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The Anguish of War - The Work of Hope Every night I wake up and think of the people being bombed in Ukraine as the world watches. I think of Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Myanmar and Sudan - other places where people are being bombed as the world watches. I am in anguish over this needless suffering. How are you doing, my friend? I turn to art in these difficult times. The creative expression of feelings brings relief. I invite you to join me and contribute to the 102nd Singing Tree mural, The Ukrainian Singing Tree of Strength and Freedom. We hope to bring love to those who are suffering in Ukraine, including the African students who are having a hard time leaving. The project will raise funds for the International Rescue Committee’s work with Ukrainian refugees. Below you'll find the study for the mural which uses the Ukrainian flag for its background and honors Ukraine's national tree which is a viburnum. The roots are holding the heart of the world. The national bird – the nightingale - is singing and calling out, and the map of Ukraine on the earth is surrounded by blood and prayer dots. Instructions and templates for leaves and birds are here . Progress on The Cyprus Singing Tree of Peace The mural has begun, after two years of planning with our amazing partner in Cyprus, Visual Voices . Below is the study that grew out of the genius of 8 artists working together, four from the North and four from the South of Cyprus. It was not an easy process. They worked through differences and came up with a rich, unique image. Photographer Giorgos Stylianou took the bottom two photos, one using a drone. He will be documenting the project. To witness such beauty and collaboration between opposite members of a divided nation in this time of seeing bombed out, flatten cities and families having to flee for their lives gives me strength. I hope it gives you strength, too. The Cyprus Singing Tree of Peace is Unity Through Creativity's first 5 x 5 Projec t: 5 Singing Tree Murals in 5 countries for 5 years. The countries are Cyprus, Uganda, England, Peru and the United States. The Kyangwali Singing Tree of Healing the Trauma of War Our project in Uganda has taken on new meaning as we witness 2 million people becoming refugees in 12 days. The question of whether our species can handle mass migration with compassion, grace and focused resources is a challenge of the 21st century. Climate chaos has been estimated to dislodge 120 million people in the next decades. This number doesn't include migration caused by people fleeing violence and poverty. The Kyangwali Refugee camp is all too familiar with leaving one's homeland because of war. 95% of the refugees who live in the UN's settlement in northern Uganda have come from the Congo. The trauma of war has stayed with them for decades and the need for healing is intense. The Singing Tree process is a collective way for feelings to be expressed and stories to be shared - a necessary step in healing. Kanizius Nsabimana , the Lead Organizer, came up with the theme for the Singing Tree of Healing the Trauma of War. He fled the Congo to the refugee camp when he was seven in 1996. As a visionary educator, he founded Youth Challenge 4 Change which supports entrepreneurial projects by high school students and teaches Peace Building Through Sport. World-renown Lead Artist, Emma Kavuma , lives in Kampala, 6 hours away from the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement. He follows in his artist father's footsteps, even though he lost him and his mother as a young child. His father used charcoal as his main medium. 4 year-old Emma picked up charcoal from the fireplace when his parents died and started drawing. He hasn't stopped. Sharing the principle that creativity is a birthright, Emma brought art-making to Syrian refugees in the Netherlands. We are thrilled to have both Emma and Kanizius join our team of Singing Tree Facilitators . The Kyangwali Singing Tree is the 2nd 5 x5 Project. The $20,000 project still has $9000 to go before we can launch. We're going to be embarking on a creative fundraising campaign soon. Please stay tuned! And lastly, we celebrate with you. May all women be cherished and safe. May all men be cherished and safe. May all children be cherished and safe. Humbly and with love, Laurie P.S. The eagle in the moon at the head of the newsletter was drawn by Lidia Lopez , Singing Tree Facilitator and Community Matters Bully Prevention Trainer , in honor of her father who died last year.

Earth Day, Bioneers and Ukraine Every day is Earth Day with the Singing Tree Project . One of the goals of the Singing Tree Project is to focus on the sacredness of the rare and precious planet we occupy in each mural we create. We are here together. Thank you for being a part of this Village to make a world that works for all living beings. Unity Through Creativity (UTC) will be offering a workshop to the public on Friday, 8th, July 8th from 1:00-4:00 pm with Kathleen Brigidina of TreeSisters on painting with natural materials. We strive to make our practices kinder to the earth. Stay tuned for more details. The painting above is a detail of the Ukrainian Singing Tree of Strength and Freedom in progress. The Nightingale, painted by Zayra Mojaca of the University of Texas in El Paso, is the national bird of Ukraine. The songbird is sitting on the Viburnum tree, which the besieged country's National Tree. Sacred Humans, Sacred Earth and Sacred Life are being destroyed in Ukraine as the world watches. They are being destroyed in Yemen, Afghanistan, the Congo, Syria, Ethiopia, Mexico, the U.S. and...... They are being destroyed all over the planet. This is not the world we know is possible. Unity Through Creativity - not Unity Through Force - is demonstrated over and over through our projects. We join with other Peace Builders (see Partners) in sharing skills, resources and strengths in this huge challenge of creating a just and loving society on our miraculous planet. World Premier of Four Singing Trees at Bioneers, Palace of the Fine Arts, SF, May 13-15, 2022 Bioneers is having their first in-person conference since Oct, 2019. The non-profit brings together cutting-edge leaders from Indigenous communities, the sciences, the arts and business. You are invited to attend Unity Through Creativity' s workshop on Friday, May 13 from 2:45-4:30 in the Youth Space at San Francisco's Palace of the Fine Arts. The conference will also be available virtually. We will be co-creating The Magical Window Singing Tree at the conference, led by youth. We are also excited to exhibit nine Singing Trees, four of which have not been seen by the public - T he Restorative Justice Singing Tree, The Mahogany Singing Tree to Reunite Children with Their Families , The Ukrainian Singing Tree of Strength and Freedom and The Redwood Singing Trees of Holding Community Through Unity , seen below with Singing Tree Facilitators Leslie Rein and Dr. Sweta Chawla. This mural was made by 4th graders at Ocean View School in Albany, CA and will be receiving leaves and birds this week. Love the Yoda at the bottom and the turquoise giraffe. Progress on the Ukrainian Singing Tree We send love to all those affected directly and indirectly by the Ukrainian War. In the face of terrible violence, we pay tribute to lives lost and cities destroyed by small acts of creativity and beauty. This video gives insight into the process and meaning of the project: Kyangwali Singing Tree to Heal the Trauma of War Thank you to all those who have contributed to this project. In the face of compassion fatigue, we ask you to remember those whose lives have been disrupted and scarred by violence, those who have been confined to refugee settlements for decades. The UN predicts that 120 million will be displaced by climate change and war in the next 20 years. The people at Kyangwali are our teachers. We are providing a creative space for them to express their wisdom and inner beauty. Please donate here and help Peace Building Through Art spread. In closing, we would love to see you in two weeks IN PERSON if you are in the Bay Area or on-line at the Virtual Bioneers Conference . Humbly and with love, Laurie and the UTC Team

By Laurie Marshall Special to El Paso Matters , published May 27th As yet another young man inflicts the pain he is suffering on others, the urgency of teaching peace literacy in our schools, communities and institutions becomes more pressing. Knowing how to experience and express feelings in a constructive way is a lifelong process. Now, neurobiology and scientific research are giving us tools that we can strive to master as adults and pass along to our children. The good news is that the communication skills of compassion, collaboration, trust-building, self-expression and empathy can be taught. The bad news is that it isn’t happening systematically in our schools and other institutions. Four important resources for life-saving training are the Peace Literacy Institute, Brene Brown’s work, the bully prevention training of Community Matters, and Peace Building Through Art. Tools for building the muscle needed for a world without mass shootings and war can be found at The Peace Literacy Institute , in a free K-16 curriculum. The institute was founded by Paul K. Chappell, a former Army captain at Fort Bliss and in Iraq. The West Point graduate is applying what he learned in the military to waging peace. He had the profile of a mass shooter, coming from an abusive childhood. He thought it was normal to fantasize about killing his classmates in high school. His English teacher helped him discover the power of writing to express his pain instead of taking it out on innocent bystanders. He’s written seven books which are part of the curriculum and is adapting the curriculum to a virtual reality format. All of Brene Brown’s books and talks break down and scaffold the skills involved in identifying and expressing emotions. If these feelings are unexpressed, they become malignant and turn into violence. Her most recent work, available in book form and an HBO video series, is “Atlas of the Heart,” which defines 87 emotions. Her books are must reads for every parent, spouse, educator, and business person. The bullying prevention work of Community Matters , co-founded by El Paso’s visionary educator John Linney, outlines five types of mistreatment and ways that students can counteract them. The five damaging, bullying behaviors include exclusion, put-downs, intimidation, unwanted physical contact and acts against the community. Students gain practice in role-playing, putting up someone who was put down, active listening, distracting an aggressor’s negative behavior from a target, supporting someone who is in pain, and proposing consequences and alternatives to talk a friend out of seeking revenge. Finally, the arts are an under-utilized tool to prevent violence. The pain, insecurity and stress that drives aggression – from an 18-year-old mass shooter to a 69-year-old head of the Russian state – can be expressed, seen and shared in the creative arts. Peace literacy skills can be taught in the process of creating murals, music, drama and dance. Having that common experience makes connections to the heart between diverse people and allows difficult experiences to be transformed and healed. As we face trauma upon compounded trauma with the rise of climate chaos and the anguish of violence, all of us deserve the tools of peace literacy, just as we all deserve reading literacy. Please bring these scientifically proven tools to your family and community. Laurie Marshall is a project-based learning and arts integration specialist who recently moved to El Paso to be close to her grandchildren. She is a certified K-12 art and social studies teacher and the founder of www.UnityThroughCreativity.org , a Peace Building Through Art non-profit.

Dear Friends of Unity Through Creativity, As the days come to their shortest, the darkness makes the light shine brightest. We celebrate that each person's "Inner Light" can shine brightly through expressing their unique creativity. In the darkness of both the season and the darkness of needless suffering inflicted by violence on our world, each person's Light is desperately needed.  Unity Through Creativity  (UTC) celebrates the support that Roswell, New Mexico's public school system gives to the Light of its students.  This town of 50,000 houses the cutting-edge  Creative Learning Center .  Almost 5000 K-5 students receive high quality arts experiences with 14 Teaching Artists in the performing and visual arts.  In a ten-hour "Peace Building Through Art" training, UTC facilitated a collaborative vision  - the 4' x 12'  Singing Tree of Creating Creative Community. " We couldn't pay enough money for this training. It was just what the teaching artists needed after working with 700 students every two weeks for four months. They were replenished, excited by their creativity and risk-taking and grew more connected to each other "        Tamra Gedde, Director, Creative Learning Center, Roswell, New Mexico   With the long dark nights upon us,  Unity Through Creativity  brought together a group of people to support and strengthen El Paso's  Beloved Community . On Dec. 8, we met at  Abara , an "ever-growing community of peace builders in the beautiful borderlands of Juarez and El Paso".  After sharing a delicious potluck, we viewed a brand new short documentary of the  International Day of Peace . "Seeing the video reminded me that there are still so many good people in the world that want peace and connection,"  said musician and podcaster  g'beda  who was part of the day. Hopefully viewing the video will reaffirm your faith in humanity as well. The intergenerational, interracial, inter-religious group of 25 people, aged 8 to 79, who gathered at Abara this month contributed their vision to the 3' x 4'  El Paso City of Peace Singing Tree Mural  (a work in progress). We are also honoring the work of  Tino Ortega  (the 915, which is El Paso's area code),  Patrick Gabaldon  (the cacti) and  David Herrera  (the Mexican man who did not give up his search for a lost son) Both events were partially funded by a grant from  MCAD , El Paso Museum & Cultural Affairs Division. We also honor the 64-foot tall mountain lion sculpture on  The El Paso City of Peace Singing Tree ( work-in-progress).  The artwork is mounted on a downtown building and was made by Portuguese artist Bordalo II out of trash. The cougar is known as Frankie  and was made possible by Green Hope Project , an art, education, environmental program. As a friend of Unity Through Creativity, we appreciate the support you have given to nourish the unique "Light" of youth and adults through our teambuilding, creative self-confidence and collaboration programs in 2023.  Your connection with us strengthens our determination to grow this work.    Thank you from the bottom of our heart, Laurie and the UTC Team

Dear Friends of Unity Through Creativity, 2023 is done and spring is here in El Paso, Texas and Oakland, California! We hope this is a time of new growth for you, your family and your community. We also hope this is a time of new growth for Peace Building in a world that has too much unearned suffering. Our hearts are with those who are experiencing the terror of violence, especially the children, in the Middle East, Ukraine, the Congo, Sudan, Afghanistan, and anywhere people are not safe. In the midst of the conflicts around the world, we'd like to share the 2023 Milestones of Unity Through Creativity. We served 1,714 people—youth, adults and elders—who learned communication skills while creating 15 Singing Tree® murals.  Over 90% of participants report significant increases in their belief that people can create extraordinary results.  11 year-old Victor from Santa Rosa, California summarized the lesson of the  Singing Tree Mural Project  succinctly:  "If you're not fighting, you can make something great together,"    Click  here  to see all 15 murals and hear insightful comments, We continue to build Martin Luther King's " Beloved Community ", one mural at a time.  Below are youth from around the country attending the  Bioneers Conference  last year. For the  14th year , the Singing Tree Mural Project will be participating in the  Bioneers Conference , offering a hands-on experience to youth and those who wished to join in making a collaborative visual message.  We will be in at University of California in Berkeley on the street in front of the David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way Thursday-Saturday, March 28-30 in the afternoons. Please join us if you are in the Bay area.  We'd love to have you attend this amazing conference with us and make your mark on the mural. Please enjoy these three short videos of our experiences at Bioneers over the years. The first video grew out of Bioneers 2018; the second one, Bioneers 2013 and the third one, Bioneers 2022. Stay tuned for exciting updates about Earth Month in El Paso where the themes of Party for the Planet, Creativity Connects with Conservation and Planet vs. Plastics will be featured around the city. What's happening in your community for Earth Month? We're also excited to expand our offering of stream-lined, accelerated Team Building programs for organizations and businesses. You can learn more here. Bud, blossom, fruit - that is the rhythm of Spring which we are a part of. May the practice of Peace Building, and Peace Building through Art, amplify this natural evolution with clarity, hope and strength. You appreciation, Laurie and the UTC Team

Fernanda Lugo shares her experience of going to the 2024 Bioneers Conference. Part 1: On Land and water driving across the US.: Texas to California… My mentor and friend Laurie Marshall and I drove from El Paso, Texas to the Bay Area for 16 hours, in two days, to bring our Singing Tree Murals and supplies to display and create a mural at the Bioneers Conference, 35th year.  The road trip was a nice space to connect more ideas and prepare myself for the adventures I'd have in California. On the way, we crossed the hot deserts of Arizona, Tucson, Phoenix, and L.A., and arrived through the large middle of California agriculture. It’s bigger than you’re imagining it. Even bigger. Onward and onward it goes, you can spot orange trees, other citruses, and peaches. Nothing labelled= you just have to know from the shape of the leaves, and branches. It would be nice if it were labelled we thought. “This is where your almond milk comes from” a sign would say. “Thank the migrant workers who work in these fields” another could read. Signs did abound about water and how they (the farmers?) think it should be managed. “Does growing food waste water?” a sign asked. “Newsom, stop wasting our water”.  It was a great road trip to discuss the politics of water rights and management but we came home even more enlightened on the topic since water and land management was a big topic on the Bioneer's conference agenda.

Dear Friends of Unity Through Creativity, The gathering of loving minds at the  Bioneers  conference this March in Berkeley, CA was expansive, strengthening and focusing. 50 youth from around the country co-created  "The Singing Tree of Reproductive Freedom that Restores Mother Earth"    in 15 hours.     The 8' x 4' mural expressed the collective heartache these caring youth are carrying, stemming from the denial of reproductive freedom, land/habitat destruction, and climate injustice.  They transformed their distress into joyous beauty. The symbolism of the mural includes a pink tree whose roots form a uterus and fallopian tubes; an angel to guide and protect us in this difficult time; the wisdom of the owl; ten trees connected to a heart in a sacred circle; the female, male and trans signs combined and following the spiral of growth; and the miracle of technology as shown by a satellite.  One student said: “The information at Bioneers about our environmental challenges is really hard.  Being able to paint together and talk really helped me have hope. ”    Party for the Planet Singing Tree  This is a work in progress. Thank you to all those who added your vision and voice in El Paso's at the Earth Fair and at the El Paso Zoo. We are happy to have you here.  Stay tuned for the completion of this mural. May we reach for sustainability in the hot desert climate, like Eco-El Paso Board member Adrian Aniekwena. May you reach for sustainability wherever you find yourself. We are in this together. With appreciation, Laurie and the UTC Team

The Magical Window Singing Tree Mural What a joyful relief to gather in person at the Bioneers Conference after a two-year Covid hiatus. The focused, caring and visionary activists who came together strengthened our hearts in this tumultuous time. Bioneers' commitment for young people to play an active role in its gathering and programs is one reason I value this organization. Youth groups from Louisiana, Alaska, New York, California and Texas created the 108th Singing Tree mural . Even though they had never met each other before, they co-created a unique and powerful symbol in three days. Making the mural together allowed the youth to process the impact of difficult and hopeful stories they heard in the plenaries, as well as their life experiences. The image inside the circular Magical Window is the place where humanity and nature are one, where rainbows and water begin, where the baby birds sing and leaves fly. It is surrounded by love and held by the phases of the moon. After hearing the story of Ecuadorian indigenous forest protectors Nina and Helena Gualinga, who have stood against logging companies and oil companies, the students felt compelled to add tree stumps and oil to the painting. The courageous Gualinga sisters showed a video of a broken oil pipe spewing a stream of black liquid over the forested hillside of their sacred land. A caribou looks on, larger than the fountain of oil, yet still affected. Some of the youth from Louisiana had lost two classmates to gun violence. They honored their friends whose lives were cut short in the birds below. The head of the Bioneers Youth Program , Nature-based educator Will Scott of Weaving Earth , gave feedback to Unity Through Creativity's support of the young people at the conference: "The gorgeous murals you all brought literally transformed the room. I honestly don't know if what happened in there would have been possible if the space hadn't felt so beautiful, inspiring and dynamically held by the murals that embraced it. Really. And then there's the gorgeous mural you painted! Incredible. Both the process and the end result added so much to the conference and the youth program as a whole. It was really a gift to have the art being made in real time in the space (and I know it wasn't always easy to pull that off!). A deep bow of gratitude to you, your crew, and the amazing work you do." Here's a short video of the joy of co-creating this project. Facilitators of the Month Unity Through Creativity Foundation will now be honoring our amazing facilitators each month. We begin by recognizing the enormous efforts of Leslie Rein (middle) and Diana Schiaretta (left) who have taken on a HUGE project. Leadership means facing uncertainty, inspiring trust and daring greatly. That's what Leslie and Diana are accomplishing at Shanel Valley Academy , a new, small charter school in Hopland, California. The Singing Tree Facilitators are helping a brave group of educators, who have begun a STEAM, agricultural and project-based Learning Community in town that has been without an elementary school for 10 years. The student population is 35% Pomo, 35% Hispanic and 30% white. The school is completing their first year by making a 30 foot-long Singing Tree mural in a walk way. The Shanel Valley Academy Singing Tree of Community and Culture celebrates the return of their community school which is devoted to cultural inclusion and supporting every child. The 5th and 6th graders are the Lead Design Team for the project, inviting the younger grades, the staff, their families and community members. Unity Through Creativity is supporting the profound accomplishment of Shanel Valley Academy's first year with the all-inclusive mural project, inspired by the native oak tree. Leslie and Diana have driven over 200 miles each trip, going above and beyond in their devotion to co-creating the mural and touching the lives of the whole school community. More Peace Leaders Are Needed Our goal is to train 30 Facilitators in 2022. Co-heart #6 will certify Singing Tree Facilitators in a week-long training from July 18-22, both in-person (El Paso) and virtual. We're adding to the team of trained, creative Peace Leaders to combat the seemingly never-ending tidal wave of violence. With the recent massacres and invasions, I'm racking my brain about how to prevent more wars and more heartbreaking murders of children and their teachers. My broken heart is devoted to trying to find answers. I'm sharing an opinion piece that I wrote for El Paso Matters - Peace Literacy is a Birthright to share tools and skills. There are many solutions needed. I'd love to hear your ideas, thoughts and feelings. We are in this together. With Gratitude, Laurie

Five words.The United States is based on these five words. A mission statement of 5 words is memorable. Everyone in our country knows them. Really our only task is to test whether or not our actions contribute to liberty and justice for all people on the planet. The idea is that one person's liberty is balanced by the justice of the action they have chosen. And all means ALL, even if it didn't in our country's founding. ALL means a multi-racial democracy with men and women, rich and poor, having Liberty and Justice. It's brilliant. Yes, it's also messy, painful, complex and difficult beyond our wildest dreams - loggers and environmentalists, unborn children and endangered or over-burdened mothers, short term energy needs and preventing the collapse of eco-systems, to name a few. I see closing the gap between our vision of Liberty and Justice for All and our reality to be a clear goal for all of us to work on in every sphere of our society. The Singing Tree Mural of What Makes America Great wasmade in 2017 by an intergenerational, inter-political group of people, exploring a positive future for our country. It also honors our ancestors. The tear in Lady Liberty's eye is for the suffering in our country and our world as we fail to guarantee Liberty and Justice for All. Unity Through Creativity Foundation seeks to demonstrate the beauty of our nation's mission. In the Singing Tree Mural Project , the whole world is invited to make a painting together, envisioned by an 8 year old girl. While making collaborative murals inspired by the mutualism of trees and forests, each person is free to express their vision of a positive future with just treatment for people and planet. The daunting goal is achieved one mural at a time, and the training of Singing Tree Mural facilitators. A remarkable organization that is bringing Liberty and Justice to All is Education Cannot Wait , the Global Fund hosted by UNICEF for children in emergencies. It has brought education to 30 million children who have experienced upheaval and displacement. If the children traumatized by loss of their state, natural disaster and violent conflict can receive support for their natural creativity, compassion and curiosity, the world will have more Peace Leaders and collaborators than terrorists, rogue militias and lone wolves. It is such important work. Unity Through Creativity will be cross-marketing with Education Cannot Wait as we begin to explore how "Peace Buliding Through Art" might play a role in their Multi-Year Resilience programs. Our work in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement is ready to launch as soon as we raise the last $10,500. You can support the pilot Singing Tree to Heal the Trauma of War here . Facilitators of the Month This month we recognize Gabi Lipska and Bobbie Rae Jones , the first two certified Singing Tree Facilitators . Gabi is an artist, social worker, mother and Polish immigrant living in Cumbria, England. She is in the middle of her third Singing Tree. Her first is called The Willow Singing Tree of Celebrating Our True Value , co-created with immigrant women in rural England. The second was made with elementary school students when they first came back from Covid. It's called The Singing Ash Tree of Abundance and Protection . Bobbie Rae , the second Facilitator we are honoring, is an artist, educator, mother and Disaster Recovery Worker whose family has lived in northern California since the Gold Rush in 1849. People who lost their homes to fires in Northern California helped design and paint The Magnolia Singing Tree of Our Inner Wellspring. In these short videos, Gabi describes the magic of collaborative art and Bobbie Rae shares the process and symbolism of the mural. To end, I'd like share another commentary in El Paso Matters on-line newspaper about the power of Connection, Purpose and Creativity to help end gun violence . Please share your ideas and actions to heal, regenerate and transform the disfunction and harm we are witnessing. We are in this together. With Gratitude, Laurie

In 2001, my mentor, Avon Mattison , saw the proposal she made to the United Nations come true - the establishment of the International Day of Peace . Since then, on September 21st each year, there are worldwide cease fires and increased efforts to make peace a reality. Avon, whose name rhymes with Heaven, made that happen. Whenever she talked with me, I felt bathed in Divine Love. She always inquired enthusiastically about Singing Tree Project , which gave me strength to keep going in the face of obstacles. Avon saw the United Nations' as a "Divine Plan for the Unified Souls of all Nations to move from a culture of war, violence and separation to one of regeneration and peace." She also said "Peace is a verb. It includes actions for the benefit of ALL life... We don't know what the future holds. We cannot be attached to the outcome." Avon passed away at the age of 80 on Oct. 13, 2021, leaving Pathways to Peace to carry on her work. I have kept her last message on my phone. When I am struggling, I raise my vibration by listening to her angelic voice. This time last year, Unity Through Creativity celebrated 20 years of the Singing Tree Project - on-line. What a gathering of Peace Leaders that was! It affirmed the power of creativity and collaboration to pro-actively build a culture of peace. Thank you to everyone who joined us for that rich dialogue. This year, we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the International Day of Peace at Keystone Heritage Park in El Paso, Texas - in-person. We will be remembering Avon Mattison, the visionary founder of this international holiday. We will also be exploring the UN's 2022 goal of the day: End Racism, Build Peace. We are proud to partner with the Interfaith Alliance of the Southwest, whose extensive network in El Paso is helping us bring together the multi-cultural, mutli-racial, multi-generational Village that is the basis of a healthy democracy. Here's the beginning of the Singing Tree Mural that will be unveiled and contributed to at our celebration. Our focus is on Peace with the Earth, Peace with Each Other and Peace Within Ourselves. Please share what you are doing to celebrate the Fall Equinox and the International Day of Peace. Let us amplify the waves of Peace - doing conflict well - as an alternative to letting our differences destroy our planet and each other. We'd love to hear from you... To end, I'd like share another commentary in El Paso Matters on-line newspaper about the power of Connection, Purpose and Creativity to help end gun violence . Please share your ideas and actions to heal, regenerate and transform the disfunction and harm we are witnessing. We are in this together. With Gratitude, Laurie

East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), Oakland, CA The Singing Tree Mural of Strength and Happiness - Ahmir, 13, Painting the Dragon Dear Friends of Unity Through Creativity, No matter how traumatized, isolated or jaded our young people seem, just below the surface there is a heroic, big picture thinker waiting to be expressed, wanting to connect. It's true of adults as well. That is the experience of 21 years of making collaborative Singing Tree murals . The Singing Tree Mural of Strength and Happiness , facilitated by Leslie Rein and Diana Sciaretta in EOBA's after-school program, includes the Singing Tree Project's first dragon. This quote from @Kdawg0_0 popped up on Instagram yesterday: "I just told my wife I'm sorry we have to raise children in these dystopian times. She replied, 'Never feel sorry for raising dragon slayers in a time when there are actual dragons.' " The dragons of our time include climate chaos, gun violence, racism, ecosystem degradation and wealth inequality, to name a few. We slay the dragons by creatively envisioning the positive future we want together - then taking action to build the multi-racial and inclusive society we know is possible. We do this in the context of our rare and precious planet hanging in space. But wait! The youth from EOBA look upon the dragon as their guardian, not something to slay. The winged beast is a protector against violence and despair, showering love upon the children. Fabian, aged nine, said "When I took the first step on top of the ladder and saw this painting, I didn't realize that kids could have this in their mind... I didn't realize they could have all of this, ALL OF THIS MURAL, in them... This mural could change our lives, because we have joy, we have community, we have a great time in our lives, enjoy your life." The young people created their protective dragon as they designed, built and painted together. We thank the Peaceful World Foundation and EOBA for funding this exciting project. With love, Laurie and the Team at UTC

Dear Friends of Unity Through Creativity, We are deeply grateful to all of you for your support on El Paso's Giving Day. We exceeded our goal of $5000 by $6200, raising $11,200!! Each of you who made a contribution helps us bring our Peace Building Through Art programs to underserved communities. We have also been included in the giving program of Coffee for the Arts . You can support us by supporting them. The images above were created out of the hearts and imagination of 11-year-olds in sixth grade in the Piner-Olivet School District in Santa Rosa, California. These images can give us strength in these times when we are forced into sound bite horror, as Sherri Mitchell describes our witness of innocents suffering in the Middle East. These sixth-graders offer us connection to peace and compassion through their depictions of swans and ospreys; elephants, giraffes, wolves and bears; the Pomo ancestors; and the otherworldliness of an alien on Jupiter. These children offer us connection to the innocence and optimism of our own inner child. Unity Through Creativity completed three murals with 6th graders in Santa Rosa, California. We listened to their voices and made a space for them to express their vision of possibilities together. Below is the 8' x 12' The Arroyo Willow And Live Oak Singing Tree of Differences and Appreciation, made by a Lead Design Team of 43 6th graders of Schaefer Charter Elementary School in ten days. Lili Lopez and I facilitated the mural. One student said, "I’m taking all of the wars and harm into Peace and Freedom through making this mural with my classmates." The Willow and Redwood Tree of Healing and Freedom From Fear, co-created by 26 6th graders at Jack London Elementary School was facilitated by Sweta Chawla and Cynthia Caruso. "The project gave me courage to help others and to have peace. I wish I had done this when I was 6 years old." -Julian Leslie Rein and Lili Lopez facilitated The Madrone and Redwood Singing Tree of Peace and Justice below made with 27 sixth graders as the Lead Design Team at Olivet Elementary School. "Bullying people for being different, being disrespectful to others and violence were all taken away because of this wonderful mural." "I learned that we can have peace and work with each other. I also learned that just because we are different, we can learn to appreciate that." Please consider supporting the work of the Singing Tree Project . Through your donation, you create the opportunity for children and adults to have a tangible experience that we are all in this together and that each of us can grow beyond our small selves to embrace the world. Thank you for your support. Laurie and the UTC Team

Unity Through Creativity Foundation and the Interfaith Alliance of the Southwest hosted a celebration of the International Day of Peace Keystone Heritage Park and Botanical Garden on Sept. 21st, 2022. It was attended by 120 people. This event was part of over 4500 celebrations of the 40th anniversary of this international holiday. The Unity Through Creativity (UTC) Foundation is a visual arts organization dedicated to bringing connection, compassion, and creativity to address discord in community. The Singing Tree™ Mural Project is UTC’s flagship program, with over 110 murals completed over the last 20 years. The Interfaith Alliance of the Southwest is part of the nationwide Interfaith Alliance. The Interfaith Alliance seeks to offer opportunities to promote mutual understanding and respect through education and dialogue. They are celebrating their tenth anniversary on the evening of Sunday, Oct. 23rd. Grandma Bea Villegas and Maria Cadillo hold the opening ceremony. Photo by Patricia Delgado The International Day of Peace featured nine speakers and performers and 18 vendors. Television and radio broadcaster Monica Gomez emceed. Grandma Beatriz Villegas gave the ceremonial opening to the day. The speakers included: • Neema Soratgar, a guest Scholar in Women Studies at University of Texas in El Paso, spoke about her experience narrowly escaping with her children from Afghanistan in 2021. She was the first woman to drive in Afghanistan in 2001 when the Taliban first fell and carried the Afghanistan flag in the Olympics in 2004. • The Rev. Michael Grady spoke about "Ending Racism, Building Peace" and the recovery of his daughter from the Walmart massacre in August, 2019. • Jacklyn Correan, 16, of Loretto High School, won the essay contest sponsored by Unity Through Creativity and the Interfaith Alliance. She read her essay, "One Must Work AtIt", about Eleanor Roosevelt's writing of the Declaration of Human Rights. • Bettina Escudero led a guided meditation, accompanied by the cello playing of ProMusica. • Laurie Marshall, the founder of Unity Through Creativity and the Singing Tree Mural Project, spoke about the neurobiology of creating peace. • Fernanda Lugo led the attendees in Yoga throughout the day. • Young Tigua men shared the Eagle dance, and the Grupo Folklorico Valle del Sol invited everyone to join in the dancing. • The day closed with songs of Anna Maria Rosales, a native of El Paso whose works have been featured on Grey's Anatomy. Nectarine Singing Tree Mural of Peace in process. Photo by Laurie Marshall Other presenters and vendors included Rainbow Borderland; Pax Christi; the Veterans’ Administration Care Giver Support;Annunciation House; Abara Frontera; Quakers of El Paso;The League of Women Voters; Dialogue Institute Southwest; Volar (serving those who are differently-abled), and the St. Columban Mission for Justice, Peace and Ecology, who sold handbags embroidered by women trapped in Juarez; the Desert Bloom Healing Collective; and artist Pamela Vigo Sanchez. Raindrop Turkish House contributed meals to all the vendors and offered Turkish savory and sweet food to the public. Participants expressed surprise at the number of peacebuilding organizations that are working in the El Paso area. Takeaways included: • There are many amazing, interconnected organizations in El Paso working towards Peace. People who attended commented,: “I loved meeting many positive, committed, serious and fun-loving people.” “ It gives me hopefulness for peace in this city and in the world.” “I need to become aware of my local charities and pick some to be active in.””All different communities came together for good and to make a difference..” Women trapped in Juarez make handbags sold by St. Columban Mission. The attendees identified these issues now confronting El Paso that can be addressed through the peacebuilding effort of Unity Through Creativity, the Interfaith Alliance, and the other many peacebuilding organizations in and around El Paso: • Racism and prejudice • Food deserts (areas devoid of groceries stores) • Housing instability • Environmental degradation • Distribution of wealth and opportunity • Migration • Gender equity The public can add their voice and vision to the Nectarine Singing Tree of Peace at this free, fun family event on Sunday, Oct. 23rd, 3:00 – 5:00 pm at Keystone Heritage Park.

Dear Friends of the Singing Tree™ Project, I need your help so that Unity Through Creativity can keep serving the world with its peacebuilding efforts. “The greatest thing about making the Singing Tree mural was the deep sense of community that developed as we went along. … I saw kids working together who don’t normally choose to be together, and I saw so much kindness.” This year has seen a great intensification of our work. We have had 13 Singing Trees in progress, most of them completed and a number still in progress. You can see the full year’s work here. With your support, our work is making a difference throughout the United States and across the world, in places such as Cyprus, Uganda, Japan, and England. One of the most important events for us was our first in-person event in El Paso, Texas, where we organized a celebration of the International Day of Peace with our partner, the Interfaith Alliance of the Southwest . Please watch the video below to get a taste of this joyful event. With the El Paso community, we created the Nectarine Singing Tree of Peace . Over 120 people attended the event, marked by addresses by Pastor Mike Grady and Prof. Neema Soratgar and featuring such local artists as Grupo Folklórico Valle del Sol , featured in the video. I learned that if we could come together to make a mural in a short time, then we could come together to change global warming. If we can come together to make a Singing Tree mural, we can come together to do anything—this is the lesson people are taking from the Singing Tree Project. What the world needs right now is people—children, youth, and adults—experiencing that each individual’s voice matters and that what they do can impact their own lives, the lives of their communities, and the entire world. With your help, we will launch into 2023 and extend our work of bringing empowerment to thousands of people around the world and the confidence that they matter and can bring about change and peace. Please—join us in our work and give generously . With many thanks, Laurie Founder and President A work in progress with 3rd -12th graders at East Oakland Boxing Association, with Certified Singing Tree™ Facilitator Leslie Rein

Study of The EOBA Oak Singing Tree of Strength and Happiness “You are stronger than you think” Dear Friends of Unity Through Creativity, On September 28, two gunmen entered the King Estates School Complex, home to three high schools in Oakland, California, and opened fire. Six people were shot; one of those died In mid- November. Later that day, after school, the children of the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) gathered to begin work on The Singing Tree of Strength and Happiness, a two-mural project partnering with the Albany (CA) Middle School. The children at EOBA met in a circle, and shared what was on their minds - the shooting and gratitude that they were still alive. Several of the students had siblings at the King Estates Complex and were worried that their family members might have gotten shot. The children talked about struggling to cope with the violence that can be a part of life on any day. Then one girl broke into the worry and concern and said: “You are stronger than you think.” The students began work on a Singing Tree Mural , a community arts project that brings people together to create peace and to address the challenges that face our communities. You are stronger than you think. This is the message we would like to send you today as well, from our hearts and from the hearts of the children of EOBA, as the challenging days of winter are upon us and we approach the holidays with the echo of the violence of the Oakland shooting in our ears. You are stronger than you think. The Unity Through Creativity Foundation , and its flagship Singing Tree™ Mural Project exist to demonstrate that all of us, individually and together, are stronger than we think. From California to Cumbria to Cyprus, thirteen Singing Trees have been created this year, bringing together diverse people to address common challenges that include reintegrating from Covid, devastating fires, racial prejudice, the crises of forced mass emigration, and war. It is our privilege to partner with the East Oakland Boxing Association, a 35 year-old non-profit serving a community in the San Francisco Bay area of California surrounded by pollution, industrial buildings and illegal dumping, and with the Albany (CA) Middle School students who go to school in a relatively affluent, culturally diverse, middle-class environment, to create The Singing Tree of Strength and Happiness. By bringing these two groups of students into contact with each other, we expand the listening of everyone to include aspects of humanity they might never meet otherwise. Both halves of this project create a space for young people—the people who will begin to lead in the next twenty years—to use their voice to express what gives them the strength and cultivate happiness in an unpredictable and violent world. We are grateful to all of you who have given in support of The Singing Tree of Strength and Happiness as well as the other twelve Singing Trees we have completed during 2022. And we send you joy and happiness as 2022 draws to a close. The coming year holds much promise as well as challenges that are still unknown to us. We can meet them together because we are stronger than we think. With much love, Laurie and the team at UTC The Oak Singing Tree of Strength and Happiness, 8' x 12', Albany Middle School, Albany, California