St. Lawrence High School, Kolkata together with its alumni, St. Lawrence Old Boys’ Association, invite all Jesuit schools around the world to celebrate the power of sport and connect children and people for a common goal: to express friendship, harmony and togetherness irrespective of nationality, color, gender, religion and creed on the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. 

This year we have organized Ensemble 2018 and Chess ‘n’ Mate 2018. In an effort to connect children around the world, to grow together, to become better citizens for tomorrow, be playmates before they know enmity, and learn to love before they know hate. 

What is Ensemble 2018.-

St. Lawrence High School, Kolkata with its alumni St. Lawrence Old Boys’ Association will host Ensemble 2018 to celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace which will be held on April 6th, 2018. Students, teachers, staff, alumni, guests and invitees from other schools in Kolkata will take part by showing their White Cards as a symbol of peace and togetherness through sports. Students of St. Lawrence and other schools will be in their sports uniform during the event.

How to participate in Ensemble 2018?

All you need to do is organize an event and display your White Card. The event can be symbolic or a sporting event. Take some pictures or videos and email it to us at april6SLHS@gmail.com, we will post it on Ensemble 2018 social media with details of the event. You can post it in your social media as well but don’t forget to hashtag with #Ensemble2018  #WhiteCard  #IDSDP2018.

Each school taking part in Ensemble 2018 will receive a letter of appreciation from ‘Peace and Sport’, a neutral and independent organization based in the Principality of Monaco and under the patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco. There will be special prizes for the top three schools too. So hurry, be creative, plan your event and let us know.

Here is an example of our White Card celebration last year: https://www.educatemagis.org/blogs/international-day-sport-development-peace-observed-st-lawrence-high-school/

What is Chess ‘n’ Mate 2018?

We are also introducing Chess ‘n’ Mate, an online International School Chess Tournament with a mission of peace and cross-cultural exchange amongst children around the globe.

This year, in 2018, we will have the first edition.

Participation this year is open to all Jesuits schools around the world. The tournament will open up for other schools from next year onwards.

In parallel to the chess tournament we will team up the two children who are playing each other to write a ‘peace through sport’ message of maximum 30 words. Interestingly there are challenges in writing the message of peace. It may be that one player who speaks only Spanish will be teamed up with a player who speaks English and doesn’t know Spanish. So they have to overcome the language barrier to give the message of peace together. They are free to use a translator buddy or Google translator. The top 5 messages will have special prizes coming from Olympians.

The inaugural exhibition match will be played on April 6th between Russian GM Alexandra Kosteniuk and Indian GM Dibyendu Barua. They too will team up together to give a message of peace and friendship.

How to participate in Chess ‘n’ Mate 2018?

If you want to participate in the chess tournament just drop an email to april6SLHS@gmail.com with the following information:
– your name
– your school name
– your gender
– your age
and the language you are comfortable speaking.

Make sure you have a broadband internet connection, a computer and a webcam. Format and other details of the tournament will be published on Educate Magis as well as emailed to you.

We promise you not only a chess tournament but a platform to make friends around the globe and let you be an Ambassador for Peace. You can also watch out for updates on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/chessnmate

And we also have more …

The Logo of Expression 2018 will be revealed on April 6th after the wonderful success of Expression 2017, an artwork competition promoting Peace through sport and Olympic values. Keep an eye on Educate Magis for more details on participation. 

We hope to get you busy to create a better world of peace, more friendship, play and lots of fun !!! 😊

The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) is an annual celebration of the power of sport to drive social change, community development and to foster peace and understanding.

Creating a historical link to the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, the 6th of April was declared the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2013, and has been celebrated each year ever since 2014.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), in its capacity as Permanent Observer to the UN, has been supportive of this initiative, as it values its potential to recognise sports organisations’ role in and contribution to social change and human development. More specifically, it is an opportunity for the IOC to highlight how athletes and the Olympic Movement use sport to foster peace, reconciliation and development, and underline the power of the Olympic Games to promote tolerance and solidarity among the participants, fans and people all over the world.
http://www.un.org/en/events/sportday/

 
Pope Francis, in his native Spanish, is heard saying that “sports make it possible to build a culture of encounter among everyone, for a world of peace.” He voices his dream that sports would be “the practice of human dignity turned into a vehicle of fraternity,” and asks if viewers would join him in putting his prayer into action: “that sports may be an opportunity for friendly encounters between peoples and may contribute to peace in the world.”