Want to know more about Christian nonviolent action in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr?

Saturday 14 June
9:30am – 5:00pm
Morisset Uniting Church
10 Stockton Street, Morisset NSW (Google map)

We are working with the Love Makes A Way crew and the Paddington Uniting Church Social Change Project to offer this introductory workshop that will explore the theology, spirituality and practice of creative nonviolence for personal and social transformation.

Learn – and share your wisdom and experience – about the nonviolent example of Jesus and King, and how we can put nonviolent love into practice in our own lives and in our advocacy for the poor, the stranger and the planet.

Learn about the #LoveMakesAWay campaign for compassionate treatment of asylum seekers.

This workshop will  cover why people take nonviolent action, its power as an effective means of social change but also as a way of life, explore our fears about taking action, explain what happens if you get arrested for civil disobedience (which is a subset of NVDA), showcase stories of ordinary faithful people acting powerfully against war and climate change, and give you a few chances to role play taking action yourselves.

 

 

 

Facilitators:

Justin Whelan is the Mission Development Manager at Paddington Uniting Church, a role that involves lay ministry, community development and community organising that empowers people to be the ‘change they want to see in the world’. Justin was one of the proponents of the Uniting Church in NSW & ACT’s resolution to divest from fossil fuels in April 2013. In his spare time he researches social movements with a particular interest in strategic nonviolent struggle. A lifelong activist whose first protest event was in the womb, Justin has participated in numerous nonviolent direct actions in support of peace, human rights and the environment, and has been arrested for nonviolent civil disobedience three times, most recently during a prayer vigil sit-in at the electoral office of Immigration Minister Scott Morrison as part of the Love Makes a Way campaign. 

Matt Anslow is a member of Hope Uniting Church, a PhD student researching Matthew’s Gospel, and a prominent young Christian leader. He has been involved in a number of nonviolent actions in recent years, including the Swan Island Peace Convergence and the Love Makes a Way sit-ins at Scott Morrison’s and Tony Abbott’s offices.

Saturday 31 May 2014

9:30am – 4:30pm

Sutherland Multi-Purpose Centre
123 Flora St
Sutherland (5 mins from Sutherland Train Station)
(view on map)

 Cost: $40/20 (conc)

 

 

 

Description:

Many of us have experiences of activism that left us alienated, disheartened and angry. We want to make a difference to the world but we’re not sure how. In this workshop, we explore nonviolent direct action as both a moral and powerful means of social change, using a variety of resources, stories and role-plays. We will consider the symbolic and strategic role of nonviolent direct action, talk about fears and consequences, consider the place of nonviolent action in larger campaigns, look at the different roles people play in actions and explain the process of ‘getting arrested’ in a nonviolent civil disobedience action so people understand what that involves. We will run a nonviolent direct action role-play to give people a chance to try it all out, and finish with a chance to discuss and plan possible actions based on participants’ interests.

The emphasis in this workshop is on action skills development and ‘getting ready’ to take action, rather than the philosophy, spirituality and history of nonviolence.

Facilitator:

Justin Whelan is the Mission Development Manager at Paddington Uniting Church, a role that involves lay ministry, community development and community organising that empowers people to be the ‘change they want to see in the world’. In his spare time he researches social movements with a particular interest in strategic nonviolent struggle. A lifelong activist whose first protest event was in the womb, Justin’s advocacy credits include winning amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005 and swearing at his Year 11 maths teacher for failing to listen to a student’s pleas for remarking an exam. Justin has participated in numerous nonviolent direct actions in support of peace, human rights and the environment, and has been arrested for civil disobedience twice. Justin was one of the proponents of the Uniting Church in NSW-ACT’s resolution to divest from fossil fuels in April 2013.

Special Guest:

Bill Ryan, 92 year old WW2 veteran and front line ‘protector’ at Maules Creek (video)

All enquiries: Contact Justin Whelan

SEE HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION : www.nonviolentinterfaithleadership.org

20 Young People.

5 Days.

April 2014.

Life. Changing.

 

6th – 11th April 2014

There are many inspiring young people actively involved in community organisations and faith communities across Australia, who are working tirelessly to address our current social, political, military, economic and ecological challenges.  This program is designed to cultivate and build capacity in these young leaders to sustain change, go deeper and to bring people together.  This program was developed two years ago and is again open next year as a 5-day residential retreat for 20 young people.  It is an outstanding program, one not to be missed and will greatly benefit both the participants and their organisations or faith communities from which they belong.

Participants will GAIN :

• A deeper commitment to living and working from an interfaith perspective;
• Knowledge, skills and awareness of nonviolence
• Leadership skills to help their local communities take action
• The necessary skills to sustain their nonviolent community leadership
• New friends and new networks of support and encouragement

“The PeBA non-violent leadership program is a powerful example of what is possible when religious traditions share their tools for peace. They have clearly succeeded in creating a powerful space for transformation…I have no hesitation offering my endorsement of this program.” Ven. Freeman Trebilcock, Founder & Chairperson, InterAction

 

 

What Past Participants Have SAID :

“…It’s a unique opportunity to critique dominant patterns of violence and control and learn the first steps for imagining nonviolent alternatives.  I don’t know of anyone else offering a similar program.”

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“The peace building skills I made doing this course will equip me for the rest of my life to help transform myself and the world into a better place”

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“This event was with all honesty life changing for me“

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“I would definitely recommend this program to others…I believe I can make a real difference now”

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“I feel more empowered to understand people from other faiths as well as excited to learn about nonviolence, love for self and others and love for God from their traditions.  The greatest outcome has been the friendships developed with people from other faiths here.”

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“This course is highly effective and empowering. I feel significantly more like a leader in nonviolence and believe that all of us are capable and likely to significantly change how our worlds interact and mainstream nonviolence. I think every young (and not so young) everyone who is still interested in learning about themselves with a passion to improve their world should do this program”

 

SEE HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION : www.nonviolentinterfaithleadership.org