#CranesForOurFuture Takes Flight August 4-9

As the world prepares to mark the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki next month, humanity is at a crossroads. Down one path, the war in Ukraine teeters on the nuclear brink, and we sit on the precipice of a new nuclear arms race. Down the other path is a safer future where people and the planet are thriving, and nuclear weapons have no purpose.

This August 4-9, NTI is again partnering with the Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace (HOPe) and the prefectures of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on #CranesForOurFuture, an annual campaign to mark the anniversaries and to demonstrate public support for a world without nuclear weapons.

This year’s global activation comes after President Biden and other G7 leaders met in Hiroshima in May and reaffirmed a commitment to a world without nuclear weapons. #CranesForOurFuture is a chance to show leaders that people across the globe want to see words matched with action, and to move closer to, not further from, a safer, better future.

Last year, more than 75 organizations, along with activists, authors, artists, storytellers, diplomats, and members of Congress joined the campaign—reaching more than 20 million people. It’s a cultural moment when a mom on TikTok is joined by a nun in Iowa, Yoko Ono, and the UN Secretary General in calling for a world without nuclear weapons.

This year’s #CranesForOurFuture campaign kicks off just two weeks after the release of this summer’s Hollywood blockbuster Oppenheimer, which tells the origin story of humanity’s capacity to destroy ourselves with nuclear weapons. This year’s campaign can translate awareness into action and show millions of people that the power to craft a safer world is in our hands.

With #CranesForOurFuture, people around the world can transform these dark anniversaries into a global expression of hope.

Join the campaign

Between August 4-9, post a picture on your social media of a paper crane or a graphic from our digital toolkit with the hashtag #CranesForOurFuture and a message about why we must move closer to, not further from, a world without nuclear weapons.

In previous years:

• Storytellers online shared how paper cranes became an international symbol of peace, the history of black leadership in nuclear abolition, and how the Navajo nation is still struggling today from the environmental impacts of uranium mining.
• Nuns in Clinton, Iowa held a crane folding party and pitched local media.
• Organizations held staff crane-folding parties.

No matter how you participate, the key is acting together publicly at the same time, so that each action elevates the others into a chorus no one can ignore.

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With questions, reach out to [email protected].