From 1–3 April, we held the QPSW Spring Conference in Swanwick,
Derbyshire. Friends attended workshops on militarism, Trident, the ‘new
economy’, climate justice, ecumenical accompaniment in Palestine and
Israel, and more. Our keynote speaker, Hannah Brock, a former
Peaceworker and Ecumenical Accompanier (EA), told us about her Quaker
faith and her activist journey. We know that she has inspired at least
two people to apply to be an EA!
[you will find a report on this conference in Area Minute minutes from Milford Haven in June]
On Saturday 3 December, we will hold the third Quaker Activist Gathering
in York. Please note that this is a change of date and venue and we
would very much appreciate if you would circulate these new details to
Friends in your meeting. The gathering will be a chance for Quakers
wanting to take action for social change to meet with others, learn,
plan and be inspired. We will send out more information in the next
mailing and in our newsletters. You can also keep an eye on the website
www.quaker.org.uk/events as we will post details there.
Please do also browse the Our Work section of the new website
www.quaker.org.uk/our-work.
This gives you more information about QPSW’s work and lots of resources
and opportunities for action. And the new Turning the Tide website is
now launched with lots of information about TTT courses and resources
for groups wanting to take action
http://turningtide.org.uk/
‘Peace Education or Militarisation?’ Submission to UN Committee on Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
QPSW’s Peace Education Programme made a submission to the UNCRC. It highlights the UK Government’s:
- failure to adequately support peace education in accordance with Article 29 of the UNCRC
- continued
military recruitment of 16 and 17 year olds in circumstances that
undermine the safeguards in Article 3 of the Optional Protocol to the
CRC on the involvement of children in armed conflict, as well as
infringing the rights in Articles 3, 5 and 24 of the CRC itself
- the encroachment of the military in children and young people’s lives
- the marginalisation resulting from the Prevent counterterrorism strategy
Read the submission [PDF]
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Stop Trident parliamentary lobby
Quakers
in Britain are joining other peace organisations to take the Stop
Trident message to Parliament on Wednesday 13 July. It is the last
chance to influence MPs before they vote on whether or not to replace
Trident, the UK’s nuclear weapons system. For more information contact
Tim Wallis: timw@quaker.org.uk |
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Rethinking Security
Quakers,
other peacebuilders and academics have joined together to say
#RethinkSecurity. Known as the Ammerdown Group, they are seeking a
public conversation in search of a new vision for peace and security.
The
group challenges the "outmoded narrative” which focuses on military and
economic power without looking at the roots of insecurity. With the new
paper Rethinking Security, the group calls for a public conversation in search of a new vision for peace and security.
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Say no to TTIP!
Alongside
four other Quaker organisations from Europe and the United States, QPSW
has produced a statement asking governments to say ‘no’ to the
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the controversial
mega trade deal being negotiated between the European Union and the
United States.
The
statement was produced jointly by Quaker Peace & Social Witness,
Quaker Council for European Affairs, American Friends Service Committee,
Friends Committee on National Legislation and the Quaker United Nations
Office. It was sent to representatives of the UK and US governments,
and the EU trade commissioner.
The
statement highlights concern that TTIP negotiations are prioritising
short-term economic gains over human wellbeing and protection of the
Earth. Among other things, the deal is set to enable foreign companies
to sue governments for introducing social, environmental, health or
other legislation believed to threaten profitability.
Take action
With
the next round of TTIP negotiations due to take place in July, it’s
vital that decision-makers hear our opposition to the trade deal. You
can get involved by writing to your MP, local council and MEPs.
Find out more about our work on trade and economic justice at www.quaker.org.uk/trade.
New economy
The
first two new economy booklets are now available! The new economy
series explores different aspects of the economy and asks what an
alternative economic system, compatible with Quaker values, could look
like. The booklets are intended as a resource to support Friends to
reflect on economic change and how we can work, as Quakers, to build a
fairer and more sustainable economy.
The first booklet, entitled What’s the economy for?
discusses the aims of economic policy, the dangers of perpetual
economic growth and how we might measure economic success. The second
booklet, Good work in the new economy looks at how we can use
economic policy to support fulfilling paid and unpaid work and how
business might be reformed to realise this vision.
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Economic inequality
Have a look at our new guide for taking action on inequality!
In
this new guide, we outline five actions Quakers and meetings can get
involved with to help tackle economic inequality. We draw on action
already being taken by Friends across the UK.
We
know that many Friends are already acting to challenge inequality, and
that the yearly meeting is increasingly concerned about its impact on
our society. We hope this guide will spark new ideas and help to share
what Quakers are doing.
You can read more about our work on economic inequality, and download further resources, at www.quaker.org.uk/our-work/economic-justice/inequality.
We’d
love to hear from you if your meeting is already taking action on these
issues, or would like to do more. Please get in touch by contacting Jo
at joh@quaker.org.uk or on 020 7663 1056. |
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QPSW Sustainability and New Economy grants
Have
you got an idea for a project that will help to build low-carbon,
sustainable communities or a more just kind of economics? You can apply
for a QPSW grant of £100–£2000 to help you get started with, or develop,
your project.
In
previous years we have supported the creation of biodiverse garden
spaces, the development of local currencies, accommodation for destitute
migrants, community workshops on low-carbon living, a show about the
history of land rights and protest, and many other Quaker-led or
Quaker-supported initiatives. We’d love to fund your project this year.
Applications for 2017 are now open, and will close on 3 October 2016.
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