Benefits of this hands-on experience
Build friendships across cultures and borders
Strengthen fine motor skills and writing skills
Learn geography and enhance global awareness
Encounter new languages and traditions
Discover that even small, creative acts can make a difference
Ready to Join? Here’s What to Do
04
Send a Package – Get a Package
Once you’ve selected your exchange partner, ask for their postal address. Send your artwork and messages to your exchange partner. Wait for their package to arrive! Hot tip! If you don’t have the budget for postage, trade via email – it’s free!
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Join2,776participants from around the world who’ve signed up since January 1, 2026!
Join the Exchange ListHear From Our Participants
Participation in the project was extremely inspiring and enriching. It gave the students the opportunity to experience a new culture, develop a sense of empathy and solidarity, and build international friendships. The project was enthusiastically received because it combines the values of peace, tolerance, and mutual respect.
The participants in the program shared that their experiences were exciting and unforgettable. They were interested in learning more about the symbolism of cranes. It was especially impressive for them to make and send paper cranes with messages of peace to reach their peers across the ocean. These activities helped them feel that they were part of something bigger – a global initiative for peace and understanding. The project provoked emotions related to respect for the past, hope for the future, and a desire for friendship without borders.
Stoyna Ilieva, PGI “Dr. Ivan Bogorov”, Bulgaria, Exchange Partner: Fulford Elementary SchoolI teach Japanese at St Michael’s College from Prep to Year 6. Our Year 6 students absolutely loved taking part in the Peace Crane Project with St Mary’s International School in Tokyo. What made this exchange so special was the personal touch as teachers from both schools shared personal details about each students’ favourite anime, sport and colour. This meant that every letter felt unique, meaningful and written with a real purpose.
My students were thrilled to not only fold their origami paper cranes but also to write personalised letters in Hiragana (Japanese script) to their new friends in Japan. In return, the St Mary’s students wrote back to us in English. This gave both groups a fun and authentic way to practise their language skills whilst building genuine connections across cultures and countries. The teachers also joined in the exchange, modelling the same care, creativity and encouragement
that we asked of our students. It was truly a memorable and worthwhile experience, one that our students will carry with them for years to come.
Amanda Miller, St Michael’s College, Australia, Exchange Partner: St Mary’s International School, TokyoThe project of folding origami cranes and writing peace letters was a very valuable experience for our students. By sending messages to a school in Mexico, we were able to build a real international connection based on peace and mutual understanding. The replies we received made our students very happy and encouraged them to learn more about other cultures. The students were highly engaged, and working together helped to build a strong sense of community. We are still in contact with the partner school, which shows that this initiative continues to grow. It was definitely worth taking part in this project.
Stanisława Podleśny, ZSP 3 im. Jana Pawła II, Poland, Exchange Partner: Canadian School Queretaro (Mexico)It was brilliant to be able to share our cranes, with Fraser Libraries in Australia! We enjoyed hosting lots of local community groups to help us make our cranes, taking it out on the road over our summer events, and can’t wait to continue to be a part of the project sending to cranes to Sierra Leone in February!
Emily Foskett, Leicester Central Library, United Kingdom, Exchange Partner: Fraser Libraries (Australia)It was really enriching experience for my students to participate in your project. Eager to come back next year.
Our package are ready. Hope they will get soon to our exchange partners.
Patricia Hadzimova, College St Joseph, France, Exchange Partner: Liliana VenturaStudents actively engaged with the origami heart folding for the peace project. They used their understandings from the unit of inquiry, Peace and Conflict, to design peace messages and place them in the community. They chose countries and schools to send the peace messages virtually and connect with a variety of perspectives.
Saadia Faisal, IranNous sommes très ravie pour ce projet nous avons bien reçu. Nous sommes dans recherche de la Paix dans notre pays avec ce projet nous avons besoin de la Paix et nous enfants vont vivre la Paix pour votre information nous membre de ce projet depuis quelques années passées.
Dr HC John Mukhuta Muhiana, Fondation de la Paix Mond, Democratic Republic of CongoBy participating in the project my students have the opportunity to be in contact with children from countries they didn’t even know existed. This opens their minds and helps them understand that there are people who live so far away from us and they also care about Peace. My students learned to respect and accept the differences between people.
Melahrini Papardeli, Teacher, USA
