Empowering civic activism toward a culture of peace.
Section: Community Peacebuilding
This area is designed to specifically discuss the "Community Peacebulding" section of the strategic plan. (Download link for entire plan is below).
We want to know specifically:
• What excites you about it?
• What concerns do you have?
• What could be made better?
• What are ways you want to implement it personally and with your local teams?
Section Contents:
COMMUNITY PEACEBUILDING (C3)
Through local alliance building, community education, personal peace practices and service efforts in our communities, we will put into embodied action the type of work for which we advocate. Various avenues may be taken at the local level including the following. Grassroots organizers may volunteer in support of pre-existing programs as well as initiate peacebuilding projects to solidify the capacity of their communities to reduce violence and build peace. The variety of possible initiatives ranges from introducing conflict resolution into school curriculums, to raising funds in 3x3 public education events for gang violence prevention and intervention efforts. We will continue work to help support the development of interpersonal peace skills in our personal and professional interactions. Together we will demonstrate through our actions what peace looks like. As a network we hope to play a vital role in creating the ground-level structures we are asking Congress to support and sustain.
Nationally, regionally and individually we have the potential to:
Participate and Build Coalitions with Peacebuilding Practitioners: By forming strategic coalitions and partnerships with cutting edge peacemaking organizations, we will connect network organizers with the professionals in their community who need committed and passionate volunteers.
Train: We will connect grassroots organizers with partnering trainers around the country to train in nonviolence, nonviolent communication, conflict mediation training and personal peace practices. We will continue to hold Nonviolent Communication conference calls to support the learning of those committed to personal peace practices. When individuals or groups that struggle with conflict or violence reach out to us for peacebuilding support we will connect them with experts that specialize in their area of concern.
Host Events: We will host public media and educational events to disseminate data on violence and its solutions to public, media, and community. We will support the Report Releases from the Global Peace Index, the United States Institute of Peace, and Centers for Disease Control national violence data.
Expand The Peace Registry: We will grow our Peace Registry database of US-based community to record the efforts of organizations building peace in our communities.
We want to know specifically:
• What excites you about it?
• What concerns do you have?
• What could be made better?
• What are ways you want to implement it personally and with your local teams?
Section Contents:
COMMUNITY PEACEBUILDING (C3)
Through local alliance building, community education, personal peace practices and service efforts in our communities, we will put into embodied action the type of work for which we advocate. Various avenues may be taken at the local level including the following. Grassroots organizers may volunteer in support of pre-existing programs as well as initiate peacebuilding projects to solidify the capacity of their communities to reduce violence and build peace. The variety of possible initiatives ranges from introducing conflict resolution into school curriculums, to raising funds in 3x3 public education events for gang violence prevention and intervention efforts. We will continue work to help support the development of interpersonal peace skills in our personal and professional interactions. Together we will demonstrate through our actions what peace looks like. As a network we hope to play a vital role in creating the ground-level structures we are asking Congress to support and sustain.
Nationally, regionally and individually we have the potential to:
Participate and Build Coalitions with Peacebuilding Practitioners: By forming strategic coalitions and partnerships with cutting edge peacemaking organizations, we will connect network organizers with the professionals in their community who need committed and passionate volunteers.
Train: We will connect grassroots organizers with partnering trainers around the country to train in nonviolence, nonviolent communication, conflict mediation training and personal peace practices. We will continue to hold Nonviolent Communication conference calls to support the learning of those committed to personal peace practices. When individuals or groups that struggle with conflict or violence reach out to us for peacebuilding support we will connect them with experts that specialize in their area of concern.
Host Events: We will host public media and educational events to disseminate data on violence and its solutions to public, media, and community. We will support the Report Releases from the Global Peace Index, the United States Institute of Peace, and Centers for Disease Control national violence data.
Expand The Peace Registry: We will grow our Peace Registry database of US-based community to record the efforts of organizations building peace in our communities.
Views: 49
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lady Dana Austin on
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What excites me most about this DRAFT Strategic Plan is the ground level, community PEACE BUILDING strategies outlined to thouroughly train and partner peace practices. Each one can teach and reach one will be the model that can increase awareness. Our focus would be in the local high schools and middle schools in North Georgia, 9th Congressional District.
My concerns are to not overlap with existing programs supported by USAID, or the State Department. Another concern, is to ensure that we have tools that can measure the program's success.
I believe what we should do to make this successful, is to share resources and not reinvent tools or the wheel. The fact that each aspect of the plan are independent, would allow for roll out implementation. This is good!
My plans are to conduct a listnening tour of the concerns in our district. Outlined the top five youth violent concerns. Target the top five concerns and galvanize, and train local constituents (Educators, & School Administratives ) in the high school and middle school systems to increase awareness, and equip with tools to reduce violence and resolve conflict.
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Permalink Reply by Linda Kimberly Henderson on
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"Each one teach one"...I remember this was borrowed by the adult literacy movement. Good grass roots concept of engagement. I agree we should not overlap or reinvent what is there in other departments, and also believe we can interface with those departments. A more organic, less territorial government if you will.
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Permalink Reply by Kendra Mon on
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Please give us an explanation of what a 3x3 public education event is. Thanks, Kendra
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Permalink Reply by Dan Kahn on
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Hi Kendra - I can take a shot at this. A 3 by 3 event refers, I believe, to an event created by a local Peace Alliance-affiliated group, intended to highlight the activities of a local area peace-building entity. An example of such an entity might be a peer mediation program available to public schools, or a program like Challenge Day, or a resource for promoting healing through Restorative Justice, or working with families through conflict transformation techniques.
So the local Peace Alliance group would create an event, perhaps independently or perhaps actually organizing in conjunction with such a local program, to raise funds and awareness for all three entities - the local Peace Alliance group, the local peace-building resource, and the national Peace Alliance organization.
I hope that helps,
Dan
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Permalink Reply by Pam Allee on
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The title of your proposal excited me at first because it seemed to promise that ALL of our efforts to replace the worst with the best would be honored. I hope this is still the case, but all I heard and read regarding your plan is around the DoP. In my opinion, it is extremely short-sighted to think that you can accomplish this without also honoring other legislative (for instance) goals, and other kinds of active peacework. The first legislative piece that comes to mind is the Peace Tax fund (currently titled the Religious Freedom Peace Tax fund.) It seems to me that both pieces of legislation go hand-in-hand, and would attract the attention of peace activists as well as others. I would like to remind you that Dennis Kucinich is a cosponsor of this bill. For myself, I flat out refuse to pay for war; my mantra is Resist, Refuse and Redirect. It's not a perfect solution - nothing is - but it's the one I can live with at the moment.
So: the idea of joining with other activists does excite me. I realize that it's difficult to do - mainly because there's always one or several people in the room who refuse to play with others - I've seen this so often, and it really is dis-enheartening at times.
Other groups? There's plenty! Especially if one's concept of "what is war" goes beyond just the bullets and bombs - and this I believe people in the DoP movement do understand, perhaps better than most. What groups? Prisoners (most of whom I must regard as political), folks who should have welfare but no longer do, military who are resisting deployments, and CO's, homeless people and their advocates - I hope you can see what I mean.
I have to go now, I've got work to do. Thanks for the opportunity, I hope I responded in the right topic.
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Permalink Reply by Brian Gibbs on
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1. In reference to the “Participate and Build Coalitions with Peacebuilding Practitioners” section, I suggest the below:
Recommendation: Encourage activists to inform themselves of the available scientifically proven and/or screened programs mentioned in Appendix F, G, and H in the attached document so they can be “Social Doctors” helping to choose the appropriate “Remedy” for their community which embodies a Dept of Peace "Solution".
2. In reference to the “Train” section, I suggest the below:
Recommendation: Encourage activists to be aware of, inform themselves with, and participate in the opportunities provided by the rich array of resources listed in Appendix I in the attached document. This information was obtained by my monitoring of the Peace and Justice Studies Association ListServ. The San Diego Americans for a Dept of Peace has a membership in this group.
Also, consider a collaboration with the Midwest Academy (www.midwestacademy.com) which is a national training institute committed to advancing the struggle for social, economic, and racial justice.
3. In reference to the “Expand the Peace Registry” section, I suggest the below:
Recommendation: Monitor the “Find Youth Info” government website (www.findyouthinfo.gov), the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (http://nrepp.samhsa.gov/find.asp) website, and the Promising Practices Network ((www.promisingpractices.net) website in an ongoing fashion for new Violence Reduction and Peace Promotion programs that become available. - Attachments:
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Permalink Reply by Brian Gibbs on
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1. In reference to the “Participate and Build Coalitions with Peacebuilding Practitioners” section, I suggest the below:
Recommendation: Encourage activists to inform themselves of the available scientifically proven and/or screened programs mentioned in Appendix F, G, and H in the attached document so they can be “Social Doctors” helping to choose the appropriate “Remedy” for their community which embodies a Dept of Peace "Solution".
2. In reference to the “Train” section, I suggest the below:
Recommendation: Encourage activists to be aware of, inform themselves with, and participate in the opportunities provided by the rich array of resources listed in Appendix I in the attached document. This information was obtained by my monitoring of the Peace and Justice Studies Association ListServ. The San Diego Americans for a Dept of Peace has a membership in this group.
Also, consider a collaboration with the Midwest Academy (www.midwestacademy.com) which is a national training institute committed to advancing the struggle for social, economic, and racial justice.
3. In reference to the “Expand the Peace Registry” section, I suggest the below:
Recommendation: Monitor the “Find Youth Info” government website (www.findyouthinfo.gov), the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (http://nrepp.samhsa.gov/find.asp) website, and the Promising Practices Network ((www.promisingpractices.net) website in an ongoing fashion for new Violence Reduction and Peace Promotion programs that become available.
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Permalink Reply by Filip Rydlo on
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"Each one can teach one" idea excites me the most.
My concerns to DoPeace are: I am very peaceful person in nature.
I Love overtone singing and I Love Tibet - the greatest symbol of Peace, because the deepest roots and level of pure spiritual knowledge = about how to BE Peace and make peace - originates *there*.
I make peace by music. I sing in an Overtonechoir in Prague (CZ), there are 20 members there, but we have at least 12 international external members! I am also part of world overtone-music community called OMN which consists of over 1500 mostly PEACE-loving individuals and will probably greatly support the project.
What can be made even better? I do not know. In my personal opinion: the most efforts should be oriented into MUSIC and concerts for peace. Music is very very effective tool in making Peace and joining all nations together.
I personally want to implement THIS: a great Peace concert with lots of overtone singing music, choir music etc. .
I would love to help by organizing a great Peace-overtone-concert in Prague (just in the heart of Europe). Overtonechoir Spektrum can easily handle this organizing. May be we could join efforts with "Hathor" - company who organizes every year the overtone-singing festival in Prague ( www.alikvotni-festival.cz ) and the concert could TAKE PLACE in there = lots of peace-loving musicians will be in Prague already ANYWAY....... ;)
We are able to plan it somewhere in the year 2011.
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I am sorry for mis-type: correct link to the overtone festival is www.alikvotnifestival.cz
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http://novazeme.ning.com/video/liberec-atelier-3-trenuje-past
This song would be a nice beginning of a Peace concert in Prague in year 2011, dont You think? ;)
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Permalink Reply by Carol Hillson on
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Q what excites me?
A: " Grassroots organizers may volunteer in support of pre-existing programs as well as initiate peacebuilding projects to solidify the capacity of their communities to reduce violence and build peace.
Why: it sounds more personally rewarding and doing it as part of the campaign will only multiply the impact - that's pretty hot!
A: "Train: We will connect grassroots organizers with partnering trainers around the country to train in
nonviolence, nonviolent communication, conflict mediation training and personal peace practices."
Why: integrity - do what we want the country to do and model the way forward.
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Permalink Reply by Denise on
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What excites me about this whole process is that it exists, :) and that it is becoming continually more grounded in its evolution of more concrete strategies to move an agenda for peace forward.
I do agree that congress is looking for a different format to embrace and support. I don't feel that legislators do not support peacebuilding initiatives; rather, when it comes to education - and peacebuilding is all about education - they may need it to be more empirically driven. That's why large-scale community relations/peacebuilding collaborations and training are hugely important.
Regarding community collaborations and training, I have a suggestion. Consider contacting and if possible collaborating with state education programs like the Pennsylvania Keys to Quality, www.pakeys.org - a quality assurance program which PA preschools and daycares can volunteer to be a part of. The program was begun just a few years ago in response to PA having a record number of children being expelled from preschools and daycares - largely for aggression and lack of self-regulation in general.
As behavioral economics research tells us, preventative educational measures for children save us the big bucks by the time these children are adults. The PA Keys program aims at increasing public awareness of the social-emotional needs of our youngest children, and provides excellent professional development on this subject to preschool and day care practitioners. All this supports that the child develop the social-emotional skills she/he needs to be the happiest, most successful and peaceful he can be. I know this to be true as I'm one of the behavioral consultants who are called in to participating centers to help staff with children identified as having "challenging behaviors". We are very busy!
All school-based peacebuilding programs are terrific! Targeting our youngest children, and working with parents and practitioners who agruably spend the most time with them- is, in my opinion, the smartest way to go. In partnering with an organization such as this, the DOP stays up to the minute on research, social-emotional curriculum, and other helpful info, and gains a certain "status" through this affiliation.
I'm very passionate about targeting children's social-emotional health as a path to peace, and write about it on my blog to help parents and teachers gain insight and skills for increasing self-regulation in children. It is all about helping children develop "right relationship" with themselves - the precursor to developing right relationships with others. I comment on policy, curriculum, and other related topics as well.
www.PeacefulEmpowerment-DD.blogspot.com
I'm interested in learning more about how to assist in the training leg of this plan. Kindly contact me at the blog site (or my other email which you have) if you can provide more information and ideas. Thanks.
Honored to be here! Thank you to everyone, for all you do.
Denise Durkin
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