Peace Boat - 121st Global Voyage

Building a Culture of Peace and Sustainability - A Japan-based international NGO working to promote peace, human rights and sustainability. Guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Peace Boat’s global voyages offer a unique programme of activities centered on experiential learning and intercultural communication. With 35 years of experience, we have organised close to 70 around-the-world voyages, visiting over 200 ports in more than 80 countries.

Peace Boat voyages create a unique environment in which people can live, learn and relax together while visiting some of the most fascinating regions on earth. During each voyage, Peace Boat organizes a range of educational activities, including lectures by guest educators, workshops, language classes, and cultural programmes. The themes of these activities link Peace Boat’s fields of work with contemporary issues in the countries it visits, connecting participants with people around the world.

Life Onboard

Peace Boat voyages creates a unique environment in which people can live, learn and relax together while visiting some of the most fascinating regions on earth. During each voyage, Peace Boat organizes a range of educational activities, including conferences by guest educators, workshops, lectures, language classes and cultural programs. The themes of these activities link Peace Boat's fields of work with contemporary issues in the countries we visit, connecting participants with people around the world.

A Floating Peace Village

Each Peace Boat voyage is a fascinating mix of people from different cultures, ages, professions and countries. The wide range of experiences, outlooks and viewpoints on building a culture of peace and sustainability combine to create an eclectic onboard environment that mirrors the diversity of the world and its peoples. 

Learning onboard a Peace Boat voyage is based on a creative, diverse approach to Peace Education based on dialogue, sharing and cooperation. Our programmes are based on active contribution and participation by all participants. The core programme consist of a combination of lectures, workshops and discussions organized by staff members and guest educators. These are supplemented by a wide variety of events planned and run by participants, who are encouraged to actively share their interests, talents and life experiences. 

The result is a constantly changing daily schedule of dozens of activities, including expert lectures on global issues, salsa dance classes, Swahili conversation lessons, music festivals, documentary movie screenings, soccer games on deck and whatever special skills, knowledge or experience that a Peace Boat participant may wish to share.

Guest Educators - A World of Knowledge

On each voyage, Guest Educators are invited onboard to give lectures about the history, culture, and contemporary issues of the countries that Peace Boat visits, as well as present on global justice issues including human rights, peace education, the environment and sustainable development. The Guest Educators onboard usually include a wide range of university professors, journalists, community activists, artists, musicians, war veterans and young leaders. Participants can take part actively in their lectures, workshops and discussions, as well as exchange ideas and opinions directly with them, as they sail together around the world.

Seminars & Workshops

In addition to the main lectures by Guest Educators, Peace Boat's staff organize a wide variety of seminars and workshops, complimenting participants understanding of the topics raised along the voyage and in the ports of call, allowing for deeper discussion and review of specific issues. These workshops also provide hands-on training on intercultural communication, conflict prevention and resolution, environmental conservation, social activism and change making, cultural awareness and much more.

Self Planned Events

A core part of the Peace Boat experience, and fundamental to community building, are the self-planned events. All participants are encouraged to contribute to life onboard by sharing their skills, experiences and interests through the organization of their own events. Topics may include language lessons, discussions or presentations on any topic, cultural workshops, sports, waltz or salsa dancing, yoga, comedy, stargazing, or any other topic imaginable. Participants book venues in advance and publicize their events through the onboard newspaper and word of mouth.

Cultural Events

The diversity of cultures that participants encounter onboard Peace Boat is often celebrated in the many festivals and cultural events held onboard. In ports of call, local musicians, singers, dancers and performers are invited onto Peace Boat to share their cultural history, heritage and identity with participants. Every voyage is colored with this celebration of differences, and past onboard events have included a Viet Namese wedding ceremony, performances from a New York gospel choir, traditional singing from South Africa, Didgeridoo carving and playing, Japanese summer festival and a Peace Boat "Cultural Day" in which the array of different nationalities showcase their countries in an onboard carnival. Participants have the chance to be an active part of this events and experience by themselves the music, dances and culture of the different countries and regions visited. 

The onboard 'Culture School' also leads regular classes and workshops on different activites ranging from Yoga, Tai-Chi, dancing, painting, etc. complimenting participants daily activities and providing a change to gain new skills and interests while onboard.

Language Courses

Peace Boat's onboard language programmes include open lessons and intensive courses in Spanish, English and Japanese. The courses combine language training with peace studies, global perspectives and people-to-people exchange programmes in port.

Short pre-port lessons in other languages are also available providing participants with basic communication tools to use during their time in ports. Languages taught on previous voyages have included Arabic, French, Korean, Russian, Swahili, Tagalog and even Sign Language for the Hearing Impaired. As Peace Boat is a Japan based organization, our Japanese study programmes offer non-Japanese participants the chance to learn the language while immersed in the culture in which it is spoken.

Leadership & Advocacy

A Peace Boat voyage is full of opportunities for participants to get active leadership and advocacy experience, by being involved in the community onboard and Peace Boat's many advocacy and cooperation projects. Many of the activities onboard, including the onboard newspaper, onboard tv, as well as festivals, sport days and cultural events, are planned and carried out by onboard committees in which participants can play a central role, bringing in their previous experiences or gaining new perspectives and skills for their future careers. 

One of the main elements of Peace Boat's work is cooperation with local and international NGOs. In most of the countries Peace Boat visits, wide range of programmes are organized around the arrival of the ship that support local grassroots initiatives and development. Participants on our voyages have the chance to get involved in some of our activities and campaigns through workshops and discussions onboard, actions onboard and in ports, and study programmes with our partner organizations. 

Leisure

Sports, music, dance and art transcend language and cultural barriers onboard a Peace Boat voyage. The outdoor sports deck is a venue for basketball, soccer, karate, volleyball, tai-chi and also a rehearsal space for dance or musical performances. Art and craft groups form on each voyage, often working to create something to be presented in a port of call or used as part of an advocacy campaign. The open-air decks are also spaces to watch the roll of the ocean, take a swim in one of the pools or chat and meet with other participants.

Onboard Language

Life onboard is mainly conducted in Japanese as the majority of participants onboard currently are from Japan, and some aspects of life onboard, such as food and festivities, do reflect Japanese culture. There are however many nationalities onboard, and there is always a lively international presence, with many people communicating in English and sometimes Spanish. 

Knowledge of the Japanese language is not required to enjoy a voyage. Facilitating communication between English and Japanese is fundamental to the success of Peace Boat's programmes. Bilingual staff is readily available for assistance and a team of volunteer interpreters/translators translates most of Peace Boat educational programmes and official ship information into English and Japanese.