Volunteer!
PAM always needs volunteers! Fill Out this simple form!
Or contact ronnie [at] peaceactionme [dot] org or call 207 772 0680.
To volunteer at the Annual Peace Supper, April 26th at Woodfords Congregation Church, please contact Ronnie Wilson at ronnie [at] peaceactionme [dot] org
What can you do concerning the Iraq occupation?
JOIN DELEGATION TO HELP IRAQI REFUGEES THIS SUMMER: DO MORE THAN MARCH THIS MAY
There are 4.7 million Iraqi refugees, nearly half in Syria and Jordan. While the war continues, 60,000 more Iraqis become refugees “every month”.
You can do more than march this May.
Join a fact-finding delegation between May 16th and 26th to explore on-the-ground efforts to help Iraqi refugees. See how you can help these efforts—and the refugees whose lives they change.
Only $1200. Iraqi refugees will participate to give a deeper look at the impact of the US-led invasion.
Ten days in May can change a life. Come find out whose.
For more information, visit www.MiddleEastFellowship.org.
JOIN 1-MONTH SYRIAN PEACE IMMERSION PROGRAM
THIS SUMMER
The Damascus Summer Encounter is a 1- or 2-month service and learning program in Damascus, Syria. June 19—July 17 and July 17—August 14.
Participants will volunteer with local humanitarian organizations, including schools, universities, orphanages and refugee relief programs and will meet with local community and religious leaders to learn more about current Syrian politics and culture.
Participants will also study Arabic at the Berlitz School. Each session includes a home-stay with Syrian families.
Included are weekend excursions to Palmyra, Aleppo and other cities and sites of historical and cultural significance.
Only $1,680 for the month, the cost includes private accommodations in western style hotels, all meals, ground transportation, weekend excursions, Berlitz Arabic language course, translators and local guides.
For more information, visit www.MiddleEastFellowship.org.
Educate
A) Yourself: Learn the story. Get informed about the history of the U.S. conflict with Iraq. Sign up for courses like Peace Studies, Arabic Studies, and International Relations. Attend lectures. Find publications like books, videos, and audio materials to further your understanding of the situation in Iraq.
B) Others: Hold a teach-in at a local educational, community or religious center. Pass out education fliers at the busiest places in your community like bus stops, subway stations, grocery stores, college campuses, libraries, and churches. Talk to everyone. People will want to know more.
Research divestment
Find out which military contractors or corporations (e.g. General Dynamics,Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, Pentagon, and Department of Defense) have a vested interest in your school through grants and/or research. Consider starting a divestment campaign
Interact with your Congress people
a.) Questions: Attend the public speeches of political candidates or any public figure who has supported or has remained silent about the crimes of sanctions and war. Ask questions. Be respectful, but DO NOT back down. Come with a group of friends who will help distribute literature, hold banners, etc. Send out a press release before and after the event. b.)Pressure: Help form an affinity group that can plan sustained non-violent direct action. Actions like these include sit-ins.
Media
With most actions it is well worth it to contact the media. Send out a press release to all of the local media a day or two before. Follow up with a call the day of. Most importantly, be your own media. Through the internet, photos, and video, we can amplify our voice.
Commemorate
Commemorate the lives lost by holding a vigil for all of the victims of war. Create a visual to represent Iraqi and American civilians and soldiers. Make it personal. Give examples of unnecessary bombing towns with mostly civilians.
Give blood
Organize a blood drive in your area and donate blood locally. Do this in memory of Iraqi and Americans who have suffered and died in Iraq from sanctions, warfare, and occupation.
Counter-Recruitment
Help monitor military access and involvement in our schools! Stand outside of military recruitment centers and talk with potential soldiers about better options. While there are some students who enlist because they want to fight this war, a huge number join out of economic necessity or because they are coerced by recruiters. If the militarism of our youth is something that you are concerned about, consider joining our counter-recruitment affinity group. Contact Stephanie at stephanie [at] peaceactionme [dot] org
Sponsor
Help sponsor a specific project, or youth activists that are working to end economic and military warfare.Find ways for you and your community to donate time, energy and resources.
Write
Letters: Send a letter to the editor of your local paper or an article to a news magazine. If they are not published, call and ask for a non-discriminatory policy. Keep writing. If your paper presents only a pro-war perspective, consider requesting a meeting with the editorial board to pressure for better media coverage. You can find out where to send your letters by looking on the letters to the editor page of a newspaper. Petitions: Write or sign a petition for national or statewide use. Send or bring signed petitions to Congress. For a few printable petitions, visit: www.maineimpeach.org and http://www.unitedforpeace.org/downloads/UFPJ_Petit...
Avoid oil consumption
Explore and use alternative energy. Encourage others to do the same. Ride your bike or walk! Use energy-efficient lightbulbs. Better insulate your home.
Visit here
for 30 Steps You Can Take Towards an Oil Free World
Contact Elected Representatives
Click here to locate and contact your representatives.
CONTACT: Betsy Duncombe. #326.8061. duncombe [at] downeast [dot] net
Volunteer today In Auburn with Iraqi Families Recently Resettled in Maine
In the last few weeks 15 Iraqi interpreters and their families have immigrated to the Lewiston/Auburn area on a special immigration visa. These interpreters worked with the U.S. Army in Iraq including some Maine guardsmen soldiers. In order to obtain the visas they had to be endorsed by U.S. soldiers and high levels of command and also went through extensive security checks. Many of these men left Iraq as their lives were endangered after working with coalition forces.
By becoming an English Conversation Partner though Literacy Volunteers-Androscoggin and volunteering an hour a week, you can help these Iraqi families and other immigrants improve their English and learn about life in Maine. Please volunteer by calling Mary at 333 6601 X 1323
Donated vehicles wanted for young activists in Maine
Do you have a vehicle in good working condition (doesn’t mean it’s perfect, but that, to the best of your knowledge, it is running OK and doesn’t need a large amount of work to be road worthy) that you are not using (or won’t be soon) and can donate to a young activist in Maine?
ROSC (Resources for Organizing and Social Change) has gotten several vehicles donated in the past few years that have been given to young activists who needed to get around to do their social change work. We have provided a tax deduction to some of those who donated vehicles and can provide that again to those who might need the deduction.
We can receive cars or pick them up (now is a good time to donate before they are buried under snow).
IF YOU CAN DONATE A VEHICLE, PLEASE CONTACT LARRY DANSINGER, 525-7776 OR rosc [at] psouth [dot] net Thanks for any help you can offer.
United States Institute of Peace: National Peace Essay Contest
1200 17th Street NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC
20036-3011
Phone: 202-457-1700
Fax: 202-429-6063
Email: essaycontest [at] usip [dot] org
www.usip.org/ed/npec/index.html
Grant Details: Scholarships of $1,000 to $10,000 are provided.
Eligibility Requirements:
High school students
Application Deadlines:
February 1, 2008
(The 2009 deadline will be available in late 2008.)
Areas of Interest:
The United States Institute of Peace National Peace Essay Contest
encourages knowledgeable and thoughtful students to address peace,
justice, freedom, and security issues. The contest promotes serious
discussion among high school students, teachers, and national
leaders about international peace and conflict resolution today and
in the future.
The 2007-2008 essay topic is Natural Resources and Conflict. Essays should explore what the contestant believes are the necessary elements for the development of fair, peaceful, or effective use of natural resources after a conflict.
The following scholarships are provided:
$10,000 for one National First Place winner;
$5,000 for one National Second Place winner;
$2,500 for one National Third Place winner; and,
$1,000 for one State winner in each state plus one winner for
U.S. territories, one winner for the District of Columbia, and
one winner for American students abroad.
Eligibility includes:
all high school students attending school in the United States
regardless of citizenship;
foreign exchange and visiting students attending high school
in the U.S.; and,
U.S. citizens attending high school in countries other than
United States.
Application Procedures:
Application guidelines and forms are available on the United States
Institute of Peace website listed above.,
www.usip.org/ed/npec/index.html
The Bangor chapter of Veterans For Peace Announces the Second Gathering of Peace Poetry for the Central Maine Area.
Veterans For Peace is a national non-violent peace and justice non-profit organization with local members throughout Maine. One of our goals is to educate and inform the public about issues of peace and peace-making at schools and in our local communities.
Veterans For Peace members believe peace-making and hope for a peaceful world begin in our community, our homes, and in our classrooms. Children who have participated in similar events in past years, along with entire classrooms whose teachers make the event a class project, have made the event a success for several years running in Massachusetts. We are hopeful of continuing that project in the central Maine area. The members of Veterans For Peace, sponsors of the event, congratulate you for recognizing the importance of this event, dedicated to establishing a “culture of peace” in our local communities.
PEACE POETRY COLLECTION GUIDELINES
Though this collection holds no formal position on the current state of world affairs, still we want to honor the ideal of peace. Peace is a uniquely human conception and affirms the human spirit. It is especially important to remember that peace is not merely a goal but a human right. In that spirit of reflection and affirmation, we encourage everyone to contribute a poem to this effort.
Entries may be in the form of poems, haiku, or prose. We prefer one entry per person and the goal is to get our children involved in thinking about the concept of peace and how it applies to their own lives. This is not intended to be a contest pitting one child against another, but a way for each person to express their own thoughts and then have them collected together so that they may see how others view the concept of peace. We all may learn something in the process.
Entries may be either handwritten or typed. Please use the entry form for submittal. We are asking for the name of the school, the grade, and only the student’s first name. This is to protect their privacy.
A free copy of the collected material will be sent to each participant and extra copies will be available at nominal charge to cover printing costs.
Entries should be collected by each participating teacher and then delivered to Veterans For Peace, 170 Park St, Bangor, ME 04401. This should be done following the Feb 28 entry closure. Please submit them no later than March 9, 2008.
If there are questions or concerns, please contact Al Larson at 947-3513
You are invited to participate in the Third Annual Conference in Bil’in, Palestine, 4-6 June 2008
The Organizing Committee and the Bil’in Friends of Freedom and Justice Society invite you to participate in the Third Annual Conference in Bil’in, Palestine, 4-6 June 2008.
February 2008 marks the third anniversary of the weekly non-violent protests in opposition to the “work-site of shame” for the Apartheid Wall that has annexed almost 60% of the land of Bil’in village in the West Bank. Bil’in has become a symbol both of the theft of land across Palestine and of the power of non-violent grassroots movements in building local and international resistance to Occupation.
On September 4th 2007, after nearly three years of nonviolent protests in our village, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that Israel’s wall here must be moved further west, returning 250 acres of our farmland.
The year between June 2007 and May 2008 provides an effective framework for highlighting the ongoing Palestinian catastrophe: 90 years since the Balfour Declaration, 60 years since the Nakba, 41 years of Occupation, 26 years since Sabra/Shatila, 21 years since the First Intifada, 5 years of building the Apartheid Wall.
Join us in strategizing effective, concerted non-violent action in Palestine and across the globe! WHEN: 4-6 June 2008 with a major non-violent action on the final day WHERE: Bil’in village near Ramallah, Palestine CONTACT:ffj.bilin@yahoo.com bel3en [at] yahoo [dot] com or contact [at] bilin-village [dot] org For more information: The Bilin Friends of freedom and Justice -society Email: majdarmajdar [at] yahoo [dot] com Tel: 972 547 847 942 http://www. Ffj-bilin.org ffj.bilin [at] yahoo [dot] com
friends-of-freedom-and-justice-bilin [at] lists [dot] riseup [dot] net
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