Tag: Resource

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Seeking Cultures of Peace: A Peace Church Conversation

By Fernando Enns (Editor), Scott Holland (Editor), and Ann Riggs (Editor)

The essays in this book represent a contribution of the Historic Peace Churches (HPC) to the work of the World Council of Churches' Decade to Overcome Violence. They are divided into four sections: the first introduces the ecumenical context of this discussion, the history of HPC relations, and the globalized reality in which contemporary violence occurs. The second is written from three geo-social settings and engages the notion of globalization from three viewpoints: biblical studies, theological ethics and historiography. The third section engages the gospel and our traditions within the contexts of HPC communities in North America, Nigeria and Colombia. And the fourth discusses resources in HPC tradition for action, reflection and critique in building a future of justice and peace. An appendix reproduces a statement prepared at a 2001 consultation of interested members of the Brethren, Quaker and Mennonite communities, entitled Just Peace-making: Towards an Ecumenical Ethical Approach from the Perspective of the Historic Peace Churches. A Study Paper for Dialogue with the Wider Church.

https://www.amazon.com/Seeking-Cultures-Peace-Church-Conversation/dp/2825414026

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Just Peace: Ecumenical, Intercultural, and Interdisciplinary Perspectives

By Fernando Enns (Editor) and Annette Mosher (Editor)

Christian theology and ethics have wrestled with the challenge to apply Jesus's central message of nonviolence to the injustices of this world. Is it not right to defend the persecuted by using violence? Is it unjust if the oppressed defend themselves-if necessary by the use of violence-in order to liberate themselves and to create a more just society? Can we leave the doctrine of the just war behind and shift all our attention toward the way of a just peace? In 2011 the World Council of Churches brought to a close the Decade to Overcome Violence, to which the churches committed themselves at the beginning of the century. Just peace has evolved as the new ecumenical paradigm for contemporary Christian ethics. Just peace signals a realistic vision of holistic peace, with justice, which in the concept of shalom is central in the Hebrew Bible as well as in the gospel message of the New Testament. This paradigm needs further elaboration. VU University gathered peacebuilding practitioners and experts from different parts of the world (Africa, Latin America, North America, Asia, and Europe) and from different disciplines (anthropology, psychology, social sciences, law, and theology)-voices from across generations and Christian traditions-to promote discussion about the different dimensions of building peace with justice.

https://www.amazon.com/Just-Peace-Intercultural-Interdisciplinary-Perspectives/dp/1620323621

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Only Leave a Trace: Meditations

By Roger Epp

Roger Epp's poetic meditations about the minor miracles, the difficulties, and the loneliness of leading a small university campus through a time of significant change are depicted in a series of elegant yet understated prose pieces, illustrated by his life partner, Rhonda Harder Epp. Taking a candid look at the many challenges such a position brings, Roger Epp humanizes, scrutinizes, and upholds the integrity of academic administrative work. Only Leave a Trace will appeal to those who work in universities, hold leadership roles in them, or care about the connections between higher education, students, and place.

https://www.amazon.com/Only-Leave-Trace-Roger-Epp/dp/1772122661

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Ritual and Symbol in Peacebuilding

By Lisa Schirch

Conflict is dramatic. In theater, literature, story telling, and news reporting, it is a powerful mechanism that draws attention, heightens the senses and evokes emotion. Schirch argues that peacebuilding has the potential to do just the same.

Examples of peacebuilding often center on the serious, rational negotiations and formal problem-solving efforts in conflict situations. Schirch argues, though, that what truly bonds adversaries and helps achieve peace are the symbolic, non-verbal ritual acts–shaking hands, sharing a meal, showing a photograph of a loved one. Yet these are often overlooked as deliberate components of peace negotiations.

Ritual and Symbol in Peacebuilding underscores the importance of incorporating symbolic tools, including ritual, into traditional approaches to conflict. Ritual assists in solving complex, deep-rooted conflicts, and helps to confirm and transform worldviews, identities, and relationships. With theories and language to explain the symbolic dimensions of conflict, this text will be useful to scholars and practitioners active in the diverse field of peacebuilding.

https://www.amazon.com/Ritual-Symbol-Peacebuilding-Lisa-Schirch/dp/1565491947/

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The Little Book of Dialogue for Difficult Subjects: A Practical, Hands-On Guide

By Lisa Schirch and David Campt

The word "dialogue" suffers from over-use, yet its practice is as transforming and as freshly hopeful as ever.

Authors Schirch and Campt demonstrate dialogue's life and possibilities in this clear and absorbing manual: "Dialogue allows people in conflict to listen to each other, affirm their common ground, and explore their differences in a safe environment."

The Little Book is a to-the-point handbook, covering:

  • "Dialogue vs. Debate"
  • "When to use dialogue"
  • "Key dialogue facilitation skills"
  • "Inviting people to a dialogue process"
  • "Moving from dialogue to action"
  • "Assessing the effectiveness of dialogue"

Schirch has worked throughout the Southern hemisphere in peacebuilding projects. Campt has focused on racial and class reconciliation in American cities. Many of the skills and the case studies they offer in this book come from their own wide experiences.

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Dialogue-Difficult-Subjects-Hands/dp/1561485519

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Resources

Free Resources from Lisa Schirch

Lisa Schirch, one of CSOP's 2018 instructors, has authored or edited four training manuals which are available as FREE PDF downloads. Be sure to check out these rich resources:

Handbook on Human Security: A Civil-Military-Police Curriculum, edited by Lisa Schirch

Local Ownership in Security: Case Studies of Peacebuilding Approaches, by Lisa Schirch with Deborah Mancini-Griffoli

Civilian Peacekeeping: Preventing Violence and Making Space for Democracy, by Lisa Schirch

Women in Peacebuilding: Resources and Training Manual, edited by Lisa Schirch

For other resources by Lisa Schirch,  check out her page in the faculty directory for Eastern Mennonite University.

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Download your free copy of Voices of Harmony and Dissent

Last June we launched our book, Voices of Harmony and Dissent: How Peacebuilders are Transforming Their Worlds.  Each chapter, authored by a different CSOP instructor, explores three dimensions of peacebuilding:

  • stories of inspiring peace work
  • tools and strategies for peacebuilding in a variety of settings
  • resources that have helped shape the author's views

Now we are making the e-book version of this book available for free.  We think this book captures the spirit of the CSOP and we hope that it will give you a taste of what the CSOP has to offer, particularly for those of you who are unable to join us for one of our five-day courses. 

You can download your free copy of this book at at CommonWord, Amazon, Kobo, Nook, or Apple. If you wish to purchase a print version of the book, you can do that on any of the above sites or through the CSOP website. We hope you will enjoy reading this book and that it will equip and inspire you in your work as a peacebuilder.

Please feel free to let your friends, communities and social media networks know about this free offer.  

What others have said about Voices of Harmony & Dissent:

“This book is an empowering patchwork of rich voices of harmony and dissent… It is a book you can dip into here and there on a plane or before bed. This is because it is a compilation that lets the journey be your own in connecting up the many strands of wisdom it contains. All of us can be much better peacebuilders if we take that journey of the connections with this sumptuous volume.”

– John Braithwaite, author of Crime, Shame and Reintegration

"This book stands out because it reflects and charts the creativity, energy and relevance of the field for global peacemaking. ”

– Tom Woodhouse, author Contemporary Conflict Resolution 

"This is a book of wisdom… Even the experience of reading these essays can prompt a greater peace .”

– John Borrows Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Law at the University of Victoria Law School

"These stories and essays intimately and powerfully convey two fundamental truths. The first is that history changes only through the actions of people who decide it has to change… The second truth is that the human spirit is worth struggling for, day after day, year after year, no matter whether we are successful or not. In this work, which joins us at the heart, we will always find joy, even in the harshest of external circumstances."

– Margaret J. Wheatley, bestselling author Leadership and the New Science

"Voices of Harmony and Dissent holds the heart of how social change happens–people who believe deeply, develop significant relationships, and have the courage to engage together. Each and every chapter provides lessons and inspiration and, most importantly, has a deep resonance that rises from these voices of hard-won experience and reflective practice, an authenticity that touches the reader and points us toward the kind of learning that really makes a difference in our world."

– John Paul Lederach, author The Moral Imagination

 

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Voices of Harmony and Dissent: How Peacebuilders are Changing Their Worlds

By Richard McCutcheon (editor), Jarem Sawatsky (editor) and Valerie Smith (editor)

Harmony and Dissent: How Peacebuilders are Transforming their Worlds is a resource book and sampling of the CSOP designed to engaged, equip and inspire peace and justice practitioners around the world. Formerly this was only accessible by attending the annual June School in Winnipeg, Canada. Each chapter of the book is authored by these peace leaders. It tells stories of inspiring peacework, offers case studies into communities embodying these lessons and offers the key resources of have helps shape these peace leaders. Authors include: Ovide Mercredi, Mubarak Awad, Stuart Clark, David Dyck, Martin Entz, Harry Huebner, Ouyporn Khuankaew, George Lakey, Ivo Markovic, Maxine Matilpi, Stan McKay, Piet Meiring, Sophia Murphy , Kay Pranis, and Karen Ridd.

http://csop.cmu.ca/peacebook/

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Heart of Hope: A Guide for Using Peacemaking Circles to Develop Emotional Literacy, Promote Healing & Build Healthy Relationships

By Carolyn Boyes-Watson and Kay Pranis

This resource guide is designed for practitioners who work with youth, young adults, and their families within social services, violence/pregnancy prevention, education, and positive youth development programs. It offers a flexible set of tools that can be applied to a range of settings and for a variety of purposes. We believe that any caring and responsible individual can learn to use these practices safely, creatively, and effectively:

  • the peacemaking circle;
  • the practice of mindfulness/meditation; and
  • exercises and concepts derived from Power Source, an emotional awareness/emotional literacy program for at-risk youth and young adults.

The peacemaking circle is the core practice of the guide. In Heart of Hope (HOH), the peacemaking circle provides the environment in which participants develop emotional awareness and emotional literacy and learn to practice mindfulness. Users learn how to plan, create, and facilitate the peacemaking circle as a safe place for shared dialogue. The resource guide provides 50 step-by-step model circles. Each model circle offers activities for building and deepening relationships as well as for developing emotional awareness and emotional literacy. It also includes easy-to-use exercises in breathing, simple yoga, and meditation.

www.livingjusticepress.org/index.asp?SEC=%7B93AFCED1-3FDA-4DB1-83CA-A97EE3FEBC3A%7D&Type=B_BASIC&persistdesign=none

 

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Manitowapow: Aboriginal Writings from the Land of Water

By Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair (Editor) and Warren Cariou (Editor)

This anthology of Aboriginal writings from Manitoba takes readers back through the millennia and forward to the present day, painting a dynamic picture of a territory interconnected through words, ideas, and experiences. A rich collection of stories, poetry, nonfiction, and speeches, it features:

  • Historical writings from important figures
  • Vibrant literary writing by eminent Aboriginal writers
  • Nonfiction and political writing from contemporary Aboriginal leaders
  • Local storytellers and keepers of knowledge from far-reaching Manitoba communities
  • New, vibrant voices that express the modern Aboriginal experiences
  • Anishinaabe, Cree, Dene, Inuit, Métis, and Sioux writers from Manitoba

Created in the spirit of the Anishinaabe concept debwe (to speak the truth), The Debwe Series is a collection of exceptional Aboriginal writing from across Canada. Manitowapow, a one-of-a-kind anthology, is the first book in The Debwe Series. Manitowapow is the traditional name that became Manitoba, a word that describes the sounds of beauty and power that created the province.

Because the editors want to give back to the local Aboriginal communities that have inspired them with their words, Niigaan and Warren have chosen to donate the proceeds from Manitowapow to a special fund administered through the Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture at the University of Manitoba. This fund supports literacy and creative writing initiatives among Manitoba’s Aboriginal youth. Many of the book’s contributing authors and copyright holders have also joined in this initiative by donating their fees to help support the next generation of Aboriginal writers.

https://highwaterpress.com/product/manitowapow/