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Global Alliance for Ministries & Departments of Peace

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Northeast Regional Conference
March 2008

The Second Northeast Regional Department of Peace Conference was held March 28-30, 2008, at The Canonicus Retreat Center in Exeter, RI. Attendees came from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey to share their ideas and experiences in the movement to create a cabinet level Department of Peace and Nonviolence.

With our Peace Dove float, "Grace" in tow, the NH DoP team arrived early to set Grace up as the official greeter. There were many photo ops with Grace throughout the weekend.

Friday evening's keynote speaker, Dot Maver, President and CEO of Peace Partnership International spoke on "Being the Change and the Global Peace Movement." Saturday was filled with workshops ranging from Intro to DoP legislation and Campaign for Newcomers, Unraveling the Patriarchy for Peace, It Takes a Village: Bringing Veterans Home to Nonviolent Communication and Restorative Justice & Prison Practices.

About a third of the 85 attendees were students, many of which are part of the Student Peace Alliance. These young people brought an abundant amount of energy and ideas to share. One student commented on how exciting it was for her to be among like-minded adults who listened to what the students had to say.

During the 3-day conference, attendees were treated to the wonderful music of Peace Troubadour, Cecilia St. King.

Participants left refreshed, renewed and reinvigorated for the many tasks that await us in our campaign to establish a United States Department of Peace and Nonviolence.

Children's Tapestry of Peace

The Children’s Tapestry of Peace was created by a group of eight children, ages 4-12, from Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Liam and Adrian Coyle; Trees, Hope, Race and Arden Lewis-Taylor; and Julien and Connor White (and their baby brother Graham) attended the first Northeast Regional Department of Peace Conference in Massachusetts, June 2-4, 2006. They participated in the weekend children’s program, facilitated by Shelley Schweizer, which looked at peace through the eyes of the children.

The tapestry represents what peace means to each participating child. For one, peace meant a quiet place in nature. For another, it was the caretaking of the earth’s animals. For others, peace is captured through the graceful flight of a dove or the joy of a colorful rainbow.

The tapestry has travelled throughout the country and has been displayed in places of worship, museums, and community centers. Our hope is that this traveling tapestry will encourage others to speak with children about what peace means to them and how peace and nonviolence can be an essential and ongoing part of each of our lives.

The Northeast Regional Department of Peace Conference explored building a cultural framework for peace through which the principles of peace and nonviolence can be woven into the practices of our everyday lives. The conference was one in a series of conferences held across the country in support of the campaign for the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace, for which legislation is currently pending in Congress. For information about the campaign and for contacts in your state go to The Peace Alliance website at www.ThePeaceAlliance.org.

For more information on the tapestry or to reserve it for a viewing in your community or at your event, contact Lynn Ellis, 491-5064 or lellis@mainedop.org.

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