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Dear [[First_Name]],
Our campaign is breaking new ground at the highest levels! Last month Aaron Voldman and Julia Simon-Mishel of the SPA Coordinating Committee, as well as Peace Alliance staff and Board Members revisited several Congressional offices on the Hill in D.C. and gained new input at the current stage of our movement. The group met with the senior legislative staff in offices from both sides of the aisle, and were frequently greeted by the Representative or Senator themselves. The depth of information gained on successful strategies and things to keep in mind for the future will help our movement adapt and maximize its effectiveness as political climates shift and our strategy evolves.
A few notes from our meetings:
- We should continue to lobby, lobby, lobby! Don't let your representatives forget you. Even just stopping in with a Student Peace Alliance info card makes an impact.
- To address our bi-partisanship, we were advised make a strong presence in districts where the election races are close because typically conservative candidates in those areas are more likely to move to centrist positions to gain supporters.
- This is a pivotal year. People are very invested in the presidential campaign and related elections. Money and resources are flowing freely in those areas, but non-profits and community programs are suffering from lack of support. As an organization, we are in the best of times and the worst of times. The Student Peace Alliance, The Peace Alliance and its supporters are being heard by D.C. Staff, and members of Congress know who we are. However, we suffer and will continue to suffer from decreased human and financial support as everyone works to contribute time and money to their candidates of choice.
We honor the incredible importance of political campaigns. We also honor the important work each one of us does as we act for the profound social change needed to institutionalize peace and create a culture of peace. We are gaining momentum and the next year will prove crucial. With the awareness that involvement in upcoming elections and activism for a Department of Peace must coincide, please continue to keep the Student Peace Alliance and the Peace Alliance on the top burner; we are the "trim tab" that can help shift the direction of this country to the one we all know is possible.
In appreciation for the part you play in this work,
Rob Atkinson and the Student Peace Alliace Coordinating Committee
Ask your friends to 'Stand with You For Peace'
Visit our online petition and invite your friends to take a stand for peace. It is a quick, simple, but nonetheless impactful way to begin making a positive change right now. |
Jack Johnson Summer Tour
By Miranda Fisher
 As we enter further into summer, the Student Peace Alliance is maintaining momentum as students all over the country seek opportunities to act! This summer, Jack Johnson is touring the nation and has invited the Student Peace Alliance to table at the concert’s interactive “Village Green.” This is an opportunity for concert attendees to “meet local and national non-profits and learn about making change within their three spheres of influence: their actions, their voice and their choices.”
The “Village Green” is a part of a larger campaign, All At Once which is a community network that empowers fans to “take action toward a healthier community and planet.” The concept All At Once is based on is that idea of individual action, multiplied by millions, creates global change. To learn more visit the official website: www.AllAtOnce.org.
 Student Peace Alliance will be tabling at nearly every show. Students are spreading the word with presentation materials and pamphlets, as well as taking pictures of fans that support the establishment of a U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence to be used to create a mass-scale online petition. This petition will be an invaluable resource to show our support base and use in future lobbying. Concerts have already been held in Indiana, Minnesota, and Michigan and were very successful.
“It went so well,” said Ruthie Miskimins, a SPA Regional Organizer. “People were really excited to be a part of the photo petition. People were lining up and waiting to do our action. We got 130 pictures and in each picture there were an average of two or three people.”
| There are more Jack Johnson concerts to come so contact your state or regional organizer for more information on how to get involved! Contact TJ Bowen at
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to find the State or Regional Organizer for your area. |
Student Peace Alliance Leadership Retreat
By Miranda Fisher
 The SPA annual leadership conference recently took place June 5-8 in Washington D.C., where the Coordinating Committee along with nine State Organizers reunited to envision the future of Student Peace Alliance long term, and for the 2008-2009 school year. Students discussed upcoming national actions, the next year long action plan, and made alterations to the structure of Student Peace Alliance to accommodate new growth and development.
Many State Organizers offered to become Regional Organizers to reach out and maintain contact with our expanding network. The SPA leadership welcomed in Rachell Farnham, our new National High School Organizer, and Shands Pemberton, our new National Technology Coordinator. Also, a National Legislative Strategy Committee was formed to address the widely expressed need. In fact, it was decided that leadership of this committee would be the exclusive focus of a Coordinating Committee member. You can contact Rachell at
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, Shands at
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, and gain more information on Legislative Strategy Committee by contacting Rob at
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.
Summer is a time to relax and enjoy time off of school. However, this free time is not slowing down our dedication to establishing a U.S. Department of Peace established in our government! Contact your local Student Peace Alliance chapter to find out what is happening in your district, or send an email to
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.
Get Ready to Walk for Peace!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Plans are underway for our third annual Walk for Peace walkathons on September 20, which falls between Patriot Day (9/11) and the International Day of Peace (9/21). Districts across the nation are already at work organizing their walks.
It's a fun, creative, dynamic way to raise money and awareness about the Department of Peace. Updated resources and planning tools are available on the Peace Alliance website.
Partners in Peace: United for Peace and Justice
By Bria Anderson
 We find ourselves at a very opportunistic moment in this country and the world, with civic action as crucial as ever. We must continue to recognize the importance of setting loftier goals than ever before for ourselves, our communities, and our country as we rise up and fulfill this opportunity. As peacemakers, we have a unique role in this vision as we carry forward and re-define how our communities and nations approach conflict and fulfill our peacebuilding potential.
Movements like ours have been successful in creating change in the past through banding together in mutual support, and gathering large numbers to make voices heard. Established in October 2002, United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) exemplifies one of these organizations. Though the Student Peace Alliance and UFPJ differ in that the SPA chooses to focus on advocacy for solutions rather than protesting problems, there is certainly room to acknowledge and learn from this partner effort in peace.
UFPJ was formed when over 70 peace and justice groups united in 2002 to take significant action to address the war in Iraq. UFPJ grew very quickly to include over 1,400 local and national groups. These groups raised awareness through protesting the immorality of the U.S. approach to Iraq and other efforts to encourage the beginning of a peace process in the Middle East.
Though we at the Student Peace Alliance are “pro-peace, not anti-war,” we can still recognize UFPJ for its ability to gather large numbers of dedicated citizens to raise awareness about crucial issues. On February 15th, 2003, UFPJ coordinated its first major event: “The World Says No to War.” This rally in New York City gathered over 500,000 people from across the world to make a statement about the need for peace. Just two years later, UFPJ coordinated an anti-war mobilization in Washington D.C., a two day peace and justice festival which included mass citizen lobbying and a 300,000 person march to the White House.
More recently, UFPJ coordinated a candle-lit vigil in East Harlem, NY to commemorate the 4,000 U.S. soldiers who had died in Iraq. Participants held signs that read “El Barrio Harlem Movement for Peace and Justice” and spent 3 hours reflecting on the calamity of war and the need for peacebuilding as an instrument of national security. Though the Iraq conflict continues to this day, more and more civic activists continue to unite and collaborate on the best ways to advocate and work for peace.
It is sometimes easy to question the affect we have as civic activists as we occasionally become disenchanted by authority figures in the media and lack of transparency in our government. However, organizations like the UFPJ remind us of the large and powerful U.S. constituency that exists for peace and that we do have the power to hold our officials accountable. May we continue to focus our passions and implement strategies to touch hearts, mobilize minds, and bring U.S. conflict resolution into the 21st century.
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