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The official launch of the Peace Cruise took place on Sunday 8 August at 20.00 (local time) in the port of Alexandria (Egypt). The cruise stands for dream and adventure, but is also a commitment in favour of peace and youth. The Peace Cruise is an idea of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM) as part of the overall objective of education.
The launch was attended by the Governor of Alexandria and Dr Mossad Eweiss, President of the Egyptian Supreme Council for Youth and Sports as well as by hundreds of young people who joined the 28 Sailors for Peace. Together they will celebrate the launch of the Peace Cruise. During a Peace Event organised in the port of Alexandria, the Peace Sailors, 19 boys and 8 girls aged between 18 and 25 and representing 23 different countries of the Mediterranean, will read out the Manifesto 2000 for the International Peace Year organised by the Nobel Prize for Peace under the auspices of UNESCO.
During the 12 days of their journey with stops in Gaza (Palestine Territories), to Haifa (Israel) and Larnaca (Cyprus), the young people on board will receive training in mediation and conflict management and will learn to live together on the boat. When arriving in Larnaca, they will be relayed by 28 other young people who will then head for Istanbul via Beirut.
The Scout movement wants to demonstrate, with this Peace Cruise, that young people can actively influence the current challenges and have an impact on the society they live in. The first Scout Movement in the Mediterranean started in 1912 and they are now present in 19 Arab countries. They deal with issues such as education, health, environmental protection. It is also an occasion to demonstrate that the Scout Movement is and will always be attached to the principles of peace.
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