The Student Peace Alliance started in March 2006 at Brandeis University and has since grown to include 15 schools. Students have organized prayer services, walks, marches, held call in days and letter writing efforts, participated in congressional campaign forums, and met with elected officials. Let's keep the momentum going!
Please check out the Action Updates below to see what’s been happening with the SPA, and remember, we are always looking for creative ideas, so please share. Also, the Student Peace Alliance will debut at the pre-conference gathering on February 2nd and the February conference in Washington DC from February 3-5. We will meet to plan and strategize ways to continue organizing and supporting the bill for a Dept. of Peace. We will attend Department of Peace informational sessions, hear interesting speakers, and participate in stimulating and thought-provoking discussions. Also, students will have opportunities to meet one another and share their organizing experiences. See this page for more details on travel and housing costs.
Drawing upon the examples of those who came before us, we, as students, have the ability to truly shape the course of modern history. The Student Peace Alliance is the embodiment of youthful strength and dedication to create the world in which we want to live: peaceful, progressive, unified and abundant with opportunities for positive growth. We invite and challenge you to join us and others in creating history.
With Peace,
Jennifer and Natalie co-editors
February Conference
Student Peace Alliance Student Day
February 2
 The Student Peace Alliance will come together as a national student movement starting on February 2 during the pre-conference student day and then during the Department of Peace conference from February 3-5 in Washington DC.
We will meet one another, learn how to organize in our communities and schools more effectively, and meet with our representatives on Capitol Hill to garner support for the bill. Come join us in this historic movement! For more details about the student activities at the conference, click here or contact spa@thepeacealliance.org.
Be on the lookout for more information! Hope to see you there!
Action Updates:
Interfaith Peace Prayer Service:
Jennifer Ayoub of Cabrini College organized an Interfaith Peace Prayer Service fo r the Middle East which brought together an Imam, a Rabbi, a Priest and 100 other participants to pray for peace in the Middle East. Ayoub, a Cabrini College student organizer in Radnor, PA said: “We were able to bring together people from different backgrounds and communities for a common purpose- to pray and act for peace in the Middle East. With the support of the Department of Peace campaign, this was a truly memorable and evening event that inspired those present to be active in pursuing peace through different ways.”
100 years of Nonviolence:
Students at Brandeis University (Mass.), Carlsbad High School, and Regis University held screenings of Gandhi to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Gandhi's commitment to nonviolence. Julia Simon Mishel, a Brandeis University SPA organizer, states: "The Gandhi event at Brandeis was a success because it brought students together in celebration and appreciation for nonviolent action and protest. It was encouraging to see youth discuss nonviolence as a viable option to conflict even though they are immersed in a culture that defines such responses as weak. The students were also able to recognize and understand the role that the Department of Peace could play in continuing the traditions and successes of inspiring activists like Gandhi."
Elizabeth Kucinich Walk for Prosperity, Peace, and the Environment:
Elizabeth Kucinich (wife of Congressman Dennis Kucinich) walked 60 miles in support of Peace, Prosperity, and the Environment. The event was organized by the Student Peace Alliance. Elizabeth started at Oberlin, then walked to Baldwin-Wallace, and finished in Downtown Cleveland. Students organized events at Oberlin and Baldwin-Wallace to welcome Elizabeth and to speak in support of a Department of Peace. Ariela Zamcheck, an SPA member at Oberlin, described the event in the Oberlin Review: “At the Tuesday gathering [at Oberlin], Elizabeth Kucinich invited every audience member to share a recent positive experience, a time of great courage or a moment when he or she felt the closest connection to humanity.”
September 16th Walk for Peace:
Carlsbad High School's Danielle Gram was one of the coordinators of a 350-person walk in support of a Department of Peace. Of the 350 participants, at least 40 were students. Gram, an SPA organizer from Carlsbad high school comments, “The Walk for Peace was an absolutely amazing experience. Not only was it a blast to organize, but seeing over 40 Student Peace Alliance teens in support of the creation of a Department of Peace spreading peace locally truly touched the hearts of all in attendance. The mood of the Walk was set by the many musicians who performed, the children who danced, the students who held signs with inspirational quotes, and the AFDOP volunteers who baked lovely Peace Pies to share with all. It hopefully will be the first of many such walks to occur in San Diego and around the country.”
International Day of Peace Day of Action (National Call-In Day):
On September 21, Students at Southwestern University, Brandeis, and Carlsbad called and wrote letters to their elected representatives asking them to support the Department of Peace.
Department of Peace Update
For the latest news regarding the status of the Department of Peace legislation click here.
Campus Campaign- GET INVOLVED!
The Student Peace Alliance local organizations are the life-blood of the Student Peace Alliance network. Across the nation, students are forming organizations at community colleges, liberal arts colleges, universities, and high schools. By integrating efforts with local communities, these campus-based organizations build strong partnerships with those outside of the school walls. The student groups support the Department of Peace through grassroots organizing and lobbying while working to support cultures of peace on their campuses and in local communities.
The Student Peace Alliance hosts a monthly conference call. On the monthly call, the students discuss the progress of the campaign and any upcoming actions. The Student Peace Alliance network provides students the space to share local actions and organizing skills, as well as work together to craft and implement national actions. Please join us on our next conference call.
The next Student Peace Alliance conference call will be on:
Thursday, January 25 at 9:00 PM Eastern
Conference Call Dial-in Number: (563) 843-5600
Participant Access Code: 461819#
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
Statistics
Violent crime rose 2.5% from 2004 to 2005.
This represents the biggest increase in one year since 1991.
[Violent crime includes murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault].
-Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report 2005,
Federal Bureau of Investigations
The number of people involved in nonviolent movements
in the 20th century totals 3.4 billion people, and most of
them were successful. -Walter Wink, "Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way"
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
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. How do you respond to this situation?
E-mail us telling us how you would solve this conflict in a constructive manner and next newsletter we will post the responses. Think peaceful conflict resolution!
Email us with your answer at spa.news@thepeacealliance.org
Tools and Resources:
Questions? Comments? Want to Contribute? Write us!
P.S. We are holding a contest to name the newsletter. The winning entry will be chosen as the official newsletter title and the winner will receive a free Department of Peace t-shirt! Be creative, be bold!
Know a student you think would like to receive the Student Peace Alliance newsletter? Pass it on!
“Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead
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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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