Sustainable Communities for Environmental Justice
Friday and Saturday, 26 - 27 November in Derry sees this citizens' forum on Sustainable Communities for Environmental Justice with discussion and decision-making on some of the most pressing issues facing communities, looking at access to legal and technical support, corporate responsibility, ethical trade and consumption, and the role of women in working for peace and sustainable communities. Also taking place is the 1999 Ken Saro-Wiwa Memorial Seminar (on Saturday, named after the Nigerian poet and environmentalist who gave his life in the Ogoni struggle for environmental justice). Venue is the Calgach Centre in Butcher Street in Derry, speakers and chairs include Maria Adebowale, Sharon Turner, Frank Kirwan, Majella McCarron, Barbara Hayes, Sue Buckingham Hatfield, Karen Morrow, and Patricia McKenna MEP. Participants will be involved in drawing up recommendations, e.g. community strategies to encourage ethical and sustainable consumption etc. Saturday afternoon will see a public performance of 'The Christmas WRap' in Guildhall Square. Details and bookings; Foyle Basin Council, 10 Clarendon Street, Derry BT48 7ET, phone/Fax. 01504 - 377970, E-mail fbc@sustainableireland.org The fee is £5 (unwaged £2.50).

Pax Christi Peace Prize For Belfast
The 1999 Peace Prize of Pax Christi International will be awarded to Clonard/Fitzroy Fellowship, Belfast (a Catholic/Presbyterian group). It will be presented by the newly elected international president, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem, a prominent name in the work for peace and reconciliation in the Arab world. The award ceremony will be held in Dublin on Tuesday 30th November in the evening; Nobel Laureate Mairead Maguire will join the speakers for the evening. Former recipients of the prize are from Brazil, Uruguay, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Angola, United States, Zaire, East Timor and the former Yugoslavia; it is awarded to groups or individuals who work at grassroots level incarnating the ideals of the movement. Pax Christi Ireland, 52 Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6, Tel. 01 - 496 5293.

Conflict Resolution Courses, Derry and Belfast
Youth Action has three conflict resolution and mediation skills courses coming up; stage one courses in Derry and Belfast, and a stage two course in Derry. The stage one, Derry, course begins on 20th January, 3 - 9 p.m. and runs the same time and day weekly until 24th February. The stage one, Belfast, course meets from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th, 16th and 17th February. These stage one courses aim to provide an initial understanding of how mediation works. The fee for either of these courses is £100. The second stage course in Derry begins on 9th March and meets irregularly for ten sessions in all until 20th April (60 hours teaching and 30 hours home study); the fee for this course is £150. It is for people who have done stage one or can show similar experience. Tutors are Michael Doherty and Willie O'Donnell; all courses mentioned accredited by Open College Network. Further information and bookings forms; Marian Sweeney, Youth Action, 10 Bishop Street, Derry BT48 6PW, Tel. 028 71 262028, Fax. 028 71 263700 (new style numbers).

Skills for Transformation
This is the title of a course on working with groups in an inter-church context to explore ways of moving beyond sectarianism and contributing to transformation. It runs in seven sessions for 36 hours from 28th January to 24th May; venues are Larne (residential), Belfast, Hillsborough and Antrim, and the course is facilitated by Cecelia Clegg from the Moving Beyond Sectarianism project and Doug Baker of the Churches Programme of the Mediation Network. It includes understanding, and transforming, the context of a divided society, and addressing issues from a faith perspective. Cost; £20. Bookings by 30th November to: Skills for Transformation, Irish School of Ecumenics, 48 Elmwood Avenue, Belfast BT9 6AZ. Info: Doug Baker 01232 - 438614, Cecelia Clegg 01232 - 781316.

Housman’s Peace Diary 2000
Amaze your friends and associates by being able to tell them campaigning contacts all around the world, whether it's Albania or Australia, Peru or Poland, the UK or the US. It's a seriously useful tool for peace, human rights and green activists with 2000 groups listed around the world (2000 for 2000 you might say!), plus 2-pages to a week diary. Single copies are UK£6.95 inc. postage and packing anywhere (in N America it's co-published by New Society Publishers); there are discounts for 5 or more, and you can pay by credit card, cheque (£ sterling or Eurocheque) or Giro transfer. Housman’s, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX, England.

A Friendship Course of Action
October saw the launch of A Friendship Course of Action between people in Northern Ireland, Britain and the Republic of Ireland, a non-political, cross-community initiative, started by Denise Moll, with the aim to get people - individuals and small groups - communicating (by letter, E-mail - 'pen and mouse') and visiting. The launch included talks from Mark James, co-chair of the Northern Ireland Working Group of the National Peace Council and Rick Mearns Pollock who spoke about growing up in NI and losing a brother in the Troubles. Contact Denise Moll, 21 Fleetwood Court, Madeira Road, West Byfleet, Surrey KT14 6BE, Tel/Fax: 01932 343614.

Responding To Conflict (RTC), Birmingham
Responding to Conflict provides opportunities for individuals and organisations to develop new ways of working on conflict. Upcoming courses include:

1. Working with Conflict, a highly practical experience-based course for people working in areas of instability and conflict (especially suitable for NGO staff, aid, rights, relief, reconstruction and development workers) inc. conflict analysis, negotiation, mediation, confidence-building and much more. 10-week course, 1st May - 7th July 2000; places limited, some scholarships.
2. Strengthening policy and practice in areas of conflict; primarily for agency staff concerned with relief, development, rights and peace-building, providing practical models to analyse conflicts and integrate effective conflict-handling strategies into programmes. This second course runs from 17th - 21st July 2000. RTC also offers, on request, local workshops and consultancies. RTC, Selly Oak Colleges (M), 1046 Bristol Road, Birmingham B29 6LJ, England. Tel: +44 (0)121 415 5641; Fax. 415 4119.

E-mail enquiries@respond.org
Website www.respond.org/

'A Stranger And You Welcomed Me' - Tralee
Thursday 9th December at 8pm in St John's Pastoral Centre in Tralee sees Sr Joan Roddy (of the Refugee Project of the Irish Bishops' Conference, 169 Booterstown Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin, Tel. 01 - 2884713) speaking on the religious, moral and human rights issues challenging us, as citizens and Christians, on the issue of asylum seekers and refugees. Organised by Kerry Diocesan Justice Millennium Committee. Further info; Sylvia Thompson, Tel. 066 - 71 37484.

Peace News on Ecology and nonviolent revolution
Peace News, now in quarterly mode, produced its September/November issue on Ecology and nonviolent revolution, taking a detailed look at aspects of the green movement and campaigning, including radical environmental protest, with Vandana Shiva exploring the violence of both agricultural and ideological monocultures and the linkage of ecology with social justice, peace and democracy. Also they're offering a free Housmans Peace Diary 2000 for new subscriptions (UK£10, outside UK£15). Meanwhile the Peace News stable has been continuing to produce the British-oriented Nonviolent Action monthly (subs £5, spporting £15, or for £3 extra at same time as subscribing to Peace News). 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX.

International Prisoners for Peace Day - 1st December
The first day of December is International Prisoners for Peace Day, remembering those around the world who are imprisoned because of their resistance to militarism and their refusal to fight. A good opportunity to show solidarity with people who are literally barred. Contact: War Resisters International, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX, England. Phone +44 171 278 4040, Fax. 278 0444,

E-mail warresisters@gn.apc.org

INNATE Networking Group
The next meeting of the Belfast networking group will be on Thursday 2nd December at 7.30pm at Corrymeela House, 8 Upper Crescent, Belfast (note venue) - the agenda will include looking at networking events. Anyone interested welcome. Queries to Rob at 01232 - 647106.