Dear friends,
On June 27, it finally happened: we gathered at the Mini-Launch of the MyPeace Project at MusicLab Emmendingen – a morning full of music, conversation, connection, and many moving moments.
My name is Krischan Lukanow, head of MusicLab and proud partner of the MyPeace Project. It was a great honor to share this special event with all of you.
MyPeace – An Idea Comes to Life
Many of you have accompanied our project from the very beginning – with ideas, support, and inspiring examples of peace education with young people. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
MyPeace is a European initiative funded by Erasmus+, bringing together young people, musicians, educators, artists, and peacebuilders from six countries. Together with eight partner organizations, we explore the question:
How does peace emerge – and how can we actively shape it?
Our answer: Creative. Participatory. Rooted in real life. With music. With dialogue. With true collaboration.
What We Showed – and What’s Coming Next
At our launch event, we presented what has emerged over the past 1.5 years:
In the next 1.5 years – and beyond – we want to take these ideas further: into schools, youth centers, rehearsal rooms – and wherever young people are shaping the future. We are also working on practical templates and tools ("blueprints") to help schools, training centers, and youth organizations implement peacebuilding through music – easily and globally.
Reflections on Peace and the Ripple Effect?
This question stays with us – as individuals, as educators, as a community. Peace doesn’t begin "out there." It starts within each of us – in how we show up, how we listen, how we create space for others. At the event, we spoke about the limits of what one project can do – we cannot stop every conflict, but we can spark something powerful. Through every session, every connection, we seed ripples that travel through conversations, communities, and even future generations. This is our work. This is our impact.
But we also talked about something important at the event: the realistic scope of our impact. As Sanja Ivandic from Outside Media & Knowledge reminded us, we are not under the illusion that a single project can stop war or end all conflict in the world – as much as we would love that. What we believe in, however, is the power of the ripple effect.
Each participant leaves a session touched by what they’ve learned, inspired by the people they’ve met. They carry that impact into their communities – through conversations, actions, and choices. Some talk to their friends and families, some bring new ideas into classrooms or youth groups. Others may grow into leaders, educators, or parliamentarians of the future.
This is where peace grows: not just in policies or treaties, but in the everyday choices of people who’ve experienced a space of respect, creativity, and reflection.
Music as a Bridge
Music is a universal language. It touches, connects, resonates. That’s why it’s one of the most powerful tools in our peacework.
In the MyPeace Music Sessions, we worked with around 100 young people from six countries, writing songs, sharing stories, experiencing differences – and celebrating common ground.
A song can say more than a thousand words. It can build bridges, make perspectives visible, and offer hope.
A Heartfelt Thank You
My special thanks go to Sanja Ivandic of Outside Media & Knowledge, who had the original idea for MyPeace and poured heart and soul into writing the Erasmus+ application. And to Teddy, who led the workshops and showed us what peacebuilding looks like in practice – up close with the young participants.
Now It’s Your Turn!
We ended our event by opening the space for your ideas, questions, and inspiration – and we want to continue that conversation here on the website.
Reach out, share your thoughts – MyPeace lives through participation.
Thank you for being part of it. Thank you for your interest in peace.
Warmly,
Krischan Lukanow
Head of MusicLab Emmendingen
Partner in the MyPeace Project