CommUNITY Tree sprouts aspirations
Unity Week is a New Zealand wide coordinated approach to remember and honour the lives lost in the Christchurch mosque attack while also promoting a socially cohesive society. Manawatū District Council Welcoming Communities Programme Coordinator, Sarah Deveau learned of the initiative and has created Manawatu’s CommUNITY Week to help bring the reflection and acknowledgement locally.
When a major news event takes place human compassion takes hold of our emotions and we often feel compelled to take action whether it be through a financial donation, a social share, or words of encouragement. But how often in our everyday lives do we publicly share our hopes, dreams and love for our community or country?
Unity Week is a New Zealand wide coordinated approach to remember and honour the lives lost in the Christchurch mosque attack while also promoting a socially cohesive society. Manawatū District Council Welcoming Communities Programme Coordinator, Sarah Deveau learned of the initiative and has created Manawatu’s CommUNITY Week to help bring the reflection and acknowledgement locally.
A grounding activity for the week is the UniTree. Deveau is inviting the public to use one of the provided comment cards at the Feilding Library to write their own message of peace, hope or love before attaching their card to the decal tree on the wall of the Library. “As the tree buds with messages, it’s hoped that together we will find growth in our similarities”, Deveau explains. The comment cards have either a gold dove or blue united hands, both symbols that are representative of peace and colours that are important within Islam.
Inspired by the vision of the Sakinah Community Trust, which is comprised of seven women who lost loved ones in the tragic 15 March Christchurch Mosque attacks, Unity Week’s tagline is ‘Unity beings with ‘U’. While Deveau acknowledges that in life, difference of opinion and thought are a good way to broaden our perspectives, often when it comes to peace and love within our communities, we all strive for a similar thing. “So, let’s show that when we celebrate diversity, we can still work within a spirit of unity to recognise the strengths we bring”.
Manawatū CommUNITY Week runs from 15-21 March. Visit the Feilding Library at 10 Goodbehere Street to add your message to the Unity Tree. A Unity Tree will also be at this Sunday’s Family Fun Day (17 March) taking place at Kowhai Park from 10am to 1pm or alternatively you can email welcome@mdc.govt.nz with your message to be added to the tree.