Please help us if you can. I have been with Common Peace since the beginning!!
Thanks,
David
Note: Holiday Card . . . and Appeal Letter . . . in Adobe format attached!
Please open!
H A P P Y H O L I D A Y S
from
COMMON PEACE,
Center for the Advancement of Nonviolence
Dear Family of Friends and Supporters:
On a recent visit to Central Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles where approximately
670 children between the ages of 8 and 18 are housed for violent offenses – I
was struck by the appearing innocent faces of many of the children, by the
gentleness and tears with which the teen girls responded to Silent Night and
the other Christmas carols myself and my friends were singing, by the young man
who anxiously volunteered to read his poetry as our choir hummed in the
background, by the tender and soothing ways the children chose to pet Gigi, the
sweet and incredibly patient therapy dog, and by the constant words of
gratitude expressed by these same children for our coming to the facility to
sing.
I asked myself: “Can these same children be gang members, murderers, rapists?”
What happened? At what point in the life cycle of each of these children was
there a disconnect, a diversion into the violence, a going-along because of
peer pressure, or perhaps a surrender made – into the hopelessness into which
they had been born? Could they have imagined that their actions and decisions
would forever alter their lives and personal freedom in the way that it has?
And could they have imagined another way . . . a way out of the madness, and in
the direction of peace?
“Violence,” said Martin Luther King, Jr. – “. . . is the language of the
unheard.” What was it these children were trying to express, to communicate,
through their limited outlets, that no one heard? Is it possible that
listening to them now and truly hearing them will result in a more peaceful
life, even if it is a life spent behind bars? And how do we reach those
children who are still on the outside – who are struggling with drugs, alcohol,
gang violence – who are trying to find their way? How can we, their Beloved
Community, shore them up that they may successfully navigate life’s waters to a
safe port?
The old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is
especially true in these times. At Common Peace, Center for the Advancement of
Nonviolence we are providing that ounce of prevention. We are introducing
powerful pro-active nonviolence tools and strategies to children, adults, and
teachers - so that they may steer their lives and their students’ lives in the
direction of peace and reconciliation. Through our 64 Ways to Practice
Nonviolence curriculum and poster, our Race Relay theatrical experience, our
Compassionate Listening seminar, and our basic and advanced Nonviolence
Trainings and CEU Teacher Trainings, we are offering alternatives – inspiring
individuals to activate the peace process – to activate change in their lives.
We cannot, however, do this work alone. We need your Commitment . . . your
Support!
Ever increasing cut-backs in Los Angeles after-school programs, the high
unemployment rate, increasing student to teacher ratios resulting from the
recent 30,000 plus LAUSD teachers being laid off – and the fact that in 2008 –
2009 only 52% of students attending LAUSD high schools graduated - are all
factors contributing to a significant shift in the quality of family and
neighborhood life in Los Angeles. This is a breeding ground for violence and a
recipe for potential disaster.
As 2010 draws to a close, please consider supporting the nonviolence work of
Common Peace. Through your donations, we will reach more children. Please
visit our website @ www.commonpeace.org and donate whatever amount you can. A
$5 donation will allow us to donate a 64 Ways to Practice Nonviolence poster to
a school, a $45 donation will allow us to purchase and donate a 64 Ways to
Practice Nonviolence curriculum and poster to a teacher and/or classroom of
your choice during our upcoming Season for Nonviolence, January 30 – April
4th. With a $500 donation we can train 20 teachers in the basic principles and
practices of nonviolence -- and $5,000 will fund a performance of our Race
Relay project, or fund our Ways to Practice Nonviolence Animation program in a
Los Angeles high school. Any amount is appreciated!
Thank you for all that you have given to the world in 2010 in heart, mind, and
action . . . in the name of Peace! Wishing you and yours a Peace-Filled
Holiday Season, and an abundance of Loving Action in the New Year!
The Staff and Board of Directors
of Common Peace, Center for the Advancement of
Nonviolence www.commonpeace.org
1223 Wilshire Blvd., #472, Santa Monica, CA 90403
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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