The Many Faces of Nonviolence

Remember Dr. King's statement that humanity MUST choose between nonviolence or nonexistence? The answer is obvious and we need to build global movements that use the tools and values of nonviolence now more than ever. 

Not including NVI, below are 17 leading groups that inspire, train or mobilize nonviolent resistance and social change. All work multi-nationally and across multiple social movements.

Please consider becoming a consistent monthly or annual donor and ask yourself if you can devote 1% of your income to the global nonviolence movement.  Can you devote $/€ 5/month to each of them? Please, also, contact them or visit them and see how you can volunteer.

All of these groups are in financial need and have great potential. Those with asterixes are in most need. Please flag/star this email so that you can come back to it repeatedly and try not to skim. (They are listed here in no particular order).

*Africans Rising- “The Movement envisions that Africa-wide activism, solidarity and unity of purpose of the Peoples of Africa will build the future they want – a right to justice, peace, dignity and shared prosperity.”

Acción Noviolenta en las Américas- “Education, Training and Research in the Americas in Spanish, French and Portuguese.’ Please join the webinars that we co-organize with them.

The Institute Novact of Nonviolence “is a non-profit association dedicated to conflict transformation and peacebuilding. It has been working in the Euro-Mediterranean region for more than 20 years."

CANVAS-”From CANVAS' headquarters in Belgrade, Serbia, we operate a network of international trainers and consultants with expertise in building and running successful nonviolent movements. We work to build more just, democratic, and responsible society.” Srda Popovich and Slobodan Djinovic are brilliant people-power coaches.

Commons Library: A world-class open English library of training and organizing materials. Also grassroots-engaged and activist in Australia. Operates on a shoe-string.

Ekta Parishad “is a mass-based peoples’ movement for land rights with an active membership of 250,000 landless  poor and is regarded as the biggest peoples’ movement in India with an iconic status globally. Since its inception as a Gandhian organization in 1989, Ekta Parishad is constantly promoting nonviolence as a way of struggle, dialogue, and constructive actions toward building a peaceful and just society.”Ekta Parishad is a mass-based with an iconic status globally." Ramesh Sharma is simply brilliant.

*Kawakibbi Foundation “is an organisation which merges intellectual research with activism. The foundation was born out of the Arab Spring, and we work towards a world free of tyranny and in which society trumps the state, extremism in all its forms have no appeal, and individual rights are sacrosanct.’ NVI met with Ahmed Gatnash this year and was so impressed that we will soon fiscally sponsor them.

NVXXI-Non-Violence XXI “est une association française qui collecte des dons et des legs depuis 2001 dans le but de financer des projets à caractère non-violent et de promouvoir concrètement la culture de la non-violence au 21e siècle en France et dans le monde. Elle regroupe aujourd’hui les principales organisations non-violentes françaises.”

Mouvement pour une Alternative Non-violente. “Founded in 1974, MAN aims to put forward the specific contribution of non-violence in the everyday life, education and social and political fights. MAN wants to promote the principles and methods of nonviolent strategy, to support a positive resolution of the interpersonal, intercommunity or international conflicts. By thinking, acting and training, MAN thus seeks to promote justice and freedom.”

Beautiful Trouble. A great online resource center for creative nonviolent action and training. A leader in support of artistic activism and social change. It's co-led by the extraordinary Nadine Bloch.

Metta Center & Nonviolence Radio. They have wonderful podcasts and many Gandhian inspired resources. Michael Nagler and Stephanie Van Hook are a treasure.

Pace E Bene: “Founded in 1989 by the Franciscan Friars of California, Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service is now an independent, non-denominational 501(c)3 organization spreading the power of nonviolence. “Pace e Bene” (pronounced “pah-chay bay-nay”) is an Italian greeting from St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi meaning “Peace and all Good.”  Pace E Bene coordinates Campaign Nonviolence with the help of the indefatigable Ken Butigan and many others.

Nonviolence News “Each week, Nonviolence News brings 30-50 stories of “nonviolence in action” to readers, illuminating the scale and scope of how nonviolence is actively shaping our world.” This weekly newsletter is the best site for nonviolent action news and movements, thanks to the superstar Rivera Sun.

Waging Nonviolence: “Waging Nonviolence is a nonprofit media organization dedicated to providing original reporting and expert analysis of social movements around the world. With a commitment to accuracy, transparency and editorial independence, we examine today’s most crucial issues by shining a light on those who are organizing for just and peaceful solutions.” They have great in-depth articles about nonviolent movements. NVI fiscally sponsored WN for years before they spun off under the inspired leadership of Eric Stoner and others.

*Solidarity 2020 and Beyond “is one of the broadest international networks composed of grassroots leaders utilizing nonviolent action to work together strategically on key issues at the local and international level including climate crisis, women's rights, anti-authoritarianism, indigenous and land rights, and self-determination. S2020B is active in 100+ countries,  mainly in the Global South, where we build people power and impact by providing expert level training and spaces for members to learn and share with each other., trauma healing and self-care, participatory research projects, and emergency and small grants to empower locally led initiatives working for peace with justice and positive change.  We provide small grants to locally-led advocacy campaigns and activities such as International Peace Day for youth in Kenya; nonviolent action training workshops in Mekong River countries and Palestine;  Social Justice clubs in Uganda, environmentalists in El Salvador, and support for tribal and marketplace women in Cameroon and India. Dr. Stephen Zunes, a S2020B Organizing Committee member describes S2020B as "the most effective and efficient international network of grassroots activists making a real difference in the world that I have had the pleasure to work with".  NVI fiscally sponsors S2020B and its Director Katherine Hughes-Fraitekh.

Training For Change: “Training for Change is a training and capacity building organization for activists and organizers. They believe strong training and group facilitation is vital to movement building for social justice and radical change. One of the great training collectives”. Founded by none other than our dear friend George Lakey.

*Nonviolence Education and Research Center in Turkey. This is the primary resource center for the many countries with Turkish language speakers supporting all kinds of marginalized communities. Training, research, activism in a challenging environment. Based in Istanbul. NVI helped found this center.

Sincerely,

Sami Awad & Michael Beer, Co-Directors

P.S. Please let us know of more groups that we could highlight next year.  If you are really wanting to focus on Palestine, please look at NVI's remarkable partners who are supporting Israelis and Palestinians who seek to build a shared future together.

Diversity and Equity as an Act of Nonviolent Civil Resistance

In a time when societal and institutional shifts are met with increasing polarization, advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is not just a matter of social progress—it is an act of nonviolent resistance. For organizations, companies, and communities, embracing these principles is a powerful statement of defiance against the structures that have historically perpetuated inequality and exclusion.

In the spirit of nonviolence, this article challenges the misguided notion that diversity and equity are mere buzzwords or trends. Instead, it asserts that these principles have always been foundational to thriving organizations and successful business models. Just as nonviolent civil resistance seeks to dismantle systemic oppression without resorting to harm, advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion disrupts the perpetuation of privilege and opens pathways to fairness, justice, and mutual respect.

The American ideal of meritocracy—the belief that hard work and talent should determine success—has shaped generations. It’s the foundation of the American Dream: if you’re driven and capable, you will succeed, no matter your background. But is that really how it works?

History tells a different story. Deep-rooted inequities in race, class, and systemic privilege have long obstructed true meritocracy. The reality is that talent alone isn’t enough when barriers to opportunity are unevenly distributed. If we want to honor the principle of merit, we must ensure everyone has a fair chance to prove their worth.

This is where Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) come in. Contrary to misconceptions, DEIA isn’t about lowering standards or prioritizing one group over another. It’s about eliminating obstacles that unfairly limit access to opportunity. Done right, DEIA strengthens—not weakens—meritocracy by ensuring that success is based on ability, not privilege.

One of the most persistent myths about meritocracy is that success is always earned. If someone is wealthy or powerful, the assumption is that they must have worked harder, been smarter, or deserved it more than others. But is that the case?

The word “deserve” implies entitlement—something granted, not necessarily earned. A child born into privilege does not inherently deserve better education, healthcare, or career prospects than a child born into poverty. Yet, in practice, society frequently rewards people not for their abilities but for the advantages they were handed at birth.

True merit should be based on talent, effort, and achievement. But when access to education, economic stability, and career opportunities is skewed by race, gender, and class, meritocracy becomes a convenient illusion. Without addressing these structural imbalances, what we call “merit” often turns out to be nothing more than inherited privilege.

Beyond systemic barriers lies an even deeper question: Who determines what is valuable?

Historically, the dominant culture has defined success in ways that benefit those already in power. This is why unpaid labor—such as caregiving and domestic work, disproportionately performed by women and marginalized groups—has been chronically undervalued, despite its vital role in society. It’s why certain career paths, often occupied by privileged groups, are disproportionately rewarded with wealth and status, while others remain underpaid and overlooked.

The same bias applies to education and professional advancement. People from underrepresented backgrounds often have to work twice as hard to have their skills recognized because traditional measures of merit reflect the values of those who have always held power. DEIA seeks to change this by expanding our definition of value, ensuring that different perspectives, talents, and lived experiences are acknowledged and rewarded. Without this shift, meritocracy remains a closed system that excludes countless individuals who could contribute just as much, if not more, given the chance.

DEIA: An Evolution of Merit, Not an Abandonment of It

Critics often argue that these initiatives undermine meritocracy. But that argument misses the point. DEIA is not about giving unqualified people an advantage—it’s about making sure qualified people aren’t excluded due to systemic bias.

The idea isn’t to replace one group with another or push an agenda but to remove barriers that have historically shut out diverse, talented individuals. Done correctly, DEIA hiring ensures that merit remains the primary factor while broadening the pool of candidates to reflect the diversity of our society.

DEIA’s advocates recognize the challenges of implementation. Critics are right to demand clarity and rigor, particularly in fields where technical accuracy is paramount. But this is not an either-or proposition—it is an evolution of merit, not an abandonment of it. Efforts to widen the talent pool and address systemic inequities by fostering inclusion do not dilute excellence; they strengthen it.

The broader question we should be asking is: How do we balance addressing systemic inequities while ensuring that processes remain transparent and fair for everyone?

Like any policy, DEIA initiatives can be poorly executed. Some organizations have implemented it in ways that feel performative, leading to tokenism or hiring practices that prioritize optics over ability. These missteps should be addressed—but they don’t invalidate the core purpose.

Consider corporate diversity programs that hire candidates from underrepresented backgrounds but fail to provide mentorship or support. These efforts may look good on paper but do little to ensure long-term success. The solution isn’t to eliminate these values but to refine them—to ensure that equity efforts are substantive rather than symbolic.

Throwing out these principles due to flawed implementation would be like abandoning democracy because of political corruption. The answer isn’t to dismantle it but to make it work better. One way to do this is to expand the discussion beyond race and immigration because the real impact is much broader. True meritocracy requires removing barriers for all people—regardless of disability, gender, economic background, or any other factor that has historically been used to exclude individuals from opportunity.

A fair society does not measure merit based on how well someone fits into a narrow mold of success. Instead, it recognizes talent, effort, and potential in all their forms. The ultimate goal is to level the playing field so that everyone has an equal shot at success—one that isn’t determined by privilege or systemic disadvantage.

The truth is, DEIA has likely played a role in the life of someone you know and care about, even if you haven’t noticed it. Whether it’s ensuring accessibility for a disabled friend, promoting workplace fairness for women, or creating opportunities for first-generation college students, these initiatives make our society more just and inclusive.

Rather than eliminating it, we should be working to refine and strengthen these policies so they can better serve their purpose. If we truly believe in the promise of meritocracy, we must acknowledge that it can only exist when every individual has the same opportunities to succeed—not just the privileged few.

DEI as Nonviolent Civil Resistance

Implementing these practices—especially at a time when the White House is pushing back on these initiatives—becomes an act of nonviolent civil resistance. By continuing to embrace these practices, CEOs, business leaders, and other decision-makers are standing up for justice and equity despite political pressure to abandon them. This resistance is not about confrontation, but about maintaining a commitment to fairness and inclusion in the face of systemic oppression. As Cesar Chavez said, “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community… Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.”

Practical Steps for Business Leaders

Even when facing a cultural backlash against DEIA initiatives, CEOs, owners, executives, and Board of Trustees can continue to uphold diversity, equity, and inclusion in meaningful ways. Here are a few practical steps:

1. Commit to Long-Term Change Over Short-Term Solutions: True DEI efforts go beyond hiring quotas. Invest in training and programs that support diverse employees’ growth and ensure they have access to mentorship, leadership opportunities, and career advancement. Measure your progress through data but also listen to employees’ feedback and adapt strategies to their needs.
2. Cultivate an Inclusive Workplace Culture: Focus on creating a culture of belonging where all employees feel heard, valued, and empowered. This involves breaking down silos, encouraging collaboration across diverse teams, and taking active steps to address microaggressions and biases.
3. Foster Equity Through Transparent Decision-Making: Evaluate policies, pay structures, and career development opportunities to ensure they don’t unintentionally exclude marginalized groups. Implement transparent, equitable processes for promotion, compensation, and hiring.

As Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, has powerfully stated: "The opposite of poverty is not wealth. The opposite of poverty is justice." Similarly, the true measure of these programs is not how many diverse candidates are hired or included but whether these initiatives genuinely contribute to justice by addressing the systemic barriers that have long excluded marginalized groups.

In the face of corporate retreats from these commitments, it’s important to remember that the true goal of such initiatives isn’t merely to increase representation or check boxes. The American Dream should not be a myth. It should be a reality for everyone.

George Cassidy Payne has over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, working across various capacities to empower communities and drive social change. He holds a Master’s degree in the Humanities from Emory University, where he developed a strong foundation in critical thinking, ethics, and human behavior. George’s career has focused on advocacy, organizational leadership, and building inclusive environments that champion diversity, equity, and social justice. Passionate about creating systems that promote fair opportunities for all, he continues to work on initiatives that align with his belief in the power of diversity to drive both organizational success and positive societal impact.

Dominant public narratives can be defined as stories revolving around a central idea that “eclipse others and have the most power to shape public consciousness” (Metzler, Jackson, Trudeau 2021). Yet, in the face of gun violence, the often misleading dominant narrative of personal responsibility and stereotypes eclipse the crucial voices of those directly impacted by violence. We hear and see in the media a distorted perception of certain youth, especially Black men, as dangerous criminals without acknowledging the systemic issues and stories of these individuals that convey them as humans rather than villains. It isn’t until one takes the intentional time to make space for these stories and actively listens for these narratives to take shape. Nonviolence International is a proud partner of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA). IANSA is an organization committed to the disarmament and opposition to gun violence. Its work involves representing and advocating for those involved in this movement on an international platform while providing resources such as campaigns.  IANSA’s Aim for Change Campaign seeks to shed light and amplify these voices through a workshop that allow the youth to express their stories of violence, masculinity, and community in a safe space through creative mediums of art.

Youth violence includes any individual 10-29 of age as “a victim, offender, or witness” in an interaction involving intentional physical force (CDC 2022). Even before I was considered a youth, I can recall a life threatened with violence, specifically gun violence. It was during this time that I experienced a lockdown due to the threat of armed students, heard the news that my friend survived the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, and hoped each day that the names on the news after each tragedy wouldn’t be a familiar one. Although my experience comes from the United States, where “1,000 physical assault-related injuries” are treated alone each day, youth violence is a global public health issue that has psychological, physical, and social consequences. Globally, 200,000 youth homicides occur each year– a number that does not include the injuries that go seen and unseen, and thus, untreated every day. 

There are a variety of factors that contribute to the youth violence issue, and a factor often overlooked due to its normalization is harmful masculinity. So many gender norms and elements are normalized that even I was taken aback at what I had been socialized to not only understand for myself but also apply. It made me contemplate the gendered differences in compliments, media portrayals, and even classroom dynamics. The problematic gender norms that socialize and are encouraged in many societies often construct the erroneous normalcy that violence and force can prove one’s masculinity. This often manifests into crime, even in the youth as “84% of youth homicide victims” and perpetrators are males (WHO 2020). The extent of such gender-based gun violence has been explored previously at NVI with IANSA and demonstrates the fatal consequences of toxic masculinity. In response to the identification of issues such as gun violence, problematic gender norms, and systemic failure, the Aim for Change Campaign– the result of a collaboration between the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), the Human Centered Design Program at Algonquin College, and Gun Free South Africa (GFSA)– was developed. 

Aim for Change is an artistic workshop for youths around the age of 10-12 that is facilitated by youth workers, who help the participants reflect on their experiences and encourage them to break the cycle of violence. This campaign’s goal is “to bring children together and encourage them to challenge the problems they see in their communities (i.e. gun violence) by expressing their thoughts and feelings in a safe, fun, artistic, creative, and engaging way” utilizes art as a preventative and reactive tool (https://iansa.org/aim-for-change-campaign/). The end result of this workshop is a zine, an “informal magazine” composed of each participant’s artwork using any material available such as newspaper, pencil, and even lipstick. During the creative process, participants are provided themes to explore specific issues. The six themes are: 

1. Personal Heroes: the individual’s personal hero (what they may view as masculine)
2. Guns and Me: how gun violence affects the participant
3. Breaking Free: experience with gun violence and gangs in the community
4. Making Waves: what one lacks in the community (resources, support, unity)
5. Shout Out: empowers participants to use their voice even when they feel powerless
6. Anything You Want

Written by Sandy Zumbi

As I started my journey with NVI, I realized how little I knew about the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel. For decades Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza has created systemic human rights violations against Palestinians, resulting in the displacement of communities, restrictions on freedom of movement, home demolitions, and unequal rights issues, to name a few (Amir, 2021). For someone who is always looking for ways to stay hopeful in the midst of chaos, I was met with disbelief. Yet, I could not stop there. I started looking into organizations and volunteerism that went towards providing aid to Palestinian communities. 

It was quite a relief to see the amount of organizations that partner with local communities to alleviate the stress and despair that the occupation causes Palestinian communities. They also help raise awareness of the horrors these communities face, including the daily impact of life under occupation. 

For several years now, NVI has worked with Hebron International Resource Network (HIRN) to reunite families by giving them a home and by working on renovation projects to keep families on their lands. HIRN has recognized the importance of building and preserving communities and has tirelessly been aiding communities to become self-sufficient in collaboration with neighborhoods and other organizations. NVI, currently being the U.S fiscal sponsor of HIRN, works to ensure that the organization's projects run smoothly. Another organization that helps HIRN in its fight to preserve Palestinian communities is Amos Trust. 

Amos Trust is a nonprofit organization in London, United Kingdom that works with grassroots partners in Palestine, South Africa, Nicaragua, Burundi, India, and Tanzania to promote and build sustainable rural communities. In addition, Amos Trust works toward finding creative ways to equip and support people and organizations to push for change through nonviolence, reconciliation, and peace. Among the various projects the organization undertakes is Amos Travel. Each year, the project organizes guided eleven-day trips through Nablus, Nazareth, and Galilee for people to meet different partners in Palestine. 

As I reflect on this nonprofit’s work, I could not have asked for a better person to speak to than Nive Hall. Nive, a social activist and the community engagement partner at Amos Trust from the UK, gave me a perspective as he recounted the program’s course.    

Amos Travel program started 20 years ago as the organization wanted to offer an alternative to Christian pilgrimages to the holy land/sites from the bible. The pilgrimages were mainly organized by Israeli travel companies with Israeli tour guides, drivers, etc.., which according to Nive did not include the narrative of Palestinians. What they were offering was aimed at the same market, but to the more socially liberal, socially justice centered churches who wanted to go and explore some of the politics of the region as well as meet and hear the stories of the Palestinians. But after four years of going on these trips, Amos travel decided to diversify itself some more into what it is today.

The program started offering trips with various aims. First, it attracted people who wanted to travel to that part of the world for other reasons and who wanted to have that experience of seeing the political situation for themselves. Second, they organize an annual trip called “Taste of Palestine'' which explores Jerusalem and the West Bank with the overall heading of food. Not only do they get to interact with farmers and providers on these trips, but they also help promote palestinians’ artistic culture. Third, it served as a resource for those who were engaged in the struggle for equal rights and those who wanted to show their solidarity on the ground practically. As a result, Amos Travel added a home rebuilding program to their trips to the West Bank. So far, they have organized six home rebuilding trips in the past 10-12 years by partnering with other organizations on the West Bank on homes demolished by Israeli occupation authorities. The project would, however, not be possible without fundraising and devoted teams of volunteers. These incredible human beings step outside their comfort zones every other year to help families and the community actually rebuild demolished homes. I was thrilled to find out that NVI is actively one of the many supporters that stand and advocate to make sure the homes being rebuilt are not demolished again. Nive notes, “That’s the kind of real boots on the ground activism thing which is really great.”

Nive also mentioned how rewarding these trips are to them but mainly to their local partners. Local partners are given a platform to tell their stories and a platform to meet individuals from other places. This is important to their partners because their opportunities for travel or communication are restricted due to the Isreali occupation. They also really appreciate people coming to stand shoulder to shoulder with them on the ground offering solidarity. “We always receive a vast amount more than we give in terms of hospitality, welcome, and more. There is something intangibly magical about it that is hard to describe in words. Actually, standing alongside a family putting the concrete blocks for their rebuilt house can’t say in words how much that means on both sides.” This is shared joy for the volunteers because these experiences are life-changing and for the families receiving a new home. “Solidarity is the key word here”.

Nive also shared that creativity is something they talk about a lot at Amos Trust. The organization strives to find creative ways to engage local communities and the people they reach. One of the phrases they use is “When words fail, art speaks.” They believe that art speaks to the heart and words speak to the head. And you can see a reflection of that throughout the different projects they undertake. This drew me to examine the song “Keep Your Head Up'' by Ben Howard on Amos Trust’s “HOPE'' Spotify playlist. The playlist was created alongside the organization’s second published book of poetry, prose, and creative writing. The book has contributions from a team of talented individuals Zena Kazeme, Arundhati Roy, Ben Okri, Cornel West, Angela Davis, Robert Cohen, Maya Angelou and one of their partners Abdelfattah Abusrour.

“Keep Your Head Up” is a favorite because it resonated deeply with me. Although the song could be interpreted in many different ways, I see this song as a lesson. It reminds listeners to stand firm and be true to themselves and their beliefs. 

"Now walking back, down this mountain,

The strength of a turnin' tide.

Oh the wind so soft, and my skin,

Yeah the sun is so hot upon my side.

Oh lookin' out at this happiness

I searched for between the sheets,

Oh feelin' blind, I realize,

All I was searchin' for, was me.

Oh oh-oh, all I was searchin' for was me."

Here, he is talking about how he opened his eyes to see all the essential things in his life that he could not see before, almost like the failed relationship he was in taught him how to rediscover himself and see clearly again. Most often, happiness or good things do not look perfect. We may carry scars from past experiences, but those only make us stronger. We search for perfection but miss the point that what we are looking for is right under our nose, right in front of us, right in us the whole time. As lost as one may find themselves in the middle of whatever circumstance or situation you may be dealing with, it is crucial to keep your head up. There is always hope. There is always light at the end of the tunnel. All you need to do is look within you, and then you will find what you’ve been searching for all along.

It is hard to imagine the horrors that many communities in Palestine endure under the Israeli occupation. Yet many open their homes and welcome anyone willing to learn about their culture and hear their stories. Their stories are so powerful but yet too often ignored or misconstrued. But despite it all, I find it highly profound how these trips bring people together. The cultures of those who participate are so different from one another but point out that we are all human beings who, as citizens of this world, have the right to equal human rights. We all have a right to have a place called home and the right to feel safe within the walls of our homes. As Nelson Mandela said, “To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.”

On an ending note, I can only leave us with Nive’s remarks that left me inspired and reminded me of the power of storytelling.

“Hope is an interesting word. We talk about it a lot at Amos Trust. We have one of our little phrases we use all the time which is “We do hope”. I think it’s a hard time to be a human rights activist. There is a lot of threat to our human rights, like across the board. And to advocate for the rights in Israel/Palestine is a complex area to work in. And it is easy to be hopeless. Am I hopeful? Yes! We think hope is kind of a bit like love. It is something that you do. Hope is a verb for us. Hope is something we do, we must believe that there is a better world coming, otherwise we might as well stop. It is almost an imperative for us to hope.“

                 Credit: Amos Trust

References

Amir, M. (2021, August 6). Post-occupation Gaza: Israel’s war on Palestinian futures. Taylor and Francis Online. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/04353684.2021.1958357 

AMOS TRUST Home. (n.d.). Retrieved, from https://www.amostrust.org/

We live in troubled times. Those who visit this website are well aware of that harsh reality. Many of us are struggling to find reason to hope in these hard times. I’m thrilled to be able to share with you a bright ray of light shining in the darkness. 

I’ve just met some new friends doing important work in difficult circumstances. It is a rare gift to meet people who have a clear and inspirational vision of what must be done to make the world a better place. It becomes even more significant when they are also already underway doing the hard work to make that vision real.  

In the occupied town of Hebron, an ancient city of deep importance, there are over 550 schools and just 15 music teachers. Take that in for a moment. We regularly focus appropriately on the suffering of our Palestinian sisters and brothers in deep and profound ways. The occupation (which three major groups have declared fits the legal definition of apartheid) impacts precious humans’ lives in far too many ways to list here. 

Even for me, someone who has spent decades studying the region and a lover of music, this was a need I knew nothing of before meeting Maali Tamimi and Aboud Qawasmeh the founders of SOUL. We were brought together through our wonderful partner HIRN and will now be raising up their work on our website. You can learn more about SOUL through our latest interview with Maali and Aboud, and the infomation about them below.

To get a sense of the impressive clarity of vision they bring to this work, please see this document and these brief excerpts below: 

SOUL fills an evident and important gap as the first social non-profit forum in Hebron that puts music at the heart of its mission and vision. Placed in this strategically and economically important centre of Palestine’s South, SOUL offers a space that will enhance the outreach and expansion of music in the region. In the context of the persistent Israeli military occupation, music, and arts more broadly, offers the chance to increase social cohesion and resilience among the population, allows individuals to seek refuge and relief in a safe space and to find meaning and belonging in the frame of Palestinian music culture and heritage.”

SOUL is a place that brings together artists and music professionals locally, regionally, and internationally to enable knowledge exchange and collaboration. Cooperating with other music and cultural organisations in Palestine and beyond allows to find synergies in this field. The creation of a music archive symbolises the bridge between the past and the present, as it will allow to capture, record, preserve and catalogue the rich variety of historical, traditional Palestinian pieces of music that face a threat of getting lost.

At the core of SOUL’s activities lies an inclusive, accessible and gender-sensitive approach to welcome everyone who has an interest in music with open arms.

I hope you are as inspired as I am about their work. If so, please take three simple steps. 

1. Spread the word. Tell people who already agree with us that Palestinians are fully human and deserve the same basic rights as all people. Let them know of this shining example of grounded hope. Urge them to tell others and together we can demonstrate the power of the multiplier effect of energetic organizing. 

2. Use this unusual program as a rare opening to at least two people who don’t yet agree on this issue. Experiment with using the beauty and power of music as an opening to have the hard conversations we so often avoid. Deep in our hearts we know that activating people who already agree with us is only part of the challenge before us. We must also reach out - ready to listen and learn, not just teach - and call people into the conversation. Together, we can and we must change the conversation about Palestine and Israel so that we can change policy and impact people’s lives. 

3. Donate here on this site. Consider becoming a monthly donor to this exciting project that is still in its infancy. Having met these wonderful leaders, I am confident that this project can become a groundbreaking force raising up the power of music to heal and repair our broken and beautiful world.  By giving now, at whatever level of personal comfort works for you, or by becoming a monthly donor, you will be in on the ground floor of something already having an impact and full of the potential to become even more powerful if we take these simple steps together. 

To learn more about their work, we are pleased to offer you this short video and bios below and ask that you check back on this page for future updates about SOUL’s still unfolding contribution to building a world of peace with justice for all.  

SOUL is a "Cultural Forum for Music and the Arts" 

Maali Tamimi is the Supervisor of Music Education for the Ministry of Education in the north of the Hebron Governorate and herself a volunteer music teacher of many years through the French Cultural Association in Hebron focusing on voice and piano.

Aboud Qawasmeh is a graduate from the music program at the Bethlehem University and an ongoing student at Dar Al Kalima College's music program, he is also a music teacher of Oud, Qanoon, Guitar, Darbuka (drums), and voice of 7 years. 

They have pioneered projects in the Old City of Hebron, including a children's choir in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron, and they have taught children with disabilities music - which will be a focal point of SOUL's work. They do amazing work bringing music into particularly marginalized and conservative communities in the Hebron area. 

This beautiful image came to us through our friends at the Horizons Project who shared this free high quality collection. 

Artist Ashley Lukashevsky 

IG @ashlukadraws

Written by Nimesh Wijewardane 

Thich Nhat Hanh at the Plum Village monastery in southern France | Credit: Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism

On January 22, 2022, the world lost an extraordinary spiritual leader. Thich Nhat Hanh was a world-renowned Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist, and prolific author and poet. He was a beloved teacher and a guiding light, affectionately called Thay by his followers, the Vietnamese word for teacher. I count myself among the many people whose lives have been touched and profoundly transformed by his wisdom and compassion. Thay coined the term “Engaged Buddhism”, arguing that Buddhism, properly understood, is not merely about individual liberation but collective liberation, that Buddhists cannot simply retreat from the world and all its concerns and attain Nirvana in isolation but instead must engage in political and social struggles against oppression and injustice. Thay recognized that a religious community cannot simply stay on the sidelines but must take a stand. He tirelessly promoted nonviolent solutions to conflict and encouraged us to open our eyes to the interdepence of all living beings on Earth, and once aware of this state of “interbeing” to not only avoid harming human life but to also avoid harming nonhuman animals and the natural world. For Thay, nonviolence was a way of life, rooted in this idea of interbeing. He wrote, “Nonviolent action, born of the awareness of suffering and nurtured by love, is the most effective way to confront adversity.” 

Thich Nhat Hanh was born Nguyen Xuan Bao in the city of Hue in central Vietnam. At age 16, he joined a Zen monastery. After several years, he took the official vows of monk and became active in the youth-led Buddhist reform movement in Vietnam. Thay taught and wrote about Buddhism, seeking to make Buddhism more relevant to the modern world. Thay’s growing popularity threatened the conservative Buddhist establishment, who discontinued a journal he had been editing and canceled his classes. 

In response to this opposition, Thay went to the United States in 1961 to study comparative religion at the Princeton Theological Seminary and later became a lecturer in Buddhism at Columbia. Yet aware of the suffering in his homeland, he returned to South Vietnam in 1963 to engage in peace work alongside fellow monks. Since 1954, Vietnam had been divided between the Communist North and the pro-West South, with ongoing armed struggle between the government of South Vietnam and the communist guerrillas. Thay founded the School of Youth for Social Services, a grassroots relief organization consisting of over 10,000 volunteers which established schools and health care clinics in rural South Vietnam and helped rebuild bombed villages. In 1964, Thay published an anti-war poem titled “Condemnation”, writing "whoever is listening, be my witness: I cannot accept this war...". The poem was denounced as pro-communist propaganda. Thay’s conception of Engaged Buddhism grew from the bloodstained soil of the war in Vietnam. In an interview with the Buddhist magazine Lion’s Roar, Thay said, “When bombs begin to fall on people, you cannot stay in the meditation hall all of the time. Meditation is about the awareness of what is going on—not only in your body and in your feelings, but all around you.” 

In February 1966, Thay ordained six leaders who had been part of the School of Youth for Social Services and established a new religious order, the Order of Interbeing, a community of Buddhist monks, nuns, and laypeople based on the Five Mindfulness Trainings and Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, modern versions of the precepts Buddhists have practiced for centuries. These mindfulness trainings include living with a vocation that harms neither humans nor nature; and living in accord with the ideals of compassion, protection of life, and prevention of war. Since the 1960s, The Order of Interbeing has grown into an international movement. 

Thay traveled to the US in May 1966 to enlighten the American public about the Vietnam War’s devastating impact and appeal the US government to cease its bombing campaign. During that visit, Thay met with Martin Luther King Jr. and urged him to publicly denounce the Vietnam War. At a press conference with Thay, King spoke out against the war for the first time. In 1967, King gave a famous speech at Riverside Church boldly articulating his opposition to the Vietnam War. Later that year, King nominated Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize, writing “I do not personally know of anyone more worthy of [this prize] than this gentle monk from Vietnam. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.” 

Thay’s 1996 trip to the US was only meant to last a few weeks, but turned into decades of exile. After he presented a peace plan urging America to stop bombing and to offer reconstruction aid without ideological strings, the government of South Vietnam declared him a traitor and banned him from returning. After the Communists seized control of the South in 1975, he was again refused permission to enter Vietnam. His principled anti-war stance had made him an enemy of both sides. 

In exile, Thay settled in the south of France and established the Plum Village Monastery, which would be his new home for decades, and remains the largest Buddhist monastery in Europe and America. Thay became one of the main ambassadors of Buddhism to the West, writing more than 100 books and bringing the concept of mindfulness into the mainstream. Thay spoke out against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying, “We know very well that airplanes, guns and bombs cannot remove wrong perceptions. Only loving speech and compassionate listening can help people correct wrong perceptions. But our leaders are not trained in that discipline, and they rely only on the armed forces to remove terrorism.” He encouraged us to address the root causes of violence and cultivate peace in our hearts. Thay brought together Israelis and Palestinians for peacebuilding retreats at Plum Village, continuing his lifelong commitment to ending conflict. Thay also spoke out about the urgency of addressing climate change, writing, “There’s a revolution that needs to happen and it starts from inside each one of us. We need to wake up and fall in love with Earth. Our personal and collective happiness and survival depends on it.” Throughout his writings, interviews, and speeches he continued to draw connections between the personal and the collective, promoting mindfulness not merely as a tool for self-help but as a necessary precondition for avoiding war and climate catastrophe. 

Thay’s teachings have had a significant impact on me. In my Sri Lankan American family, I was raised as a Buddhist, but in my teenage years, I had begun to drift away from Buddhism, questioning whether I truly believed in its precepts, whether it was truly applicable to my life, and unsure of how Buddhism aligned with my political convictions. Buddhism, at least the kind practiced by those in my Sri Lankan American community, seemed to be apolitical, almost entirely detached from and unconcerned with issues of oppression and injustice. But as a high school student on the Internet, I was lucky enough to stumble upon some of Thay’s writings in the online Buddhist magazine Lion’s Roar. I was struck by the beauty and simplicity of Thay’s words, the ease at which he distilled the abstract and somewhat complicated ideas of dharma in a clear and compelling way. Each perfectly crafted sentence seemed intuitively true. Engaged Buddhism gave me a framework with which to reconcile my faith and my political activism. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I am a Buddhist not merely because of my upbringing but because of Thich Nhat Hanh. During my freshman year of college I struggled with loneliness and depression but on one bright February afternoon I found “The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh”, a small collection of some of his writings, in an independent bookstore in Georgetown and bought it. In spring, I would sit outside in the quad of George Washington University’s Mount Vernon campus and read Thich Nhat Hanh’s words, which brought me comfort, reminded me of the temporality of all things, and encouraged me to bear witness to the miracle of life. Sitting on a wooden bench, watching the world ablaze with sunlight and contemplating Thich Nhat Hanh’s words, I felt pretty close to enlightenment. Thay has a beautiful phrase-“No mud, no lotus”, a reminder that happiness and suffering are deeply intertwined, that you can’t have one without the other. Whenever I find myself dealing with a difficult situation, I chant that phrase to myself, over and over- “No mud, no lotus.” 

Thay wrote that birth and death are but illusions, that we are never really born and never really die. I know that Thay will continue to live on in in the hearts and minds of all the people who have been awakened and inspired by his life and his teachings. 

Thich Nhat Hanh's calligraphy

By Nimesh Wijewardane & Rand Engel 

Paula Green, a renowned peace activist, educator, and psychotherapist, passed away on February 21. She was the Founding Director of the Karuna Center for Peacebuilding, a nonprofit which facilitates post-conflict resolution, with active programs in more than 30 countries across South and Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Paula was the Professor Emerita and founder of the CONTACT Program for Peacebuilding at the School for International Training in Vermont. The CONTACT program invited participants from opposing sides of war- Israelis and Palestinians, Indians and Pakistanis, Hutus and Tutsis- and trained them in the tools of peacebuilding. Paula served on the National Council of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the steering committee of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists. She was a prolific writer, authoring a Training Manual for peacebuilders and several books, chapters, and articles. Paula gained international recognition for her peacebuilding work, receiving the Dalai Lama’s “Unsung Heroes of Compassion” award. Learn more about her incredible life and the many lives she touched on the Karuna Center website and Buddhistdoor Global's remembrance. 

Paula meeting Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town in 2009, Credit: karunacenter.org

"The roots of our wars can be understood through the examination of greed, hatred and delusion. It’s all about desire, about self. . . Until we change ourselves, and the unjust social structures in which we’ve embedded ourselves, we’re not going to have peace.” ~ Paula Green, Barre Buddhist Center, Spring 2002

Paula receiving the Unsung Heroes of Compassion award from His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2009, Credit: karunacenter.org 

NVI supporter and volunteer Rand Engel shared this beautiful remembrance of Paula:

We’ve lost another lion of peace in a time of loss. Such is the passing of Paula Green.

I was truly fortunate to meet Paula at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) around 1985. I was a staff member, Paula a member of the Board of Directors. It was there too, during that time, that Paula met Jim Perkins, another IMS staff member, an anti-war activist and nuclear resister, and gardener with a heart big enough for the world, who became her husband and life partner.

Paula was a professor at the School for International Training and co-director of the Conflict Transformation Across Cultures (CONTACT) program in Vermont, and founder of the Karuna Center for Peacebuilding. She was bridge-builder, a nonviolence trainer and activist who worked in conflict zones around the world.

I’ve slept many nights in Paula and Jim’s home, eaten their fresh vegetables from the garden and home baked bread, talked long hours. She was always open and welcoming, always encouraging – and pushing for – engagement for a better world. After all, she was relentless in seeing the possibility for peace and justice and embraced the responsibility to pursue it.

Of the many missions that Paula undertook around the world, I was fortunate to meet her in a few places over the years: a group she led to meet ethnic minorities in Burmese border jungle lands, 1990 – and then organizing a conference in Washington DC on Burma, which included meeting then a young student activist who made a lot of that conference happen, Michael Beer, now director of Nonviolence International; sitting in on her workshops with Palestinian and Israeli youth in Jerusalem, working with mixed ethnicity peace activists, and traveling through the West Bank in 1996; in Kosovo 2006. She brought experience and strategy, intelligence and vision, warmth and passion, and no-nonsense directness to teaching, facilitating and inspiring.

In recent years, traveling less around the world, she turned attention to being part of Hands Across the Hills an initiative that brought together people from western Massachusetts and eastern Kentucky, often separated by more than miles, in our fractured country, to meet deeply with each other.  She was passionate about this realm of reaching out.

Paula was and is a great soul. She will be missed. 

Rand Engel & Paula Green (center) at the Burma border, 1990