Global Peace Path: Schools for Peace, Dialogue, and Responsibility

On International Mother Language Day, Gymnasium Karlsfeld demonstrates, through its whole-school approach, how students use their language skills and their creativity to become advocates for peace.

03.03.2026

February 2026

Schools for Peace, Dialogue, and Responsibility – Gymnasium Karlsfeld Participates in the TEFL Project ‘Global Peace Path’

The Global Peace Path project has been growing steadily, and the 35th follow-up project has just been completed in the town where it began in 2018.

On International Mother Language Day, proclaimed annually by UNESCO, Gymnasium Karlsfeld (GMK) celebrated linguistic and cultural diversity through a whole-school approach involving students across all year levels. Greetings, poems, and short texts in many different heritage languages highlighted the richness of multilingualism and its importance for identity, mutual respect, and shared learning. It was particularly moving to witness students with cultural origins in countries currently at war with one another standing side by side and reciting poems together, offering a powerful testament to dialogue, empathy, and shared humanity beyond conflict.

Inspired by the story of Sadako Sasaki, the students also created more than 1,000 colorful origami cranes as symbols of hope and peace. Together with their dialogical presentations and other creative contributions from the entire school community, these works became part of the Global Peace Path. As a result, the GMK is now officially the 35th Global Peace Path project.

The day concluded with the ceremonial presentation of a certificate, reinforcing the message that diversity is a strength and that peace begins with small, conscious actions in everyday school life.

Participating teachers: OStRin Anna Lenhardt, StRin Yvonne Heck, StRin Cornelia Klink, OStR Thomas Schmid, StRin Nicola Schweiger, StRin Lea Petzenhauser, StRin Verena Wiedemann, StRin Anna-Chiara Schlemer, StRin Katja Brenner, Ekaterina Bedrich

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