Almere | Netherlands

04.06. 2016

Official Opening of
the House of Peace

By Deputy Mayor Froukje de Jonge of the Municipality of Almere, Sheikh Khaled Bentounes creator of the House of Peace and various representatives of different faiths in the Netherlands

What is the House 
of Peace?

The House of Peace is an incubator for a Culture of Peace and peaceful coexistence. This House wants to help build the foundations of tomorrow’s inclusive, peaceful, and sustainable society. To this end, it brings together people and organisations from different backgrounds to develop a culture of peace and put it into practice. 

It houses and organizes programmes and activities around four pillars that aim to promote peace in personal life, in living together and with all life.

These four pillars are:

Education of Culture of Peace
Youth and Nature
Mediation and Dialogue
Culture and Meaning

History

In 2016, the House of Peace in Almere was opened by Scouting de Cirkel and the Dutch branch of AISA NGO International. The initiative for this inclusive space was inspired by the campaign for an international UN Day of Living Together in Peace, initiated by Sheikh Khaled Bentounes.

What is the importance?

At stake is a city-wide community centre with national appeal, with a unifying vision of living together in peace, an exceptionally diverse intercultural, interfaith, interdisciplinary, and broad social network, with a large group of youth who enjoy a weekly educational programme that fosters their personal development and civic engagement, with a public and accessible educational programme that connects citizens and organisations of various faiths and backgrounds.

Milestones since 2016

The School of Peace

Development and opening of a public primary school with an innovative culture of peace-education concept: This school, recognized since 2019 and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, has been open since 2022 for children aged 4 to 13 in the city of Almere.

At the School of Peace, learning about disciplines such as math and language works hand in hand with the development of one’s human qualities and self-awareness. We believe it is necessary to discover universal principles such as respect, cooperation and justice in connection with the school curriculum. This makes learning meaningful and rich for children. It also helps our children experience how, as human beings, they can add value to the world through their actions.

The Garden of Peace

Development and realization of the International Peace Garden during the World Horticultural Exposition Floriade 2022 Almere-Amsterdam:

More than 500,000 visitors have had the opportunity to discover the messages of peace culture, expressed through botanical landscape design, art, a web application, and an educational journey showcasing the common values of humanity across the six continents.