Santander, Spain is a jewel of a place. And now, with CITYarts' Pieces for Peace exhibition hosted by the Botin Foundation, it feels even more so. Over 928 kids created a "piece for peace". And the numbers are growing since my visit there. The participants who missed the very packed and exciting opening came the next day with their parents and siblings to show off with their piece and find their name on the enormous wall flag bearing the participants' names. Over 300 kids and parents came to celebrate our opening of the Pieces for Peace Traveling Exhibition and support the new voices for peace created by the Santander schools that join us through the hard and enthusiastic work of the outstanding Botin Foundation staff. Thanks to our Board Member Jean Kim, we were connected to the Botin Foundation that does incredible work in and out of Santander - like supporting a creativity research team lead by Christopher Clouder. The Foundation was created in 1964 by Marcelino Botin Sanz de Sautuola and his wife Carmen Yllera. Its aims are educational, scientific, cultural, and social with the intention of encouraging a fairer, freer, more efficient, and more responsible society, in Spain and worldwide. In 2004 the Foundation began to work specifically in the educational field. As an educational agent that is rooted in the community, it is conscious of the need to act in conjunction with others, to deal with the educational challenges that we are faced with.
It's no surprise then that their caring staff - Amaia Barredo Vales, Begoña Guerrica, Arrete Martin, Esperanza Botella, and Fátima Sánchez - saw CITYarts and especially our Young Minds Build Bridges program as a perfect partner to further both of our missions in helping our young people to become self-motivated, responsible individuals who will become actively involved in building their futures.
I'm so thankful to our Board Member Jean Kim, who saw the importance of making the connection between us. This was my first time to Santander, but I know for a fact that with partners like the Botin Foundation, it's the beginning of a long, productive, creative relationship, keeping our kids' voices and needs always on our minds. Thank you to the Botin Foundation for helping us continue to spread the quest of our children for peace - may you become a shining example for many more!

My best wishes,