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In February 2007, Student Peace
Alliance members from around the country met for the first time at the
National Peace Alliance Conference in Washington, DC.
February 2 at the Conference was a special day for the Student Peace
Alliance. This student day
facilitated discussion between students who had previously never spoken
or had only made contact through phone calls or emails. The students
spent the morning working with the State Coordinators, forging a strong
youth-adult partnership with their state leaders. The students also
had the opportunity to hear a detailed description of the Department of
Peace legislation and the Peace Alliance movement from Wendy Greene,
Peace Alliance managing director.
After breaking for lunch, the students
learned about the latest nonviolent solutions to violent conflicts from
representatives of Fight Crime Invest in Kids, AFSC’s Help Increase the
Peace, and Challenge Day. This information provided a base of
knowledge for students about the type of programs a Department of Peace
would support and why they are necessary. After the expert panel, the
students participated in an activism training facilitated by Aaron
Voldman and Danielle Gram. The students developed strategies and
techniques to effectively build strong organizations and campaigns on
their respective campaigns and in their respective communities.
Throughout the rest of the weekend
students attended the Peace Alliance forums where they solidified
relationships with experts in the fields of nonviolent communication,
conflict resolution and international disputes while also building
strong bonds with their local adult partners. On Saturday afternoon,
both students and adults interested in student organizing were brought
together for a brainstorming session about the role of Student Peace
Alliance on campuses around the country. Students and adults
constructed possible events to hold at schools and then planned out the
processes it would take to produce the event.
On Sunday afternoon, Student Peace
Alliance gathered for a closing breakout session. Students from over 24
schools either had already started Student Peace Alliance group or made
a commitment to start a group on their campus. Youth leaders shared
their goals and needs for the upcoming month and the rest of the year.
During this time students were also provided an open forum in which to
express what they felt was positive about the student part of the
conference and what they would like to see different for next year.
The consensus from the students and the
national organizers was that a National Student Conference in the fall
would meet these needs.
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