About VOV
Mission Statement
Victory Over Violence (VOV) is a movement to inspire young people throughout the world to identify and counteract the
root causes of violence in their own lives, homes, schools and local communities through awareness, introspection, individual empowerment and a courageous and creative commitment to dialogue. VOV is provided as a public service of the Soka Gakkai International - USA as part of its ongoing commitment to build a culture of peace through dialogue, mutual respect and altruistic action.
Goals of VOV
- To promote awareness, introspection and the spirit of non-violence through dialogue among our youth, our families, our schools and our communities in order to inspire and awaken the energies for positive change.
- To provide “a source of hope and courage for young people who have suffered the effects of violence.”
- To “transform the tendency to downplay the sanctity of life that became deeply rooted in the minds of our children during the twentieth century, the century of war and violence.”
Major Concepts
- Understanding the Relationship Between Passive Violence and Physical Violence.
- The Value of Dialogue.
- The Need for Each Person To Stand Up and Take Full Responsibility for the Violence in Their Environment.
VOV Honorary Advisory Board
- Betty Williams, 1976 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
- The Reverend James Lawson, Leading Nonviolence Strategist, United States Civil Rights Movement
- Diane Landsberg, Executive Director, Non-Violence Project-USA
- Jeannie Lum, Ph.D., Editor, Journal of Peace Education
Highlights
1991 - Daiskau Ikeda - Philosopher, Educator, Peacebuilder
In 1991, Daisaku Ikeda encouraged a group of young people from the United States to form a Youth Peace Committee (YPC) with the mission of supporting the United Nations and fostering youth leaders of the 21st century.
March 1999 – Daisaku Ikeda - Philosopher, Educator, Peacebuilder
Mr. Ikeda provides the founding vision for Victory Over Violence (VOV) while encouraging a group of young people from
the United States to promote the values of nonviolence in their communities and raise awareness of gun violence in U.S.
schools.
April 1999 - Columbine Shootings (Littleton, Colorado)
After the high school shootings in Columbine Colorado, on April 20, 1999, many people desperately sought to identify the root cause of youth violence and its solution. Mr. Ikeda expressed his concern about Columbine:
The tragedy in Colorado shocked educators, students and parents around the world. But we must not look
away from the issue that this painful incident symbolizes. How can we transform disregard for life, which
has been deeply rooted in the minds of children through war and violence that plagued the 20th century?
This is the most important issue for us as we stand at the threshold of the 21st century.
August 1999 - Launch of the Victory Over Violence (VOV) Initiative
The YPC, together with additional young people from the United States launched the VOV initiative in August 1999. The
objective was and continues to be to spark dialogue and heighten awareness regarding nonviolent activism and to provide opportunities for youth to become nonviolent activists.
September 1999 - Grand Youth Culture Festival (Pasadena, CA)
In September 1999, VOV supporters from throughout the United States sponsored a Grand Youth Culture Festival dedicated to peace with 700 youth performers.
January 2009 - 10th Anniversary of the Victory Over Violence Initiative
In January 2009, the 10th anniversary of the Victory Over Violence initiative was celebrated and the initiative was re-launched with an new interactive website and an updated pledge written by a committee of young people from the United States and members of the new Victory Over Violence Honorary Advisory Board. The VOV initiative re-launched with a renewed focus on accelerating the transition from a culture of war and violence to a culture of peace and non-violence starting at the human scale of daily life interactions.
