With On Earth Peace’s mission to develop and walk with leaders and communities who work for justice and peace, On Earth Peace has offered six Community Youth Engagement Grants to youth worldwide since 2020. Supporting youth-developed and youth-led projects, the Community Engagement Grant offers up to $500 in grant funding and guiding frameworks to support peace and justice-based projects to encourage community engagement, growth, and advocacy in youth and the creation of a beloved community. 

In Fall 2023, the Community Youth Engagement Grants were offered to two wonderful recipients: Mia Zeeman and the Borderless Relations Committee (BRC).

Based in Ezulwini, Eswatini, Mia Zeeman is a high schooler who is passionate about bettering the standard of living for children in local orphanages to ensure that “none of the children living in these orphanages have to worry about things like that [basic human needs such as food, menstrual products for young girls, clothes, shoes, etc.] and are free to live and act freely like every child deserves.” 

Through the Community Engagement Grant, she has started the Helping Hands Foundation, a project focused on helping local orphanages in her local Eswatini community meet their supply needs for materials such as sanitary menstrual products and food. Working closely with the orphanages and the children to witness and address the issue first-hand, Mia will be focusing on hosting fundraisers and events to raise money and bring awareness to the unjust funding of orphanages in her area. 

Based in Findlay, OH, the Borderless Relations Committee (BRC) is run by Miki Kawamura, Ekeria Iboaya, and Daniel Jung, three high schoolers who are passionate about bringing conversations about and awareness for diversity (racial diversity, socioeconomic diversity, etc.) to local Findlay classrooms. As the third generation of BRC, Miki, Ekeria, and Daniel are working to guide youth to take steps towards inclusivity by focusing on conversations and lessons about empowering themselves and others to create a community of belonging in classrooms. 

Through their Taking Steps Toward Inclusivity program, their mission is to “empower the youth by building awareness about the value of diversity and by developing skills to combat racism in order to create a brighter future for Findlay, Ohio.”  Planning a direct workshop with fourth graders in a local elementary school, they will work on spreading inclusivity, awareness, and celebration of individuality in the classroom by teaching and facilitating conversations about microaggressions, the impact of wording, and how to approach inquiries about the differences students will notice in their peers. They will also be partnering with the local Children’s Mentoring Connections program, an afterschool program in Findlay, and a school summer camp. 

Please wish these wonderful youth good luck and cheer them on as they will work throughout the year to build their beloved communities of peace! Thank you to our donors who have made this initiative possible.