| Posted: April 14 2005,16:47 |
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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? |
FOR
is an interfaith, peace and justice organization founded in 1915.
We are active nationwide in the USA, with 115 local chapters, 15
religious peace fellowships, and over 50,000 constituents. Membership
is growing. The requests for our programs and involvement in them
has greatly increased since 2000. Other national organizations
are adopting or affiliating with our programs. There is more
collaboration among leadership of peace organizations in the U.S., more
of an emphasis on nonviolence training and principles, more joint
work between faith-based groups and civic groups. The word
"nonviolence" is used more frequently by people, including the media!
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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*
People are clearly "hungry" for nonviolence and peace education, so we
struggle to meet all the requests for our nonviolence training program!
* We have entered a modern electronic age of computers, emails,
and webpages which requires reorganization of past communication
practices, staffing, equipment, etc. * With more information
available about the various forms of violence in our culture, we also
struggle to respond and to better focus our efforts and resources.
* Personal, interpersonal, national and systemic violence is
increasing.
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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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* We will celebrate International Day of Peace and FOR's 90th birthday in September.
*
In 2000 we printed a resource book for those working on the Decade.
In 2000 we also began regular bi-monthly columns in Fellowship
Magazine called "The Decade Challenge", covering areas like Decade
projects, organizing tips, training exercises, Gandhian ideas
about constructive program, nonviolence principles, children's issues,
and reconciliation. Sets of all the columns to date are
distributed widely.
* In June 2002 we launched a nonviolence
training program called "Creating a Culture of Peace, for personal and
social change." In 2 1/2 years, hundreds of people have been
training during 3-day-weekends, leading to community building and
project planning. We have trained 250 Trainers who are multiplying
the effect by offering more trainings. Groups include a seminary
and clergy groups, congregations and interfaith groups, high
schools and colleges, civic groups, intergenerational groups, peace
groups and veterans. Project/action examples include advocacy for a
U.S. Dept. of Peace, a food co-op, creating a nonviolence resource
center, high school counter-recruitment, addressing racism in an
elementary school, weekly peace vigils, and addressing racism in
neighborhood gentrification, allying with those attacked by hate
groups.
* FOR provides speakers on nonviolence.
* In 2000, 2002, and 2004 FOR organized national conferences on peace and nonviolence.
* Through Fellowship magazine, we have featured articles related to all areas of the Decade.
* FOR distributes information about the Decade through various media.
*FOR
also has programs to increase citizen awareness and involvement in the
struggles of oppressed people of Colombia, Puerto Rico, Iraq, Haiti,
and Israel-Palestine. Another program works on disarmament and
militarism issues.
Nonviolence training exercises by FOR-USA.
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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? |
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
We
are partnering with other nonviolence training organizations, with
national peace groups, with national and regional faith organizations,
and with a veterans group, in addition to all our chapters and the
national religious peace fellowships.
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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 would like to collect more data. We would like to work with more oppressed and low economic groups in the U.S.
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Postal address of organization
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Fellowship of Reconciliation, P.O.Box 271, Nyack, NY 10960 USA
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E-mail address of organization
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nonviolence@forusa.org
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Website address of organization
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www.forusa.org
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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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Human rights
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Highest priority country of action (or international)
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United States
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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Middle East & Latin America
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