Eastern Passage
Cow Bay Lions
Lions Peace Contest
2025 Peace Contest
Peace Without Limits
Each fall our club and LCI run the Lions Clubs International Peace Poster and Peace Essay Contest. The contest theme is changed each year, and is announced in June. The theme for our 2024-2025 contest was "Dare to Dream".
To a young person, a dream isn’t just a wish, hope or desire — it’s a path, a goal, an ambition. But achieving that dream takes hard work. So this year, we’re asking young people to show how they’ll turn their dream of a peaceful world into reality.
International Peace
Poster Contest
The Contest is open to students who will be 11, 12 or 13 years of age on November 15th of the current year. Each entry must be submitted with a completed entry form. Proof of Birth date is required. One international grand prize winner will receive an award and US$5,000.
Take a look back at the poster grand prize winners throughout the years at https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/start-our-approach/youth/peace-poster/grand-prize-winners
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International Peace
Essay Contest
Created to give an opportunity for visually impaired young people to express their feelings of peace, the International Essay Contest is a staple of Lions clubs around the world. Lions work with local schools and area families to identify young people who are interested in participating and who could benefit from this program. One grand prize winner will receive an award and US$5,000.
Students who are visually impaired, ages 11, 12 or 13 on November 15, are eligible to participate. Each essay must be submitted with a completed entry form. Essays must be no longer than 500 words in length, submitted in English, typed in black ink and double-spaced.
Take a look back at the essay grand prize winners throughout the years at https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/start-our-approach/youth/peace-essay
2024-2025 Lions International Peace Essay Contest
Grand Prize Winner
Robert Hunt, Age 11
"Beauty is in the judgement of the beholder"
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Many people in this world long for peace for themselves and for others. Sometimes it feels like there will never be peace. Whether that is peace between people within a country or between countries the presence of disharmony is not beautiful.
Shakespeare stated that "beauty is in the judgement of the beholder" and many people use the phrase, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". What this means, is that the person who is seeing is judging something's worth by their vision. Scientists believe that between 75% and 90% of what we learn is from our vision. This means that we are taught to value things by how we see our family and friends, our teachers, social media and news, and government treating others. Our judgement is clouded by what we have been taught to see and value.
I was born with severe low vision. This means when I meet people, I do not know what they look like. I can not see and cannot judge them by my eyes' perception. I do not know if they are old, if they have fair or dark skin. I do not know if they are big, or tall, nor their hair colour. I do not know if they wear clothes that demonstrate spiritual beliefs, nor necessarily, if they are male or female. I do not know if they are missing any limbs, or in a wheelchair or blind like me. I do not know if they are different or the same as me. Instead, I have learned to value people by listening to them and considering their actions to me and others.
I have never thought being blind was either an advantage or a disadvantage. But I do think, that not being able to judge someone's worth in a blink of an eye is a great advantage. To me, not seeing, is just natural and I hadn't really understood that others don't live in a non-seeing world like I do, until I was nearly 8 or 9 years of age. Of course, I knew they weren't blind like me. But it surprised me, that people were seeing and deciding how alike or different people were to themselves with their vision. Possibly what I am describing seems odd to you. However, it would probably feel odd to you to not use your eyes.
If we believe that everybody is equal in dignity and rights this means we need to learn to stop judging or being afraid of other people, because they look different to us, or we see them as not of the same value. Only when we respect and do not judge people by differences, will there be peace. I strongly believe if we could all close our eyes when we meet people, even if this was figuratively, there might be a chance we could get to know people before we judged them. Then we might just achieve peace without limits.​​
2024 Peace Contest
Congratulations to 2023-24 Lions International #PeacePoster Contest Grand Prize Winner 11 year old Fanjin Si, sponsored by Shaanxi Datang Lions Club (China)!
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"Peace is not just about ending wars; it requires each of us to live with kindness, to solve problems, and to influence others around us with our positive actions."
View the 2023-24 Grand Prize and the twenty-three Merit Award winning posters: https://bit.ly/2y6nwpU​
2022-2023 Lions International Peace Essay Contest
Grand Prize Winner
Yetka YaÄŸiz Demírtas, Age 12
“Drawers of My Mind"
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Today I gathered all my courage for a long journey: And opened the drawers of my mind.
I started from the top drawer because the most used things are always at the top. I saw everyday topics there: What to do, study, eat, to brush teeth and many similar things. But these are not the main goals of my discovery. So, I gently closed the first drawer.
It was the second drawer's turn. I said, "let's find it this time". There resided slightly different things. What I keep as memories and symbolic items that left a mark on me. A key that my parents gave me to open the door. However, I never come home alone. Then I realized that it was actually meant to tell me that this is my home and that I am a part of this home. Then I saw the notebook my father gave me on my ninth birthday. On the first page he noted:
"My son, my pride, my dear ... I believe that you will take notes on many pages, like the ones on this notebook, and become a very important scientist. Wish you good luck, I love you. Your father".
As today's twelve years old Yekta YaÄŸiz, I understand that my father gave me a very valuable gift; his trust.
With this understanding, I moved to the third drawer of my mind. This time I opened it with more excitement. And soon realized that it was pitch black. But black doesn't always mean darkness. I looked deeply at the very center of that blackness. I remembered how everyone is constantly telling me that "I can't do it, be careful, it's difficult". Then a glimmer of hope shining in my eyes said ... "Don't be afraid, Yekta! Dare to dream!"
I dared to see through my heart among the "actually blind" who closed their eyes to hope and imagination. I raised my head up to the sky and dreamed. As they said, I couldn't see colors, but I added a thousand colors to the rainbow in my imagination. White is not always bright, and black is not always scary. These are all misconceptions piled up in the drawers of our minds.
I didn't have a fourth drawer. We can't always find a new drawer to start over. But I can fill the empty black drawer with dreams. That's what I'm doing now. What I have done so far and my self-confidence proved that I am on the right track.
As my father's wish, I am on my way to become a scientist. This might be considered a dream for a visually impaired person. But I have the courage to make it happen.
I am a good swimmer and a good runner today. Only because I dreamed that I would succeed. Now it's time to continue to "dare to dream", without letting anyone stop me. My journey is full of hope. And it is ETERNAL.
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2023 Peace Contest
Dare to Dream
Each fall our club and LCI run the Lions Clubs International Peace Poster and Peace Essay Contest. The contest theme is changed each year, and is announced in June. The theme for our 2023-2024 contest was "Dare to Dream".
To a young person, a dream isn’t just a wish, hope or desire — it’s a path, a goal, an ambition. But achieving that dream takes hard work. So this year, we’re asking young people to show how they’ll turn their dream of a peaceful world into reality.
Take a look back at the essay grand prize winners throughout the years at https://www.lionsclubs.org/en/start-our-approach/youth/peace-essay
2022-2023 Lions International Peace Essay Contest
Grand Prize Winner
Keaton Hamilton, 11 years old
Friends as Leaders
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Right now, wherever you are at this moment, I would like you to imagine that you are a new student in grade 5. You are 5 feet tall, like video games, play sports, and you're just like an ordinary kid. But there's a wall between you and the rest of the students, in this class (not literally of course). You can't see that well. Not the writing on a white page, but the objects around you. Not the colours of anybody's eyes, but the colour of desks, chairs and markers. Now, a short kid with black hair looks at your white cane, hanging on a hook by the door. "Uh, what is that like a spear or something?" he says with the intent of making others feel sad. "No, it's ... my cane," you say in a small voice. "Don't they tell you no weapons at school?" "It's not a weapon it's my white cane." "Do you know it's white or..." "Stop being rude," says a strong voice coming from another student. "It is what they use to know what's around them, no need to think they can't do anything when they are blind! Don't bully them about something they can't control."
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That student who stood up for you. That was completely their choice. They could have said nothing or ignore you all they wanted. But, they went out of their way and stood up for you. This is just one example of "leading with compassion", and even without this example you could probably think of a time in your life where someone looked out for you, assisted you with something, gave you a general hint, etc. When you were in school, maybe your teachers lead with compassion by giving you work in a form that was best for you, whether that be on a computer, on paper with pencil, or upside down. Your friends lead with compassion. After all, somebody who does not is bossy and only thinks about themself.
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We all know the feeling of being looked out for, and having friends to fall back on. Knowing that someone has your back while accomplishing any difficult task and achieving goals is one of those shiny diamonds in life.
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We all play a role in ensuring that our peers feel welcome and safe in learning environments, groups and while alone. While being a best friend is not required, at least look out for people and make sure to help if they ask for it.
Everybody in a community is responsible, should feel like they belong, and should try and assist any one in need of a helping hand. Even if it's just another local citizen that seems troubled, you can at least smile or offer guidance. That's how new friends are formed. And remember, there's no harm in reaching out for help. A good person would respond and you can look out for each other. That is what friends would do, and that's what leading with compassion is all about.