A Newfound Community at URI

It's impossible to accurately describe the energy put fourth by the University yesterday when over 1,000 individuals congregated on the quad to participate in Christina Knoll's silent protest against hate crimes on campus. The attendance of individuals varied as greatly as the student body, with varsity athletic teams, Hillel, the GBLT center, students, faculty, staff, provosts and even Rhody the Ram in attendance. And while everyone held their silence in protest for 15 minutes, the feeling from the quad can be described as the loudest silence to have ever fallen over campus. The silence that was created yesterday brought fourth a sense of community for the University. Here were 1,000 individuals who would not tolerate hate crimes on campus, and here were 1,000 individuals who would stand up to a campus injustice. The protest yesterday was a small step in the right direction, but it brought together more individuals than any campus outreach ever has. Yesterday's protest showed URI that the student body truly believes in the importance of diversity and tolerance. And when the 15 minutes of protest were up, I don't think I have ever heard the Rhody Ram chant ever yelled so proudly. 
In Peace,
Michaela Cashman

Collaborative Planning with The Gathering for Justice

Veteran's Day reminds us that violence begets more violence and that war rarely if ever has led to lasting peace. The aftermath in terms of lives lost (military and innocent civilians), the casualty survivors who suffer with lifelong disabilities, plus the emotional trauma and inner violence experienced by family members is a tragic loss and a high price to pay for a temporary negative peace. Let today serve as a reminder for us to renew our pledge to continue our efforts to use nonviolence education and peace studies to build a global beloved community. On a more positive note, I enjoyed some collaborative planning time on SKYPE with Malia Lazu, Director of the Gathering for Justice organization today. We are engaged in exploring the possibilities for the Gathering to become an organizational partner with the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies. The Gathering has been doing some amazing work nationally in a dozen metropolitan communities. Their work includes a strong foundation built on commitment to nonviolence principles and nonviolence training and education strategies. Jonathan Lewis and Justin Richards trainers who began their journey into nonviolence at the URI Center are lead trainers at the national level for the Gathering. Stay tuned for more developments on this possible partnership! Peace On, Paul BdeM

Nonviolence Training at Valparaiso Peace & Justice Symposium

Greetings of Peace and Nonviolence! Friends of the Center might be interested to know that we just returned from a full day of Kingian Nonviolence training at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. Jonathan Lewis joined me for this introductory training workshop as part of their 8th Annual Peace and Justice Symposium, sponsored by the campus Gandhi-King Center for Diversity and Global Engagement. Center Director Jane Bello-Brunson and her staff do a fantastic job at operating the center and keeping the dream of nonviolence alive and thriving at Valpo! Their Symposium is first-class program. "Globe" and I received lots of positive feedback and we hope to establish a continuing relationship with their Center for future followup trainings. A nice addition to the day was the participation of local high school students who attended with their principal and school district superintendent. We were able to share a short video highlighting the URI Summer Institute, and Jonathan spoke passionately about his work with the Gathering for Justice combined with a video on the organizations background and purpose. If I had more time I could share a funny story about our "stretch limo" ride from Midway to their campus, but I'll save that for another day. Peace On, Paul BdeM

Free film screening

The STUDENT ALLIANCE FOR THE WELFARE OF AFRICA presents a free screening of PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL. A Film By Academy Award Nominated, Abigail Disney and Gini Reticker which chronicles the remarkable story of the courageous Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country. Thousands of women  ordinary  mothers, grandmothers, aunts and daughters, both Christian and Muslim – came together to pray for peace and then staged a silent protest outside of the Presidential Palace. Armed with only their white T-shirts and the courage of their convictions, they took on the warlords and nonviolently forced a resolution during the stalled peace talks. A story of sacrifice, unity and transcendence, the film honors the strength and perseverance of the women of Liberia.

Inspiring, uplifting, and most of all motivating, it is a compelling testimony of how grassroots activism can alter the history of nations.

The Screening will be followed by a discussion with survivors of Liberia's bloody civil war of fifteen years.

DATE: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH, 2009
PLACE: UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND MEMORIAL UNION BALLROOM TIME: 7:00PM
ADMISSION: FREE!
FOOD SHALL BE SERVED DURING THE PROGRAM

New graduate nonviolence course

New graduate nonviolence course, Theory and Research in Nonviolence and Peace Studies, will be offered in Spring 2010 as PSY 690(04).  (The course will eventually be designated PSY/NVP 500, but the curriculum committee is not finished with its work yet, and so for this semester we will use the open-ended 690 topics course number.)

PSY 690 (NVP/PSY 500) is designed as an introductory graduate level seminar bringing together academic psychology (especially social and cognitive psychology) and ideas derived from traditions of nonviolent problem solving from several cultures.  We will focus on understanding predictors and proposed mechanisms of violence and peace, as well as factors that may prevent or inhibit ready access to this understanding.

This course will be the “foundations” course for the coming Graduate Certificate Program in Nonviolence and Peace Studies.  Students should consult with their major professors about other program requirements that may be met or strengthened by the course.

The course will meet on Wednesday afternoons, 2 to 4.50pm, location TBA.

Please contact Charlie Collyer with questions:  collyer@uri.edu or 401-258-9834 (cell).

MLK Week at URI scheduled for February 2010

Can a university community become a truly beloved community? If you think so,SAVE THE DATES for the 2010 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Celebration. This year to be commmorated at the University of Rhdoe Island during the second week of the spring semester, February 1st - 5th. This week-long program of events and workshops will provided opportunities to create a "beloved community" on our campus. Join us in planning a program or event by contacting the Center office 401.874.9037

Welcome

Welcome to the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies.  We are excited to announce the dates for Summer Institute 2010 --  SAVE THE DATES:  Level I will take place July 6-16.  Level II will take place July 12-16.  Watch for more details as they become available.