Back again, and a few interesting links

Hello Readership,

I was away for a few days and took a short break from blogging.  This may happen again in August, depending on how “laid back” I am feeling while on vacation.  I was in the U.S. for a week (in the Northeast), and as always it was interesting to get back in touch with America and things American.

OK…back to “work.”  Just before leaving, I came across the Tamera:  Healing Biotope site, which seemed  worth sharing.  Here is their explanation of what they are doing:

“What is Tamera?
“Those who don`t want war need a vision for peace”

The “Healing Biotope 1 Tamera” in Southern Portugal is an international training and experimental site for the development of peace research villages and healing biotopes worldwide. Under the motto “Think Locally, Act Globally,” approximately 200 people live, work and study in Tamera. Tamera’s aim is to develop an example of a model for a nonviolent co-existence of people and between people and nature. The main tasks of Tamera are: the education of young people within the “Monte Cerro” peace study, the building of a village model called “Solar Village” which produces its own food and solar energy, and global networking under the name of GRACE.”

You can go here to learn more about the movement’s founders and history (they’ve been around since 1995).  One of the founders, sociologist and psychoanalyst Dieter Duhn, explains the raison d’etre of Tamera this way:

“The patterns of order of the human society shall agree with the patterns of life and creation. Without harmony between biosphere and socio-sphere, between human and universal life, the healing of the earth will no longer be possible. This is why it is necessary to build up model settlements and future communities where this harmony can be investigated and put into practice. People are needed who are willing to place their lives at the service of this task.”

If you click around you will see that they are actively involved in peace education, including the creation of “Peace Villages”.

I think there is much to be learned here, and I find the idea of providing an example of peaceful living very insightful.  Many people don’t believe in peace because they have never seen it in action…so why not show them?

IGbarb says:  check it out!

(though usual caveats apply:  just informin’ not promotin’)

The Culture of Peace News Network

I’ve learned writing this blog that while many dreadful things are happening in the world, there are also many positive responses, and the number seeems to be growing.  However, one doesn’t hear much about them–you have to look.   One place to look is The Culture of Peace News Network:

“CPNN, the Culture of Peace News Network, is a space where readers exchange information about events, experiences, books, music, and web news that promote a culture of peace. It is a self-sustaining network in which You, the reader, are invited to write a news report and contribute to its discussion. CPNN is a project of the United Nations International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World.”

I really like the interactive map on the home page.  You just click on a region and you get a list of the reports for that area.  I clicked on Africa and learned a number of things about which I had no idea.  For instance, I certainly did not know there was a Shalom Centre for Africa in Rwanda.  I then clicked on Latin America and learned that there were people Working for a Culture of Peace in the Valley of the Cauca, Colombia .    The author of this second report, Ramiro Evalle Yanes, writes:

“During the past seven years I have been directing a project called the PEACE CHAIR (“CÁTEDRA DE PAZ”) in the department of the Valley of the Cauca, Colombia. Its objective is the construction of a peace culture, based on respect for human rights, the fulfillment of duties, the founding of a citizen culture and the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the schools.

The project is directed at 200,000 students of pre-school, primary and baccalaureate. With my work team at the Secretariat of Education (we are 3), we have prepared 9000 teachers to be multipliers of the project in each school. All the teachers have received all the training, and they go back to their schools, bringing the project to their colleagues and to the students.

One of the special missions is to establish mediation centers in each school. We enter in stage six of the program. These centers involve some teachers but they must be formed by the students themselves from the third to the eleventh grade. The students acquire training, using material that we provide to them, and little by little they acquire a peace culture.”

He goes on to describe how the project had to deal with the local narco-trafficker (they refused the money and assistance he offered ).  Amazing story!

Each report also poses questions for discussion and encourages readers to talk things over.

This is an impressive use of new media to promote a Culture of Peace.

IGbarb says:  Check it out!

Check out the “Peace Geek” !

Peace Geek is an informative blog.   As the blogger her/himself describes it, Peace Geek presents:  “Insightful analysis of random news stories related to violence and nonviolence in the U.S. and abroad, with an emphasis on what can be done to make things better (with some occasional humor and random acts of journalism mixed in).”

As you might have noticed, my recent post about Sarasota FLA came from there.  Here’s a list of some of the other stories on the site just this month:

* “Soldiers of Peace” – CSN&Y
* Needed: Peace Heroes
* Act Now to Reduce Youth Violence
* The Line Between “Free Speech” and “Irresponsible  Speech
* Twin Cities Premier: “Soldiers of Peace”
* Rep. Donna Edwards Supports a Department of Peace
* What is Real National Security?
* The Culture of Availability

The article on “What is Real National Security” is very interesting, indeed, and I would suggest you read it.  It contains both “good” and “bad” news.  The good news is that some people in high places seem to be getting the message that planes and tanks cannot address many (perhaps most) of the real security challenges of the 21st century.  The bad news is that the bureaucratic structures responsible for defining and pursuing security are still very much in a 20th century mindset.   As Peace Geek argues:

“In the face of our own ignorance, obstinance and partisan fear-mongering, how are we to move beyond the outdated systems, structures and beliefs that block us from understanding that human security–not just for Americans, but for everyone–is the only thing that will truly keep us safe?”

As somebody once said:  “the first step to finding a solution is to correctly formulate the problem” (or words to that effect ); and I think Peace Geek as put the matter clearly and succinctly.

Go Sarasota!

I ran across the following story here :

“Sarasota, Florida, Supports a U.S. Department of Peace
(Sarasota, FL- June 1, 2009)

On a 3-2 vote, the Sarasota City Commission approved resolution 09R-2099 to support legislation to create a U.S. Department of Peace (H.R. 808) at their June 1 meeting. By passing this resolution, Sarasota (pop. 53,000) joins a long list of other cities around the country – including Detroit, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Chicago and Los Angeles – that are supporting this visionary legislation and asking their elected representatives to make it law. Overall, cities that have endorsed the Department of Peace legislation represent over 14 million citizens!

Before the vote, local activists Augie Schmitz (co-founder of the SW Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice) and Alex Coe (from the Alliance for Peace) voiced their support for H.R. 808 and informed the Commission about other peacebuilding activities going on locally. Ms. Coe had attended the Peace Alliance conference in D.C. in March, and had returned to Sarasota determined to better understand the local nonviolence organizations and look for ways to get existing organizations working together for maximum impact. Mr. Schmitz told the Commission about an upcoming forum designed to engage the community in defining programs that will help improve the lives of citizens by reducing violence, including programs to provide conflict resolution skills for children.

Mayor Richard Clapp spoke of the resolution as a statement of intent to Sarasota citizens and to the Congressional delegation that the City of Sarasota values efforts to reduce violence and make the community a model of peaceful existence. Commissioner Suzanne Atwell also spoke in favor of the resolution, adding that it was important for Sarasota to get behind the movement and recognize the symbolism of this type of legislation. Commissioner Fredd Atkins also supported the resolution. (You can send a note to these Commissioners thanking them for supporting the legislation by clicking on their names above.)

The two dissenting votes came from Commissioners Kirschner and Turner, largely along the lines of not wanting to tell Washington what to do. However, both Commissioners spoke in support of the local efforts to promote peace and nonviolence.”

You can see a video of the Commission meeting here (you will have to wait a while for the matter to come up–it is under “Unfinished business”).

This is interesting in and of itself (it’s a long time since I’ve seen local government in action).  It also shows that even city government can “think globally and act locally”.  And lest you think that what goes on in Sarasota is not very important, remember that one of the most powerful Democratic politicians of all time, Congressman “Tip” O’Neill , once said “all politics is local”.  Seems to me that the more peace becomes a concern in local politics, the closer we are to it.

The Peace Media Clearinghouse

This is an interesting joint project of the United States Institute of Peace and Georgetown University’s Conflict Resolution Program .   The Clearinghouse is:  “…a collection of key audio and visual resources and best practices related to conflict management.”

As the “About” page elaborates:

“The clearinghouse provides a central site where educators, students, organizations, and the community of practitioners working in the conflict management field can access multimedia materials that support conflict analysis and prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation.

These resources can aid professionals in training and educational settings as well as in various communities around the world. For example, these media can be used to highlight examples of peacemaking around the world, as tools to apply conflict analysis frameworks, or to enhance the understanding of conflict regions. The materials in the database range from free online videos to feature length radio programs and films about conflict zones. It also includes a variety of other multimedia like computer games, poster campaigns, and theater. The system allows users to search by media type, subject area, and country. The clearinghouse items are drawn from conflict related-media from around the world, and have been developed by a wide range of talent from non-governmental organizations, academia, and the private sector. Some were developed with a peacemaking goal in mind, while others are simply explorations of conflicts and related issues. They can be useful to those trying to understand or manage conflict.

In recent years, there has been an explosion of work in this area. The clearinghouse includes a section for “teaching guides” that have been developed to show people how to use the films in a training context. Additionally, we hope that increased dialogue on how to create and use multimedia will also allow for a distillation of lessons learned and development of best practices so as to advance the professionalism of this new field.”

The current site is still “in beta”, and you can see they also have big plans for the future development of the Clearinghouse.

This is exactly what we need to teach about peace and conflict resolution.

IGbarb says: an “explosion” of work in this area?   Hmmm…maybe not the greatest image , but more grease to your elbow anyway!

Face to Faith

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has, since leaving office, done a number of interesting and, apparently, worthwhile things.   For instance, he has established the “Tony Blair Faith Foundation“:

“Mission Statement

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation aims to promote respect and understanding about the world’s major religions and show how faith is a powerful force for good in the modern world.
Faith is vitally important to hundreds of millions of people. It underpins systems of thought and of behaviour. It underpins many of the world’s great movements for change or reform, including many charities. And the values of respect, justice and compassion that our great religions share have never been more relevant or important to bring people together to build a better world.
But religious faith can also be used to divide. We have seen throughout history and today we still see how it can be distorted to fan the flames of hatred and extremism.
The Tony Blair Faith Foundation is a response to these opportunities and challenges. We will use the full power of modern communications to support and step up efforts at every level to educate, inform and develop understanding about the different faiths and between them….”

One of their prominent projects is “Face to Faith“:

“Face to Faith is designed to improve young people’s religious literacy, which is a vital skill in an increasingly complex, global society. It also offers an authentic and meaningful environment in which students can develop key 21st century skills such as collaboration, communication, critical thinking and problem-solving.

Currently offered free to schools, Face to Faith is a global educational programme comprising of:

* a series of facilitated video conferences, enabling direct encounter and structured exchange between students
* an online community providing sustained engagement between schools as well as opportunities to link with a wide range of schools
* teacher training and support
* a team of facilitators who are on hand to moderate discussions and ensure that schools can find appropriate linking partners
* a set of optional programme resources and modules”

There is also a brief video of Mr. Blair himself explaining the project.

This sounds to me to be the way to go.   Education is the key, and this kind of contact among youth helps to break down stereotypes and fear of the “other”.  What one learns is that if I had been raised as “they” were, I would see the world exactly as they do!

IGBarb says:  Check it out.

Child Soliders

There are some topics so horrible and tragic that I find it difficult, as a teacher and a human being, to find the right tone and language to discuss them.    One of these is “child soldiers“.  What do you say about a society that turns its tender young into stone cold killers?  Before you think that it is just “those people over there” who do this, think about gang bangers–the recruitment dynamic is similar.    The raw violence, the manipulation of a child’s dependency feelings, the use of drugs, etc… I leave it to you to learn more about this modern tragedy if you are not familiar with it.

However, there are people working to do something about it.  For instance, I just came across “The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers”:   ” The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers works to prevent the recruitment and use of children as soldiers, to secure their demobilisation and to ensure their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.”

This page puts the matter simply and clearly:

“The use of children as soldiers has been universally condemned as abhorrent and unacceptable. Yet over the last ten years hundreds of thousands of children have fought and died in conflicts around the world.

Children involved in armed conflict are frequently killed or injured during combat or while carrying out other tasks. They are forced to engage in hazardous activities such as laying mines or explosives, as well as using weapons. Child soldiers are usually forced to live under harsh conditions with insufficient food and little or no access to healthcare. They are almost always treated brutally, subjected to beatings and humiliating treatment. Punishments for mistakes or desertion are often very severe. Girl soldiers are particularly at risk of rape, sexual harassment and abuse as well as being involved in combat and other tasks”

There are many videos about this topic, however, I think this one is dramatic and informative.  I am not, by any means, pointing a finger at the DRC since there are many examples of this phenomenon (and not all are from Africa, either).

I am just scratching the surface here; just pointing toward something you may want to study further on your own.  However, when you think about these things (and add in the lasting impact of land mines, of destroyed economies, etc….) it is difficult to understand how rational people can still speak of violent conflict as a viable tool of policy at any level and in any context.

Institute for Economics and Peace

Following on my recent post about the financial crisis,  I wanted to mention the Institute for Economics and Peace , which seems to me to be onto something important.   According to their homepage :

“The Institute for Economics and Peace is an independent not-for-profit research institute dedicated to developing the inter-relationships between business, peace and economic development.
It aims to empower the academic community, civil society, private sector, international institutions and governments with the knowledge to proactively use peace to achieve their desired goals.”

The “About” page clearly explains the ratonale and focus of the Institute’s work, and I think it merits being cited at some length:

“Economic development, business and peace are interlinked. There is little doubt that peace creates more economic benefits to a society than violence or war. Peace is conducive to business and areas of minimal violence are attractive to business investors. At the same time, business can play a decisive role in building and strengthening global peace through job and wealth creation.

Yet the value of peace to the world economy is poorly understood.

There is little understanding of the impacts of peace on business. There have been few studies on how to calculate the impact of improved peacefulness on a company’s market, costs structure or profit.

The Institute for Economics and Peace was established to fill this gap. As an independent not-for-profit research institute, it leads research into the relationships between business and peace, with special emphasis on collaborating with international partners.

The Institute has the following core tasks:

* Generate and lead research on the relationships between peace, business and economic development, working in partnership with governments, international business alliances, academics, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and others;
* Develop frameworks for demonstrating the economic benefits of peace to business, governments and civil society;
* Initiate wider debate and enable discussion through international conferences, publications and forums;
* Develop educational content for the study of peace within schools and institutions of higher education.

The Institute is developing a core research staff and draws on the insights and experience of external partners, both individual and institutional. It invites leading international figures – peace experts, academics and business people – to participate in its activities.” [emphasis added]

Lastly, I will just mention the “Building Blocks for Peace” .  I’ve started looking through these, and they seem to be both innovative and thorough (and I may well have more to say about them later!)

For now…

IGbarb says:   Check it out!

PeaceJam

Gordon Milllar at Ipeace, brought this to my attention.  The initiative is called PeaceJam , and its mission is:

“… to create young leaders committed to positive change in themselves, their communities and the world through the inspiration of Nobel Peace Laureates who pass on the spirit, skills, and wisdom they embody.”

Ambitious, right?…but also quite an innovative idea (IMHO).  As the “About” page explains:

“PeaceJam’s program is built on a pyramid of three simple ideas: Education, Inspiration, and Action.

Education:
The process starts with education, as the students participate in PeaceJam Programs focusing on the lives of the Nobel Peace Laureates. Programs are available for youth ages 5-29 and each program includes components which stimulate critical thinking skills, strengthen research skills, build skills in leadership and nonviolence, and promote personal reflection and growth. Each program teaches specific content around the lives and work of the participating Nobel Peace Laureates including an exploration of the issues that affect communities – both locally and globally. In this section of the site you will find more information on all PeaceJam Programs and how to Get Trained.

Inspiration:
Education is followed up by Inspiration, which comes from meeting the Nobel Laureates the PeaceJammers have studied at conferences, and connecting with other people working on projects for their communities. Through the first-hand stories provided by the Nobel Laureates, youth will get to know each Nobel Peace Laureate on a very personal level – each story emphasizing the Laureates choice to stand up for social justice, human rights, nonviolence, and peace. In the Inspiration section of the site youth can learn about the Nobel Laureates, find upcoming PeaceJam Events, share and look at pictures and videos from PeaceJammers all over the world in the Gallery, and talk to their fellow PeaceJammers on the Message Boards.

Action:
After being properly Inspired Jammers get out of their seats and into the streets! They get to work by taking on PeaceJam’s Global Call to Action – an ambitious campaign to create and track ONE BILLION projects addressing ten of the most pressing issues facing our world. This section will also give you specific ways to create and implement a Global Call to Action Project, and will be where you can register your project so that it can be counted toward the one billion project goal.”

Here is a nicely done video about the founders of PeaceJam and how they got started (sounds brave to me ):

You can get involved:  the whole site is about getting people on board for their “Global Call to Action Challenge”