Possibilities 2011 Social Forum This takes place with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Mary Robinson, Kila & Special Guests - presented by Afri, Children in Crossfire and SpunOut.ie taking place at Citywest Hotel, Saggart, Dublin on Wednesday 13th April 2011 from 9:45am - 4. 30pm. Doors open at 9:00am, no admission after 9:45am. Join His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Mary Robinson, Kila and an exciting line up of inspirational speakers and artists at the Possibilities 2011 Social Forum. In the context of the current uncertainty and dissatisfaction, POSSIBILITIES aims to inspire people to take positive action for personal, social and global change. Tickets can only be purchased through the Ticketmaster.ie website or at Ticketmaster outlets throughout Ireland; tickets are priced at €49 and seating is on a first come first seated basis. More information and announcements at http://www.POSSIBILITIES.ie Afri is at http://www.afri.ie and Children in Crossfire at http://www.childrenincrossfire.org while SpunOut.ie is at http://www.spunout.ie/about
Children in Crossfire: Be the change you wish to see
Children in Crossfire would like to extend an invite to you to attend a conference for a change… The conference seeks to explore the challenges and opportunities for active citizenship within an increasingly connected and unequal world. It takes place on Wednesday 9th March from 9.30 am - 3.30 pm at The Playhouse, Artillery Street, Derry. The format of the day will include the performance of the play, ‘Not My Problem’, followed by a workshop to further explore the issues within the play. There will then be a panel of speakers to offer ideas of ways in which we can rethink and transform the current realities. Keynote speakers: Richard Moore and Seamus Farrell. Contact: Gráinne O'Neill, Global Education Project Worker, Children in Crossfire, 2 St Joseph's Avenue, Derry BT48 6TH, ph 71 278948, or email grainne@childrenincrossfire.org
CAJ – Committee on the Administration of Justice
2011 marks CAJ’s 30th anniversary year and we’ve got lots of exciting ideas to mark this very special date, beginning now. You can now download all of our publications from the 1980s for free from our website. They provide a fascinating insight into the original issues of concern that CAJ was founded on and contain contributions from a wide range of individuals. Visit our website, http://www.caj.org.uk to download today. Are you a member? CAJ is a membership organisation and we rely greatly on the support of our members. If you’re interested in human rights issues and want to support CAJ in campaigning for human rights, why not consider becoming a member? It’s easy to sign up on online. CAJ has responded to a number of public consultations lately, including the departmental and Executive draft budget proposals. To view any of the submissions, visit http:// www.caj.org.uk CAJ, 2nd Floor, Sturgen Building, 9-15 Queen Street, Belfast BT1 6EA, ph – 028 9031 6000.
Irish Centre for Human Rights Summer Schools
Three different Summer Schools take place in 2011.
- The International Criminal Court Summer School takes place from 19th – 23rd June; during the five days of intensive lectures, delivered by leading specialists in the field, students are provided with a detailed working knowledge of the establishment of the Court, its applicable law, its structures and its operations, as well as dealing with related issues.
- The Minority rights and Indigenous People Summer School takes place from 13th – 17th June; gives an overview of the legal, political and philosophical issues pertaining to international human rights law and its relationship to minority rights and the rights of indigenous peoples, with a particular focus this year on religion and minorities.
- For the second year, there is a Summer School on Cinema, Human Rights and Advocacy; this takes place from 1st – 8th July and aims to widen the horizons of professionals in the film, documentary, NGO and media sector to reflect on the use of film and video advocacy as an instrument for enhancing human rights awareness on critical social, political and environmental issues, and to influence change. Further details here. Details on masters and doctoral programmes are also available on the site. Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland, Galway, phone 091 493948.
DDCI: Illegitimate debt
Debt & Development Coalition's exciting and well presented new resource 'Illegitimate debt – a facilitator’s resource for community education' is now available for download on the homepage of the DDCI website at: http://www.debtireland.org Paper copies are also available. Debt and Development Coalition Ireland, Unit F5, Spade Enterprise Centre, North King Street, Dublin 7, ph 01 6174835
INCORE lecture: Commemoration and conflict
INCORE is organising a public lecture by Professor Sabine Marschall, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa
on “Commemoration and Conflict: Exploring Collective Memory in Transitional Societies” on Thursday, 24th March at 6.00 p.m. in the Great Hall, Magee campus, followed by refreshments. RSVP if attending to je.farren@ulster.ac.uk ph 028 71675575 by 11th March. Based on Kansteiner’s (2002) contention that collective memory is the result of the interaction between three overlapping elements, namely the media of memory, the makers and the users of memory, this paper presents commemoration as a complex, multifaceted, and fluid phenomenon, which includes informal, unpredictable and unintended dimensions. Referencing examples from South Africa and a number of international case studies, four categories of collective remembrance are distinguished, namely officially sanctioned commemoration; unofficial or vernacular commemoration; unintended or silent commemoration; and lastly, commemoration through absence.
VSI – Voluntary Service International
Come along to VSI’s Volunteering 2011 Info Event 6.30-8.00pm on Thursday April 14th at the Irish Aid Centre in O’Connell Street, Dublin and find out about a wide range of International Volunteer Projects (from 2 weeks to 1 year) which you can be involved with this year through VSI. We will introduce our projects - in Ireland, Europe (east and west), North America, Japan and Australia, Africa, Asia and Latin America, Middle East and North Africa, also the Long Term Volunteer Programme, the Youth Programme, and local volunteer work in Dublin. More details from http://www.vsi.ie including some 700 short term projects. Peace programme of particular interest includes Paths of Peace for 3 weeks in Austria in July, and work with Food Not Bombs for 2 weeks in Finland also in July. VSI Ireland, 30 Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1, ph 01 8551011.
Irish art for Gaza
On this website – http://www.irishart4gaza.com - you can view works of art that have been created by four leading Irish artists in order to raise funds so an Irish ship can join a new Freedom Flotilla to the besieged people of Gaza. The four works that you see featured on our site were created in various media. They have been turned into high quality prints using a process called giclée, renowned for its capacity to capture the subtle gradations of colour and shade that escape other forms of reproduction. The process employed top-quality archival paper and inks. There have been just 100 prints of each image produced, and each print has been signed and numbered by the artist. They each evoke the cause of Gaza in different ways — the artists being Felim Egan, Robert Ballagh, Pat Harris and Guggi. Website address as above or phone Irish Art for Gaza at 086 – 2474951.
Mary Kelly acquitted – eventually
Mary Kelly’s conviction for doing over a million Euros worth of damage to a US warplane at Shannon in January 2003 has, eventually, been quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal in Dublin, saying the conviction was neither safe nor satisfactory. This overturned her conviction in October 2004 on her second trial (see NN 124). She will not face a retrial. The decision by the Court of Criminal Appeal related to prosecution use of the 1991 Criminal Damage Act and its 1997 amendment and her defence of ‘lawful excuse’.
Mary Kelly commented: “The real crime here is the continuing use of Shannon Airport by the US military and the CIA, and the fact that the Irish government have prevented the search of these aircraft by the Gardai and continue to do so”. Shannonwatch said “Mary Kelly’s action at Shannon did not stop US military use of Shannon, other Irish airports and airspace but it did highlight this abuse of international law. Since 29 January 2003, over two million armed US troops have passed through Shannon airport on their way to and from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These wars are not in accordance with the UN Charter, and have resulted in violations of international humanitarian law including the Geneva Conventions. They have also directly resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, most of whom were innocent civilians. And if one considers the wider effects of the U.S. invasions, and the impact of sanctions that hurt everyone except the ruling elite in Iraq, the death toll probably extends to millions.” For Shannonwatch see http://www.shannonwatch.org
Eco Congregation Ireland
Eco Congregation Ireland’s vision is to see churches throughout Ireland adopt an eco approach to worship, lifestyle, community outreach and contact with the developing world. The ECI website at http://ecocongregationireland.org is designed to be a practical help in making the link between the environment and the Christian faith with Resources full of ideas to help you do this. You can also sign up to receive the monthly ECI Newsletter; simply send an email with the word 'subscribe' in the subjectline to the e-mail address below. Eco Congregation Ireland welcomes feedback, suggestions and comments and likes to hear what churches and communities are up to. Do email ECI at info@ecocongregationireland.orginfo@ecocongregationireland.org
INNATE
INNATE – which produces this newsletter – is a mixture of network, information service and action group. While majoring on nonviolence and peace issues it also considers human rights and green/ecological matters to be of the utmost importance. The information and networking functions are to encourage cooperation between groups and avoid the reinvention of the wheel, with the aim to develop the sector as a whole. Monthly networking meetings take place in Belfast (see below) to which anyone interested is welcome; these plan programme and work on different projects and actions. But anyone can assist by feeding in information and events or by supporting INNATE financially – its needs are modest as a volunteer organisation but programme and Nonviolent News still cost money to run.
MNI Open Day: Reconciliation and leadership
Mediation Northern Ireland is organising a ‘Reconciliation & Leadership Open Day’ in conjunction with The MOST Project and Journey Towards Healing at 83 University Street, Belfast BT7 1HP on Saturday 12th March 2011 from 10.00am. There will be a choice of two sets of two workshops (the first two are on at the one time, the second two are on at the same time): Mediation Northern Ireland’s Learning From Practice - Twenty Years of Facilitating Conversations, with Peter O’Reilly; A Conversation with Mediation Activists in the Faith Sector; The MOST Project – Faith & Leadership - An International Dialogue, with Mary McAnulty; Mediating a Memorial Process - Omagh, with Olive Hobson. Please notify us if you wish to attend - RSVP: dani@mediationnorthernireland.org or call 028 90 438 614. An open door policy will operate on the 12th March 2011 from 10am to 1pm and light refreshments will be served.
PANA – public meeting with WPC
PANA – the Peace And Neutrality Alliance, the CPI and the People's Movement are holding a public meeting on Thursday 24th March at 7.30 pm in the Ireland Institute, 27 Pearse Street, Dublin 2.
The keynote speaker is Iraklis Tsavdaris, Executive Secretary of the World Peace Council, the world's largest anti-imperialist peace movement. This is a historic occasion for PANA because it is the first time that PANA has helped to host a WPC meeting. For more information contact: Roger Cole, Chair of the Peace & Neutrality Alliance, http://www.pana.ie or phone 087-2611597.
IPDTC trainings
Advanced Professional Trainings on Systemic Peacebuilding, Conflict Transformation & Post-War Stabilisation, Recovery, and Reconciliation (PCTR) take place from 6th – 10th of June, at Cluj-Napoca
and Designing Peacebuilding Programmes: Improving Sustainability, Impact and Effectiveness in Peacebuilding & Peace Support Operations (DPP) from 13th – 17th of June, 2011 also at Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The International Peace and Development Training Center (IPDTC) was established in 2003 as one of the main Centers of the Peace Action, Training and Research Institute of Romania (PATRIR). The mission assigned to this center is to pioneer and develop training and capacity building for those working in peacebuilding and conflict transformation. For more information on course content, application procedure & deadline, please visit the IPDTC web-site: http://www.patrir.ro/training or write to training@patrir.ro
Church and Peace
Parallel with the International Ecumenical Peace Convention in Kingston, Jamaica from 17th – 25th May, Church and Peace are organising an International Conference from 20th -22nd May on the theme “You shall be my people and I will be your God” - Our calling to be a peace church. This takes place at the (Lanza del Vasto) Arche de Saint-Antoine community in southeastern France. Themes include peace with the Earth, peace on the marketplace, peace between peoples, and peace in community. See http://www.church-and-peace.org Church and Peace, International Office, Ringstr.14, D-35641 Schoffengrund, ph +49 6445 5588, and e-mail intloffice@church-and-peace.org
INNATE networking group meets next on Wednesday 16th March at 7pm in Corrymeela House, 8 Upper Crescent, Belfast.
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