Brainstorming what we do and what is to be done

[Martin Jones]

Notes from brainstorming meetings in December 2008 (Central Lane County, Oregon Beyond War team). A total of 18 people attended brainstorming sessions this week.

Coming together is a beginning.
Keeping together is progress.
Working together is success.
Henry Ford

Here are ideas and actions people are interested in or are currently doing. Knowing these, we can all help each other. Contact a person whose ideas or work you’d like to share and help further: Please comment on your own ideas or actions, whether on the local team or anywhere else in the world!

Gayle Cherry (([e-mail])is doing clerical organizing and some office work and enjoys that. She asks that sign up sheets from Introductory Presentations or events be sent to her and she will put them in the computer (Gayle -- I presume you have a way of noting what categories of interest people check at the bottom: enroll in a Study Series, host an Intro, etc)

Bill Ford ([e-mail]) is interested in how music can help convey our message. He can help collect some songs relating to Beyond War for a compilation CD or to put on the website (mentioned a Kris Kristofferson song "In the News"); John Polese (a local musician and BW supporter) and Martin want to help); he suggests aligning ourselves with other orgs. with compatible goals.

Val Ford ([e-mail]) developed the 6-week U.S. in the World Communication Course (how to talk effectively with those who don’t share your point of view), which was pilot tested May-June 08. It's being reviewed for wider circulation.

Jim Trezona ([e-mail]) stressed the value of handwritten letters to Congress -- more powerful than emails (do you want to help organize a letter writing event, Jim?), He works at the UO and has lots of great ideas concerning students. When it comes to action, he's best at responding to repair/set up of all kinds of things. Maybe we could consider him to be our "handyman".

Martin Jones ([e-mail]) is revitalizing the scheduling and arranging of presentations locally; also wants to arrange a training for presenters.
More globally, he would like to see BW have:
**a glossy Hollywood documentary movie, much like "An Inconvenient Truth." in order to reach a huge audience;
**an international edition of the Intro DVD that is not Americo-centric and could be translated into any language and be effective.

Dave Hagen ([e-mail]) volunteered to do flyers for the Library Project, and he has completed them already!!! He has put the Study Series on PDF files suitable for the website.

Lois Hagen ([e-mail]) is currently facilitating a Study Series with Martin and would like to do more in the future. She is volunteering for the Library Project to review books for Middle School kids for appropriateness of content as well.

Eileen Hanna ([e-mail]) is interested in doing Introductory Presentations and has facilitated the SS.

Phil Hanna ([e-mail]) and Rick Friedrich ([e-mail]) had decided at another recent meeting to work on local high schools, especially the International Programs as audiences for Intros.

Melissa Ruhl ([e-mail]) is a full-time dedicated volunteer. She is working on the library project, and is mentoring 3 high school age girls who are volunteering for BW. She will be working with the local team to help schedule, arrange and give Introductory Presentations at churches, service clubs and other venues. working on the "FIG" program at UO and/or PSU (( a freshman program for speakers; (and sororities and fraternities are also possibilities as they have to have speakers every month or so--it would be great if someone else wanted to take on some of this)), and give Intros especially to young people.

Ann Cole ([e-mail]) hosts the monthly BW Outreach subcommittee in her home and is contacting UNESCA (part of the UN) to offer our services and get a foot in the door.

Steve Kanaga ([e-mail]) will show up for any book club/review. (The Library Project would be a good match.)

Dorothy Sampson ([e-mail]) agreed to begin a book club to meet in her home. She was expecting to review a book "When Religion Becomes Evil" as a possible first book.

Anne Millhollen ([e-mail]) suggests that the book club could write up discussion questions for books reviewed to share with the larger BW community. Anne continues to move the Library Project forward. She also is near to completing the “Study Series Audiophile” project – she’s recorded the entire Study Series digitally, enlisting many team members to be readers. It will be ready for the website soon.

Sally Marie ([e-mail]) continues to be interested in facilitating the Study Series (SS) or making the SS happen. She wants to facilitate more brainstorming and action meetings. The next is to take another look at whether we can get a small shared office space locally to have a home base where we can meet and greet and encourage each other.

Anne O’Brien coordinates and arranges the Study Series by calls to potential SS participants. She currently is helping to schedule and arrange Intro presentations at churches and other venues.

Many others of our local team (chapter) have participated or are participating in various ways. The above list just includes people present at the meetings at Sally’s last week.

[Elaine Hallmark]

Thanks for sharing what the Lane County Team is doing. It is inspiring to hear so many volunteering to move the Beyond War message forward.

[David Hazen, Oregon State Coordinator, campaign for a U.S. Dept. of Peace]

Martin and I agree there needs to be more collaboration between Beyond War the campaign for a US Department of Peace. I'm currently midwifing the initiative to create a model city of peace here in Eugene, with measurable results in violence prevention and reduction. This will be a massive collaboration. If you're interested, contact me at 343-2109.

[David Hazen, Oregon State Coordinator, campaign for a U.S. Dept. of Peace]

The World March for Peace and Nonviolence will begin in New Zealand on October 2, 2009, the anniversary of Gandhi’s birth, declared the “International Day of Non-Violence” by the United Nations. It will conclude in the Andes Mountains on January 2, 2010. A permanent base of a hundred people of different nationalities will complete the journey. Check out these videos about the World March on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdBtp8C230Q also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMMV6txlo5o

There will be a Northwest Peace Train organized to converge with the main march as it reaches northern California, with coordinated events in towns along the way and home stays for the participants. It will arrive in Portland November 30, in Eugene December 1, 2009. See the webpage devoted to PNW developments: http://www.ourtragicflaw.com/peace-train/

[Martin Jones]

David, Thanks for the information and the video reference. Participation in the worldwide March for peace should also include press conferences along the way -- and I would like to see Beyond War collaborate with the US Dept of peace group here as well as others.

I would like to find out more about the model city of peace. Creating the infrastructure locally that will support peace rather than war (or in the community case, violence) will be challenging -- and if we can't start it happening here, how will it happen worldwide? Imagine the ramifications in all institutions. This ties in to the organization "Peace in 5 Years" I just found out about -- if enough of us are determined enough, change will happen. See their video and download the book at http://p5y.org/