Action Updates:

Nebraska Wesleyan University Valentine’s Day Letter Drop
For Valentine's day Nebraska Wesleyan University students organized a Valentine's action letter drop to Senators Ben Nelson and Chuck Hagel and Congressman Jeff Fortenberry.  Students and community members wrote or signed pre-made hearts which asked them to keep in mind the thousands of Nebraskans victimized by domestic violence committed by intimate partners and to introduce the Department of Peace Legislation or sign on as a co-sponsor.  In total, around 300 were delivered to each office in Lincoln.

Carlsbad High School Post Card Campaign
After hearing Senator Barbara Boxer of California was seriously considering sponsoring the Department of Peace bill in the Senate, Carlsbad High Schoo lteens decided to launch a postcard campaign to show Sen. Boxer that California constituents want to see the bill in the Senate.  The Carlsbad SPA committed to sending 500 postcards, a goal they quickly met and exceeded by visiting classrooms, going door to door, and presenting the Dept. of Peace to their coworkers and families.  SPA students committed to a minimum of 10 cards each, while a few devoted members worked tirelessly to secure hundreds of cards through grassroots activism.  The campaign was a great success, resulting in the education of hundreds of San Diego constituents about the bill, and well over 500 postcards sent to Senator Boxer.

Pacific Lutheran University Students for Peace
PLU Students for Peace has been continuously involved in organizing several programs to educate students about the Department of Peace and to encourage students to become involved in life as active citizens. 6 PLU students who attended the national conference in D.C. gave a lobbying demonstration to the rest of the peace group, with the goal of providing training for more lobbyists to bring the campaign to the next level. PLU Students for Peace has been working with Voices in Wartime, another student organization, to teach about the legislation and peace education. The organization has been successful in having National Campaign Coordinator Lynn McMullen and National Student Director Aaron Voldman give informative and inspirational talks on their campus.

Queens Middle School Letter Campaign and Bake Sale
Elly Molina, a Language Arts teacher at Joseph Pulitzer I.S. 145 middle school in Queens, New York, organized a letter writing campaign to Senator Hillary Clinton. 6 th and 7 th graders sent 60 letters asking Clinton to support the Department of Peace legislation. Her students also held a major bake sale and created “Peace” and “Love” bracelets for sale to raise money for the campaign, and they succeeded in raising $400. All proceeds were donated to the Peace Alliance and the NY Dept. of Peace chapter. Bracelets can be purchased from www.enchantmentindustries.com

University of Maine-Farmington Teach-in
On March 22, 2007 at the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) students held a full day “Teach-In” to educate students, faculty and community members about war. Some workshops during the day were presentations, while others included movies such as, “Why We Fight” and “Ground Truth.” The day speakers included:

• Major Michael Backus, an Iraq veteran and the Maine National Guard Director of Public Relations
• Lynn Ellis,the Maine Department of Peace State Coordinator
• Shanna Bellows, the Executive Director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union and professor at UMF who discussed “Civil Liberties in Times of War”

Other speakers included Vietnam and Iraq veterans, as well as professors at UMF from many different disciplines. In addition, tables by Veterans for Peace and the Campaign for a U.S. Department of Peace were set out in the halls for all members of the community to educate themselves. Overall, the day was a complete success. Quite a few classes were canceled and extra credit was offered to students who attended.

Five hundred and forty seven people were counted throughout the day in the workshops and presentations. Maine National Public Radio and many newspapers came from all around the state to cover the event. The day was an amazing achievement shown by the participation and positive feedback from the community and students.

Brandeis University Peace Forum
On March 24 students from Brandeis University hosted a forum to discuss peace and violence within their community. The event discussed issues of bullying, violence against women, child abuse, and gang violence. At the start of the event, students watched a segment of a film about Challenge Day, an initiative to build peace in our schools. A panel presentation on gang violence followed the film. Panelists included Emmet Folgert of the Dorchester Youth Collaborative, Teny Gross of the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, and two street workers. The panelists cited the effective street worker program in the 1990s, which played a major role in the reduction of violence in Boston, and spoke of why violence has risen within the last few years. The child abuse section of the forum featured Jetta Bernier, Massachusetts Executive Director, Prevent Child Abuse America. The event concluded with a presentation by Heather Latham of REACH Beyond Domestic Violence. Throughout the forum the presenters spoke of the importance of empathy, understanding, and the effectiveness of prevention and intervention initiatives to build peace.

D.C. Conference Update

The Department of Peace conference, held from February 2-6, gathered over 600 supporters, including more than 70 middle, high school, and college students. Sarah Goresch, a high school Student Peace Alliance activist, shares her conference experience through this excerpt of her account (click the following link to read the full story: http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/273/179/)

 When we finally arrived at the Westin Hotel in Washington, I discovered the unexpected: 20-30 youth, just like myself, were scattered about the hotel; in fact, I couldn’t turn my head without seeing one!

The students range from tie-dye and rainbow hand-knit hats to conservative Mormons from Utah to elementary school students. The best part about all the diversity is this-- we’re all here for one reason, and that one reason is to promote peace!

Friday was the Student Day, where sessions were organized by and for the students to learn about peace-building and youth organizing for a Department of Peace. On Saturday and Sunday students gathered to discuss campaign organizing, and to plan initiatives in their respective communities. Sunday’s student session ended with a bang as students gathered together to sing and dance in the spirit of peace.

During the rest of the conference, participants were treated to an informative, inspiring, and well-performed short play called “The Gift of Peace.” Participants also heard guest speakers such as Deepak Chopra, Reverend Michael Beckwith, and Marianne Williamson give thought-provoking and inspiring speeches on the importance of building a culture of peace and Department of Peace activism. On Monday, Lynn McMullen and Marianne Williamson prepared conference attendees to effectively lobby on Capitol Hill for HR 808. The day finished with a much-anticipated celebration and performance from Steve Tyler of Aerosmith.

Joaquin Phoenix with Student Peace Alliance organizer Zohreh Karami at the DC conference	Student Peace Alliance organizers Aaron Voldman and Julia Simon- Mishel with singer Steve Tyler of Aerosmith
You can click on the photos to go to larger versions

Throughout the conference, there was a clear sense among the students that they were making history.

Upcoming Events:

Students Speak Out for a Department of Peace:
Throughout April and May, students across the nation are speaking out in support of a Department of Peace! Our generation is calling for peaceful and positive change. Thirteen events have been planned already, with a wide array of events ranging from talking to peace studies classes to hosting small meetings and organizing campus-wide rallies. Students are speaking out in many different ways, but they are all united under a common campaign. By spreading the word about the Dept. of Peace and how crucial it is to today’s world, we will build a stronger campaign and make this ideal a reality. Use this opportunity to host an event at your school, in your own style, and speak out on behalf of a more peaceful future.

Join the Students Speak Out for a Department of Peace campaign by clicking here:
http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/316/189/

Mother’s Day Peace of the Pie Campaign This May, offer your mother a gift better than any other: the gift of peace. The Peace of the Pie campaign is a wonderful way to celebrate Mother’s Day and to engage your Congress members in a meaningful dialogue about the Department of Peace legislation. Organize a group to visit your representatives’ offices bearing delicious pies, and ask them to cosponsor the Dept. of Peace bill, HR 808. The pie symbolizes the 2% of the current defense budget that the Dept. of Peace is asking for- that’s just 2% of the current defense budget of over $400 billion a year. Last May, the campaign was a great success and resulted in over 10 new cosponsors.
	Some meetings consisted of a few supporters with pies, while others held larger gatherings, including a rally with banners, Department of Peace buttons and materials, and a speech by their representative.
Visit http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/297/36/ for more information and photos from last year’s events. Mark your calendars for May 11, 2007 - Mother’s Day for Peace. Bring friends, family and community members, and of course, your mothers and pies! Offer your representatives a slice of pie in exchange for a slice of peace by telling them that Peace Wants a Piece of the Pie!

Editor’s note: Make sure you call your representatives’ offices beforehand so they know to expect you, and bring relevant materials about the Dept. of Peace legislation that you can share with them and leave for them to look over. Follow up with a phone call. Check out the Peace Alliance website for tips on talking to your Congress members.

Did you know? Mother’s Day was in part inspired by Julia Ward Howe, who started a crusade to institute it as a Day of Peace in 1870. She nursed the wounded during the American Civil War, and also wrote the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

“Picture This, Dad” Father’s Day Postcard Campaign
It’s not just mothers who should get the gift of peace this year. The purpose of this postcard campaign is to have a chance to express the love between fathers and children by promoting support for the Dept. of Peace. Here’s how it works: Find a photo of you with your dad, and take it to a place like Kinko’s (or work on your own computer if you have the right programs), to have them turn the photo into a postcard. On the back of the postcard, write a message about the link between a father’s love and your belief in the Dept. of Peace. Remember to specifically ask the recipient to cosponsor the bill (HR 808). Get creative and send the postcards to other community leaders that you would like to be involved in the campaign, as well as your two senators and your representative. Plan to send the postcards the week before (June 10-17), so they arrive just in time for Father’s Day, on June 18.

If you don't know your Congressional District, you can look it up at Congress.org or GovTrack. Call their offices a week later to follow up.

Editor’s note - don't forget plublicity: Be sure to notify your school’s media, as well as any other local media, if you are planning to host an event. Ask if they can do a preview piece, a follow-up, or both. Generating media attention is key because it gets the word out about the Dept. of Peace and brings more people to the campaign.

If you would like more information about the student campaign or would like to become a campus organizer and establish a student group at your school, let us know!   Contact Aaron Voldman at aaron@thepeacealliance.org or sign up using this online form.

Statistics

Family violence accounted for 11% of all reported and unreported violence between 1998 and 2002. - U.S. Department of Justice · Bureau of Justice Statistics

The juvenile arrest rate for each of the offenses tracked in the FBI's Violent Crime Index (murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) has been declining steadily since the mid-1990s; for murder, the rate fell 70% from its 1993 peak through 2001. – U.S. Department of Justice · Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Take Action Now!
Contact your Congress representatives and senators about the Department of Peace bill and strongly urge them to support the bill. Go to “Contact Congress” at and send your representative an e-mail/fax or phone them.

Dealing with Conflict

Conflict scenario
We received a diversity of thoughtful responses to last edition’s conflict scenario on the car accident. The response below urges a wise and truthful course of action:

Last Month’s Scenario: You are driving and get into an accident in which both parties are equally at fault. The other person gets out of the car and is aggressively yelling at you and blaming you for what had happened.

Response: Regarding the car accident where both were at fault, I would let the other person have their say, not interrupt, listen attentively.  If/When I get my turn to talk I would first express my relief that he/she was not hurt.  Then I would not assign nor accept blame, but calmly try to express my version of what happened. If the other person is vehement that I am to blame, rants and raves, I would just let them vent, smile, listen and wait for the police to show up. -Diana Shepard

New Scenario: You caught one of your friends cheating on a test, and s/he threatened you against saying anything to the teacher/professor. You’ve noticed that your friend has been cheating for some time, and that this isn’t a one-time deal. How do you respond to the threat and take positive action to resolve the issue?

Please e-mail your responses to spa.news@thepeacealliance.org with your name, age, and school, and we’ll post the best response in the next issue.

Department of Peace Update

The legislation to create the Department of Peace was reintroduced into Congress as H.R. 808 in early January. There are currently 62 cosponsors in the House of Representatives. To see a list of the current cosponsors and learn how you can contact your own representatives to ask them to sign on, click http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/49/126/ .

There are also twenty cities that have passed resolutions in support of the bill, representing over 7.4 million people. To view a list of supporting cities and find out how you can work with your own city council, check the website at

http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/blogcategory/64/143/. The success of the campaign depends on all of us at the grassroots level to organize and coordinate activities calling for the establishment of the Department of Peace. Good luck, and keep up the hard work!

Campus Campaign- GET INVOLVED!
One of the most effective ways to support the Department of Peace is to organize at your school. The Student Peace Alliance is a network of campus organizations that support the Department of Peace, and with over thirty active campuses across the country, our impact is growing more significant daily. One of the greatest benefits of campus campaigning is the ability it grants each of us to imprint our voices on this historical movement. Networking with other student activists provides a positive forum conducive to swapping innovative approaches and builds a support base that extends across the country. New organizers can get ideas from those who are already active, while fresh ideas rejuvenate all of us. Now is the time to let your voice be heard. Make a difference.

Campaign Tip: Listen. As organizers, when we allow ourselves to hear those with opposing views, it greater enables us to handle their questions and understand the difference between their views and ours. In turn, this leads to dialogue, which is especially important when talking with our Congress members because it provides a much more effective approach than simply trying to convince them.

If you would like more information about the student campaign or would like to become a campus organizer and establish a student group at your school, let us know!

Contact Aaron Voldman at aaron@thepeacealliance.org or fill out the form linked here:  http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/334/187/

Tools and Resources

The Peace Alliance and Student Peace Alliance

Challenge Day
Challenge Day is a program that empowers students to address conflicts in their schools and build peace. More at information at www.challengeday.org

GRASP –
Gang Rescue and Support Project is a peer-run, intervention program that works with youth who are at-risk of gang involvement or are presently active in gangs, helps families of gang victims, and serves as a youth advocate. This is an example of an effective initiative that a Department of Peace could support.  More information at: www.graspyouth.org

Fight Crime, Invest in Kids—
Is a coalition of 3,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, other law enforcement leaders and violence survivors. Contains information on effective community programs to reduce violence. More information at: www.fightcrime.org

Featured DVD- Peace One Day
This documentary charts the remarkable 5-year journey of the filmmaker as he meets heads of state, Nobel Peace Laureates, aid agencies, freedom fighters, media moguls, the innocent victims of war and, eventually, everyone who was anyone at the UN.   More information at: www.peaceoneday.org/

Book Review: Featured book
Speak Peace in a World of Conflict By Marshall B. Rosenberg

Nonviolent communication is a kind of empowering language we can learn to speak to bring peace. It can be used among individuals, families, groups, oppressed people, “sworn enemies,” and even with gangs, among others.

Marshall Rosenberg explains in his book how nonviolent communication is a new language and a powerful tool anyone can learn to use to make peace from an individual level to a global scale. Rosenberg, as a mediator and healer practices, empathy, which is an emotion that puts us in touch with a person’s feelings and needs, (to put ourselves in their shoes) as well as puts us in touch with our feelings and needs. This whole process of connects us to what is alive within all of us.

I found his approach to be innovative, refreshing, realistic yet hopeful, and challenging. His approach, above all, is humanizing. It puts us in touch with what makes us human: our choices, feelings, and words. It also inspired me to get rid of “enemy images” and to see everyone as utterly human with feelings and needs. This is a challenge and something Rosenberg says is not easy to learn because of the way we, as humans, have been educated in life to think, feel and communicate. It will not come as an epiphany overnight and requires persistence and practice. I found his book to be a fascinating read, but moreover, worth learning to put into practice. I would recommend Rosenberg’s book on nonviolent communication as a valuable perspective and an effective approach to peace-building.

-Jennifer

Questions? Comments? Stories to share?
Write us! We had some fabulous feedback from our subscribers after the first issue of the newsletter. Many contacted us offering suggestions, praise, questions, and criticism. Keep it coming! If you are planning on holding an event at your school, or have already done so, and would like us to include it in the next issue, tell us about it!

Email us at spa.news@thepeacealliance.org. We look forward to hearing from all of you!

NEWSLETTER TITLE?
We are continuing to hold a contest to name the newsletter. Have a good, creative title for our Student Peace Alliance newsletter? E-mail us, and we’ll consider your title. If we like it, we’ll use your suggestion to name the newsletter, and we will send you a free Department of Peace t-shirt.

Know a student you think would like to receive the Student Peace Alliance newsletter? Please pass it on!

The Student Peace Alliance
PO Box 70095 -- Rochester Hills MI 48307 USA
Tel & Fax 248.813.8950
www.studentpeacealliance.org -- spa@thepeacealliance.org

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