Today linked five schools in Glasgow’s Barrowfield district.

The journey started at St Anne’s School, which now has a large intake of children from non-denominational families.

Here is a school with music in its heart. This was clear as the students and teachers exited the assembly room with a spontaneous medley of various favourites, ranging from "Do-Re-Mi" to "The Happy Wanderer". The students had even written and recorded a song of their own for radio airplay. The theme: harmony.

Even some of the teachers from St Anne’s joined the team, getting into the swing of things, waving excitedly at the honking vehicles. Perfect World Harmony Runners!

After the ceremony, students walked around the block with the runners, proudly showing us the neighbourhood where they lived.

We then ran with some of the students to other schools in the region, collecting students from Haghill Primary School and Carntyne Primary School to join our intrepid team for the day.

Our journey finished at St Thomas’s School, another Roman Catholic school (with many non-denominational students). Head teacher Geraldine Parkinson led the kids with enthusiasm and an infectious sense of fun, introducing the assembly with a boom-box playing the latest hits. Now this was a cool teacher!

After they learned the World Harmony Run motto – “Harmony begins with me!” – Geraldine asked the students to call out the school motto: “Working together, learning forever!” It perfectly complements the sentiments of the World Harmony Run.

With the end of the school day approaching, students of three schools walked with the runners to link with the final school in the chain, Smithycroft Secondary School. As the Torch was shared by primary and secondary school students, it was obvious that the excitement had not subsided.

Walking back to St Mary's School, after that final meeting, the gathering might have at first seemed to have some things in common with a protest march, with children, teachers and runners holding banners, and chanting with a gusto. Of course, it possessed none of the anger or disappointment of a protest march, as the message was called out with excited joy. The group was not staging a protest, but chanting a positive message for the world: "Peace! Harmony! Run!" hopefully, like many marches over the centuries, this message will one day make a difference.

 

We ran into beautiful Edinburgh later that day.

A castle? Not exactly, but historically one of Edinburgh's most intriguing educational institutions: a school for the deaf. It will soon be converted into flats.

It was the last day on on the Run for Charumati, who returns home to the Czech Republic.

It was also the last day for Barbara, our teammate from Slovakia, who leaves us tomorrow morning to start a new job in France. The happy presences of Barbara and Charumati will be missed from the team.

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Video Message from Davidson Hepburn, President (2009 - 2011) of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for 25th Anniversary of the World Harmony Run and a vision for the decade: "Toward a Oneness-World".

Full Text of the 25th annversary message and link to 25 language informal Translations: http://www.worldharmonyrun.org/25

or Click on language button for separate youtube videos wth sub titles in varous languages

See also:

• Youtube video on African experience which illustrates IYY slogan "Our Year Our Voice" International Year of Youth - Zambia World Harmony. They surprisingly mention Presidents and UN Secretary-General in a unique way!

• Listen to the World-Harmony-Run song: 2 min version // 6 min

– Noivedya

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Distance: 85 km

Team Members:
Apaguha Vesely (Czech Republic), Sandro Zincarini (Italy), Mladen Vujaklija (Croatia), Sumahat Strohn (Germany), Noivedya Juddery (Australia), Andre Carvalho Ribeiro (Portugal), Petar Mihaylov (Bulgaria), Abhejali Bernardova (Czech Republic), Satyamurti Miotello (Italy), Vladimir Ilyasov (Russian Federation), Laszlo Szente (Hungary), Barbara Tabackova (Slovakia), Charumati Pernicka (Czech Republic)

Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.

Gallery: See more images!

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