Upcoming events

Nonviolence Summer School

Sydney, Australia. January, 2009

Course convenor: Dr Lynda-ann Blanchard
Civil Rights in the US; the fall of the Berlin Wall – now, a brighter future for the people of Burma? Nonviolence has inspired, triggered or brought about the most momentous political changes of our lifetimes. Find out how on this course. You’ll also undergo training to make your own nonviolent intervention, from experienced practitioners who prepare volunteers for Peace Brigades International – Australians protecting human rights defenders in conflict zones.

Enquiries: lynda.blanchard (at) arts.usyd.edu.au
Enrol NOW online: www.summer.usyd.edu.au

Summer Short Course in “Nonviolent Social Change in the Contemporary World”.

Monday 9 February to Thursday 12 February 2009 at the University of New England, Armidale, NSW

The University of New England’s Centre for Peace Studies is pleased to announce a Summer Short Course aimed at anyone who is interested (and passionate) about creating a better world through nonviolent means.

It is aimed at non-government organisations, aid workers, peace and social change activists, environmentalists, armed forces personnel (especially peace-keepers), police, artists/poets/musicians, feminists, students, health workers, and anyone who works in violent or conflict situations.

The course will give participants valuable theoretical insights into nonviolent action, through lectures and discussions. More than that, however, it will be practice-based, with exercises, role-plays and group activities that reflect the collaborative and down-to-earth nature of nonviolence praxis. We hope to balance the deadly serious nature of some areas of nonviolence with humour and games, and will offer opportunities for ‘open space’ discussions and creative activities.

Registration
Registration forms are downloadable here

Email: confco(at)une.edu.au or Phone: 02 6773 2154

Hammered by the Irish" - new book by Harry Browne tells Story of Shannon "Disarmament", Acquittal

now available

It was probably the most important anti-war action to happen in Ireland this century – and it was certainly the most daring.

At Shannon Airport five people took on the might of the US military – and put a Navy war-plane out of action.. Even more amazingly, they ultimately convinced a jury that to do so was not a crime.

But the story of the Shannon Five has hardly been told, until now. For the first time, a new book reveals the inside story of an intrepid act. On February 3rd, 2003, five Catholic Worker peace activists, calling themselves the Pitstop Ploughshares, broke into a hangar at Shannon Airport and, swinging hammers and a pickaxe, did more than $2.5 million to a US Navy transport plane.

Nearly four years later, a Dublin jury decided they could have ‘lawful excuse’ for their action, because they did it to save lives in Iraq . They were found not guilty on 10 separate counts of criminal damage.

The Pitstop Ploughshares were a mix of Irish-born and Irish-diaspora: Deirdre Clancy from Dublin , Damien Moran from Offaly, Nuin Dunlop from the US , Karen Fallon from Scotland and Ciaron O’Reilly from Australia.

‘Hammered by the Irish’ shows the people behind the hippie caricatures, and takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride: from secret planning in a Limerick monastery, to a dark and dangerous night on a runway, through three often-bizarre trials and finally a stunning legal victory for the five.

Presently Available Online from:
AK Press
Counterpunch
Catholic Worker Bookstore
Amazon Book

Regular training events

the Change Agency

the Change Agency (tCA) organises, designs and facilitates activist education workshops including, strategy, nonviolence, civil disobedience, activist resilience, anti oppression and much more. The Change Agency Education and Training Institute is an independent activist education initiative. tCA works with community organisers and activists in the Australia Pacific region to help people win social and environmental change. Contact the Change Agency via http://www.thechangeagency.org/

Peace Brigades International orientation training

Contact PBI Australia for next dates

A one-day orientation and training for people interested in getting involved in Peace Brigades International (PBI) in Australia or considering volunteer work on a PBI project in Indonesia, Colombia, Nepal, Mexico or Guatemala.

PBI is a grassroots, non-partisan NGO that provides a a vital international protective presence alongside local activists working for nonviolent social change or communities under threat. Working in international teams, PBI offers unarmed protective accompaniment to individuals, organisations and communities threatened with violence and human rights abuses in areas of intense political repression and conflict.

Orientations cover:

PBI's history and its unique international structure

Principles and mandate

Protective accompaniment theory

How PBI works in conflict zones

Project outlines and updates

Consensus decision-making

Bookings are essential. For further information contact PBI on 03 9415 6642 or email pbiaustraliapeacebrigades.org.

Alternatives to Violence Workshops

> alternatives to violence project (avp)

Contact AVP for upcoming dates

The Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) is a network of volunteers offering experiential workshops which empower individuals to liberate themselves and others from the burden of violence.

Basic and Second level workshops cover AVP practices and principles, understanding and practising effective consensus decision-making skills and choosing as a group to work from a wide variety of focus topics. These include, among others, issues such as conflict resolution, communication, affirmation, transforming power, anger, grief, loss, forgiveness, stereotyping and man-woman relationships.

Presented by the Alternatives to Violence Project. More information: Lou 03 5629 8427 / Bev 03 9569 8684 / Ray 03 5422 3349 / avpvicavp.org.au.

Previous events

Bringing Down a Dictator

> lecture and film screening

Thursday 2 March, 2006
Trades Hall
Melbourne VIC

Srjda Popovic, a key organiser and trainer with the Serbian nonviolent resistance group Otpor! and founder of the Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS) spoke to a group of 60 people at Trades Hall in Melbourne on Thursday 2 March.

Srdja Popovic helped form the student protest group Otpor!, whose nonviolent campaign to unseat Serbian president Slobodan Milosovic met with success on October 2000 when hundreds of thousands of protestors converged upon and took over the Serbian Parliament, effectively ending Misolevic's rule.

After a screening of the documentary Bringing Down a Dictator, Srjda shared many insights from Otpor!'s campaign, from the role of mobile phones and text messages in unseating Milosovic to the pros and cons of accepting foreign assistance.

Since 2000, Popovic and other ex-Otpor! activists have played a key role in spreading the nonviolent strategies and tactics used by the Serbian pro-democracy movement to other European countries, notably during the Georgian "Rose Revolution" of 2003 and the Ukranian "Orange Revolution" of 2004-2005.

> Read more about Otpor!
> Listen to an interview with Srdja Popovic on Phillip Adams' Late Night Live.

Nonviolence Trainers' Skillshare 2006

> presented by pt'chang, the change agency and commonground

Friday 24 - Monday 27 February, 2006
Commonground
Seymour VIC

In February 2006, 27 new and experienced nonviolence trainers and activists from Australia and the Asia-Pacific region came together at Commonground near Seymour, Victoria for four days of networking and skillsharing.

The agenda featured a mixture of pre-planned workshops and Open Space exploring three themes:

1. What is nonviolence training?
2. Activist education: theory and practice
3. Building resilience to repression

Thank you to all who participated!

> Join the nonviolence-trainers e-mail list.

Training for Activists

> insights, methods and new learnings

18 May, 2005
Fitzroy VIC

How do people learn about working for social change? Is there such a thing as a "born activist", or do we need opportunities to learn along the way? On May 18, over thirty people came together at the Pt'chang office in Melbourne to explore these questions and others with assistance from four experienced activist trainers.

Participants were invited to form a "spectrum of experience", share stories of their involvement in social change and reflect on the diverse ways in which activists learn and sustain themselves along the way.

Daniel Hunter from Training For Change (USA) presented insights and learnings from around the world, including the role of activist training in building movements and transforming conflicts and training activists for working in high risk interventions in war zones. Sam La Rocca and James Whelan presented on the work of The Change Agency (QLD) and the role of training in inspiring new activists and sustaining those already engaged. Iain Murray (Pt'chang) gave an overview of nonviolence training within Australia and officially launched the new Trainers' Resource Manual.

Thanks to the organisors and all who attended for a great night!

> Listen to Daniel Hunter talk about the approach of Training for Change. (.mp3, 943k)

National Nonviolence Gathering

29 April - 2 May, 2005
Curramundi
Queensland

The 2005 National Nonviolence Gathering was held at Currimundi, Southeastern Queensland, between 29 April - 2 May, 2005. Ninety people attended, most for the entire three days. The Gathering had one day of structured presentations and discussions, followed by one and a half days of Open Space to identify the key issues and plan the actions.

"Happiness and Activism", "Whitefellas working better with indigenous people", and "Poets For Peace" are just a handful of the topics explored during the 39 Open Space sessions held during the gathering.

The gathering also heard formal presentations from Helen Bayes on "The power that quells violence", Tony Robertson on "Stories of masculinity models which are wellsprings", Erykah Kyle on "Palm Island", Jo Vallentine on "Public opposition to corporate and government behaviour", Iain Murray on "Practical nonviolence training", Jason McLeod on "Armed struggle and nonviolent solidarity in a cross-cultural context" and Chris Henderson on "A personal response to everyday violence within the Australian culture".

The National Nonviolence Gathering 2005 was organised by the Donald Groom Peace Committee.

> Download the National Nonviolence Gathering report (.pdf, 464k)
> View a slideshow of the gathering.

Skillshare for Trainers

11 - 14 February, 2005
Commonground
Seymour
Victoria

The Nonviolence Skillshare for Trainers took place at Commonground between 11 - 14 February and was attended by 36 people from across Australia and the Pacific.

Participants brought a diversity of experience as nonviolence trainers and activists working with social movements and campaigns ranging from peace, refugee and indigenous rights to international solidarity and environmental issues. Participants have been invited to join an emerging Nonviolence Trainers Network and help to organise and facilitate a series of nonviolence training workshops around the country.

> Click here for more information on the content of the Skillshare for Trainers, 2005.
> View a slideshow of the skillshare.