| Posted: May 01 2005,19:11 |
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PROGRESS: Has your organization seen
progress toward a culture of peace and nonviolence in your domain of
action and in your constituency during the first half of the Decade? |
Introduction:
Students for Culture of Peace was established at Naugatuck Valley
Community College in order to continue a dialogue for a Culture of
Peace on our college campus. Specifically, SCOP was officially
recognized by the Student Government Association of NVCC as a club on
October 13th, 2004. Our club is a product of the International Decade
for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World
set by the United Nations. The very basis of our club is rooted in the
eight Peace Keys listed in the United Nations Resolution for a Culture
of Peace.
Membership:
Although SCOP is known to be a
very active club on campus, our active membership varies from 5
– 7 students and non-students. However, we have created an
e-membership for those who are interested in a Culture of Peace, but do
not have the time to commit to SCOP activities. Since our
e-membership consists of approximately 60 students and non-students, we
have designated an e-mail secretary to keep them up to date with SCOP
events and activities.
Meetings:
Our internal progress lies
in the consistency of our meetings. SCOP holds weekly meetings in the
cafeteria of our campus in order to attract the general public. More
importantly, our meetings have a strong educational component that
takes up half of our meeting time. It is more or less a discussion of
world affairs - past and present. This semester - spring 2005 - our
educational discussions focused on the genocide in Rwanda and Sudan,
the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and the war in Iraq.
As
for progress in the International Decade for a Culture of Peace, our
clubs very existence on a community college campus serves as an
indication of progression. In order to assess our effectiveness
on campus, we conducted a small and simple survey for this report. The
results are as follows:
Do you know there is a “Students for Culture of Peace” club on campus?
65.2 % responded “YES”
34.8 % responded “NO”
Are you aware of any of their activities?
30% responded “YES”
30% responded “SOMEWHAT”
40% responded “NO”
An International Decade for a Culture of Peace (2000 - 2010) was set by the United Nations. How do you feel it is progressing?
24.2% responded “PROGRESSING”
39.4% responded “STAGNANT”
36.4% responded “DIGRESSING”
As
a result, this survey serves as an external evaluation of our own
progress on the NVCC campus. Our main issue seems to be publicity. We
must make ourselves more visible in order to reach out to more students
and non-students. This also seems to be an issue for the United Nations
in promoting the International Decade for Culture of Peace.
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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Our
club comes across many individuals whose minds are plagued with war. It
is hard to communicate peace to war-prone individuals, especially in
the United States of America. For example, when you express your
opposition to the War in Iraq, many people assume that you are not
being "patriotic" and supportive of your country. One specific incident
of this would be our presentation to the NVCC SGA. We actually gave our
presentation on the “Causes of War” in the presence
of army recruiters which left our audience confused about the message.
However, these are just miniscule obstacles that we will have to
overcome each time we are confronted with opposition.
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ACTIONS: What actions have been
undertaken by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence during the first half of the Decade?
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Activities & Events:
SCOP has hosted many events on and off campus. Also, we have supported
many events that other local Peace organizations have put together. The
following includes a detailed list of our activities and events:
Spring 2004: (Not officially recognized as a club)
Hosted
a lecture on “A Dialogue for A Culture of Peace,”
which was given by Dr. David Adams – UNESCO
Administrator-Paris Office. This event was held on the 6th of May,
2004. Many students and community members attended this event.
Fall 2004: (First semester as an official club)
Took
a fieldtrip to New Hampshire to campaign for John Kerry during the 2004
presidential election. This field trip took place on the 16th of
October, 2004.
Attended “Where do we go from
here?” Conference – Statewide Peace Forum
– held at Central Connecticut State University on the 20th of
November, 2004.
Hosted “Veterans of the Peace Movement
– SPEAK OUT!” on campus on the 24th of November,
2004. This event consisted of a panel of peace veterans encouraging the
new generation to get involved in the peace movement. Many students and
professors attended this event.
Spring 2005: (Second semester as an official club)
Hosted a presentation on the “Causes of War” at the NVCC SGA meeting on the 2nd of March, 2005.
Participated
in March and Rally in Hartford, Connecticut on the 19th of March, 2005.
The theme of the March and Rally was “End the War in Iraq!
End the occupation of Palestine! Stop targeting minorities at home!
Bring the Troops Home Now!”
Hosted a Candle Light
Vigil in Downtown Waterbury, Connecticut on the 9th of April, 2005.
This Vigil was dedicated to the victims of atrocities and genocide that
have taken place in Africa. Many students and community members
attended this event. We received much publicity from our local
newspaper – see attachment.
Attended a Debate on the
War in Iraq held at Wesleyan University on the 18th of April, 2005.
Political scientists Christopher Hitchens and Dr. Michael Parenti were
among the debaters.
SCOP will host a Global Awareness Forum on the NVCC campus on the 12th of May, 2005 which has not yet taken place.
This photo is from the local newspaper, Republican-American, which included our Candle Light Vigil in the sunday newspaper.
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ADVICE: What advice would you like to
give to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly to promote a
culture of peace and nonviolence during the second half of the Decade? |
The
advice SCOP would like to give the Secretary-General to promote the
International Decade for a Culture of Peace would be to get the media
involved in our efforts.
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
SCOP has networked with the Culture of Peace News Network.
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PLANS: What new engagements are
planned by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence in the second half of the Decade (2005-2010)? |
We
plan on continuing our activism on our college campus in the second
half of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and
Non-Violence for the Children of the World and for years to come.
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Postal address of organization
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Students for Culture of Peace
Naugatuck Valley Community College
750 Chase Parkway
Waterbury, CT USA 06708
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E-mail address of organization
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scop@snet.net
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Website address of organization
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Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Education for a Culture of Peace
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Second priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Free flow of information and knowledge
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Highest priority country of action (or international)
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Africa: Rwanda and Sudan
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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Middle East: Palestine/Israel and Iraq
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