This #GivingTuesday, we’re giving thanks.
Thank you to the incredible volunteers and donors who support PeaceGeeks, as well as the communities that we’ve had the privilege to work with.
Today is Giving Tuesday, and we want to give back by taking this moment to thank everyone from our rapidly growing community who has given something to PeaceGeeks during this incredible period of growth.
Now that #GiveItUp4Peace is over, and we’ve gotten back into the swing of drinking our coffee, taking hot showers, and sleeping in our beds (perhaps the most satisfying feeling possible) we’ve started looking forward toward the new year, coming sooner than we expect. It’s an incredible feeling to think about the things we’ve already accomplished this year, and the things we will continue to accomplish before 2018 is through.
Here in Vancouver, PeaceGeeks recently launched our new mentorship project, which aims to build a digital tool matching newcomers to career mentors. In several months, we’ll also be launching our Pathways app, helping newcomers better access services for settlement.
Whether it’s through our Digital Peace Youth Network, Capacity Building Workshops, National Alliance, and more, our Meshkat Community team in Jordan been actively bridging community divides. Two weeks ago, we brought together representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations and the Jordanian Armed Forces to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing across the institutions’ programmes in promoting Tolerance and Community Cohesion. And we’re getting ready for our second annual Meshkat Peace Awards, which will honour the noteworthy contributions of Jordanian community leaders who work to strengthen peace through digital media.
On Giving Tuesday, we are thinking about how much we’ve been given by the communities we’ve worked with this year — from cultural traditions and wisdoms from people just starting out their new lives in Canada to those on the other side of the world animating the spirit of resilience in the face of hate speech and violence. Our support for these communities is unwavering, and we won’t be deterred in our goal to give back.
We’ve also realized that we aren’t alone in this empathy. Our mission has been joined by so many more of you who have given your time, effort, labour, and hard earned money. This year was the best year we’ve ever had in terms of those who chose to help us during our #GiveitUp4Peace campaign, and we are constantly amazed by those of you who will not hesitate to donate volunteer hours, come to events, or support us on social media.
Because we wouldn’t be here without you. We have found a place in a grassroots movement of those who support tech for peace, plurality, integration and acceptance and we are so grateful that all of you exist.
So, on Giving Tuesday, we want to say thank you for giving towards our mission. We can’t wait to give back to all of you who have placed your faith in us and show you all the things we are still going to accomplish.
Sincerely,
Renee Black and the PeaceGeeks team
