5th Annual Summer of Peace Packs a Big (Nonviolent) Punch!

By Emily Hine & Philip Hellmich

It’s been scientifically proven that positive emotions have a higher vibratory rate than negative emotions. And, because positive energy is finer and lighter, it will spread more easily and more quickly than negative energy. That means that even though we hear a lot of negative news that can ignite fear, vengeance and hatred, the reality is that love, compassion, collaboration and peace will always overpower the negative. Every. Single. Time.

There’s more good news. Since we also know that energy attracts more energy of the same kind, we can each fuel more positive collective global energy by becoming more informed, more inspired and more filled up with love, compassion and peace.

This summer, filling your positivity cup will be easy with the 5th annual Summer of Peace taking place for free from June 13th - September 21st (the International Day of Peace.) Throughout the summer, we’ll feature more than 50 visionaries, scientists, government officials, professors, doctors, activists and community members, all with something to share about creating a more compassionate and peaceful planet that works for us all.

Humans are Basically Good and We Know What to Do

After hosting 5 Summer of Peace events, we have become pretty versed in positive energy and peace. And, we’ve come to realize that the old way of viewing peace - hippies and hula hoops - is simply outdated. We’ve been witnessing a new kind of peace that’s been emerging for decades actually - one that is based on science and practical strategies that can be applied in daily life, as well as across borders. We’ve interviewed incredible human beings from all over the world who are making substantial progress in creating systems and infrastructures that are leading us to a world that is healed, harmonious and filled with hope - even for the hula-hooping hippies!

It’s worth noting that we’re NEVER at a shortage for finding peacebuilding professionals to interview for the Summer of Peace showing us once again that humans are basically good and we know what to do to create a culture of peace.

Find Your Personal Peace On-ramp

Over the years, we’ve also learned that “one size of peace does not fit all.” Everybody has a different interest or take on what peace means to them. That’s why this year, we’re bringing you four unique summits that will help you find your personal on-ramp to peace.

If you’re interested in how to skillfully navigate conflict with friends, family or coworkers, you’ll want to listen to our Everyday Peace Summit co-produced with PeaceJam. During this summit, you’ll learn that even some of the strongest peacebuilders - including Nobel Laureates - have to work on self-love, forgiveness, inner peace and conflict resolution strategies, even as they are affecting external global peace. (Tuesdays, June 28 - September 6)

If the world’s suffering (or your own suffering) sometimes keeps you frozen in despair and inaction, join us for the Global Compassion Summit - created with support from the Center for Compassion Altruism Research and Education, Stanford University. During this summit, you’ll learn how compassion is a salve that helps you face, heal and move through the despair into action that re-energizes and reconnects you to our common humanity. (July 13 & 14)

If ongoing global terrorism is one of your main concerns, you'll appreciate learning from our colleagues at the Alliance for Peacebuilding who co-created our very first Countering Violent Extremism Summit. Extraordinary experts will explain at a fundamental level how and why terrorism exists and what you can do to be empowered in the face of it. (August 10 & 11)

If you want to see how broad and far-reaching the peacebuilding field really is, join our ongoing partner, We, the World, during the last month of the Summer of Peace for 11 Days of Global Unity - where you’ll hear 11 talks about how peace is unfolding across 11 major sectors of society that form a blueprint for global transformation. (September 11-21)

Throughout our summit series, you’ll meet the visionaries who are implementing innovative, provocative solutions for peace and compassion that can be applied in our homes and across our global community. We feel confident that through one or more of our summits, you’ll find hope as well as your personal on-ramp to peace.

What Does Free Really Mean?

The Summer of Peace is free very simply because The Shift Network as a company has made peace a priority. Over the last 5 years, we’ve dedicated tens of thousands of dollars and thousands of staff hours to make sure that what we bring to you is professional, powerful and that it will actually make a dent in creating a more peaceful planet. In addition, every speaker for the Summer of Peace has donated his or her time, not only for their talk, but for the preparation that it takes to skillfully communicate these complex issues to a diverse global audience - last year, 25,000 people from 141 countries signed-up for Summer of Peace. And, hundreds of sponsors over the years have freely given time and staff resources to promote the Summer of Peace. That’s how we know we’re not alone in our desire to create a more harmonious planet! We are incredibly grateful to the hundreds of speakers and sponsors and to our staff for making it all happen!

And, btw, because we believe this is such important information to share widely, you can hear any of our previous Summer of Peace interviews for free year-round in the World Peace Library. We all know that world peace starts with inner peace, so that is why we created the World Peace Library -- one of the first resources to map the different expressions of peace emerging from inner to international levels. The World Peace Library is one of the largest collection of peace interviews of it’s kind!

As two of the five hosts for this year’s Summer of Peace, we would be delighted to have you join us and spread the word far and wide. Because, after all, positive energy begets more positive energy. And all of that collective consciousness does indeed make our globe spin a lot more peacefully.
 

Emily Hine is CEO of HineSight Consulting where she partners with businesses, nonprofits and social enterprises that share the goal of increasing mindfulness, compassion and peace on the planet. Emily is on faculty with The Shift Network Peace Education Programs, including the Peace Ambassador Training program. She is the Host of The Global Compassion Summit and a Certified Compassion Cultivation Training™ Teacher from the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, Stanford University. Emily is trained in Nonviolent

Philip M. Hellmich is Director of Peace at The Shift Network, director of The Summer of Peace, co-producer of the Yoga Day Summit and lead designer of the World Peace Library. The Summer of Peace is an annual event created by The Shift Network in 2012 that includes a free online telesummit featuring interviews with peacebuilders from around the world. To learn more about Philip, click here.