On March 30th, Teens4Disarmament attended the Nobel Peace Series: "Can a Peace Prize Prevent Nuclear War" conference to further educate ourselves about whether the Nobel Peace Prize played a role in mitigating the risk of nuclear weapons during the past and if it can support the action for nuclear disarmament by educating more people.

During the conference, the panel speakers Dr. Asle Toje (Deputy Chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee), Dr. William Potter, (Founder of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey), and Dr. Ivana Nikolic Hughes (President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation) discussed the conference topic and most importantly, what can people take away from the Nobel Peace Prize.

From their speeches, Dr. Potter touched upon the complacency and ignorance most people have towards nuclear weapons. He urged, “If we want to solve the existential threat, more people have to realize the dire situations nuclear weapons are and will put us in.” Dr. Hughes further explained how every year, the risk of nuclear war increases by 1%, therefore there is more than a 50% chance of many people experiencing nuclear war in their lifetime. She continued, “Currently in terms of peace, we are worse off than before. We must nurture peace and persevere to sustain a commitment to abolishing nuclear weapons.” Dr. Toje stated, “The Nobel Peace Prize can potentially move people and raise more awareness about this critical issue.” The symbol of the Nobel Peace Prize can support the hope of disarmament by encouraging the involvement of more people to engage in nuclear disarmament.

Also, during the conference, we had the chance to reconnect with our encouraging mentor Ms. Toki, from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, and meet a fellow nuclear disarmament activist, Cristopher Cruz Colorado, who has continuously supported us throughout our journey. Seeing the many people involved in these steps toward nuclear disarmament inspires us to continue working for a more peaceful world. We hope to educate more people about nuclear disarmament and strive to make our world more hopeful and safe.