COPA’s mission is to create peace-inspiring projects and events to model cooperative alliance-building and to promote peace-based organizations and nonviolent strategies.
A model from COPA founding member Nicole Christine builds on the UN's peacebuilding work and forms the underlying vision for COPA’s work:
1. As peacemakers, whether in families, workplaces, communities, or nations, we are often warriors for peace. Many of us find aspects of violence so horrific that we “take to the streets,” literally and metaphorically, to try to end violent or unjust actions. This is important work, since being silent when atrocities are committed acts as a form of silent sponsorship. Yet the underlying “anti“ dynamics of reactivity and protest maintain the dominator/victim, winner/loser energy of relationships, perpetuating violence over the longer term.
2. As peacemakers we are often healers for peace, working to protect or heal individuals and communities who have been victimized. This is also important work, because we abhor suffering, and because the wounds from wars help justify more wars. As Gandhi said, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”. Since one is healer, and the other a victim, this approach keeps us stuck in a paradigm of dominance, albeit benign. It does not yet create true empowerment.
3. A third way is to be builders of infrastructure for peace, co-creating life-affirming, nonviolent communities, based on an unshakable belief in the dignity and worth of each individual, by assessing personal and community strengths to build on, rather than injustices to fight or wounds to heal. This is where COPA focuses.
Currently COPA members are working to build infrastructure for personal and community peace through the following projects and initiatives (see www.cultureofpeacealliance.org):
1. Elder Circles, Journey to Conscious Aging – Elders meet monthly to discuss ways of moving from age-ing to sage-ing and of transitioning into aging as the fulfillment of life, seeing their place as wisdom-keepers and as agents of healing and reconciliation for our planet, our nation, our communities and families. They meet on 2nd Friday of every month, 11am - 1pm, St. Francis in the Foothills, Swan and River Rd. Del Jones is coordinator and contact person (deljonesaz@cox.net; (520) 298-6542).
2. Peace Circles – a facilitated discussion of diverse peace practices, meeting the 3rd Tuesday of each month, 5:30-7:00 pm, Fronimo's Café, 3242 East Speedway in Tucson. Del Jones, coordinator and contact at deljonesaz@cox.net; 520-298-6542.
3. Community Multifaith Conversations – an open forum for sharing ideas from the perspective of many different faith traditions. Meets the fourth Thursday of every month, 6:30-8:30 PM, Catalina United Methodist Church, 2700 E. Speedway Blvd. Room H230. Sat Bir Kaur Khalsa, coordinator and contact at khalsa@U.Arizona.EDU; 520-690-5715.
4. Gandhi-King-Chavez Seasons for Nonviolence (SNV) – Four Seasons for Nonviolence (SNV) take place during the year, including for 2007-2008: (1) Season of Interfaith Celebration (September-December, 2007), (2) Gandhi-King- Chavez Season for Nonviolence (January 30–April 4, 2008), (3) Season for the Earth (April–June, 2008), and (4) Season for Humane Service (June–August, 2008). Currently, the SNV project provides nonviolence training and education. Ann Yellott, Ph.D. (azyellott@aol.com; 520-991-6781) and Phyllis Grimes (phyllismg@msn.com; 520-529-6010) are contact people.
5. City at Peace Tucson (CAPT) – CAPT focuses on youth empowerment and leadership development through performing arts. This is COPA’s newest project and the first program to include hiring part-time staff (an artistic director to work with youth) and to incur significant expenses. Up to this point, COPA has been a volunteer-based organization. Gerry Straatemeier,MSW is Chairperson of CAPT Advisory Board and contact person for CAPT (revgerry@cultureofpeaceallaince.org; 520-825-8073). CAPT is aligned with a national program, City at Peace, and currently in the organizational stage of development in Tucson, including developing a Youth Production Team, which will provide leadership for the youth performance group to be recruited in 2009.
Tags: Peace & Peacemaking
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