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Students Call for Peace
Published in NewsBlaze
December 17, 2007
Nationwide call-in to Congress Nets Over 1,500 Calls
Activists for peace from 47 states made calls to their senators and
representatives in Washington, D.C. last week urging support for HR
808, proposed legislation to create a cabinet-level U.S. Department of
Peace. The 68 co-sponsors of the bill were also called, with activists
expressing thanks for their on-going support.
The calls were made over a five-day period beginning December 3.
Long-time activists for peace as well as youth, some still in high
school, stressed the need for such a Department given the current level
of violence here in the United States and abroad. The Student Peace
Alliance (SPA), a national youth movement working to promote HR 808
through education and grassroots action, sponsored the call-in.
'Many call-in participants had never contacted their congressional
representatives, and they felt empowered by making that call,' said
Andy Schramm, a Minnesota SPA State Organizer.
'The SPA is dedicated to empowering youth to actively engage in the
political process and to understand their potential to affect change as
constituents and activists,' said SPA Director Aaron Voldman. 'This was
our first call-in, and we were tremendously successful. In all, our
supporters made 1,568 calls from 47 states. Those numbers show how deep
the youth support for this legislation truly is.'
'It's time for youth and students to join the political debate and
make our voices heard,' said John Wamsley from Georgetown, TX, one of
the students making the calls. 'We want new and practical methods for
resolving conflict and the violence in our communities, schools and the
world. With a Department of Peace, we can start proactively addressing
the root causes of violence, as the only way of beginning to truly
prevent it.'
The Department of Peace will augment our current problem solving
options and provide practical, nonviolent solutions to the challenges
of domestic and international conflict. According to the SPA, their
generation must build a culture that supports not only a peaceful
tomorrow, but a peaceful today.
Since the launch of the Student Peace Alliance one and one-half
years ago, it has grown to include chapters on 64 college and high
school campuses around the country. The great success of this action is
testimony of the widespread demand for new and practical methods of
resolving conflict, and the rising role of youth in the political
process.
For more information about the national call-in and the SPA, visit our website at www.StudentPeaceAlliance.org.
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