Announcing : Nonviolent Interfaith Leadership program 2015

Poster_v320 Diverse People.

5 Enriching Days.

November 2015.

Life. Changing.

www.nonviolentinterfaithleadership.org

14 – 19 November 2015

There are many inspiring  people actively involved in community organisations and faith communities across Australia, who are working tirelessly to address our current social, political, military, economic and ecological challenges.  This program is designed to cultivate and build capacity in these  leaders to sustain change, go deeper and to bring people together.  This program was developed two years ago and is again open next year as a 5-day residential retreat for 20 people.  It is an outstanding program, one not to be missed and will greatly benefit both the participants and their organisations or faith communities from which they belong.

Participants will GAIN :

  • A deeper commitment to living and working from an interfaith perspective;
  • Knowledge, skills and awareness of nonviolence
  • Leadership skills to help their local communities take action
  • The necessary skills to sustain their nonviolent community leadership
  • New friends and new networks of support and encouragement

Apply Now

“The PeBA non-violent leadership program is a powerful example of what is possible when religious traditions share their tools for peace. They have clearly succeeded in creating a powerful space for transformation…I have no hesitation offering my endorsement of this program.”

Ven. Freeman Trebilcock, Founder & Chairperson, InterAction

What Past Participants Have SAID :

“…It’s a unique opportunity to critique dominant patterns of violence and control and learn the first steps for imagining nonviolent alternatives.  I don’t know of anyone else offering a similar program.”

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“The peace building skills I made doing this course will equip me for the rest of my life to help transform myself and the world into a better place”

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“This event was with all honesty life changing for me

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“I would definitely recommend this program to others…I believe I can make a real difference now”

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“I feel more empowered to understand people from other faiths as well as excited to learn about nonviolence, love for self and others and love for God from their traditions.  The greatest outcome has been the friendships developed with people from other faiths here.”

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“This course is highly effective and empowering. I feel significantly more like a leader in nonviolence and believe that all of us are capable and likely to significantly change how our worlds interact and mainstream nonviolence. I think every young (and not so young) everyone who is still interested in learning about themselves with a passion to improve their world should do this program”

 

QLD Engage Course Beginning July

Engage: Exploring nonviolent livingEngage flyer_Final

What is Engage?
In a world marred by violence and injustice, Engage is a small-group program that introduces a vision and tools for nonviolent living. It uses stories, small group reflections, role-plays and exercises to explore the dynamics of violence, the possibilities for nonviolent living, and actions to effect personal and social change.

How long is the program?
Engage consists of 12, 2-hr sessions, plus an action to be chosen by the group. This group will run on Monday nights, 6:30-8:30pm between:

July 15 – September 16 (10 sessions)
Break (September 23 – October 7)
October 14 – 28 (3 sessions)

To get the most out of the program, we strongly encourage attendance at as many sessions as possible.

Sessions will be held in the Hall at West End Uniting Church, 11 Sussex St.

How much does it cost?
The program costs $50pp – this includes a resource workbook for you to keep, venue hire, and workshop materials.

Who will facilitate the program?
Engage is a resource offered by Pace e Bene Australia (www.paceebene.org.au). Pace e Bene is an international network of people committed to building a more just and peaceful world.  This program will be facilitated by four locals – Bek, Bronwyn, Neil and Penny – who have previously completed the Engage program, and are passionate about sharing the experience with others

Contact:
To register, or for more information, please email: peba.qld@gmail.com
or call Penny on 0403 721 601

Announcing PeBA 2013 Inspiritors

Wes&sue promopic

Pace e Bene Australia is pleased to announce that this years Inspiritors will be Wes Howard Brook and Sue Ferguson Johnson.  Wes and Sue come with many years experience exploring what it means to live nonviolently.  They will be touring Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne July – August 2013.  Pace e Bene Australia is pleased also to announce our tour partners – TEAR, UNOH, Edmund Rice, Waiters Union and Pax Christi – will also be hosting events with Wes and Sue.  To learn more about Wes and Sue click here.  To check out more about the tour click here.  To find events in your city click here.

PeBA Announces Dates for NATIONAL GATHERING

Pace e Bene Australia has announced the dates for its National Nonviolence Gathering.

‘Engaging Nonviolence – nonviolent living in the 21stCentury’

Friday Nov 30th – Sunday Dec 2nd 2012

The gathering will be held in the beautiful Blue Mountains, Leura NSW at the Brahma Kumaris Centre for Spiritual learning (http://www.bkwsu.org/au/).

All are invited, all are welcome.  We would love to see you there.

Click here for more information and here to download the registration form

 

 

Peace Fund Appeal

Please consider contributing to our 2012 Peace Fund Appeal. Contributions made will go towards the work of Pace e Bene in Australia which is promoting the spirituality and practice of nonviolence in our communities.

Gifts of $2 or more are tax deductible!

Payment Details:

Cheques can be made out to Pace e Bene Australia, and sent to 5/63 Roslyn St, Brighton VIC 3186.

Internet Banking

BSB 633-000

Account: 138001524

Name: Pace e Bene Australia Peace Fund

Reference: your surname

(and then please email our Treasurer at bobmyers @aapt.net.au with your details so he can send you a receipt).

Melbourne Peace Events Coming Up

7am Sun 20th March – 10am Mon 21st March (Melb times)
Afghan New Year
Global Day of Listening
(Time for Australians to talk is 12midday Sun )
International Phone Link up
Join at http://globaldayoflistening.org/DayOfListening_Schedule_.html

Monday 21st March, 5-7pm (+8-9.30pm)
Solidarity Vigil with Afghanistan Action
On the 21st March, the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers, with international supporters, will be planting trees and holding a candlelight vigil in Kabul, Afghanistan.  They have asked people around the world to also hold vigils in support.
Venue: outside St Paul’s Cathedral, Cnr Flinders and Swanston Sts
Please bring your own candles

After this public vigil, people are invited to come to Coburg to continue the vigil into evening, to hear about Jessica’s recent trip to Afghanistan and link with the international delegation in Afghanistan (8-9.30pm).
Contact: Jessica 0431 519 577
For more about Afghanistan vigil: http://www.livewithoutwars.org/lwwarsproject.html

Sunday 17 April, 12.30-1.30pm
Palm Sunday Silent Vigil for Peace
State Library
Please bring any banners for a silent vigil then walk down to Peace Forum
Contact: Jessica 0431 519 577

Sunday 17 April, 2-4pm
Palm Sunday Peace Forum
Wesley Uniting Church, Lonsdale St, City
Speakers: Mariko Ishii (Peace Boat); Bill Williams (Medical Association for Prevention of War);
Jessica Morrison (recent visitor to Afghanistan and Palestine);
Michael Hamel-Green (Nuclear Disarmament academic)
Contact: Kaz 0413 849 984

The Waihopai Ploughshares take issue of New Zealand spy base to court

The jury trial of three Ploughshares peace activists, Adrian (Adi) Leason, Peter Murnane and Sam Land is being held in Wellington, New Zealand this week. People are coming from around New Zealand and Australia to support them and to give voice to the issue behind their trial—the need to close the Waihopai Spy Base and end New Zealand’s links with the US war machine. Waihopai is New Zealand’s most important contribution to that war machine, far more so than any Special Air Service presence in Afghanistan, and has been operating as an outpost of US intelligence 24/7.

Hat-tip: The Waihopai Ploughshares take issue of New Zealand spy base to court (at WagingNonviolence.org)

Interview with Gene Sharp

I am a huge fan of Gene Sharp, Director of the Albert Einstein Institution and the world’s leading scholar of the politics of nonviolent struggle. He literally wrote the book on the topic! How someone who’s books have been used as training manuals for democratic revolutions and other nonviolent campaigns of worldwide significance has been ignored by academic scholars remains one of life’s great mysteries to me.

Anyway, Dr Sharp recently gave a (rare) interview to Boston’s PBS radio on his take on nonviolent action, what’s going on in Iran, and far-left critics who think he’s a secret government agent (one of my favourite conspiracy theories). You can listen to the interview here.