On November 16, 2022, the International Day for Tolerance was celebrated in many Lithuanian schools and pre-schools. More than 1,200 educational institutions responded to the International Commission’s call to mark the date creatively and interestingly by participating in the civic initiative “A TOLERANCE HOUSE.”
The symbol of the Tolerance House, proposed by the International Commission, was an invitation to discuss different points of view and situations from today’s current issues and use examples from history. Students in the upper grades were invited to discuss examples from the history of totalitarian states, where people were imprisoned, mutilated, or killed because of their nationality, their beliefs, or their social status. This year, on the Day for Tolerance, it was proposed to talk about the war in Ukraine, one of the causes of which is intolerance of another nation – a country that wants to live independently and be free.
The Day for Tolerance was observed in schools, pre-schools, and other educational institutions. Not only did the academic communities create houses of tolerance, but in some schools, streets “bloomed,” with blocks of houses, and new cities “grew.”
Every year, the Day for Tolerance is organized to involve students and children of all ages. The earlier students understand and know the meaning of the word tolerance, the more tolerant our society will be.
In 1995, UNESCO declared November 16 as an International Day for Tolerance. On the International Commission’s initiative, this day has been celebrated in Lithuania since 2003.
