Davey Village completed at Corrymeela
In February 2010, bulldozers and builders began the demolition of a piece of a peace-building centre. Corrymeela was undergoing wrecking ball changes. The Cottages and Village that had hosted literally thousands of people from all over the world were coming to an end, leaving only the Main House for residentials. For the relatively new centre director, Paul Hutchinson, it was a sobering sight: ‘’I arrived six months ago and hoped to build on an amazing legacy of peace-work, and now half the site is being flattened!!’’ Temporary walls were erected to keep a) the builders in, and b) other mere mortals out. Fast forward to June 2011, and a new building had been raised up – the Davey Village – named after the founder of Corrymeela, Ray Davey (still alive at 96). This new building can host 42 people (some sharing rooms) and has the most extraordinary views of the North Antrim Coastline. It is an amazing place to work for peace, be that in having quiet tea breaks overlooking Rathlin, or engaging in deep dialogue with community groups. It is a beautiful space with a versatile range of resource rooms. And if you add the international volunteers and 46 years of reconciliation history, you have a unique and life-enhancing venue.
Peace-building through Restorative Dialogue... Mindfulness...
Peace-building through Restorative Dialogue in the Global Community - A Mindfulness-based Approach facilitated by Dr Mark Umbreit, Centre for Restorative Justice/Mediation, University of Minnesota takes place on Thursday 6th October and Friday 7th October. This two day residential begins at 10.30am on Thursday and ends at 5pm on Friday at the Corrymeela Centre, Ballycastle. Cost: £100 (to include residential and workshop fee). For further information, contact Matt Scrimgeour, at 028 20761726 or e-mail mattscrimgeour@corrymeela.org
MII Conference: Embedding mediation
The Mediator’s Institute of Ireland will host its 13th Annual Conference in the Grand Hotel, Malahide, Dublin, on 4th and 5th November, 2011. This flagship event from the MII provides mediators and conflict management specialists with a unique opportunity to avail of cutting-edge skills and practice development as well as a forum to network and share ideas with their peers.
In keeping with this year’s theme ‘Embedding Mediation in our Dispute Resolution Culture’, Keynote Speaker, Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness, the former President of the Law Reform Commission (LRC) who was closely involved in the extensive consultation, research and LRC publications on Alternative Dispute Resolution, will talk about mediation and our legal system in a variety of settings from commercial to community. The Conference will run from midday Friday to late afternoon Saturday, providing delegates with an opportunity to attend up to five, ninety-minute workshops on a variety of themes over the course of the two days. In a greatly changed economic and social landscape, where the benefits of mediation are now more than ever being recognised, we encourage all who have an interest in the practice and theory of mediation and conflict resolution to attend this highly educative and informative event of the Mediators’ Institute Ireland. The Early Bird booking rate runs until 30th September, 2011 - more details and booking on http://www.themii.ie/conference/
Afri Hedge School: Climate change, famine and conflict
The theme of Afri’s Hedge School 2011 is “Climate change, famine and conflict”. The Hedge School is on in the Kimmage Development Studies Centre (organised in association with them), Kimmage Manor, Whitehall Road, Dublin 12 on Saturday, 1st October. Speakers include Abjata Khalif, Kenyan Pastoralist, and John Sweeney, lecturer and leading climate scientist More details will be available very soon, please check our website: http://www.afri.ie
Poppies for remembrance, and peace
Autumn brings the lead up to the ‘Remembrance season’ in Britain and Ireland and, for those who wish, the opportunity to remember those who died in wars and make a statement for peace at the same time by wearing a white poppy. The Peace Pledge Union in Britain sells white poppies (profits support their work) at £3.50 for 5, 10 for £7 or 25 for £15, plus £3 post and packing (UK postal area prices). You can also e-mail mail@ppu.org.uk or see www.whitepoppy.org.uk or their website in general at www.ppu.org.uk Other resources on war and peace are also available. PPU, 1 Peace Passage, London N7 0BT, ph 020 7424 9444.
INNATE has a limited number of white poppies available – contact us.
1325 for Northern Ireland?
UN Security Council Resolution 1325 is on women, peace and security and the UK government backed it – for abroad, but without any plans to implement it in relation to Northern Ireland. 1325, among other points, calls for increased participation of women in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, post-conflict reconstruction and governance, and incorporating gender perspectives into peacekeeping. CEDAW in 2008 criticised the UK for not implementing it in Northern Ireland but despite this the November 2010 UK Action Plan made no provisions for implementing it in the North. The Associate Parliamentary Group on Women, Peace and Security (at Westminster) is taking submissions on this matter and the deadline is Friday 16th September. Submissions should be sent by e-mail to levickc@parliament.uk with ‘Northern Ireland Inquiry’ in the subject line; they should state clearly who the submission is from, give contacts, be under 3,000 words, begin with a summary in point form, be in Microsoft Word and declare any interests. A two-page information sheet is available online. Contact: Chris Levick, Coordinator, APG on Women, Peace and Security, ph 020 72195182, e-mail levickc@parliament.uk
Northern Ireland mediation symposium
Sponsored by a number of groups or organisations, this takes place at La Mon Hotel, outside Belfast, on Wednesday 21st September from 9.30 am – 4.30pm. It aims to bring together those in Northern Ireland with an interest in mediation and there will be discussion of how to drive mediation forward into the mainstream of dispute resolution. Plenary sessions in the morning will be followed by specialised streams in the afternoon. Speakers/resource people include David Ford (Justice Minister), Peter O’Reilly, Karen Erwin, Brian Speers, Eimear Hayden, Ewan Malcolm, Betty Hess. Stream sessions include ones on lessons from conflict work at a community level (led by TIDES Training and Mediation NI), mainstreaming mediation into workplace dispute resolution, family mediation, and how mediation can be fitted into existing legal procedures. The charity participation rate is £145 +VAT. For brochure and booking form see here. Legal-Island are handling the booking, go to http://bit.ly/nqpOtz or http://www.legal-island.com or phone 028 94463888.
US military would have left Shannon if asked
The news broke in August that, following nonviolent actions on US military aircraft at Shannon Airport in 2003, the US military would have left if the Irish government had asked them – but the Irish government did not want them to do so because it would give the impression that the protesters had won! This is despite the fact that it was quite clear the considerable majority of people were opposed to US military use of Shannon travelling to and from Iraq - see e.g. http://www.pana.ie/idn/240407.html For Shannonwatch coverage of this story see here. and for the original RTE story see here.
AI: Irish involvement with cluster bomb investments
Amnesty International and the Cluster Munition Coalition have revealed the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which owns Ulster Bank, and a number of other financial institutions operating in Ireland are investing in companies that produce cluster munitions; the Royal Bank of Scotland, which is now majority-owned by the British government, recently agreed a US$80 million (€56 million) loan to US companies that produce cluster munitions or their components. Ireland was one of the first countries to ratify an international treaty banning the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions (the Convention on Cluster Munitions 2008).
The Irish Government also played a central role in brokering a final agreement on that treaty during marathon negotiations in Dublin in May 2008. Although more than 90 countries have signed the treaty a minority continue to manufacture and stockpile cluster munitions a minority continue to manufacture and stockpile cluster munitions. Contact Amnesty International Ireland via http://www.amnesty.ie or see http://www.amnesty.org.uk/rbs
Transcend Peace University
If you want to try something different this autumn, look at Transcend’s online courses, starting 26th September, including ones on education for peace, principles of peace-based leadership and governance, advanced peace theory, nonviolence, reconciliation, peace and democracy, and dialogue, negotiation and mediation. See http://www.transcend.org/tpu/#courses
Anti-war photography fundraiser/exhibition, Dublin and Derry
On Wednesday 7th September from 8pm, quiz starting at 8.30pm, at O’Byrne’s, 199 North King Street/Capel Street, Dublin, there is a fundraiser for a photographic exhibition ‘Images of resistance – Iraq and Beyond’ (€7 a person, €25 table of four) which will be showing from World Peace Day, 21st September at Eden Place Arts Centre (Pilot’s Row), Derry, until 12th October. See Flickr page or contact 086 4048249, or e-mail libertypics@yahoo.ie
INNATE: Effective Nonviolence Seminar, Photos
“Effective nonviolence in the 21st century – taking your campaign forward” takes place as a residential at Kilcranny House, Coleraine, from 6pm on Friday 14th October through to 6pm on Saturday 15th October, organised by INNATE. As well as input from Javier Gárate of the War Resisters International there will be an opportunity for people to work together in small groups on their particular interests and campaigns. The fee for the residential is £35 (concession rate £25) and bookings should be made to INNATE – contact for more information.
New photos on INNATE’s photo site, accessible via the home page include ones of Corrib Gas in Mayo and Hiroshima Day in Dublin along with hundreds of others.
Creation Time
Churches in Ireland are joining with Christians throughout the globe in focussing on this year's theme for Creation Time - 'Our Daily Bread - Food in God's Creation' - until 4th October (St Francis's Day). A range of resources are available at http://www.ctbi.org.uk/542 on the CTBI/Churches Together in Britain and Ireland website. You can link with Eco-Congregation Ireland who produce a useful monthly e-newsheet from a Christian green standpoint; see http://www.ecocongregationireland.org or e-mail info@ecocongregationireland.org
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