PeaceJam hosts Nobel Laureate José Ramos-Horta

At OneTribe.com, we like to spotlight some of the incredible ways that the organizations we support are making our world better. PeaceJam recently held a conference with José Ramos-Horta as its guest of honor – a Nobel Laureate whose young roots in peacemaking make him an ideal role model for the youth at PeaceJam.

At age 18, José Ramos-Horta was exiled from his home country of East Timor for questioning governmental policies around the poverty he saw. Repeatedly voicing opposition to Portugese militaristic rule, José was soon a young revolutionary. At 25 years old, he was the youngest person to address the United Nations, pleading for Timorese independence.

Now a Nobel Laureate and the President of his home country (no longer under Portuguese rule), José has been a champion for ending economic oppression worldwide. “Just remember that violence leads you nowhere. We have to learn not to be violent if we want to have power. Compassion, generosity, humility, tolerance are real power.”

At the PeaceJam conference on May 24-25, 2010, youth from all over Colorado participated in workshops, service projects, and even spoke out in poetry slams.

For one of their service projects, youth worked with Groundwork Denver, an organization that partners with local low-income neighborhoods to improve their physical environments. PeaceJam volunteers replaced hundreds of front porch lights with sustainable compact fluorescent light bulbs.

You can support PeaceJam’s local and international call to action by purchasing an eco-friendly t-shirt at OneTribe.com. As always, 50% of your purchase goes directly to PeaceJam’s efforts.

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