About / the foundation

The story

From a sculpture to a global foundation

1980 | A SCULPTURE HONORING JOHN LENNON’S VISION OF PEACE

After John Lennon was tragically shot dead in 1980, Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd, a Swedish artist friend of the Lennon family, created a sculpture called “Non Violence” in a shape of a knotted gun. The idea was to pay a tribute to the singer’s vision of a peaceful world and promote a message of non-violence.

The sculpture, initially exhibited in Central Park in New York, was soon to have a bronze version in front of the United Nation’s headquarters and to become an international symbol of peace.

1993 | THE SCULPTURE BECOMES A PROJECT DEDICATED TO NON-VIOLENCE

Feeling the need to turn this symbol into more tangible initiatives, Jan Hellman and Rolf Skjöldebrand, two Swedish professionals, co-launched The Non - Violence Project.

The initial idea was to support the future generations by inspiring them to resolve conflicts or difficult situations without resorting to violence thanks to awareness and education. A specific attention was given to youth and therefore many initiatives were dedicated to children and teenagers.

FROM 1993 TO TODAY | FROM A PILOT PROJECT TO AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION

From an educational pilot project in Sweden, NVP spread its work in schools, sports clubs and many organizations around the world. Through the years, some affiliates shared the same cause and rolled out locally NVP programs to address different issues.

The Foundation covers today 5 continents and involves staff, teachers, sports coaches. local authorities and many volunteers worldwide. 9 million people have been trained since 1993 ! Its workshops and programs have been enlarged to many adults on top of children and teenagers to address issues such as mobbing and sexual harassment just to name a few.

Thanks to its relentless work, the Foundation has received many prizes and awards.
> To find out more about the recognitions please click here.

The Non-Violence Project

The Non-Violence Project is a non-profit organization created in 1993 with the goal of preventing and reducing violence. The organization is headquartered in Switzerland and is active in many countries around the world. Its symbol, the Knotted Gun, is an international symbol of peace. 
To know more about the Foundation’s history click here

Our mission

Our mission is to INSPIRE, MOTIVATE and ENGAGE people to solve conflicts without resorting to any form of violence. Through education and awareness, we measure the impact of our programs and we have a specific focus on youth as we believe in the power of young people as changemakers. 
To know more about the Foundation’s mission click here

How you can support

There are many ways to support our work ! We rely on the generosity of our donors but we also welcome projects’ sponsoring, fundraising events, partnerships of all kinds and much more. 
To find how you or your organization can support the Foundation’s activities around the world, please click here

Contact

The Non-Violence Project Foundation
Avenue Louis Casaï 18
1209 - Geneva
Switzerland
+41 22 940 42 47Contact us
Copyright © 1994 – 2024 The Non-Violence Project Foundation
Conception & development : 
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The Non-Violence Project is a NPO with special consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
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