About Us
The Atlanta Peace Trails (APT) vision began by encouraging people to visit places of peace in metro Atlanta with a booklet, and now has expanded to publishing a book "Peace Trails Atlanta: A Model for the World."
Through the collaborative work of three women, a seed idea has grown to empower anyone to create a Peace Trail in their own yard, neighborhood, school or community. Join us as you decide to make a difference. We can offer you the necessary resources to take action.
Contact:
Andrea c/o Partnerships in Peace, P.O. Box 18101 Atlanta, GA USA 30316, phone: 404-377-8004, email: info@partnershipsinpeace.org
or Gail phone: 404-222-9595, e-mail: hello@tourismforpeace.org
or Carla phone: 404-627-8313
About: Andrea Kay Smith began her global peace work in 1967 during the Race Riots in Detroit, MI where she lived, when a vision of global peace appeared in her meditation. After many moves around the United States, she was guided to relocate to Atlanta, GA in 1973 where she became active in many community service groups. In 1980 while receiving a massage, she discerned the name "Partnerships In Peace (PIP), A Planetary Consortium." Finally in 1985 she founded PIP, and joined the Atlanta Peace Coalition. During the Cold War she organized Peace Rallies, participated in the Listening Project at the Trident Submarine Base in Kings Bay, and joined Project Peace Tree to offer a cultural exchange for the youth with Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia (an Atlanta Sister-City in former U.S.S.R.) In 1990 she began planting Peace Poles in Atlanta which expanded to a Peace Center in Decatur, Ga which serves an ever-changing transitional neighborhood. Andrea is currently producing a documentary "A Way Out" about her 11 year story of urban revitalization.
About: Dr. Gail Lash began working for conservation after she graduated from Duke University in 1976 with a degree in animal behavior. Her love of animals led her to work at her hometown zoo in Houston, Texas, and then at Los Angeles Zoo and Zoo Atlanta. Her graduate studies researched ecotourism as a way to both protect wildlife and bring revenue to local communities. Her ecotourism work has taken her to Thailand, Ecuador, Belize, Madagascar, Costa Rica, Brazil, Venezuela, Indonesia and the USA. As she traveled, she saw that all people are One - no matter their culture, language, or country. In her spiritual quest, she became a Baha'i, and also learned how to meditate and tune her psychic abilities. In 2001, she became the Coordinator of the Spirituality Network of the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT). Her company, Tourism For Peace, was born in 2003 in Switzerland while taking a course on Education For Peace - a program in Bosnia that put peace concepts into elementary school curricula. Gail teaches classes in Peace leadership, has a Labyrinth with a Peace Pole, leads Peace Eco-tours, and is working on a series of Peace books for children.
About: Carla Smith, Atlanta City Council Member of District 1 has a long
history of community involvement starting in her home state of Texas
where she married, then relocating to Cincinnati, and eventually coming
to Atlanta. Living in the Woodland Hills - Ormewood Park neighborhood
she became co-chair of Public Safety for 7 years, and worked for the
previous District 1 Council Member Vern McCaty. She continues to be
active in SAND (South Atlanta for Neighborhood Development.) Because of
her grassroots activism, she saw there was a need for more attention to
not only Public Safety, but also environment concerns like water,
recycling and other issues, so in 2001 she successfully ran for office.
Carla has brought many valuable programs for improvement to her District
like her yearly E-waste day at Turner Field where people bring old
electronics to keep out of landfills, and the Atlanta Peace Trails.
