{"id":7561,"date":"2018-12-22T13:18:47","date_gmt":"2018-12-22T18:18:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/?p=7561"},"modified":"2018-12-22T17:09:57","modified_gmt":"2018-12-22T22:09:57","slug":"holiday-quarterly-newsletter-december-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peacealliance.org\/holiday-quarterly-newsletter-december-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiday Quarterly Newsletter – December 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
Welcome to our Quarterly eNews with updates from<\/strong><\/div>\n
The Peace Alliance’s Leadership Council!<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Catch up on the updates in each of our Peacebuilding<\/em><\/div>\n
Cornerstones and Advocacy efforts in 2018!<\/em><\/div>\n
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Hoping You Enjoy Happy Holidays and<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
are Celebrating the New Year!<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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\u201cLet us bring equality, justice, and peace for all. Not just the politicians and the world leaders, we all need to contribute. <\/span><\/strong>Me. You. It is our duty.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0Malala Yousafzai (2014 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient)<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Upcoming Events:<\/strong> <\/span>\u00a0<\/div>\n
January 8, 2019 – National Monthly interactive call, Guest Speaker Kit Miller of the MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence. Register here<\/a>!<\/div>\n
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If you’re a Peace Partner – thank you!\u00a0<\/b><\/span>Regular monthly contributions are our sustaining funding source, making our work possible. Consider becoming a Peace Partner<\/a> today<\/b>– or ask a friend to join you!<\/div>\n
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Visit our webstore<\/a>\u00a0for Peace swag<\/b>, including our new Make America Kind Again hat!<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>Kindness is a value we treasure in our work for building a peaceful world. Share it, wear it, and be kind!<\/b><\/div>\n
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We’re looking forward to more in 2019, <\/b>with your help<\/b>, to continue to do the work of peacebuilding, and to engage our new Congress to heighten their awareness of the importance of policies to reduce violence, save money and lives, and increase peace in our communities and our world.<\/div>\n
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Teaching Peace in Schools 2018 Highlights<\/b><\/p>\n

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As the year 2018 closes, we would like to give a BIG shout out to several peace education programs and organizations that we have been fortunate enough to learn more about, engage with and promote. Starting from the early childhood and all through the higher education, these programs and organizations are approaching teaching peace in a unique way and impacting lives of many students nationally and internationally.<\/div>\n
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The Peace of Mind<\/a>\u00a0supports mindfulness-based social and emotional learning in early childhood and elementary schools through The Peace of Mind Curriculum, Storybooks, Classroom Resources, and Community of Practice gatherings. Year-long, weekly lessons focus on kindness, gratitude, empathy, conflict resolution and neuroscience. \u00a0Students in PreK through Grade 5 learn how to notice and manage their emotions, form compassionate connections with others, and become peacemakers. The folks at Peace of Mind love to hear from educators interested in this important work!
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Jelena Popovic visits Peace of Mind<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Peace Exchange<\/a> trains youth Peace Builders in nonviolence and leadership. The Peace Exchange offers the Speaking Peace program to schools in Chicago (grades 5-8th). The program offers students the tools needed to avoid and peacefully resolve conflicts. The four-session program teaches tolerance, responsible decision-making, and nonviolence through discussions, role-playing, and documentary films.\u00a0<\/div>\n
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Soliya<\/a>\u00a0is an international nonprofit organization preparing the next generation with the skills, attitudes, and commitment to engage with difference constructively. Soliya operates at the intersection of technology, peacebuilding, and global education to foster local awareness and global perspectives. The mission of Soliya is to empower young people to establish more effective, cooperative, and compassionate relations within and between their societies by providing high quality global education that combines the power of dialogue with the reach of new media technologies.\u00a0<\/div>\n
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We are planning more calls, podcasts interviews, and webinar series so if you or someone you know practices and teaches peacebuilding in schools and would like to share it with us to inspire others, please send an email to jelena@peacealliance.org<\/div>\n
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Check out our Facebook group —\u00a0The Peace Alliance Teaching Peace in Schools<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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Shared by Jelena Popovic<\/strong><\/div>\n
Teaching Peace in Schools Lead<\/div>\n
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Peace Is the Essential Pre-requisite\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n

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The earth is what we all have in common and the earth is in grave danger.<\/strong> <\/em><\/span>\u00a0<\/div>\n
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For 13 consecutive days in November, the greater San Francisco Bay and Sacramento areas were choked with debilitating and unbreathable air due to the huge Camp Fire many miles away in Paradise, CA. \u00a0The air was declared \u201cunhealthy\u201d and \u201cvery unhealthy\u201d and Northern CA \u00a0briefly earned the dubious distinction of having the worst air quality in the world. \u00a0Meanwhile, fires raged in Southern CA, including the Woolsey Fire which began on or near the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, where years of rocket testing, nuclear reactor testing, and liquid metal research have left the site \u00a0\u201csignificantly contaminated.\u201d<\/div>\n
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No area of this country will be untouched by the effects of climate change, from droughts and fires in the West, to the rising sea levels in Alaska and other coastal regions, to crop damage in the Midwest, to saltwater-tainted drinking water in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, to poverty for millions of people, according to recent UN and US government reports. \u00a0These are just some of the ramifications of climate change.<\/div>\n
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The November 2018 National Climate Assessment Report emphasizes that the outcomes depend on how swiftly and decisively the United States and other countries take action to mitigate global warming.<\/div>\n
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The Institute for Economics & Peace<\/strong>, states humanity is now facing global challenges unparalleled in history, which require cooperation on a scale unprecedented in human history. \u00a0The most urgent of these include climate change, ever decreasing biodiversity, increasing migration and over-population. \u00a0\u201cWithout peace it will not be possible to achieve the levels of trust cooperation or inclusiveness necessary to solve these challenges, let alone empower the international institutions and organizations necessary to address them \u2026 Peace is the essential prerequisite for the survival of humanity as we know it in the 21st century.\u201d<\/strong> \u00a0(The Institute for Economics & Peace<\/a>. \u00a0Global Peace Index 2018: Measuring Peace in a Complex World, Sydney, June 2018)<\/div>\n
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Peacebuilding matters<\/strong>. \u00a0Yoko Ono said John Lennon\u2019s philosophy was: \u00a0Everything you think and do affects our society. \u00a0So think peace. \u00a0Start with that.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0To learn more about legislation to create a cabinet-level Department of Peacebuilding (DoP), see Department of Peacebuilding<\/a>. To join efforts to create a Department of Peacebuilding, to help recruit cosponsors for DoP legislation which will be introduced in early 2019, and to receive notice of DoP Campaign monthly calls, email nancy@peacealliance.org. \u00a0To learn more about personal peacebuilding, teaching peace in schools, promoting community peace, humanizing the justice system, and international peace, explore our website<\/a>. \u00a0To read more articles and to post your<\/strong> stories, go to Movers & Shakers<\/a>\u00a0on the Peace Alliance website, accessed from the Home Page<\/a>. \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
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We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
– Native American Proverb<\/div>\n
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Shared by Nancy Merritt<\/strong><\/div>\n
Department of Peacebuilding Council Lead<\/div>\n
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Restorative Justice – Not an Oxymoron<\/b><\/p>\n

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Crime happens. All of us in our \u201ccivilized\u201d societies are fully aware of this shared reality. Victims of crime suffer \u2013 and experience a range of emotions \u2013 anywhere from mere annoyance to sheer terror. How do these individuals find \u201cjustice?” How do victims heal? Is it possible for offenders to admit to accountability in the presence of those who have been harmed by their actions?<\/div>\n
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In the American justice system, victims are dis-empowered \u2013 they generally have little or no say in our legal system. The voice of the victims is represented by District Attorneys as representatives of \u201cThe State.” It is a newsworthy event when a victim is granted permission by a judge to directly address an offender.<\/div>\n
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Enter Restorative Justice – a breath of fresh air \u2013 the proverbial \u201cray of light\/hope\u201d in the complicated landscape of legal morass.<\/em><\/div>\n
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Restorative Justice (RJ)<\/strong> is based on a theory of justice and a global social change movement that endorses peaceful approaches to harm, problem-solving and violations of legal and human rights. According to Boston\u2019s Suffolk University, College of Arts & Sciences, Center for Restorative Justice<\/a>\u00a0\u201crestorative approaches<\/strong> seek a balanced approach to the needs of the victim, wrongdoer and community through processes that preserve the safety and dignity of all<\/strong>“.<\/div>\n
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Restorative Justice involves a fostering of dialogue between the offender and the victim, and has shown the highest rates of victim satisfaction, true accountability by the offender, and reduced recidivism<\/strong>.<\/div>\n
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RJ programs reflect restorative<\/em> rather than retributive justice<\/em> response to crime by<\/div>\n
identifying and taking steps to repair harm, (ensuring accountability), involving all stakeholders (victims, offenders and community), and by transforming the traditional relationship between communities and their governments in responding to crime.<\/div>\n
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In Restorative Justice programs, the focus is on crime and wrong-doing as acted against the individual or community<\/em> rather than the State<\/em>. RJ processes emphasize repairing harm caused or revealed by criminal behavior \u2013 and focuses on the \u201cback story\u201d of how this situation arose. \u00a0The focus on the needs of victims and offenders forges powerful connections and individual transformations, which speeds healing, rather than a focus on satisfying the abstract principles of law or the need of the community to exact punishment. Through RJ, the person who has done harm (offender) and the person who has been harmed (victim) take an active role in repairing harm.<\/div>\n
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In The Little Book of Restorative Justice<\/em> by author Howard Zehr, Restorative Justice posits a paradigm shift that is best understood by asking the oft-quoted “three questions.” The more common three questions for a system of justice to ask are “1. What laws have been broken?, 2. Who did it?, 3. What do they deserve?” Restorative Justice asks, “1. Who has been hurt?, 2. What are their needs?, 3. Whose obligations are these?\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cRestorative justice is a value-based approach to conflict and harm. These values are often identified as inclusion, democracy, responsibility, reparation, safety, healing and reintegration. But one value is more essential than any other\u2014Respect.\u201d (Suffolk University)<\/div>\n
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Restorative Justice has the unique power to transform lives, and reduce recidivism and the high cost of crime and incarceration. The benefits of Restorative Justice include giving victims a voice in the justice process, enabling offenders to understand the impact of their actions on a victim, as well as the community, and providing opportunities for offenders to repair the harm and to help ensure positive future choices.<\/div>\n
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Bottom line<\/strong><\/span>:<\/div>\n
Restorative Justice saves taxpayer money. \u00a0The cost of incarcerating one youth for one year in a detention center or prison is $24,000 to $50,000+.<\/div>\n
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Recidivism rate after \u201cwarehousing\u201d our youth: High<\/em><\/span><\/strong>.<\/div>\n
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The cost of deferring a youth post-crime to Restorative Justice programs: Approximately $150, and dedicated volunteer hours.<\/div>\n
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Recidivism rate after Victim and Offender connect in a supportive restorative circle: Low<\/em><\/span><\/strong>.<\/div>\n
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Pretty much price-less.<\/div>\n
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Have a happy & healthy New Year \u2013 and save $$ – support Restorative Justice in your community!<\/em><\/div>\n
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Shared by Patty LaTaille<\/strong><\/div>\n
Humanizing The Justice System Lead<\/div>\n
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Cultivating Personal Peace<\/b><\/p>\n

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Autumn arrived and covered the terrain of life with a vibrant invitation to remember to be thankful for the gift of life and for me the gift of cultivating personal peace as a daily practice and way of living.<\/div>\n
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One of the many ways that I support my practice of cultivating personal peace in my daily life is reading inspirational articles and this month I would like to share with you an insightful, easy read article by Marissa Hakansson, 3 Simple Ways to Cultivate Inner Peace<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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Joe Weston, a powerful international teacher, author, and coach, brought his healing wisdom, knowledge, experience and guidance on Tuesday, November 13, 2018, as our guest speaker for our monthly National Call<\/a> and shared his work on \u201cRespectful Confrontations<\/a>\u201d where he teaches to \u201cStand in Your Power, and Speak Your Truth.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Joe\u2019s book Mastering Respectful Confrontation<\/a> is a comprehensive guide, complete with inspiring practices and exercises that help you open to personal freedom, empowerment, and collaborative engagement in all types of relationships.<\/div>\n
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Take compassionate action and join us in our November and December call of action to encourage all Peace Alliance constitutes and Peace Advocates to write an OpEd Piece, on American Truth and Reconciliation<\/a>. Click here<\/a> for the action sheet that was shared in November for guidance, if you are interested in bringing your voice to the conversation.<\/div>\n
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If you are interested in being added to our Cultivating Personal Peace Facebook group, please email me at ngozi@peacealliance.org.<\/div>\n
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Shared by Ngozi Rasheda Akosia<\/strong><\/div>\n
Cultivating Personal Peace Lead<\/div>\n
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Promoting Peace By Phone & Podcasts<\/b><\/p>\n

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The big picture of the last few months and the next few months:<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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During the lead-up to the mid-term elections we focused on our Civil Dialogue Initiative<\/a>, then we returned full attention to racial healing via Truth and Reconciliation<\/a> processes. Both of these campaign initiatives will be ongoing. In January we will move toward presenting our full policy platform to the incoming new Congressional session, including educating them about the Five Cornerstones of Peacebuilding.<\/div>\n
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In greater detail:<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n