Women Lead the Way: IWPG Busan East Branch Holds Online Graduation for 25-3-4 Peace Education Course

Empowering Women as Peace Educators

On September 16, the International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) Busan East Branch successfully held the graduation ceremony for the 25-3-4 Women’s Peace Education Course online.

The two-week program, held under the slogan “The first teacher in our lives is our mother—woman, it is you,” was designed to help participants recognize women’s role as agents of peace and to equip them with the skills to serve as peace instructors. Graduates who completed all eight sessions received official IWPG Peace Instructor Certificates.

Peace Begins with Small Acts

The curriculum highlighted the idea that peace begins by respecting and loving oneself. When respect and love are absent, conflict and division emerge. But when individuals practice mutual respect and love, peace can flourish.

A central metaphor in the program compared peace to a dandelion seed: a small change in one person can be carried by the wind to transform society and, ultimately, the world.

Graduate Ha Mi-yeon shared her reflections:

“I realized that peace is not something distant, but something that begins with my small actions. I will practice respect and love in daily life and, as a peace instructor, share what I’ve learned to help spread peace.”

Building a Culture of Peace

Branch Director Jang Myeong-ok emphasized that the course was more than a transfer of knowledge:

“This program encouraged participants to think and act for themselves. It provided a chance to experience how women can be both the foundation and the connection point of peace.”

IWPG’s Global Peace Efforts

IWPG is an international NGO registered with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC). With 115 branches in 122 countries and more than 800 partner organizations, IWPG is dedicated to realizing sustainable world peace. Its efforts include women’s peace education, spreading a culture of peace, and advocating for the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) to be adopted as international law.

Source: https://vo.la/DMnUGzn