care for nature. A special word of thanks is due to Molook Khadivi for her efforts in organizing this year's conference. The board looks forward to continued collaboration and progress in building sustainable and peaceful communities worldwide.

Life-Link Supports

Life-Link has for decades inspired many young students to do the best for mankind and environment.

Life-Link has also helped students on an individual level and especially talented young people with their education..

One example is a Maasai girl in Tanzania, Christine Lesembui Laitayock.
As a young girl, Christine lost her father in TBC and leaving the family with many children and very little income.
Christine has benefitted from support from Life-Link in High School and now at the University  in Dar-Es-Salaam.  She is now in her second year in a three year education, studying Economics and her study results are brilliant.

ESCUELA D-4 ARICA won the Environmental Education of Excellence Award

The management team of the school D-4 of Arica Chile has received a reward for all their hard work. They won the award of Environmental Education of Excellence, awarded by the minister of environment of Chile.

The management team of Escuela D-4 Arica wants to thank Life-Link for their guidance.

from left to right Ruth Dini, Gladys Hernandez, Fanny Maya and Patricio Tavali

Life-Link Friendship Schools – Conference Report 2023

The 2023 Life-Link Friendship Schools International Conference was held during June 17th-21st at Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket (SSHL) in Sigtuna, Sweden. SSHL has been Life-Link’s hub school and headquarters for a long time, and it was an immense pleasure for the board to finally be able to welcome member schools back to Sigtuna after several years of digital conferences due to Covid-19.

During June 18th-20th, delegations participated in a range of lectures and workshops centered around peacebuilding and sustainable development. This year’s conference was attended by participants representing Egypt, France, India, Lebanon, Sweden and Türkiye. Due to issues with Visa processing and political instability in certain parts of the world, this conference was significantly smaller in size than previous ones. Only three of the six delegations included students, amounting to a total of six students and seven teachers. The low number of participants allowed for deeper social bonds to be formed between both students and teachers, however. It also provided a good opportunity for the Life-Link board to relearn and garner new experiences for future, larger-scale conferences. Life-Link also had the pleasure of welcoming a new school to its network – Gaziantep Anadolu Lisesi from Gaziantep, Türkiye.

Day 1 of this year's conference was aimed at getting to know each other, Life-Link and Sweden. Participants listened to a short presentation about Swedish history and the country's contributions and challenges regarding sustainability. The delegations took part in a Swedish "tipspromenad" (walking quiz) about Life-Link and sustainable development, and visited the Nobel Prize museum in Stockholm in the afternoon. Pontus Thunblad, Education Director at the museum, gave us a tour along with presentations about Alfred Nobel, the Nobel Prize, and its relationship to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Day 2 of this year's conference began with presentations by each delegation about their respective schools and communities. Thereafter, we were visited by Dr. Marie Sandell for a workshop about theoretical versus empirical understandings of peace, peacebuilding, and sustainable peace. In the afternoon, board member Hiba Ballout hosted a workshop named "Coexistence or No Existence". This workshop consisted of several activities which sought to deepen our understanding of stereotypes, and the importance of communication and empathy in peacebuilding processes at all levels of society. The day was concluded with a cultural evening hosted by board member Peder Palmstierna, in which students and teachers were given the opportunity to showcase their respective cultures in different ways.

Day 3 of this year's conference began with a workshop hosted by Georgios Savvas, a teacher at SSHL. This activity was centered around a student-led project at the school aimed at recycling electronics, introducing participants to a more hands-on approach to sustainable development. Christina Fischer, a long-time friend of Life-Link, then held a presentation about a Tanzanian Maasai pupil whose education Life-Link has supported over the years. We even had the opportunity to say ”hello” to her over Zoom! After lunch, Martin Johnson gave a presentation demonstrating how commercialism and sustainability can coexist by telling us about his business ventures with Rajda Group in India, and their cooperation with monks to develop a sustainable supply chain and work environment. The day was concluded with the final workshop of the conference, led by board members Alice Ekwall Sundby, Frans Lenglet and Daniel Demitz-Helin. The purpose of this workshop was to discuss insights and reflections from the conference, and then to translate these into action plans to be implemented at the delegations' respective schools. Finally, a closing ceremony was held in which delegates received certificates and pins for their participation.

The Life-Link board would like to thank all students and teachers for their efforts in this year’s small, but arguably very successful, conference. We hope that all delegations will return to their respective communities with new energy and enthusiasm to continue their contributions to Life-Link, the 3 C’s and most importantly, sustainable development. Lastly, the board would like to extend a special word of thanks to Anna Johansson, teacher at SSHL and long-time board member, for all her efforts in organizing this year’s conference.

2nd Essay Contest on a “Nuclear Weapons Free Future”

The Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition, Nagasaki University (RECNA), with the support of the Nagasaki Shimbun, invites youth between the ages of 16 and 29 to submit an essay on a “Nuclear Weapons Free Future.” Please see the detailed on the website below. *The deadline is July 31, 2023.*

https://www.recna.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/recna/en-topics/43391

In January 2023, the “Doomsday Clock” of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist was reset to 90 seconds to midnight, the closest ever to doomsday. The Bulletin did this because of the growing threat of the use of nuclear weapons and the ongoing destruction of the global environment. There are people who argue that nuclear weapons are crucial for national security. But can nuclear weapons really save humans, nations, and the planet?

Awards will be given for outstanding essays on the theme of a “Nuclear Weapons Free Future” taking into consideration the sub-theme of the supposed role of nuclear weapons in national security, the survival of human civilization and the health of the global environment. We look forward to reading your thoughts and innovative ideas.

*Entries will be divided into two groups: youth aged 16 to 19 (Under 20) and youth aged 20 to 29 (Under 30)*. Awards will be given to outstanding essays and there will be one grand prize winner for each age group. The two winning essays will be published in the Nagasaki Shimbun newspaper and the winning authors will be invited to participate in the award ceremony in Nagasaki on Saturday, September 23rd, 2023. If the winner resides in Japan, she/he will be invited to Nagasaki to participate in person. If the winner resides overseas, he/she will be invited to participate in the award ceremony online.

Earth is Calling Act Now

Act Now brings to you #EarthIsCallingActNow, the 4th edition of World's Largest and Longest Environment Online Event, 24-hours Non-Stop, on 4th-5th June 2023. The event gathers organizations and individuals from the world over to present their climate actions, share their insights, and generate awareness about how we are geared towards restoration of our environment, and for taking care of the only planet we know!

Our main target audience is students and youth and WE REQUEST YOUR KIND CONSENT TO BE A GUEST SPEAKER.  We would like you to engage us in the area of your work and expertise!

We need some basic details that can be filled here :

*Special Guest/Speakers Registration Link* https://forms.gle/63G1FF1Gn4xne7HY8

*Students and General Registration Link*  https://forms.gle/Yz8u482CBgvKHpFn8

Past events have been graced by Mr Erik Solheim, The Sixth and former UN Environment Executive Director and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Natalia Alekseeva, Coordinator, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, Tarja Halonen, Former President of Finland, Dr Ash Pachaury, Co-Founder, The POP Movement, Tim Christophersen, UNEP, Dr Bishwajit Saha, Director of Central Board of Secondary Education, Govt of India. Nigel Topping, UN-COP26, Pekka Haavisto, Finnish Foreign Minister, David Jensen, UNEP, Mathis Wackernagel, President, Global Footprint Network, Peter Hillary, mountaineer and son of legendary Edmund Hillary, Dr Niall McCann, National Geographic Explorer, Jordan Sanchez, Poetess and voice behind UNEP, Sirpa Pietikäinen Member of European Parliament, Destiny Wagner, Miss Earth ’21, Lindsey Coffey, Miss Earth’20, Jamie Herrell, Miss Earth’14, Nicole Faria, Miss Earth’10, among others.

Event Page: CLICK HERE     :           http://actnow.org.in/earth-is-calling-act-now-2023.html

Mode: Online, Zoom flatform, with live on FB and You tube

Starts:  4 June ‘23 at 12 p.m. IST | 6:30 UTC Ends: 5 June ’23 at 12 p.m. IST| 6:30 UTC

Live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actnoworgin

Hash and tags: #Generationrestoration #EarthIsCallingActNow #BeatPlasticPollution #ActNowOrgin

Yours Sincerely

Rony Antony

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Rony K Antony

IB Science Teacher (PYP,MYP)

ENO Taiwan Coordinator

Global School Mentor and Advocate

Teach SDGs Global Ambassador

Climate Action Schools Champion

ETC Taiwan Coordinator

Project Green School Award Winner 2021

Founder, Nature Education Society of Taiwan (NEST)

" Having a heart that beats to the symphony of nature"

https://www.facebook.com/groups/nesttaiwan

Take Care of Our Forests!

Forests are today coming up as a very hot topic in the discussions on our environment and sustainable development. For Life Link it is easy to see how forests address concern for ourselves, others and nature. Schools which have a forest in their immediate neighborhood or even as part of the school area itself has a mission here. Take care of your forest!

It is the experience of many, and also a conclusion from research, that people feel well by being in a forest. Contact with nature reduces stress and promote calm. It is also good to have birdsong and flowers and plants as the background when being in a forest.

When trees and other plants in the forest grow, they fix carbon in the process of photosynthesis. One cubic meter of tree has a carbon content corresponding to 1 ton of CO2, carbon dioxide, the most important greenhouse gas. Forests are thus a sink for climate gases and a key component to combat global warming. Forests are also the most important home for very may species of plants, insects and other life forms and thus need to be preserved to protect biodiversity.

This is why so many international organizations today take measures to preserve and enlarge forests all over the world. The European Union with its 27 countries has just established a forest strategy, now being set into action, and the United Nations Convention for Biological Diversity in its recent meeting in Montreal Canada decided that 30 % of all areas of the world should be under nature protection in 2030. This includes large forest areas.

The many millions of schools around the world can contribute to these goals by taking good care of the forests they have at or close to the schools. And enjoy their forests.

Lars Rydén

Life Link board

Life-Link Conference 2022

In June 2022, eleven schools from around the world came together to attend Life-Link’s annual conference. As has been the case for the past few years, the conference was held digitally. While this setup certainly has its downsides, Life-Link and its members have decided to view this as an opportunity for more schools to attend, and to be able to invite guest lecturers and workshop leaders which might not have had the ability to attend the conference had it been held physically.

Over the course of two days, students and teachers took part in lectures and workshops centered around a multitude of topics related to sustainable development. These included water diplomacy, building sustainable households, technological approaches to sustainability, cultural understanding and leadership. This broad selection of topics emphasizes the relevance of sustainable development to so many aspects of our lives, and as such, also highlights the importance of communication and collaboration across borders, cultures and religions in building a more sustainable future. The insights and discussions of the participating students (and teachers) during the conference have, once again, instilled in us a great deal of hope and optimism for the future!

Conclusively, the Life-Link board would like to extend a message of thanks to all participants of the 2022 Life-Link Conference. We are looking forward to welcoming all our members to a physical conference in Sweden 2023!

Daniel Demitz-Helin

Vice-chairman of Life-Link Friendship Schools

Stockholm+50

In a few days, 2-3 of June, the Stockholm+50 conference will take place. It has the motto:

A healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity.

It sounds fine and certainly it is what we all need, but will the conference take us closer to it?

The event commemorates the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, 5-16 June 1972, Stockholm. It was the first conference on the global environmental and marks the beginning of an era of increased concern for the environment. It promoted the creation of the UN organisation for environmental protection, UNEP, to be in Nairobi, Kenya, as well as environmental agencies in several countries in the world. It pushed more careful monitoring of environmental pollutants and legal protection of the environment in many places. June 5 is the World Environment Day to make us not forget.  

Two important and famous speakers on the 1972 conference were Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India and Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden. Both reminded the delegates that questions of environment were much more than just that. They were of prime importance for people´s health and wellbeing and for the economy. By seeing the width of issues which together shape our future the conference thereby in fact initiated the concern for a sustainable development.

The intention was to organise a conference of similar magnitude in 1982, ten years after Stockholm, but it did not happen. In the early 1980s the Cold War was unusually chilly and intentional cooperation not easy. It was not until 1992 that next large global environmental conference could take place, then in a much more friendly international atmosphere.

In 1992 delegates convened in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, South America, for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, UNCED, the largest global conference probably ever held, with some 70 000 delegates and many heads of states taking part. The UNCED was a key event. It led up to the three global conventions - on climate, biodiversity, and desertification. It established the first global agenda, Agenda 21, and it made sustainable development a global concern. Stockholm+50 could as well be called Rio+30.  

Today many of us are unhappy about how climate change, global warming and the biodiversity crisis are not taken seriously enough by many countries. Those concerns were on the table already in 1972. Soon after the conferfence, in the 1980s, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, were formed and their first annual report issued. Just this year their 6th report with a very serious message has been published. Today we are in addition expecting a harsh report from the coming biodiversity meeting, this year in China.

The huge global conferences with thousand of delegates and heads of states present are of course of great importance. We could not do without them. But it is not there we see the action. Action is with us, and on the more local level. Local communities, municipalities, small and big companies, even schools. It is in these contexts where we find real change take place. We should not expect Stockholm+50 to be a break for the world environmental work. It is rather a two days’ gathering to remind us of what we need to do and what is dear to us. But it is up to us to make a difference. It is still true: Think globally and act locally.

Dr. Lars Rydén, Life Link board member.

Life-Link brings people together! This time in Cairo, Egypt.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting with regional coordinator Mr. Ezzat Hassan, a long-standing member and friend of Life-Link Friendship Schools, as well as students and teachers  from three different member schools in Cairo. We shared interesting discussions about Life-Link as an organization, how sustainable development can be approached from a small-scale perspective, and how best Life-Link’s ethos can be integrated into a learning environment. An excellent opportunity for cultural exchange as well, discussions were held about language, different approaches to sustainability and the value of multicultural experiences.

Mr. Ezzat Hassan was also kind enough to show me around Cairo, allowing me to experience both culture/history as well as daily life in Egypt.

It has been an immense pleasure to meet these enthusiastic students and teachers, and I thank them dearly for their warmth and hospitality. A special thank you to Mr. Ezzat Hassan for making my time in Cairo so memorable, and for his continued cooperation with Life-Link.

//Daniel Demitz-Helin, board member of Life-Link Friendship schools

Invitation to the 23nd Life-Link Friendship Schools Online Conference 20 – 21 June 2022

Let´s meet!

 

Invitation

It is with great pleasure that we invite your school to participate in the 23rd Life-Link conference. This year, the conference will consist of two days of online sessions held on June 20th and 21st, 2022.

All Life-Link Friendship schools from around the world are invited to participate. Once their participation has been confirmed, the schools are invited to create a school team. It should consist of 4-6 students in the 14-18 age range, with one or two teachers. The conference will be held in English.

 

Expressions of interest

As in 2020 and 2021, this year’s Life-Link Conference will take place online. Due to Covid-19 restrictions on international travel and group gatherings, a place-based conference is regrettably not an option.

There are no fees for participating in the conference. However, schools are encouraged to actively support their participating teachers and students.

Schools are invited to send their expressions of interest in an email message addressed to the chairman of the Life-Link Board, Dr Lars Johnson, lars.t.johnson@telia.com, no later than April 20th 2022.

2022 Conference and the 3 C’s

We are living in challenging times – a health crisis, numerous armed conflicts, misinformation and the destructive exploitation of natural resources and our environment. This year’s conference seeks to reflect the multiplicity of challenges that the world is facing today - all through the perspective of sustainable development, small-scale actions and global student co-operation. The topics discussed at the 2022 conference will range from technology, to leadership, to organic farming and much more.

During June 20th and 21st of 2022, the participating school teams will explore a range of topics through interactive workshops and presentations held online, in which the students will get to discuss and explore possible solutions to sustainability-related issues in a multicultural environment.

Conference modality

The conference sessions will use Zoom as the online platform for an optimum online conference experience. The sessions will be structured in such a way that there are opportunities for participants to get to know each other, to discuss, to receive feedback, and to share and exchange knowledge, reflections and ideas.

Program and schedule

Day 1: June 20, 2022 12:00 - 16:00 UTC
Who	Activity
Conference organizers	Welcome ceromonie Welcoming students, teachers and friends of Life-Link to the 2022 digital conference. Information about Life-Link Friendship Schools and the schedule for the two days will be presented. Schools will introduce themselves shortly to the rest of the group.
	Short break (5 min)
Ms. Kia Salin	Sustainability in Practice Ms. Kia Salin, a friend of Life-Link, opens the 2022 digital conference with a presentation about designing and constructing a sustainable home from scratch outside the small Swedish town of Söderköping where she also produces organic apples and honey using sustainable methods. In addition, Ms. Salin will discuss her line of work in the management and regulation of pharmaceutical by-products. She is currently part of a project which, under the auspices of the United Nations Development Program, seeks to tackle the issues of pharmaceutical waste in water sources.
	Break (15 min)
Life-Link board members Alice Ekwall-Sundby, Anton Nyman and Daniel Demitz-Helin	The Danger of a Single Story This workshop builds on a TED Global-presentation by author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie which explores the risks that default, unchallenged perspectives – “single stories” – carry, and how these affect our assumptions about people of different cultural backgrounds. Following a viewing of the presentation, students will be divided into breakout-rooms over Zoom to discuss the “single stories” that they may have about each others’ cultural backgrounds and/or countries, learn about the extent to which these “single stories” are accurate and/or incomplete, as well as discuss how these prejudices can be combated. Each group will then present their conclusions to the rest of the participants.
Conference organizers	Conclusions The session will be concluded with any final thoughts and/or reflections that students, teachers, friends of Life-Link or any board members may have. Information for the next session will be provided as well.
Day 2: June 21, 2022 12:00 - 16:00 UTC
Who	Activity
Mr. Georgios Savvas	Technology for Sustainability Climate change and the changes it will bring is the issue that concerns the world more and more today. Climate change, however, is the result of the reckless action of mankind who, for profit and an easy life, is destroying the environment at an ever-increasing rate in recent years. The key to reversing this difficult situation is sustainable development. Science with the help of technology gives us the opportunity for this turn. The application of the achievements of modern technology on a small and large scale in combination with the change of lifestyle are essential for sustainable development.
	Break (15 min)
Ms. Hiba Ballout	To Lead or Not to Lead Most educators, whether principals, coordinators or even teachers, forget that they are the leaders of young minds, who are able to empower them to find their own way and be leaders themselves. Being followers rather than leaders, most students graduate from schools not knowing the fact that they could be leaders themselves! In this session, several activities, inspirational videos and various discussions concerning leadership and its effect on the lives of our students are going to be presented. Based on information from books for Warren Bennis and Gary Hamel, participants will discover the different skills of being leaders; they will come out with a conclusion that leadership is a decision that they should make in order to create more leaders for a better future.
	Break (15 min)
Ms. Christine Lesembui	Christine from Tanzania has graduated from High School and is now pursuing further studies at university. Christine will make a presentation about her experiences from her life and school.
Conference organizers	Conclusions The session will be concluded with any final thoughts and/or reflections that students, teachers, friends of Life-Link or any board members may have. The conference as a whole will also be concluded.

This is a preliminary schedule and is thereby subject to change. A detailed program will be distributed as we approach the conference dates and will include the durations of each workshop/presentation. Both sessions are approximated to take place from  12:00 to 16:00 UTC. Please double check what this corresponds to in your local time.

We hope that you are interested in joining us and other Life-Link students and teachers from around the world in this year’s digital conference.

Caring Regards,

Chairman Dr. Lars Johnson, Anna Johansson, Alice Ekwall-Sundby, Anton Nyman and Daniel Demitz-Helin

Message from the Life-Link board

Over the past five years the world has seen a falling trend in fatalities stemming from organized violence. This trend was however broken in 2020 when the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) registered more than 80,000 deaths resulting from armed conflicts. The tragic images of what is now happening in Ukraine remind us of what we have seen in Syria, Ethiopia, Yemen, Nagorno-Karabakh, Afghanistan, South Sudan and many more places around the world. They add to a long list of reported war crimes with bombing on civilian centres, hospitals, schools, food warehouses and apartment buildings.

Hans Levander, who founded the Life Link Friendship Association as a peace project, was one of the first activists in the Swedish organisation Physicians Against Nuclear Weapons and the corresponding international organisation International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). Life-Link was founded at the time of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. Hans Levander’s concern was to create as many contacts as possible between the two sides to nurture understanding and to seek peaceful means of conflict resolution.

Life-Link is still working in this tradition. Therefore, now more than ever, Life-Link is encouraging contacts between schools and across national borders. No school in any country should be excluded. The ultimate goal is an international order built on international law and human rights, pushing war into the history books forever.

Information Newsletter

Dear Life-Linkers!

It has been a while since you have heard from us. Therefore, with this letter, I wish to bring you up to date.

Challenging and promising times

Currently, we are living in challenging but also promising times. Examples of the challenges are the climate crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic, armed conflicts, (nuclear) arms proliferation, corruption and wealth disparities, the destructive exploitation of land and oceans, human rights abuses, fake news and hate speech. Examples of the promises are the many initiatives by especially young people, all over the world, to rapidly expand renewable energy sources, while decarbonizing the economy; to create a culture of peace - not war; to protect, restore and regenerate nature, land and the oceans; to support health workers; to welcome refugees; to fight injustice; to be active citizens, locally and globally; to choose sustainable lifestyles.

The challenges and promises remind us of why the Life-Link Friendship Schools association was established in the first place. The first article of its statutes states: “The Life-Link Friendship-Schools Association was founded to encourage and support children and young people's education in issues that primarily concern constructive cooperation with a focus on a sustainable, humanistic lifestyle and to promote education in subjects that can contribute to peaceful development in the world.”

I strongly believe that all those participating in Life-Link can make a real contribution to convert the challenges into ever expanding promises. We in Life-Link have exciting times ahead of us.

Students from the Rabbani Education Complex, Iran, showing the Word Peace Flame.

Activities

I am happy to report that Life-Link is doing very well. Even during the ongoing pandemic, we organised several activities. COVID-19, unfortunately, prevented us from organizing the annual in-person conference. But, fortunately, the shift to using digital means of communication allowed for a much greater number of participating schools! These events took place during the spring and autumn of 2021. For June 2022, a new a digital conference is being planned. The invitation will be issued in March.

Life-Link Newsletter

Frequent interaction and communication between Life-Link’s members – teachers and students alike – is essential for a successful Life-Link actions and activities. We are, therefore, proud to announce that Life-Link will be shortly issuing a quarterly newsletter featuring the latest action reports, messages from the Board and articles by friends of Life-Link from all over the world!

To receive the newsletter, visit Life-Link’s website (https://lifelinkschools.org/), scroll down to the bottom of the first page and fill in the form under the heading “Subscribe to our newsletter”.

We ask all teachers to sign up. We also ask them kindly to encourage their students to do the same. All new mail addresses will be added to our database. Thus, you and your students will always receive all new Life-Link information.

Life-Link Facebook group

We also would like to urge you and your students join to our new Facebook group, where you can talk to your Life-Link friends and comment on action reports. To join, you can either click the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/492373028901079/ or search for “Life-Link Friendship Schools”. Please encourage your students to join the group as well!

Looking forward to seeing you later in June!

With Care,

Lars Johnson, Chairman

Life-Link Digital Conference 8th-10 June 2021

Life-Link Friendship schools

CARE FOR MYSELF
CARE FOR OTHERS
CARE FOR NATURE

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In the beginning of June, Life-Link Friendship Schools hosted the 22nd International Conference. Similar to last year it was held online due to the ongoing pandemic. Despite its initial negative impact the Life-Link board and the organisation at large used the situation to inspire our theme and overcome logistical difficulties. As a result a record number of students, teachers and schools managed to participate and discuss this  year’s  main theme - Life after Covid-19. 

Keeping in mind  Life-Link’s three  C’s;  Care for Myself,  Care for Others and  Care for Nature, the 153 participating students were during the spring asked to explore the potential opportunities the ongoing health crisis may present in pursuit of a better and more sustainable  post-Covid world. The conference was organised into three focus areas: Transport, Non-food consumption and Food,  and each school group had to respond to one of these with a well thought-out project later presented to the board and other participants. 

The nature of our international conference is that it allows similar-minded people coming from all over the world to share their ideas, thoughts and experiences. Unified in our longing for a more sustainable world our different backgrounds have broadened our way of looking at things which has been clearly embodied in this year's conference. 

From ideas regarding banana leaf packaging to reduce plastic usage in daily life in Jaipur, to Clean-up days in Moscow and an app regarding eco transport reward systems in Teheran the conference exceeded all expectations and inspired us to think globally and act locally. 

After each session the floor was opened up to all spectators to either ask questions or give any sort of feedback. This was done to keep the interactive elements of the conference in spite of it being held online. 

Throughout the planning of the conference, the will and expectation of the Life-Link board was to see the beginning of local projects that would lead our journey towards sustainable development within our respective communities. Therefore, it is our greatest wish and goal to see these project plans develop into actions that will be published online and presented this autumn as the next step of this conference. 

Care, 

The Life-Link Board