The Massachusetts Campaign for a U.S. Department of Peace

Registration is now open for the 2008 Northeast Regional Department of Peace Conference, which will take place March 28th through 30th. This year's theme is "Being The Change: Creating Peace at Home and in the World".
Download the brochure!
Download the registration form!
Click here for details at the official website!

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The Brandeis Student Peace Alliance is hosting a Peace Day during which students and community members can learn about the violence issues affecting the greater Boston area. We have speakers from some of the most successful groups that are working to prevent these forms of violence. The main issues being covered by the forum are Domestic Abuse, Child Abuse and Gang Violence.

This event is split up into 3 main parts- please feel free to attend whichever (or all) parts interest you!

Forum Schedule

1-1:10: Introduction

Seven hundred peace builders from forty eight states went to Washington DC on February 2-6th to help turn Peace into a political force. They went into the halls of Congress and lobbied for the creation of a cabinet level Department of Peace.

On February 5th 2007, legislation to establish a U.S. Department of Peace was reintroduced into the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Dennis Kucinich. It was co-sponsored by several other members of congress.

This bill would provide much needed assistance to efforts by city, county and state governments to coordinate existing programs as well as to develop new programs based on best practices nationally. The bill also proposes teaching violence prevention and mediation to America's school children with the goal of finding the way to effectively treat and dismantle gang psychology.The bills would also provide help to rehabilitate the prison population and build peace making efforts among conflicting cultures both here and abroad. It would support our military with complementary approaches to peace building and create and administer a U.S Peace Academy that would be designated to act as a sister organization to the U. S. Military Academy.

Hi all, having returned from the GPPAC Conference in the Hague last night, I fell into one of those deep sleeps that resets your body clock…and dreamt of reviewing peacebuilding proposals from all over the world. No coincidence, as throughout these past days we heard from Civil Society Organizations, government officials, and Foundation representatives about the peacebuilding work in fifteen regions around the globe. It was a joy to represent The Peace Alliance and we were very well received.

In this brief report, I will share a bit of background, a few reflections on the event, and my talking points from the final roundtable on government and civil society partnership.

by Dot Maver
World Peace Forum
Vancouver, BC

Marianne Williamson, Chair of The Peace Alliance, moderated a panel on Departments of Peace Around the World. She was the only woman, surrounded by seven males from four continents who hold positions in their respective governments:

• Congressman Dennis Kucinich, USA
  
• Dr. Arthur Chesterfield Evans, MLC New South Wales, AUS
  
• Timothy Al Paulus, Assistant Minister for Youth in the Ministry for Youth and Sport, Liberia
  
• Franklin Quijano, Office of the President, Philippine Peace Process
  Fred Fakiri'i, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Reconciliation, Unity and Peace, Solomon Islands
  
• Hideake, standing in for upper house of Diet Senator Kina, Japan
  
• Paul Van Tongeren, Executive Director, Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict, Netherlands
  
• Saul Arbess also read a letter of support from Dr. Doug Roche, former Canadian Parliamentarian
  

They came by plane, bus, car, ferry, and on foot. Sixty men and women, representing diverse cultures, nations, ages, and languages, traveled to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, for the Second People’s Summit for Ministries and Departments of Peace held June 19-22, 2006. Speaking with one voice they called on countries around the world to establish government structures whose goal is to work hand-in-hand with civil society - reflecting, building, and sustaining a culture of peace.

Full report with pictures: ReportFromVictoria-1.pdf

Communiqué: SecondSummitCommuniquefinal.pdf

4/19/06

Dear Sgt. Jedrey,

I wanted to thank you very much for having us at the Crime Prevention meeting last night and taking the time to speak with us all after the meeting. Needless to say, I think all of our "brain wheels" were spinning as a result of discussing with & learning from each other. What a great meeting. As for myself, I have a completely different and much more positive perspective regarding the relationship and work being carried out between the Everett community & the EPD. It is quite apparent that the relationship that is fostered between the Everett community and the EPD is a model for the means to help develop & build programs that can address the issues of surrounding crime & violence in Everett, i.e. Youth programing/activities/creative outlets for youth. I would like to help with this and talk with others who attend the Crime Prevention meetings, to see what we can do together in this area to help the youth of our community. In addition, it is also apparent that this established relationship with the Everett community & EPD that continues to evolve and grow, is truly setting the groundwork for even greater opportunities for the future, where the needs of the community can continue to be met.

April 28. 2006

Dear Editor,

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is an old adage most of us believe is true. Although we often think of it in terms of our physical health it is also true when we consider our role in the international community especially in relation to the issues of military intervention and war. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could prevent conflict rather than be so limited in our worldview that we see war as the only answer?

I encourage your readers to learn about the movement that is gaining momentum in MA and throughout the U.S. The campaign to establish at the cabinet level a Department of Peace is currently underway. This Department of Peace would be in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government and dedicated to peacemaking and to implementing programs conducive to both domestic and international peace. Its mission would include strengthening nonmilitary means of conflict resolution as well as preventing violence.

Body:
We will be meeting with South Boston Residents for Peace to introduce them to the campaign and to determine interest for working together.
Contact Jason for details: jason@madop.org