Announcement

HALIFAX MONTHLY MEETING
of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
P.O. Box 8091, Halifax NS B3K 5L8
 (902) 429-2904

                     Quaker Young Adult Participation in Countering the Militarization of Youth Conference

May 1, 2012

The Peace and Social Action Committee gratefully acknowledge the commitment to working for a better world Christel LeBlanc, Matthew Webb, and Sheehan Moore are showing by representing Canadian Quakers at the Countering the Militarisation of Youth Conference in Darmstadt Germany, June 8 -10.

The conference provides a unique opportunity for them to develop an understanding of the reach and consequences of the normalization of large permanent militaries and the worldviews and policies
that promote military violent action as the only realistic option for attempting to resolve conflict.
They will also learn about techniques for helping youth to develop and maintain a culture of peace
and hope, that will be of great use in our work here in Canada.

The conference will have participants from Britain, Chile, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Israel, Finland, Spain, South Africa, Venezuela, Colombia, USA, Canada, and a range of other countries.
The three Young Adults will bring our Quaker perspective to the dialogues and discussions, which I am sure will benefit the conference as a whole.  A draft outline of the conference agenda is available here.

Their interest and commitment to this Concern makes me think of Muriel Duckworth.  Her lifelong commitment to peace and justice is an inspiration to us all, and I think that she would be so pleased to know that they are following in her footsteps for peace, by making their way to this important peace conference.

Although there has been a pledge by Friends to cover the cost of the third Quaker to attend the conference, and although we have had pledges from Monthly Meetings and individuals, we welcome additional support from Quakers.  However, Halifax Monthly Meeting is committed to underwriting the project.  Today, May 1st, the airline tickets were purchased.

Here is the contact e-mail addresses for the three participants:

Christel LeBlanc
Matthew Webb
Sheehan Moore

Feel free to contact them with your well-wishes, questions, and suggestions.  Christel has agreed to be the “blog meister” for the group, so you may wish to contact her directly if you wish to receive their blog from the conference.

During this month, we will be doing a collaborative learning project, to bring us up to speed with the issue.  All suggestions for this learning project are most welcome.

We wish them all the best, and Godspeed.

In Friendship,

  Roger

Roger Davies
clerk, Peace and Social Action Committee
Treasurer, HMM