Live Peace with United States Institute of Peace

Every Saturday we love to highlight an organization that makes Good Happen. This week we are featuring the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). USIP is an independent, nonpartisan conflict management center created by Congress that was designed to handle international conflicts without having to resort to violence. They work towards four goals: Working to save lives, strengthening the government’s ability to manage conflicts before they escalate, reducing the costs government, and enhancing national security. More about their mission statements can be read here.

Picture originally from peacecorpsonline.org

In addition to the work they do with international conflict management, they also hold events that coincide with their mission. They also offer online education for those who want to learn how to be involved with international conflict management, as well as grants and fellowships or those who are working on peace building.

Overall, USIP works towards upholding peace in the world while teaching others how to do the same.

Good Happens.

Pay it Forward!

Live Peace with The Elders

The Elders are an independent body of global leaders who come together to promote peace and human rights around the world. Spurred in 2007 by entrepreneur and former Living Peace Series speaker Sir Richard Branson and recording artist Peter Gabriel, The Elders bring leadership and governing experience to tackling global issues.

Currently, The Elders include such leaders as Kofi Annan, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter and Mary Robinson. Each brings his or her own wisdom and experience to the table.

As described on their website, “An Elder is also a changemaker - someone who can lead by example, creating positive social change and inspiring others to do the same.”

Footage from an event with The Elders earlier this year in London.

Learn more about the incredible work of The Elders at their website.

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!

Live Peace with Human Options

Each week we highlight great organizations making good happen! They truly demonstrate how much each of us can do to help our communities and those in need. Live Peace by finding and supporting a cause that you believe in through the work of organizations like Human Options.

Human Options is a women’s shelter  in Irvine, CA with a mission to help battered women, their families, and their communities end the cycle of domestic violence. It offers a variety of resources such as an emergency shelter and transitional living programs with included counseling, legal advocacy, case management, and job readiness training. They also run a 24 hour emergency, bilingual hotline. Women and their children have access to a Children and Families Counseling Center, K-12 community education, and violence prevention training programs. It also runs a community education program in which their educators present to various schools, organizations, and agencies about issues surrounding domestic violence.

Human Option’s long term assistance and prevention approach has helped thousands of women and children to lead more healthy and violence free lives since they started their work in 1981. Support Human Options by donating fresh produce and spices every Saturday of July, during the Irvine Farmer’s Market, at the Center. Also refer to Human Option’s wish list for donated items or volunteer to help out. Volunteers must be 18  or 16 to work with children’s programs and go through a training workshop.

For more details on the organization’s work, visit their website!

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out!

Peace in Motion Move Night: A Narrow Path

We are so excited for our third Peace in Motion Movie night! This month, we will be screening The Narrow Path.

The Narrow Path is a film that explores the nonviolence that Jesus exemplifies in the bible and encourages people to become instruments of peace, while exploring different teaching in the bible, such as the Sermon on the Mount. It also talks about nonviolence as a means of resistance to all forms of violence and the idea of surrendering oneself to “God’s vision of peace.”

You can watch the trailer for the movie here!

The film is narrated by John Dear, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2008 by Archbishop Desmond TuTu. He is an outspoken activist for nonviolence who has been arrested many times protesting war and violence. According to Wikipedia he “received the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award in September 2009 for his solidarity and leadership in nonviolent resistance, vegetarian life style and Gospel living.”

To find out more information or sign up for the class click here.

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.

Living Peace Workshop with Richard Reoch!

Richard Reoch has been involved with human rights, peace efforts and humanitarian work almost his whole life. Richard Reoch began working at  Amnesty International in 1971, and by 1978 he was appointed to head Amnesty’s global media operations. Currently, Richard Reoch serves as the President of Shambhala, which is one of the world’s most influential Buddhist communities. He is also on the board for the Center for Living Peace, the Chair of the International Working Group on Sri Lanka, as well as a trustee of the Rainforest Foundation. In his spare time he speaks at schools and colleges, is trained in oriental medicine, teaches tai chi and qigong, and travels throughout the world to help spread the ideas and principles of Living Peace.

On February 19, 2011, human rights activist Richard Reoch will be visiting the Center for Living Peace to lead the first of a four-part series on cultivating inner and outer peace. The beginning of the series opens with the question, “What is Living Peace?”. Delving deep into this question, participants will explore the definition of living peace and how it is applicable to their own lives. Richard Reoch will guide the discussion and exercises based around these ideas in order to discover more about how we experience living peace on a personal level, and reflect that into our respective communities. The agenda for the day includes presentations, dialogue exercises, and meditation.

To find out more or sign up for the class, click here.

 

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.

 

 

Peace in Motion Movie Night: Let Freedom Sing!

In honor of Black History month, we will be screening Let Freedom Sing, a documentary about how music inspired the Civil Rights Movement.

This documentary follows the development of the Civil Rights Movement and the music associated with it. The music of the 1960′s Civil Rights Movement inspired and encouraged its listeners, enabling them to stay strong in a time of struggle and turbulent change. The songs gradually transformed from spiritual to freedom songs; serving as a common thread that connected people across the country as they fought for change. The music motivated people in the darkest times and inspired them to persevere with hope and optimism. The effects of this movement are permanent and continue to resonate with a messages of equality and hope. Most of the songs that came out of this movement are widely recognized now– but the context and history of these songs is known only by a few. Let Freedom Sing sheds a light on the story behind these inspirational songs.

Here is a teaser clip from the film:

Some of the songs included in this documentary are “We Shall Overcome,” “A Change is Gonna Come,” “Free at Last,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and “People Get Ready.”

Here is one of the songs that is featured in the film, “I Shall Not Be Moved,” by The Harmonizing Four:

Another song, feautred in the film is Billie Holiday’s song, “Strange Fruit”

 

It is going to me such an amazing film screening! I cannot wait! To find out more about the film screening, or to sign up for the class, click here.

 

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.

Peace in Motion Movie Night: A Force More Powerful

Last night, we had our first Peace in Motion Movie Night! We kicked it off with a screening of A Force More Powerful.

Image from here

This film explores one of the 20th century’s most important but least understood stories: how nonviolent power has overcome oppression and authoritarian rule all over the world. Narrated by Ben Kingsley, and nominated for an Emmy, A Force More Powerful premiered on PBS in September 2000 and chronicles the work of non-violent leaders such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Reverend James Lawson and Lech Walesa.

Each film screening is followed by a moderation, led by Chip Royston.  Chip is a professor of Human Services and Anthropology at Cal State University Fullerton. He describes himself as being “profoundly interested in the human condition; past, present, and future.” In addition to teaching at CSUF, Chip is very involved with the Peace Studies department at GoldenWest College, he has written a children’s book that was endorsed by Dr. Jane Goodall; and  he is a founding member of Bundle of Twigs, a Long Beach-based community activism leadership organization.

Our next Peace in Motion Movie Night film screening will be Wednesday, February 9th.  We will be screening Let Freedom Sing!, a film about how music inspired the Civil Rights Movement. To find out more about our Peace in Motion Movie Nights and sign up, click here!

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.

Celebrations of Africa Week and CTAOP Event Wrap Up!

It has been such an amazing week at the Center for Living Peace! We had the Celebrations of Africa Week, then we had Working Groups at CLP on Saturday, followed by the Charlize Theron and Dr. Michael Bennish talk at UCI, and then the gala to raise money for Charlize Theron’s Africa Outreach Project! Here are a few highlights from the  events!

Sneak peek of Celebrations of Africa Week…

Artful Eating: South African Foods

Artful Eating: South African Food

Tapping the Body's Wisdom: Sacred Snakes

Tapping the Body's Wisdom: Sacred Snakes

Celebrations of Africa week was such an amazing series of classes! Thank you to all of our wonderful teachers for putting together the classes, and thank you to everyone who came and participated in the classes!

 

Sneak Peek of our Working Groups…

On Saturday, December 4th before the Charlize Theron speaking event, we brought together local groups to talk about what they could do to help the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project.  Here’s a video that our friends at Apples and Oranges Productions put together for us!

Thank you again to Apples and Oranges Productions for filming our Working Groups and putting this video together for us! You guys did an amazing job!

 

Here is a preview of some photos from the gala…

Jason Niedle and Cali Green attended the gala on Saturday and wrote up a beautiful posts about the event!

Good really is happening! THANK YOU to everyone who helped us organize these events, and THANK YOU to everyone who came out and supported the Center for Living Peace and the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project!

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.

Living Peace Series Winners Announced!!!

The lucky winners from our Facebook contest are:

Jennifer Halber

Sera Chang

Cynthia Anderson

Traci Fish

Val Engstrom

Rolanda Engstrom

Richard Scheck

Francis-Gene Acosta

The winners were selected at random.  Here are their entires…

From Jennifer Halber:

Loving others regardless of our own ingrained prejudices in order to pursue a means of equality is what living peace means to me. For those who can sacrifice a piece of themselves to form a bond and connection with others in this world is the most beautiful picture we can paint for the generations to come. By seeing how we have lived with peace and greatfulness of life towards others we can be made whole.

 

From Sera Chang:

Living in peace means to me an active pursuit of happiness for not oneself but for another. Is there peace when one is at a comfortable, happy state but those around are in contrast struggling and striving to survive? Many think they have acquired peace by believing in the idea of peace but when has believing in itself achieve anything? 

Living peace is an act that separates one from the idea that the world revolves around oneself. It’s time to recognize others and their needs. We need to serve others, especially those who the world have turned away from and through that a chain reaction can flow into an invincible wave for living peace.

 

From Cynthia Anderson:

I’d like to think that this journey we are all on leads us to a better world where we all get along and live our lives in peace and harmony – where we have acceptance, love and gratitude for one another … I think The Center for Living Peace reflects this and strives to provide the avenue to achieve this goal.

 

From Traci Fish:

Living Peace can mean many things to many people. One of my 8 year old students once told me that “peace” meant “stopping world hunger.” If good comes out of this, if good happens…there is no bad definition. To me, Living peace means being grounded. It is a conscious DECISION we make every day. It is genuinely loving and accepting every thing and everyone around us. Finding peace in all people, living things, and in all of life and using it to do good, to better ourselves and the world. Living Peace is harmony and civility. It is not trying to be above all the struggles in life, Living Peace is having struggles and obstacles in life but living in calm, constantly learning, and loving every moment of it; taking in everything around you and finding the beauty and peace within. In my life, Living Peace is valuing life as a whole; being aware of the past, living in the moment, and preparing for the future.

 

From Val Engstrom:

Great changes have been brought by living peace. Wars have been avoided or arrested. Despots have been brought down. People have been freed and shackles removed.

But living peace isn’t just taking a stance against war. It isn’t just being non-violent or resisting oppression, exploitation or servitude.

All of the above has been achieved by living peace. There have been great achievements and changes brought about in the world by living peace. But to actually describe it you have to bring it down to a more personal focus.

To understand living peace you have to focus down to a more intimate level. You have to change your focus from the wide-angle world’s view, and set your focus down to macro focus where you can see all the details and nuances of your own life. You need that focus in order to not only understand it, but to take it and make it your own.

On macro focus you can see that living peace on a personal level is just living peacefully. Peace has at its root an act of confirming an agreement or fastening to a way of life that excludes hate and disorder. To live peace you banish hate, bitterness and anger, while you champion empathy and tranquility. You try to end argument and hostilities. You focus that camera lens down to macro in order to examine the minutia or your life. At that tight focus you can see how much easier it is to hate than to love. But as you get the pictures of your life together, you can see how much fuller your life is without all the disorder that hate and anger brings into your life. Focus on empathy and humanity. Sign a peace agreement with yourself to live peacefully.

This is living peace where it starts—at home.

 

From Rolanda Engstrom:

To me living peace is everywhere you look. We are not the only living species on the planet. Flowers, birds, elephants, dogs, cats, trees, etc. are living peace. Humans seem to be the only ones who can hold a grudge, act out in a jealous rage and covet what our friend or neighbor has. Humans also can manufacture instruments of destruction; guns, ammunition and bombs, which are the antithesis of living peace. Have you ever seen a bird toting an AK 47? Living peace means to be at peace with the earth and to make sure that the peacefulness remains for the next living creature that happens by.

Sadly, most people do not know the meaning of living peace. Making war and the by products of it seem to be easier. When greed, dishonesty, war and a disregard for other living things and the earth’s natural resources continue, we slip further and further away from living peace.

Now more that ever, living peace should be at the top of everyone’s list. It is time for all of us to take a more active role in this quest for living peace. Starting with the inner self, let’s take the first step on the road to living peace. Peace and kindness can then spread like wild fire. All we need to start is to say, “I am living peace.” Let’s practice this today, tomorrow, and forever.

 

From Rickard Scheck:

What Living Peace Means To Me
by Richard Scheck

Living Peace requires a level of self-mastery in which one models
compassion, selflessness and the acceptance of others.

Living Peace entails the ability to live in the present with an attitude of unconditional love toward all the other creatures who share this planet with us.

Living Peace is a concept that challenges us to be self-aware and
maintain our nobility in the face of hardship, abuse and tragedy.

Living Peace is the notion implicit in all spiritual disciplines
that calls on mere mortals to rise above their baser nature and
strive toward the perfection achieved by history’s great religious
teachers.

Living Peace is the call from above to listen to that still, small
voice within that connects us to our bliss and reminds us—even in
the darkest hours—that heaven awaits those who can transcend anger
and remain firm in their uniqueness.

And yes Living Peace is the accomplishment of having a life filled with joy while behaving in a manner that inspires others and leaves us feeling complete with the knowledge that there is truth in the world.

To Live in Peace is to be tranquil despite disappointment, to be fearless
in the face of perfidity, to keep an open mind and loving heart in a
world seemingly dominated by deception, ignorance, greed and the pettiness
of people with small minds.

To Live in Peace is to have the innocence and wonder of a child first
seeing a bird in flight, watching snow fall on a naked mountain top, listening to the ponding ocean waves or experiencing the emergence of
the night’s starry array as the sun flees from the sky.

To Live in Peace requires the relentless pursuit of truth and the ability
to resist the unending temptations presented to us daily.

And finally, Lving Peace is knowing to a metaphysical certainty that the
force that constitutes our bodies is the same energy that infuses the
entire Cosmos and allows us to rest comfortably within the Soul of God.

 

From Francis-Gene Acosta:

Compassion, understanding, respect, tolerance, acceptance…all without question necessary virtues that contribute to “living peace.” But in themselves and collectively they are insufficient (not to mention a little cliché) in describing what “living peace” should truly mean. I think living peace can best be understood relative to its greatest foe—indifference. I say greatest without hesitation because indifference often escapes people’s minds as an issue that hinders humanity’s ability to reach its potential for moral excellence. This is especially true of American culture. We all must understand that we can only fully combat indifference through action. To give an example in the wake of World AIDS Day, to me “living peace” might mean volunteering and sacrificing one’s time to teach and care for HIV/AIDS orphans abroad. It can also mean actively challenging leaders to aim for universal treatment and care for HIV/AIDS patients and combating the discrimination and ignorance that places marginalized groups at higher risk. Too often individuals are satisfied with donating money or reading up on a cause or issue as their means of contributing to “living peace.” Too many individuals surf through television channels and the internet avoiding noteworthy news sources that report on the state of the world because they deem them to be “just too depressing.” Individuals with this mindset are as troubled as the victims they see in the news—those infected with disease, those oppressed by their leaders, those suppressed by society—because like them they lack the ability to inspire change. In fact I would even claim that they are more troubled than these victims because they don’t really “lack the ability” they just choose not to exercise the freedom to actively fight back against disease and oppression that they have over those who are truly suffering. To achieve “living peace” we must implore those around us to allow the causes for this inaction—be it fear, laziness, selfishness, etc.—to fuel the vehicle that will lead us down the path for not only “living peace” on a day-to-day basis, but more importantly, “lasting peace” that will resonate in generations to come.

 

Thank you to everyone who entered! Your definitions of living peace were inspiring! If you didn’t get tickets to see Charlize Theron speak about her work with the Africa Outreach Project, fear not.  We will be streaming the event live from our website.

 

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.

The Center for Living Peace Presents: Celebrations of Africa and A Special Announcement!

Yesterday we gave you a little teaser of Africa Week! Today we are posting the rest of the amazing classes we have for Africa week, and a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 7:00pm to 10:00pm

REEL INSPIRATION FILM SERIES: INVICTUS (2009) PG-13

Image from here

Unity: Where the Impossible meets Possibility”

In keeping with the Center For Living Peace’s explorations of Africa, we examine a time in history when newly elected President Mandela initiates a movement to unite his country through the sport of rugby. This inspirational film shows how one voice with conviction and courage can change the hearts, minds and perspectives of a nation. Film discussion will include the topics of racial unity, universal themes in humanity, how the real story was translated to the screen, and of course, the usual odd and ends trivia that the Reel Inspiration class offers.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 3:30pm to 5:00pm

AFRICAN MASK MAKING WITH RECYCLED MATERIALS, PRESENTED BY THE CHUCK JONES CENTER FOR CREATIVITY (ALL AGES!)

The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity presents an earth friendly arts and crafts project inspired by African masks!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 6:00pm to 7:00pm

CONNECTING ACROSS DIFFERENCES

South Africans have made tremendous progress to develop understanding and cooperation across wide barriers of race and culture. Using tools of Compassionate Communication, we will work to bridge some differences that exist among different groups in Southern California. Bring your real-world situations for transformation!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 7:30pm to 9:00pm

SHAMBHALA MEDITATION NIGHT, SPECIAL TOPIC: A MEDITATION ON DIFFERENCE (ALL AGES WELCOME)

The Center for Living Peace, in partnership with the Shambhala Meditation Center of Los Angeles, offers meditation instruction every week during our meditation evening. Please feel welcome to drop by for every Wednesday evening at 7:30pm, excluding public holidays.

We will sit in meditation for half an hour, which will be followed by a brief reading and then socializing for those who wish to stay.

Thursday, December 2, 2010 at 7:00pm to 8:00pm

NEW EARTH DRUMMING PRESENTS: AFRICAN DRUMMING (SPECIAL EVENT!)

This event is a great opportunity for a FUN family activity. This joyous and exciting evening will offer a rhythmic interplay between participants of all ages and levels. Drums will be provided or bring your own drum, rattle or instrument. No prior musical experience necessary! Open to all ages.

This special evening will be hosted by percussionist Alejandro Tovares. He will allow you to explore the rhythms, beats, and sounds of Western and South Africa.

We are also thrilled to announce that we are giving away eight tickets to see Charlize Theron speak about her work with the Africa Outreach Project on Saturday, December 4^th on our Facebook page! To enter, become a fan of The Center for Living Peace, and write “what living peace means to you” on our Facebook wall.  Winners will be announced on Thursday, December 2^nd!  We are SOOOOOO excited to read what LIVING PEACE means to all of our dear friends!

 

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!!!

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.