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Peace Resources
Peace & Justice
Franconia Mennonite Conference
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CONTENTS
There are many organizations that provide excellent peace and justice resources.
This is a short list--especially for folks in eastern Pennsylvania.
This list was originally compiled for a Mennonite Peace and Justice gathering in October 2003.
One of the responsibilities of the Peace and Justice Committee is to help Mennonite congregations
find the resources needed to do Peace and Justice work. (See efpjc.ppjr.org
for more information about the Peace and Justice Committee).
Mennonite Peace Resources: the PJSN website includes resources for worship, reflection, and public
policy advocacy on Peace and Justice issues: http://peace.mennolink.org/.
National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund / Peace Tax Foundation In central Pennsylvania, there is an Email "Peace and Justice Calendar" for the Harrisburg, PA area which includes some events of regional interest. Contact Valerie and Dave Weaver-Zercher, valdave@paonline.com. Publications:
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)MCC maintains more than a dozen offices across North America which offer a variety of resources for peace and justice work. Audio-Visual and Printed Resources: MCC publishes a resource catalog with videos, DVDs, posters, periodicals, etc. which are available for loan or purchase at nominal cost. The catalog is available on the web at www.mcc.org/respub.html or contact the MCC librarian:Mennonite Central Committee, 21 South 12th Street P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 17501-0500 Phone: (717) 859-1151; Fax: (717) 859-2171 Phone toll-free: (888) 563-4676 Email: mailbox@mcc.org Also contact MCC for information about the Damascus Road anti-racism program, and youth, military, and conscientious objector resources. MCC Peace Office Newsletter Mennonite Central Committee's Overseas Peace Office addresses and interprets international peace and justice issues from a peace church perspective. The Peace Office promotes discussion of peace issues within the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ constituency and also encourages interchurch peace theology dialogue. The Peace Office produces the Peace Office Newsletter quarterly and distributes Occasional Papers and other statements as the issues arise. http://www.mcc.org/respub/pon
MCC Washington Office guides MCC's public policy witness:
Tenth Annual High School Essay Contest National / International Peace and Justice OrganizationsThe national and international organizations listed below have a variety of printed and web-based resources, as well as peacemaking activities and training programs.Christian Peacemaker TeamsMission Statement: Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) offers an organized, nonviolent alternative to war and other forms of lethal inter-group conflict. CPT provides organizational support to persons committed to faith-based nonviolent alternatives in situations where lethal conflict is an immediate reality or is supported by public policy.CPT seeks to enlist the response of the whole church in conscientious objection to war, and the development of nonviolent institutions, skills and training for intervention in conflict situations. CPT projects connect intimately with the spiritual lives of its constituent congregations. Gifts of prayer, money and time from these churches undergird CPT peacemaking ministries. Christian Peacemaker Teams is a program of Brethren, Quaker and Mennonite Churches and other Christians that support nonviolence. CPT P. O. Box 6508 Chicago, IL 60680 tel. (773) 277-0253; Fax: (773) 277-0291, E-Mail peacemakers@cpt.org Web: www.cpt.org Fellowship of ReconciliationMission Statement: "The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) seeks to replace violence, war, racism, and economic injustice with nonviolence, peace, and justice. We are an interfaith organization committed to active nonviolence as a transforming way of life and as a means of radical change. We educate, train, build coalitions, and engage in nonviolent and compassionate actions locally, nationally, and globally."
FOR holds Peacemaker Training Institutes several times a year for young adults (17-25)
which teach nonviolence as a way of life and a tool for radical change. American Friends Service CommitteeThe American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a practical expression of the faith of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Committed to the principles of nonviolence and justice, it seeks in its work and witness to draw on the transforming power of love, human and divine. AFSC provides many resources for peace and justice work.
American Friends Service Committee PEACEWORK magazine Peacework is a monthly journal published since 1972 by the New England Regional Office of the AFSC. Originally it covered resistance to military conscription and war tax resistance, but after the war in Southeast Asia it branched out to coverage of other issues, from nuclear power to the freedom movement, from disarmament to economic justice, from simple living to community organizing. Today it covers the full range of "Global Thought and Local Action for Nonviolent Social Change," with a special focus on the northeastern United States. www.peacework.org Friends Committee on National LegislationThe Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) is a public interest lobby of the Religious Society of Friends. FCNL seeks to bring the concerns, experiences and testimonies of Friends (called Quakers) to bear on policy decisions in the nation's capital. People of many religious backgrounds participate in this work. FCNL''s staff and volunteers work with a nationwide network of thousands of people to advocate social and economic justice, peace, and good government.Friends Committee on National Legislation FCNL, 245 Second Street, NE, Washington, DC, 20002-5795 phone: (202) 547-6000 Fax: (202) 547-6019 Email: fcnl@fcnl.org In the U.S. (800) 630-1330 Web: www.fcnl.org Witness for PeaceMission Statement: "Witness for Peace (WFP) is a politically independent, grassroots organization. We are people committed to nonviolence and led by faith and conscience. Our mission is to support peace, justice, and sustainable economies in the Americas by changing U.S. policies and corporate practices which contribute to poverty and oppression in Latin America and the Caribbean. We stand with people who seek justice."
WFP organizes study tours and delegations to Latin America and the Caribbean, and also brings Latin
Americans for speaking tours in the U.S.
Mid-Atlantic region (NJ,DE, MD,PA, DC,NY) Peace Brigades InternationalPeace Brigades International (PBI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) which protects human rights and promotes nonviolent transformation of conflicts.When invited, we send teams of volunteers into areas of repression and conflict. The volunteers accompany human rights defenders, their organizations and others threatened by political violence. Perpetrators of human rights abuses usually do not want the world to witness their actions. The presence of volunteers backed by a support network helps to deter violence. We create space for local activists to work for social justice and human rights. Currently, we have volunteers protecting human rights activists in Colombia, Indonesia, and Mexico, as well as a project restarting in Guatemala and a joint project with other organizations in Chiapas, Mexico. PBI-USA. 428 8th St. SE, 2nd fl, Washington DC 20003 (202) 544-3765 Fax: 202 544 3766 Email: info@pbiusa.org www.peacebrigades.org United Nations AssociationThe United Nations Association of the United States of America is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that supports the work of the United Nations and encourages active civic participation in the most important social and economic issues facing the world today. As the nation's largest grassroots foreign policy organization and the leading center of policy research on the U.N. and global issues, UNA-USA offers Americans the opportunity to connect with issues confronted by the U.N., from global health and human rights to the spread of democracy, equitable development, and international justice. Through our work, we educate Americans about the work of the United Nations and encourage public support for strong U.S. leadership in the U.N.
UNA-USA New York Headquarters, 801 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017 Web: www.unausa.org
UNA-USA Washington Office Alternative Online Gift Sourcesby J. V. ConnorsIn anticipation of gift buying season in Western Society, here are some links for buying gifts that benefit charities, peace groups and 3rd world indigenous artisan projects instead of corporations. All the links were checked and found operational as of Sept. 2003.
PEOPLink: Handmade gifts from international grassroots artisans, nonprofit, many items under $15
(They have an announcement that they are changing formats to take you directly to artisan groups,
but are still using the old system now. The new format will use the same link.)
Novica: Handcrafts and arts from all over the world sold with the philosophy of using the internet
to provide better prices to third world artisans. With 1700 artists, selected by region or product
Marketplace Handwork of India: clothing, linen and gifts made by women's cooperatives in
ndia-includes stories of the artisans' lives and struggles.
Afghan women's crafts, linens, clothing, made in Pakistan by women refugees from
Afghanistan-100% of profits go to Afghani women.
Ten Thousand Villages: nonprofit that markets indigenous artisan crafts
Fair Trade Federation: is an association of fair trade wholesalers, retailers, and producers whose
members are committed to providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically
disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide.
SERRV International: Nonprofit trade organization that promotes social and economic justice by
marketing crafts and products from developing countries in a fair and direct manner.
Many inexpensive items.
Fellowship of Reconciliation: Gifts for Peace
http//www.forusa.org/Catalog/gifts.html . FOR also has books, great holiday cards, calendars, CD's
and videos
UNICEF: cards and gifts, beautiful Christmas cards and ornaments, t-shirts and stationery
benefiting international children's relief work. You can also donate to Liberian refugees here.
SEVA Foundation: "gifts of service"- you donate money to fund an operation on a blind person,
bring water to a community in Guatemala, etc., in honor of someone
Yayla Tribal Rugs: portion of profits go to refugees and rug weaving peoples. "The Rug and
Textile Weaving People of AsiaExploring their life, culture, Art and working toward their well being.
These are primary principles and goals toward which Yayla has been dedicated since its inception
in 1981. There are three distinct aspects to our operation: The first is Yayla Tribal Rugs a
for-profit company founded in 1981. The second is Barakat Inc. a non-profit corporation linked to
Yayla. From January 1, 2000 all of the profits from Yayla are channeled into Barakat for the purpose
of benefiting refugees and other rug weaving peoples in the countries where we produce carpets as well
as environmental work throughout the world. The third is Cultural Survival Inc., a separate non-profit
organization dedicated to the protection of endangered peoples and cultures throughout the world.
Since 1988 Yayla has run weaving projects through Cultural Survival that benefit Turkmen refugees
from Northern Afghanistan and Tibetan refugees living in Nepal and India."
Return to Tradition: Naturally dyed, handmade rugs and textiles from Turkey and New Zealand
Woven Legends: Naturally dyed, handmade carpets from indigenous, handspun wool. "Woven Legends weaves
carpets in over 150 towns and villages scattered throughout eastern Turkey, employing over 10,000 weavers
and nearly as many handspinners of woolen yarn. Woven Legends has created a vital dynamic among the
craftspeople and artisans they employ in Turkey by re-establishing the ancient traditions of dyeing
and wool spinning, thereby employing thousands of people in valuable work formerly done by machines;
and by reviving the weaver's central role as interpreter of design, a role which has been missing for
nearly a century, as overzealous producers sought to minimize variation, even to mimic the "perfection"
of machine-made products.
Aid to Artisans: (wholesale only) Founded in 1976, Aid To Artisans (ATA) is a nonprofit organization
dedicated to creating economic opportunities for crafts people in developing communities around the world.
Jubilee Project in the lowest income counties of Tennessee we have helped start a cooperative of farmers,
many of whom are trying to transition off of tobacco growing but there is no financial help and little
good advice for them so we provide some of that. This Appalachian Spring Cooperative has a wonderful
holiday gift basket with products from 7 different members in it. You can find out more at |
Location: http://efpjc.ppjr.org/resource.htm