Working hand-in-hand
with the City of Ashland
Cities are the real societal structural level where a Culture of Peace can take root. The individual
person is always the essential component for building peace through his or her daily choices,
but it is the city that has the reach, authority, responsibility and influence to set the positive
tone and direction for so many.
When the Ashland City Council and Mayor adopted the Culture of Peace Proclamation, they strongly encouraged residents “to work toward development of a Culture of Peace community” and pledged “to lend appropriate encouragement and support to that effort.” The Ashland Culture of Peace Commission is seen as a new and positive influence in the community and at the end of the first year, ACPC will provide the City of Ashland and community a Status on the Culture of Peace in Ashland Report.
The growing Culture of Peace is actually alive and well in many cities, but is often invisible and not identified or nourished directly. The results and benefits of embracing and living in a Culture of Peace are enormous and pervasive in health, happiness, prosperity, sustainability and a legacy for future generations!
With our unique approach, Ashland has the opportunity to become a model of this new culture for cities around the world. It is about shifting mindset and behavior in all aspects of our societies to embrace humanity’s interconnectedness as we move from force to reason, from discord and violence to dialogue and peacebuilding. For sustained change there must be a larger context, a vision that inspires and unifies citizens to move forward. This vision has launched the Ashland Culture of Peace.
