From Board of Directors: The Faces of Peace.. Coming soon

Greetings Peace Alliance Supporters! 

We invite you to join with us as we excitedly celebrate the beginning of a new phase of our work towards manifesting a more peaceful culture!  What follows is a brief historical context – followed by a description of this new initiative – “The Faces of Peace,” in which we hope many of you will be active participants and proponents!! We will share some of the fruits we hope “The Faces of Peace” will bear.  We have been discussing this focal campaign initiative since our board/staff retreat in January, and we are now nearing launch time! 

1. Background: 

As many of you know, The Peace Alliance has spearheaded the campaign for a Cabinet Level Department of Peace.   On July 11, 2011 the 10th anniversary of the introduction of this bill will be celebrated.  How fitting it is for us at this time to be ready, willing and able to continue to support its reintroduction to the current 112th Congress and also acknowledge the strides we have made during these past ten years in understanding at a deeper level the nature of peace and the pathways to a more peace-able world. 

The DOP legislation calls for the research, articulation and facilitation of nonviolent solutions to conflicts both internationally and domestically.  Part of TPA’s mission has always been to build broad-based coalitions, educate the public and generate media in support of policies and initiatives in this field. As we moved through the years educating and training on aspects of the bill to individuals, organizations and Congress, we were privileged to learn about amazing organizations and individuals that were already doing leading edge work in the field of peacebuilding.  

We have watched, and quite possibly have helped the field of peacebuilding grow, and  meanwhile expanded our own understanding as to who and what might constitute this field. 

This process has led us quite naturally to our newest project: "The Faces of Peace."  TFOP is an initiative to spotlight, align with, learn from, and spread the news of the dedication of everyday people and organizations that are transforming our culture.  Many voices, many methods, and a shared desire for a more peaceful world.  

2.   The Faces of Peace - What it is: 

TFOP is an initiative  crafted to make “Peace” a more tangible, personal, and accessible phenomenon.  It will involve media outreach, professional networking, and grassroots organizing and development.  It will include a featured section on our website and eventually a series of PSAs and ad’s to help it launch.  This media component will introduce specific individuals, describe some of the particulars of the type of peacebuilding activities they are engaged in, and name each of these people as one of the "faces of peace." Many of these "faces" will likely be folks engaged in more established practices, such as programs to reduce gang-violence, recidivism among ex-cons, international strife, or domestic abuse.

Some may be less conventionally recognized peacebuilders, such as a school crossing guard, or teenager doing peer mediation, a red cross volunteer, or a caring companion. TFOP will reveal the human faces of the various realms within the rising peacebuilding phenomenon, sharing grounded stories and human voices that can help to educate and galvanize this movement, and will emphasize that we can all be the faces of peace.        

 3.  What TFOP may accomplish:       

A.  Movement-Enhancing:  Bringing the realm of Peacebuilding into more prominent public awareness; Expanding, defining, and illuminating the powerful and ubiquitous nature of opportunities and practices for augmenting peace on Earth.  Thus using our commonality to move forward and take steps as a more united voice      

B.  Network-Manifesting:  Through highlighting the work of our allies, and reaching out to understand and promote practices and organizations we may learn about, we will be increasing our capacity and effectiveness as a convener and connector within the peacebuilding realm -- finding the common ground of our shared principles with our peers and acting to enhance it.     

C.  Grassroots-Strengthening:  Working with our local teams to identify and promote peacebuilding entities within their region.  This will aid us at the level of local organizing, and local movements toward promoting best-practices, as well as national awareness of the growing peacebuilding cultural shift.       

D.  Individual-Empowering:  While inspiring people to greater understanding of the field of peacebuilding, TFOP will also help us all to see ourselves as part of this movement – to notice the places in our lives where we are all, indeed, building peace.        

E.  Organization-Growing:  Catalyzing people to sign on, engage with TPA, and help us to build our millions-strong network of citizen-advocate-peacebuilders. To help achieve our federal policy goals at the level of our vision, we  intend to develop a much larger constituency than ever before in our history.   In order to actualize some of the nation-wide political change we've been working toward for so long, we believe we need to make a much stronger case about what peace is and why it's important, effective, economically viable, and efficient.  TFOP will build that case by spotlighting areas where peace-work is making powerful strides, and identifying some of the participants. We are so excited to work with all of you to bring this initiative to life, as we flesh it out to reflect what is happening in your various communities: the peacebuilding needs, dreams, skills, and acheivements that we are fired-up to bring into a more prominent and powerful light.   

With Heartfelt Gratitude for your company on this journey, and Enthusiastic Passion for these next steps, 

Judy Kimmel, Heart Phoenix, Terry Mason, Emily Wickman, Ana Campos, Dan Kahn, Aaron Voldman, Lynn McMullen, Matthew Albracht, Jeffrey Weisberg, Yvette White, Shands Pemberton, and Cristina Calderon 

Your Peace Alliance and Peace Alliance Educational Institute Boards of Directors and Staff