Storytelling can be a means to connect strangers and in the process foster empathy and kindness.

While there is , Mike Boudreau understands how through sharing stories, and listening to the stories of others, one can build connections with their community and through these connections a path to peace.

sa国际传媒淚f we want there to be peace in the community we need to understand people in the community,sa国际传媒� said Boudreau. sa国际传媒淗ow do you do that? You have to sit down and tell them your story, and then listen.sa国际传媒�

A practising Buddhist who offers meditation sessions, Boudreau is also the Peace Building Committee Chair with the Shuswap Rotary Club.

This year, Shuswap Rotary became a Peacebuilder Club, a club mandated to play a vital role in sa国际传媒�.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淎 lot of people think about peace building as international, like resolving conflict between countries and stuff like that,sa国际传媒� said Boudreau. sa国际传媒淎nd really, we need to be peace building right in here (pointing to his heart), and then our family, and then our community and our country sa国际传媒� it kind of works out from that.

sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 the approach our club has been taking. What can we do to help people become not just peace advocates, but peace builders, have an interest in it and do something about it, because a lot of people feel theresa国际传媒檚 nothing they can do. They turn on the TV and see whatsa国际传媒檚 going on in Gaza and Ukraine and feel helpless.sa国际传媒�

One way to be a peace builder, Boudreau explained, is through acts of kindness. In February, the club reached out to people in the community seeking stories of acts of kindness, about things people did for others or were done for them. The club later shared some of these stories publicly for Pink Shirt Day.

Wanting to keep the momentum going, the club set up a QR-code accessible database at , where one can find suggestions for acts of kindness to do for others. It also welcomes suggestions for acts of kindness, and invites people to share personal stories/experiences involving acts of kindness.

sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e working with a number of groups throughout the Okanagan right now who think this is really cool and wish to adopt it,sa国际传媒� said Boudreau. sa国际传媒淵ou can also report kindnesses that have been done to you and wesa国际传媒檒l publish those.sa国际传媒�

Another of the clubsa国际传媒檚 peace-building initiatives will begin in the summer in partnership with Rev. Jenny Carter at First Community (Salmon Armsa国际传媒檚 First United Church).

sa国际传媒淭he third Friday of each month, starting in June, wesa国际传媒檙e hosting Peace and Pizza,sa国际传媒� said Boudreau. sa国际传媒淭his is by donation so itsa国际传媒檚 accessible to everybody, and what wesa国际传媒檙e going to do is have a fireside chat.sa国际传媒�

The first speaker will be Neskonlith knowledge-sharer Louis Thomas.

sa国际传媒淟ouis and I will sit in front of an audience and Isa国际传媒檒l say, sa国际传媒楲ouis, tell me your story,sa国际传媒� and then let him tell his story, and then Isa国际传媒檒l have a list of questions to kind of probe the corners and depths.sa国际传媒�

Boudreau pointed out it can be easy to simply label a person instead of taking the time to listen to and understand them.

sa国际传媒淪implifying creates polarization and division, and itsa国际传媒檚 the wrong way to grow because society is fracturing around us with all of this division so we need to do the opposite, we need to start listening to each other,sa国际传媒� said Boudreau. sa国际传媒淲e need to listen to each othersa国际传媒檚 story. Thatsa国际传媒檚 what wesa国际传媒檙e going to do with this Peace and Pizza. Wesa国际传媒檒l teach everybody how to be curious about other peoplesa国际传媒檚 storiessa国际传媒� and after people will go away with the skill of learning other peoplesa国际传媒檚 world view.

sa国际传媒淟earning somebody elsesa国际传媒檚 world view does not mean you have to agree with them, but it does require you to develop some understanding of them. When you understand someone elsesa国际传媒檚 world view, yousa国际传媒檙e less likely to be polarized and labelling and that sort of thing.sa国际传媒�

Boudreau noted the Peace and Pizza chats may not bring people at sa国际传媒減olar extremessa国际传媒� together. However, they may still be reached through a ripple effect.

sa国际传媒淚f we get enough people saying, sa国际传媒榟ey, do you understand that personsa国际传媒檚 story?sa国际传媒� that will spread,sa国际传媒� said Boudreau. sa国际传媒淪ociologically theresa国际传媒檚 six degrees of separation. That means six ripples and yousa国际传媒檝e got everybody in the world. So if yousa国际传媒檝e got one person doing the right things thatsa国际传媒檚 going to ripplesa国际传媒� we just need to influence enough people to say sa国际传媒榟ey, whatsa国际传媒檚 your story?sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒�

The Shuswap Rotary club is also looking for ideas, other ways people/groups are encouraging acts of kindness and/or steps towards peace.

sa国际传媒淎nybody that has a peace building idea in the community or is already doing something along those lines, we would like to know about it, about them and what theysa国际传媒檙e doing and if they need help or whatever.sa国际传媒�

The first Peace and Pizza event will be at First Community, 5:30 p.m. on June 21. To learn more about upcoming events, and to share or report acts of kindness, visit peacebuilders.world. For more information about the Shuswap Rotary Club, visit shuswaprotary.org.

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