30 January 2009
Why a Student Peace Prize?
When students in Norway in 1999 raised questions concerning the lack of a peace prize for students, it was with a strong belief in students’ important role in struggles for peace, democracy and human rights. They found it important to enlighten the world about students who risked their lives for the aim of a better life for themselves and their fellow citizens. Therefore, in 1999, the Student Peace Prize became a reality.
The Student Peace Prize is only one out of many prizes that every year is awarded to laureates with an aim for peace. The Nobel Peace Prize is the most recognized one, and therefore the one that gives its laureates the most attention. As well as the Nobel Peace Prize, the Student Peace Prize has its seat in Norway. Partly it was the Nobel Peace Prize that inspired the Norwegian students to create a peace prize for students. They found it frustrating that students never got considered as worthy laureates of the Nobel Peace Prize, where middle aged men dominated the table of laureates. What about the many students that risked their lives for the sake of a better future? Students are in many tense situations the ones that take the lead in opposition to authoritarian regimes. These hardly ever get any attention or recognition for their deeds. They all play extraordinary roles in the development of their communities, but are often vulnerable with little protection against assaults and injustice.
The vision of creating a community of solidarity for students from all over the world, functions as the grand goal within the organization of the Student Peace Prize. The organization finds this important because each and every student will be stronger if we all stand together as a group with the same aim for peace, democracy and human rights for all. When one student is exposed to infringement, we should all feel exposed to the same. Infringements against students in Columbia, Burma, Zimbabwe, Western Sahara or Belarus are in general infringements towards all students and a threat against the right to education. We are in a time of our life when we are able to contribute to creating a better future for ourselves, our fellow students and for those who will follow. To be able to make the student community of solidarity a reality, we must disperse knowledge and understanding, and give attention and acknowledgement to those whose effort is easily forgotten.
Students; young people who are all striving to create a beginning for the rest of their lives. It all comes down to young people who strive to make a difference. The Student Peace Prize wants to be of a positive influence, and motivate the youth in their struggles for rights. Antero Benedito da Silva and ETSSC from East Timor were the very first to receive the Prize in 1999. Ten years later da Silva commented that the greatest effect of receiving the Prize had been that it “inspired the young students to choose a non-violent strategy in their struggle”.
The Students Peace Prize wishes to continue to inspire students to act with peaceful means and choose other solutions than violence to approach their goals. We want to contribute to the creation of common conducts for all students to stand together and support each other – no matter where we are in the world. By awarding those who stand out as extraordinary role models for the rest of us, the Student Peace Prize wants to bring attention to the cause and to inspire young men and women at an early stage of their lives. We hope that this inspiration and the symbolic support the Prize gives will influence the making of sustainable decisions when confronted with difficult choices in stressed situations. - Just that might be the most important contribution from a prize aiming for peace.
Written by Åshild Hals, January 2009
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