“The request for well-being makes it possible to clarify the wishes for our future, it is similar to the good thoughts that we express through brotherhood and solidarity. We wanted to create a stream of sympathy for the students living difficult moment with their families and friends,” said Anne Farrell, Run This Way founder and volunteer.

In order to slow the contagion of coronavirus and protect the population, the Quebec government announced last Friday the closure of all educational institutions in the province. Since last Friday, all students in the province are confined to their homes with their family for two weeks.

To help students and their families to cope with this situation and help those that had contracted the coronavirus (COVID-19), Run This Way is launching a well-being digital campaign.

Why a well-being digital campaign for students and their family?

The coronavirus is a global breakthrough virus. With this pandemic virus, it’s clear that we are moving towards a planetary civilization. Today students around the world grow up side by side even if they are living in various countries and regions while some witness friends and families sick with the coronavirus, others live a daily life with poverty and without medication or health care.

Today’s events in China, France, Italy, affect students elsewhere in the world. Moreover we understand that current events are shaping the future of humanity. Well-being ceremony is an opening for more solidarity among communities around the world. Students in Canada understand that what happens lately in these countries may sooner or later affect them and their families. The request for well-being is similar to the good thoughts that we express through poetry of brotherhood and solidarity.

“Let everything go for the better, do not imagine that you are alone in your village, in your city, on earth and in infinite worlds,” (Silo Message)

The request for well-being can be carried out in various means; social media, school website and teleconference. It is clear that the demand for benefits for others is achieved in the best conditions and could be done once or twice during the coronavirus breakthrough.

Run This Way school program well being campaign

In the past years, Run This Way school programs have set many well being campaigns to help teachers and students to cope with fear and anxiety in moment of crisis. Run This Way volunteers monitored interesting benefits to teachers, students and parents. They received testimony from teachers and parents, saying the well being ceremony brought them sensation of appeasement and fullness and help student emotional tone. This experience may reduce the anxiety level of students.

Since 2013, Run This Way have launch similar well-being campaigns in schools in Canada, France, Argentina and Iceland and others countries:

– 2013- After the terrorist attack Boston marathon for Canadian teachers participating in the marathon;

-2014- After the Typhoon Haiyan for Philippines, for university students and members of the community;

-2015- Migrant crisis in Europe; Alan Kurdi three-year-old Syrian boy whose image made global headlines after he drowned on 2 September 2015 in the Mediterranean Sea.

-2015- After the Bataclan terrorist attack in Paris (November) for student in Montreal participating in Run This Way program;

-2015 – After the earthquake in Nepal (spring); for members of the community association.

Planning a well-being digital ceremony

In the next few days many teachers will start teleconferences with students to follow-up the learning process. Teachers interested by the well-being campaign could integrate the ceremony in their conference.
For teachers that are not planning teleconferences, the ceremony can be sent by email to students and parents and posted on school website.

We also ask all students who have participated in Run This Way in the last 10 years to join our request with their friends and families.

Guidelines for teachers and educators who wish to launch a Well-Being digital campaign in their school by using teleconference.

  • Explain why you are proposing this activity to students and parents.
  • Make sure students and parents understand the meaning of the activity.
  • Explain to students and parents the following guidelines.
  • Set a teleconference meeting date with your students.
  • Before the meeting ask two students to take the roles of reader.
  • Both students must practice reading before the ceremony.

Before staring the ceremony, offer a relaxation session to your students.
Well-Being Ceremony – for students and families affect by the coronavirus.

Make sure to ask student to read slowly, students assisting the teleconference can close their eyes during the ceremony to help them to relax.

Well-being ceremony (request)

1st reader: We are gathered here to participate in the well-being ceremony for students and the families affect by the coronavirus. As students we direct our thoughts, best wishes and protection for these students and their families. (pause for a few seconds)

2nd reader: “Know that you are not alone in your village, in your city, on Earth and in the infinite worlds.”

1st reader: We are sure that our request for well-being will reach them. We think of students, their families, and their fear and anxiety. (pause for some 30 seconds)

2nd reader: Let’s take a short moment to ponder the difficulties that these students and their families are suffering. (30-second break)

1st reader: We would now like to make our best wishes felt to these people. A wave of relief and well-being must reach them… (30 sec break)

2nd reader: Let’s take a short moment to clarify the images of well-being that we wish to send to our friends and their families. (1 minute break)

1st reader: In this ceremony we give the opportunity to those who wish, to convey wishes of love, peace, and warm joy for all those surrounding us.

2nd reader: To conclude this ceremony, we are giving the opportunity to those who wish to convey wishes of love for those how who left us.

1st reader: That it was good, comforting and inspiring for us. We salute all those who with us around the world bathe in this stream of poetry and well-being, a current strengthened by the best wishes of the students here.

Teachers, students and parent participating in the well being campaign can post comment on Run This Way Facebook page at PlanetePeace or on Twitter at @planetepeace.

About Run This Way school program

Run This Way was launched in 2011 by members of the Canadian Committee of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence and International Humanist Network volunteers. The program was initiated in collaboration with the international organization World Without Wars and Without Violence. Each year Run This Way offer Active non-violence education practices that include race and well being request.
Between 2011 and 2018, more than 20.000 students from Quebec, Canada, Argentina, Ireland, France, Iraq and Ecuador participated in Run This Way school program.

Run This Way activities are inspired by Universalist humanism pedagogical current. The programs help students to develop roles with a core attitude of accountability, solidarity, empathy and collaboration.
Active non-violence education claims something much underestimated in individualistic societies: “the voluntary act”. Students learn to put “inner” meanings into the world in the program. They perform this essential function for the development of human beings and the humanization of the world.

The voluntary act allows the one who produced it to put in the world a meaning that comes from within. It’s an act that makes you grow and that makes builder of reality. The voluntary act has nothing to do with the system of manipulation relationships which prevail in many social activities.

*Register: Experience of sensation including memories and imagination.

Some excerpts from the ceremony are taken from the “Message of Silo”