Peace Week in SF Bay Area

[Devaa Mitchell-Dinan]

Hi Off the Mat Community!
I just wanted to let you know about "Peace Week" that we (the Summer of Peace) is putting together in September of this year (2009), following the International Day of Peace on Sept 21st. I am hoping that a number of off the mat trainings will happen in the SF Bay Area at that time. Perhaps others will feel inspired to create similar activities in their home towns. See the attached docs for more info on the Summer of Peace.

Here's some of the other activities that are planned for that week:
1. Music Event with leading peacebuilders – Featuring will.i.am (tentative)
2. Youth Hip Hop Rally for Peace—Hosted by Silence the Violence, Arts in Action, and the Ella Baker Center. Featuring arts such as San Quinn, Yan Baily, Yuck Mouth
3. Common Ground Film Festival – Search for Common Ground, a major international peace organization, will provide most of the content.
4. DreamCamp weekend for at-risk youth ages 14-22. Marcia Wieder, Founder of Dream University, will replicate this program she developed in conjunction with the Girl Scouts and YWCA.
5. SoJustSit Circle Training – Collaborative, semi-autonomous awareness practices circles held in and by social justice organizational contexts. Facilitated by the Center for Transformative Change.
6. Community Grief Rituals & Healing with At-Risk-Men—providing an opportunity to heal from wounds resulting from violence and transform the energy of perpetrators. Facilitated by Malidoma Some.
7. “Take the Vow” Peace Pledge – to non-violence in action, thoughts, and deeds. Hosted by the Alliance for New Humanity
8. Community Altars— Hosted by Chandra Alexandre and the SHARANYA Community
9. Common Ground Peace Awards for Local Peacebuilders—Hosted by Search for Common Ground