Isn’t it awesome?

We recorded this on Friday, before the government crackdown began. Michael Nagler and the Metta Center staff would like to express our continued solidarity with the protesters, and urge them to stay the course through this difficult part of the struggle: “Don’t seek suffering, but know that if it comes to you, it is often part of the very success of a nonviolent movement”.

Overview: Strategic and Principled NV; What to Look For I

This is a placeholder for a short blurb giving an idea of what to expect in this lecture. This is the placeholder for the second sentence in that very same blurb, which is obvious but one has to type something or it wouldn’t be much of a placeholder. This would act as a basic summary and reminder of what was covered in that lecture. Since the lectures are significantly long and each one covers a lot of material, it might be helpful for return visitors who are looking to locate a particular lecture that they remember.

Readings for this lecture

Section Ia of course reader: A conceptual framework for nonviolence (10.5 MB PDF)

• Lanza del Vasto, Warriors of Peace. 1974 [excerpt]
• Kenneth Boulding: “The Place of Nonviolence in a General Theory of Power”
• M.K. Gandhi: “Four Basic Terms” from The Harijan. 1920
• Ralph Summy: “Nonviolence and the Case of the Extremely Ruthless Opponent” from Legacy and Future of Nonviolence by True & Adams 1996
• Key Terms Pamphlet by the Einstein Institution
• Arne Naess: Gandhi and Group Conflict: An Exploration of Satyagraha. 1974 [excerpts]

Easwaran, Eknath. Gandhi the Man, Flinders section
Nagler, Michael. Search for a Nonviolent Future, Chapters 1-2
Abu-Nimer, Mohammed. Nonviolence and Peacebuilding in Islam, 5-25 (recommended)

Glossary Terms
Integrative Power, Nonviolence, Person Power

Additional Resources
We could use this space for additional links or recommendations for more in depth info on the content of this lecture.

Preamble
First, watch this one minute video about a certain kind of power….

What is this power? Some call it love in action; Kenneth Boulding, a peace scholar and activist, called it integrative power. By whatever name, this is the power employed in nonviolence – that when applied to social change can awaken the conscience of an entire people, gain civil rights for an oppressed minority, free a nation from imperialist rule. Through the Metta Mentors program we hope to offer a transformative experience to young aspiring change-makers and equip them with the most powerful force, the weapon of the brave: nonviolence.

What it is
The Metta Mentors program is a 10-week, paid mentorship in Berkeley, California that:

1) pairs students of nonviolence with local partner organizations for practical, social change work, while

2) offering regular guidance from Metta in order to help participants learn about the principles of nonviolence and its effective application to social change work as well as daily life.

In short, Metta Mentors is an immersion program in applied nonviolence.

How it is run
Four days a week, participants will work with a local social change organization to address specific issues such as militarism, youth empowerment, homelessness, literacy, immigrant rights, environmental sustainability, etc. Every Friday mentees will come together under the guidance of the Metta Center to participate in forums and workshops that explore how to integrate nonviolence into social change work and daily life. Mornings will be geared towards reflection and facilitated discussion of the mentees’ experiences from the past week. Friday afternoons will offer workshops, speakers, and seminars on various topics such as community-based leadership, nonviolent communication, power and privilege, social movement formation, etc. These Friday gatherings offer participants the opportunity to democratically guide their own learning and efforts.

By participating in the program, Mentees will…

…embody the spirit of praxis, reflecting on principled nonviolence while acting for social change.
…be challenged to ask tough questions and live out the answers during the 10-week mentorship, and beyond. 

…receive guidance and mentorship from the Metta Center for immersion in a nonviolent paradigm.

…build deep relationships with their peers and colleagues, thereby creating a community and culture of nonviolence that inspires and supports each individual to realize and activate their own potential for change.

Logistics

Program Dates: Friday, June 5, 2009 – Friday, August 14, 2009
Application submission: Applications accepted until spots are filled, with a priority deadline of March 22nd
Location: Berkeley (and wider SF Bay Area), California, U.S.A.
Stipend: $2,000 per participant
Time Commitment: Program participants commit to
1) devote 40 hours each week to the mentorship program starting Friday, June 12.
2) attend an orientation retreat from Friday, June 5 – Sunday, June 7. The first days (Mon 6/8 – Thu 6/11) is an introductory period, where participants will have time to orient themselves with their partner organization, the Bay Area, and each other.
3) complete a culminating project. This project will be co-created and largely self-directed by the mentees. The last week of the program will be largely dedicated to this project.
Application: you can download the application here (also available in PDF format here)

What is the Metta Center for Nonviolence Education?
The Metta Center for Nonviolence Education exists to raise consciousness about principled nonviolence and serve as catalysts in the shift towards a nonviolent paradigm. It was established in 1982 by Prof. Michael Nagler, a world-renowned Gandhian scholar and professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. Today we offer a breadth of ongoing programs to serve anyone who wishes to learn and practice nonviolence, what Gandhi called “the greatest force at the disposal of humanity.” Metta Mentors offers the most in-depth experience of our programs.

Metta Mentors page | Frequently Asked Questions
Contact us: mettamentors@mettacenter.org | 510 548 5550

Metta is very pleased to have made a training video for our courageous friends at LaOnf, the network that is attempting to bring nonviolence to Iraq. It can now be seen with Arabic subtitles thanks to Mubarak Awad, Sarah Hashimi, Carolina Dabbah, and others for making this possible.

Can nonviolence be a tool for change, even in the midst of war and extreme violence?

La Onf (”No Violence” in Arabic) is a network of Iraqi civilians and civil society organizations who are working together use nonviolent action to bring peace to Iraq. La Onf was established in 2005 by a group of activists in Baghdad. This year they are organizing their third annual Week of Nonviolence, with nonviolent actions taking place throughout Iraq starting on October 10. The work of La Onf was featured in the documentary Masalla, Activists in Iraq. La Onf’s website is entirely in Arabic, but more information can be found through the Peaceful Tommorows site. You can also see images from the 2007 Iraqi week of Nonviolence on this page and on this page at the site of Un Ponte Per, and Italian group who is supporting La Onf.

Metta Center for Nonviolence Education is excited to offer a unique opportunity to support nonviolent action in Iraq!

La Onf, which means “No Violence” in Arabic, is a network of Iraqi civilians and civil society organizations who are using nonviolent direct action to resist the war, factional violence, and corruption that is threatening to destroy their country.

Their work is ongoing, but each year they also promote a “Week of Nonviolence” during which nonviolent actions are scheduled to take place in locations throughout Iraq. The third annual Week of Nonviolence began in Iraq this October 10, 2008 and will continue through this Friday October 17th.

Earlier this year, Metta Center was approached by one of the founders of La Onf to provide support for the training of nonviolent actors. Specifically, Metta founder and president Michael Nagler was asked to lend his perspective to a list of questions being discussed within the La Onf network. These questions address the special problems faced by those engaging in nonviolence in Iraq, and in war zones generally. Metta Center has produced a 20 minute video of Dr. Nagler answering these questions.

Here’s what our Iraqi friends need:

La Onf would like to show the this video to their network of activists throughout Iraq, but the video is in English and currently lacks the Arabic subtitles needed.

DotSub is a site that hosts videos and enables users to add subtitles in almost any language. The site functions as a wiki, meaning that subtitles for a video can be added and edited collaboratively by many users. We need Arabic speakers to log on to the DotSub site and start adding subtitles. If you or someone you know would like to be a part of history by contributing to this exciting collaboration, please read on.

Instructions:

The video can be found here:

http://dotsub.com/view/96cbcbc8-b195-4bf4-affb-d182d3310555

or go to the DotSub website at http://dotsub.com/ and search for “La Onf” and the video should appear.

If you are able to speak and type in Arabic and want to help, please do the following:

Anyone can view the video, but adding subtitles requires (really simple) registration and log-on. Once you are logged onto the DotSub site, a box appears in the righthand column next to the video that says “Translate and Transcribe”.

Choose Arabic from the drop-down list of languages and click the “translate” button. You will be taken to a page where the English transcript appears, line by line. Under each line of English transcript is a link that says “Click to translate into Arabic”. When you click the link, a box appears where you can type or paste your translation for that line of English text. Pressing enter after typing each line saves what you have added and moves you to the next line on the transcript. Pressing escape will cancel your changes.

We’ve posted a partial and rough translation we already have here as a pdf for anyone who finds that a helpful starting point, but that document is not a substitute for complete and accurate subtitling on the video.

The Arabic subtitles are the highest priority so that this video may be shown in Iraq. However, if you do not speak Arabic but are a fluent speaker of another language and wish to take part in this important project, please note that you can also add subtitles in additional languages. Videos on the DotSub site can be subtitled in multiple languages; viewers choose whichever subtitles they would like see with a drop-down menu under the video. The La Onf network is supported by a wider network of activist and NGOs in other parts of the world, notably in Italy, Spain and Romania, and we’re certain any additional languages added would be appreciated by the activists there and elsewhere.

Metta Center would like to extend our deepest thanks on behalf of ourselves and the La Onf network to anyone able to contribute to this unique effort. Please forward this message on to anyone who you think may be interested.

Teach Peace Foundation will be hosting its 2008 Evening of Peace, a student led annual awards dinner to recognize peacemakers and promote unity, on Sunday, September 21, in Sacramento, California. Tickets are available through their website and proceeds help the Teach Peace Foundation deliver peace education.

Making a Difference: The Nonviolent Life
Presented by
Richard Deats

Nov. 2-4, 2007
Participants will hear stories and struggles of these past decades and how Richard Deats built a peace vocation across racial, international and religious lines. He will share his understanding and experiences of active nonviolence and how it continues to develop, even alongside the paradoxical growth of fundamentalism and intolerance.  Together we will reflect on how we relate with children and family members who choose radically different life journeys than our own.  Richard will encourage us to share our own experiences and to reflect on the inward and outward journey of the peacemaker.  He will also talk about spiritual resources for peacemakers, with time for prayer, laughter and singing.

TIMES: Friday 6:30 p.m. dinner through Sunday lunch
FEES: Program $135; Room/Board $175, Total $310
EARLYBIRD: $35 off the total before October 2.

Richard Deats is recognized internationally as a writer, trainer, and activist, and as a leading authority on active nonviolence for social change. He worked to dismantle Jim Crow laws in Texas, taught social ethics in the Philippines, lectured and trained on nonviolent action in a dozen countries, joined delegations to Colombia and Iraq and led delegations to the USSR and Iran. At the Fellowship of Reconciliation, he coordinated the interfaith program, then served as executive, and later became editor of Fellowship Magazine.  Richard is an ordained Methodist pastor and holds a Ph.D. from Boston University. He is also a musician, humorist, and storyteller.  His articles have appeared in such publications as USA Today, Newsday, Sojourners, The Progressive and Reconciliation International.  His popular books include:
· Martin Luther King, Jr., Spirit-Led Prophet
· Mahatma Gandhi, Nonviolent Liberator
· Ambassador of Reconciliation – A Muriel Lester Reader
· Nationalism and Christianity in the Philippines
· How to Keep Laughing Even Though You’ve Considered All the Facts

For more information or to register
www.kirkridge.org

or call 610-588-1793

For Janet Chisholm
janetc@kirkridge.org