AN
INVENTORY OF PEACE THINGS TO DO
In
response to our recent meeting in
Also,
I would like to put my request for assistance (or ‘To Do List’) below in
the context of the Canadian Culture of Peace Program and “Building a Better
Canada and World” (of which peace is a very key part). In this
respect, I would like to open our CCOPP initiatives to think in terms of
“Peace and the Future”. We can see this as the alternative to the
old thinking and preoccupation on “History and War”. To my
knowledge, there is not a University in
I
suggest the reader not to be overwhelmed or think the list is too daunting.
As Doug Roche counsels us, “Peace is work – Peace is hard work”.
But we have a good idea of the initial things that need to be done (problem
and solution identification are a large strategic part of the equation), many
hands make light work, and most people (including governments, businesses,
religious and educational organizations, etc.) want to help build peace but
just do not know what they can practically do. Our job is to help them
know what they can practically do.
MY
HELP WANTED LIST:
Within
A.
Larger/Strategic Requirements
·
We need help to activate the Canadian
Peace Education Foundation (ref. http://www.peace.ca/foundation.htm
) to help provide much needed financial resources for peace education programs
at home and abroad. We need sponsors, fund raisers and money. (A new Yahoo
Group/email listserver has been created, as a result of a working group
meeting, which has stimulated the development of a Resource Raising Strategy
and the drafting of an ‘Inventory of Peace Things To Do’). (Mary
Tidlund is exploring a Resource Raising Strategy. Paul Nelson is
exploring an Inventory of Peace Things To Do.)
·
Universities to fill key peace education gaps
(ref. http://www.peace.ca/CCOPPpeaceeducation.htm
). (
·
creation of Distance Peace Education Programs
(ref. http://www.peace.ca/distancepeaceeducationproposal.htm
).
·
People (groups of people) to activate the Canadian
Peace Education Strategy (ref. http://www.peace.ca/conference2002summary.htm
), (1) to get peace education on the Canadian agenda, and (2) to get peace
education integrated into all curricula by the end of the decade. We
wish to educate the masses in the Culture of Peace and
Non-violence Program.
The Culture of Peace Program also requires the transformation of the Canadian
education system from a culture of violence to a culture of peace (for
example, ref. http://www.peace.ca/modellingpeaceeducation.htm
)
·
People (groups of people) to activate the CCOPP
Initial Action Plan (ref. http://www.peace.ca/CCOPPaction2004.htm
; there are a lot of ‘smaller’ or tactical tasks contained in that
document, which I have tried to highlight at least some of the more important
below)
·
Work with libraries and book stores to have a
section on “Peace and Future Studies”
·
People (groups of people) to facilitate the
following case
studies conducting 8 Crucial Canadian Conversations, with the purpose to raise
awareness, understanding, and build key relationships:
1.
the
Canada/United States relationship, (eg. reference http://www.peace.ca/canusa.htm
)
2.
the
Canada/United Nations relationship, (eg. reference http://www.peace.ca/un.htm
)
3.
the
Anglophone/Francophone relationship in
4.
the
male/female relationship in
5.
the
aboriginal/non-aboriginal relationship in
6.
the
business/community relationship in
7.
the
military/community relationship in
8.
the
Government/community relationship in Canada (i.e. conversations with the
federal government, provincial, and municipal governments to advance the
Culture of Peace and Non-violence Program in Canada; some municipal
governments are making significant progress already, such as the City of
Vancouver that has a Peace Committee)
·
federal,
provincial and municipal Ministries/Departments of Peace (two groups are
working together on federal initiatives,
·
a Culture of Peace video – about one hour (or
more), to simplify a very complex subject; should be entertaining. For
example, I just watched an excellent movie that I would recommend to all peace
people called, “What the Bleep Do We Know?” (2004; ref. http://www.whatthebleep.com
). It took the very difficult subjects of science/quantum physics,
consciousness and spirituality, distilled it down into something more
understandable, and made it entertaining and thought provoking. We can
learn from this (and copy it viz peace).
·
a Culture of Peace television program, and an
eventual Culture of Peace TV Station (If they can have a Golf Channel, surely
we can have a Peace and the Future Channel.)
·
a Canadian Culture of Peace "museum" or
centre; - in particular, we need a location/site. View our Peace
Museum here and let us know what you would include in a Canadian
Museum for Peace & the Future.
·
Culture of Peace audio tape/CD (i.e. a collection
of old and modern peace songs; War Child
·
a Culture of Peace school volunteers teaching
program (akin to Junior Achievement – “Junior Peace Achievement”)
·
Peace Cafes, to provide local venues for peace
resources (such as libraries and guides) and people to come together for
conversation
·
A Canadian Peace Awards gala is required to
celebrate Canadians building peace (Bob Stewart/CCTP has initiated something,
but it needs serious help;
·
People (groups of people) to facilitate the
development of Conflict Transformation resources in all communities
·
professionalize the ‘peace industry’ (“peace
professionals”) through the creation of a professional body and
certification (eg. “Certified Peace Consultant” or “CPC”).
Credentialing of Peace Educator to take place through Provincial Teaching
Schools.
·
Development of CCOPP Program Evaluation
capabilities (eg. Peace Education Annual Index (method of measuring peace
education growth); regular (annual?) reports to Ministers of Education and
Boards of Education; Peace and Violence Annual Indices (methods of measuring
incidence of peace and violence) and regular reports to the Canadian public
and governments (our stakeholders)
·
More Montessori, Waldorf, etc.-type schools to
promote peace education integrated into all of the school
B.
Smaller (“Baby Steps”)/Tactical Requirements
·
People (groups of people) who will “champion”
the key nodes of the Stakeholder Web Culture of Peace Action Areas (ref. http://www.peace.ca/CCOPPorganization2004.htm
). To get the Yahoo Group/email listserver started to serve as a
tool for communication, networking, discussion and information dissemination
about the Culture of Peace Action Area. This includes people
(groups of people) to “champion” provincial and local Culture of Peace
Programs. Nuclear disarmament and sustainable development/ecology must
be priority Action Areas, as time is of the essence particularly in these two
areas (others?). (For example, Tex Albert is exploring the Interreligious
Action Area; Tom Rippon is exploring the Free Flow of Information Action Area
through CPNN; Doug Roche et al are leading
·
People (groups of people) to sponsor and organize
Annual Peace Education Conferences, nationally, provincially and locally,
utilizing the Open Space Conferencing methodology ( ref. http://www.peace.ca/ost.htm
). We need OST facilitators across the country to assist. (Bob Stewart
and the Hamilton Culture of Peace Network are working on the Fourth Annual
National Peace Education Conference; there are Working Groups working on
Provincial Peace Education Conferences in
·
People (groups of people) to sponsor and organize
Annual Leadership and Peace Conferences (ref. http://www.peace.ca/CCOPPleadership2004.htm
;
·
Training for Trainers; Education for Peace
Educators (ref. http://www.peace.ca/CanadianAgenda2005.htm
) (in conjunction with the Fourth Annual National Peace Education Conference
and UofA/UofC developments, Larry Fisk is exploring this)
·
develop “Teacher Candidate Workshop”; some
peace educators do not know what the Culture of Peace Program is (professional
development in-service; need collaboration of faculty; a Classroom
Connection-type material/video and book; Jennifer ?, Anne Goodman and Sue
McGregor volunteered to explore this)
·
Peace through Health in
·
People (groups of people) to mentor and help
schools activate Culture of Peace Programs (eg. Every school to have two peace
conferences: one at the start of the school year to activate students/develop
plans, and one towards the end of the school year to evaluate outcomes and
future plans) (
·
Peace Resource Libraries (books, video, other
resources) (Bob Stewart/CCTP is developing one potential Canadian Peace
Resource Library)
·
A “How to Get Started Guide” to Peacebuilding
for a Culture of Peace (Carmen Everall is exploring this)
·
More peace curricula (ref. http://www.peace.ca/curricula.htm
), for all ages (including adult learners) (Classroom Connections has this as
a mandate and has provided two key resources freely available to Canadian
schools already)
·
Development of the CCOPP web site (Bob Stewart and
Paul Nelson are exploring this)
·
Getting Canada Revenue Agency “Charitable
Status” for CPEF, CCOPP, and helping other peace organizations to get it
(there is currently a significant barrier for any organizations with the word
“Peace” in their name, to prove that they are not political organizations;
ironically, lobby groups such as the Fraser Institute have charitable status).
In the meantime, we have to work around this. (Bob Stewart is working on
this for CPEF, but has dragging his “butt” for over a year ;-)
·
People (groups of people) to activate Culture
of Peace News Network ; gathering and disseminating COP News (Tom Rippon
is exploring this)
·
A
marketing and public relations company and/or individuals is required to help
us refine a CCOPP Marketing Strategy (Paul Nelson is about to call for
participants to help in the initial drafting of a CCOPP Marketing Strategy)
·
Volunteer
coordination (Peta Collings is exploring this)
·
Focus
Peace Research in
·
identify potential stakeholders in the Canadian
Culture of Peace Program, and convene conference of stakeholders at a suitable
time (CCOPP should affiliate with all other non-violent peace organizations;
we have active allies, such as Hague Appeal for Peace, etc.); we have to
overcome why people are not here today (eg. Busy/no time; not their agenda/no
need; lack of awareness/no knowledge; no rush/urgency; etc.); (University of
Alberta/Renee Vaugeois is exploring this)
·
identify the decision makers (power brokers) and
visit (when we ‘have our act together’; Janis Alton to explore this)
·
we have an opportunity to link with others at the
upcoming World Peace Forum in
·
contests for all ages to develop art, essays,
music, etc. related to building a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the
Children of the World.
·
Articles in local and national media on Culture of
Peace (and Culture of Violence and War).
Internationally:
·
a
Culture of Peace international volunteers teaching program (akin to Canadian
Executive Services Overseas (“CESO”) – “Canadian Peace Services
Overseas”)
·
Leaders, Mentors and Sponsors wanted for World
Centres for Teaching Peace and National Culture of Peace Programs in other
countries
·
Leaders, Mentors and Sponsors wanted to activate a
world-wide “PeacePlus” Program, inspired by the “PolioPlus” Program,
developing partnerships of service clubs, the U.N., governments, business,
etc. to develop a world-wide Peace Education Strategy “to inoculate all the
children of the world with peace education” (i.e. teaching the attitudes and
skills to live together in peace); approach and share information with Service
Clubs such as Rotary, Lions, etc.; ask if they will support (money would be
nice; Pramila Sinha to follow up); (Bob Stewart has been exploring this within
Rotary International)
·
In short, all of those things we indicate we need
to do in
E&OE
Regards,
Bob Stewart
http://www.peace.ca
ANNUAL PEACE EDUCATION CONFERENCE IN
"The
world is dangerous not because of those who do harm, but because of those who
look at it without doing anything." - Albert Einstein
WHAT
FUTURE WILL YOU CREATE?
Making
an Impact: Your gift to the Canadian Peace Education Foundation will do much
to reduce the human cost of violence in our communities and world through
education about peace and the future in classrooms. Your gift will have
a critical impact on future generations. You will enable youngsters to
widen their sights by exploring alternate paths to transforming conflicts and
building a better world. Gifts of cash, securities, and planned gifts
are welcome and may be sent to the Canadian Peace Education Foundation,