Experience Ruston and Up with People Host Peace Day Celebration

Written by: Amanda Quimby Carrier, TMP

Experience Ruston and global non-profit educational program Up with People are partnering to host a Peace Day Dance Celebration Saturday, Sept. 21 in Railroad Park located in downtown Ruston. The event will be free to attend and open to the public.

This year coincides with Up with People’s seven-day tour in Ruston, LA, and shares the focus of committing to peace and improving cultural acceptance.

The event kicks off at 9 a.m. at the Ruston Farmers Market located at 220 E Mississippi Ave. with an acoustic performance from Up with People cast members. Immediately following at 10 a.m. the cast members will be in Railroad Park located at 101 E Park Ave. to begin the Peace Day Dance Celebration with international and cultural dance workshops. Dan Erickson, Coordinator for International Scholar Services, will begin with an opening statement on what International Day of Peace means to the Ruston and Lincoln Parish.

The community is encouraged to participate in the celebration. Groups in attendance will include students from Ruston High School and the Louisiana Center for the Blind as well as from Louisiana Tech University and Grambling State University. Along with the international dance classes, Up with People cast members will join international students within our parish to perform a flag ceremony with representation from at least 14 countries across the globe.

The 2019 International Day of Peace theme is “Climate Action for Peace” which brings awareness to the global climate and environmental threats. To build upon this theme, information about the City of Ruston’s Green Initiatives will be on site for citizens to collect.

“The Experience Ruston team is very excited to be collaborating with Up with People for this Peace Day Dance Celebration,” says Travis Napper, Experience Ruston President/CEO. “We believe in the message Up with People is sharing with our community and expect to see the ripples of this movement for many years to come.” Experience Ruston is also excited to further incorporate the Peace Day theme of environmental awareness by encouraging the community to sign up for the city’s curbside recycling program.

“Up with People looks forward to partnering with the Lincoln Parish community to celebrate this inspirational day of hope and understanding about our world,” states Kaitlin Anderson, Promotion Representative for Up with People. Up with People exists today to empower young people through music and action to be positive agents of change throughout the world. Their participation in the local “Peace Day” will be their final public appearance as part of their seven-day visit to Ruston.

About Up with People

Up with People’s mission statement: Through music and action, we empower youth to be positive agents of change. For a more hopeful, trusting and peaceful world. Up with People believes that people of every nation and every culture yearn for a more hopeful and peaceful world. Too often, however, we see intolerance, hate and violence growing throughout the globe, and many have become fearful and suspicious of others. Genuine peace can only come from mutual respect, understanding and trust.

Our world needs leaders and citizens who radiate a sense of optimism, celebrate our shared values, respect our differences and act to build trust. For more than 50 years Up with People has been uniquely fostering those principles through music, social action and global learning. There has never been a greater need for Up with People than now.