|
|
|
|
|
Dear Friend
A warm welcome to our latest eBulletin.
|
|
|
In this month's eBulletin:
|
|
|
- Peace Partners is helping support vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis. Our campaigns focus on those with immediate food shortages and the homeless. Our latest progress updates will be found below in 'How we are working to support communities during coronavirus'
- Although all physical Peace Education Programme workshops have been postponed until further notice, there is now an exciting online possibility with the advent of Facilitated Virtual Peace Education Program courses. If you wish to attend one facilitated by Peace Partners, or if you or your organisation wish to host the workshop there is now the opportunity to do so via video conferencing. These courses are similar to classroom settings: they are offered at a specific time, with a facilitator and a group of attendees. If you would like to know more please email: chrissiewaite@peacepartners.co.uk . You can also apply for information directly to: pep@tprf.orgs
- As an alternative to the ‘Introduction to Peace Partners’ meetings we have been running in partnership with local communities we are preparing a virtual version of this event. Look out for more news about this in May
- Our upcoming 'Peace and Well Being' project will be highlighting articles, videos, podcasts and links to uplifting materials or events which help
people mentally and emotionally to cope with the lockdown situation
- Peace Partners is now a partner with Giving Tuesday and we will shortly be launching this year’s Giving Tuesday campaign which will be a fundraiser for our COVID-19 relief efforts here in the UK
- The global campaign we are supporting is the The Prem Rawat Foundation's Care During COVID-19 Crisis. More information will be available early in May
|
|
Hope you are safe and well. We have some exciting news to share with you: on 11th April Peace Partners celebrated its fourth year as a charity! It hardly seems possible that we have been operating for four years, nevertheless much has happened and much difference has been made. This time last year we had just announced our National Lottery Community Fund award. Since then we have put the funds to good use towards the Peace Education initiatives we are supporting; our regular fundraising has continued to the benefit of both our humanitarian and peace education causes.
To focus on one particular highlight amongst many, on 21st September, International Peace Day, we hosted a 'Practice Peace' forum in Croydon, attended by amongst others the Deputy Mayor and the Imam, which was streamed live over the internet and featured on the day's PeaceCast.tv broadcast.
Preparations for expanding our support of the Peace Education Programme have been underway for a while, and although we have had to cancel events due to the COVID-19 crisis, we are looking at increasing our use of internet based distance forums instead. This month we have launched fundraising appeals in support of the Trussell Trust food-bank and St Mungo's homelessness emergency responses (see below for the latest update).
|
|
Thank you to everyone for your generous support, your collaborations, your interest and for making the last four years Peace Partners such great charity. We are looking forward to an ever more engaged fifth year!
Thank you!
the Peace Partners team
|
|
During a time when we are more isolated than ever, Peace Partners is determined to bring people together to support the UK’s vulnerable. Whilst many of our events have sadly had to be cancelled, we are still supporting our partner charities - who are working tirelessly to help others. Earlier this month we launched two fundraising appeal campaigns to support the coronavirus emergency responses of our partners The Trussell Trust and St Mungo’s.
|
|
|
The Trussel Trust Appeal
The coronavirus crisis has had a large impact on the economy and there has been an increased demand for food, putting pressure on local food banks. One of our aims here at Peace Partners is to provide food for people through financial support and raising awareness.
Therefore, we are very happy to be supporting The Trussell Trust meet increased demand and deliver their coronavirus emergency response, through a fundraising appeal.
Thanks to your generosity we have already raised £1174 and for every £1 raised, Peace Partners is fund matching up to £2000!
|
|
St Mungo’s Appeal
We are also supporting the St Mungo’s coronavirus emergency response, to help the UK’s homeless access shelter, care and recovery during this particularly challenging time.
Those without a home are unable to self-isolate and are at more risk of being exposed to the virus. St Mungo’s is providing isolation support to those without a home and putting them up in temporary accommodation.
So far an amazing £881 of our £2,000 target has been raised. Peace Partners is also fund matching this campaign, for every £1 up to £2000!
|
|
Here at Peace Partners we will continue to work together to support our aims, and our communities in new and innovative ways. Thank you to everyone who has donated - we are grateful for your support during this time. The donations made will have a hugely positive impact for those most affected.
|
|
We are celebrating the 50th annual World Earth Day!
The theme for this year is Climate Action. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges to humanity, wildlife and the planet and we all need to work together to combat it. Due to COVID-19, Earth Day has organised plenty of digital events through their website, visit www.earthday.org to get involved.
Here at Peace Partners we are focusing on how to keep positive and maintain our wellbeing during this challenging time. Despite the many difficulties and losses the crisis has brought, there have been noticeable benefits to the environment. We have seen significant drops in air pollution and carbon emissions across the world, due to decreased travel and industrial production.
In addition, the air and water is becoming cleaner and there have been surprising wildlife sightings, in places where they haven’t been seen in decades. For example, dolphins in the Venice canals and deer roaming the streets of East London ...
Read the full article on our website here
|
|
|
We are delighted to be partnering with Young People Insight (YPI). YPI have participated in events hosted by Peace Partners in South London whose themes included building reconciliation and trust between young people. To find out more about YPI follow the links below.
|
|
Young People Insight CIC is a platform that empowers the voices of young people, aged 16-26, and encourages them to engage in their community through writing, creativity and conversation. Through involvement in this youth-led platform, young people are able to develop their confidence and communication skills, as well as build self-esteem and respect for each other.
The Founding Director of Young People Insight is poet and writer Shaniqua Benjamin.
Shaniqua gave the keynote address at Peace Partners' 'Finding Peace Through Conflict Resolution' event in Croydon last year. You can hear her address, some of her poetry and our interview with her here.
|
|
Keep in touch with YPI here:
Twitter: @YPInsight
Instagram: @youngpeopleinsight
Facebook: Young People Insight CIC
|
Follow Shaniqua here:
Twitter: @ShanqMarie
Instagram: @shaniquabenjamin
LinkedIn: Shaniqua Benjamin
|
|
Contributor: Sean Morrissey
This is What you Shall Do
by Walt Whitman
First published in 1855, the following (known most commonly as “This is What you Shall Do”) served as preface to American poet Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Whitman, whose ethos of compassion and humanity would coincide with a most inhumane period of history in the United States, speaks to our enduring need for community.
There is a repetitious, incantatory quality here, as if the poet were giving a sermon on the righteous life; one full of love, introspection, and freedom. These are inalienable human rights, and a far-away privilege for those millions living through war, poverty, and famine around the world: it is for those we must fight and give alms every day.
|
|
|
This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.
|
|
|
|
There is a repetitious, incantatory quality here, as if the poet were giving a sermon on the righteous life; one full of love, introspection, and freedom. These are inalienable human rights, and a far-away privilege for those millions living through war, poverty, and famine around the world: it is for those we must fight and give alms every day.
|
|
New Team Members
We are pleased to announce that several new volunteers have joined the Peace Partners team, bringing with them their very valuable skills:
Louise Ingham: Creative Writer
Paula Geanau: Creative Writer
Kerris Crook: Volunteer Coordinator
Emma Akinlusi: Partnership Development
Louise and Paula have already busy supporting our Lead Creative Writer (Sean Morrissey) and Video Editor (Claudine Harper) to produce the video and article, “World Earth Day Celebrates 50 Years”. Whilst Kerris has updated the “Who We Are” page on our website so that you can find out more about all of our volunteers. Emma joined us last week and we are excited to see the benefits that she will bring to the team.
We would like to wish all of our new volunteers good luck and success in their new roles, which will be vital to the realisation of our ongoing plans.
Current Opportunities
This week we have conducted interviews for two of our opportunities, Social Media Promotions Assistant and Independent Examiner of Accounts. We are hoping to be able to confirm the names of our new volunteers soon.
We are currently looking for the following ongoing opportunities:
Community Fundraiser
Outreach Events Co-ordinator
For more visit our website Volunteering page.
If you are interested in applying for or learning more about any of these volunteering opportunities please contact us by email at info@peacepartners.co.uk.
|
|
‘Volunteering with Peace Partners is very important to me. It is a way I get to connect with something so important to me ... peace ... in everyone's lives and mine. I truly love the variety, meeting people from all walks of life, and seeing a plan come to fruition’.
|
|
Parts of many of Peace Partners' Waves of Change forum events have been recorded and edited by our wonderful volunteer team of videographers. The videos are a great way to find out more about our work, or to simply to remind yourself of something you were a part of! Take a look on YouTube here:
|
|
As a UK charity Peace Partners is able to RAISE FUNDS ONLINE using popular platforms.
Click on the Give As You Live or Amazon Smile logo to sign up and select Peace Partners to contribute for free through your regular transactions. For eBay select the percentage of your sales you want to give.
  
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
