 | We champion nonviolence as the foundation for effective programs and actions to promote the dignity of every human being. | | | | Note from Executive Director | | | | | | Dear FNVW Community, You inspire me with the revolutionary power of your love! Thank you for the many ways you embody love for others, love for your opponents, and love for self. I am grateful to be on the journey with you. Yours,
Leah | | | | | | AVP Inside Out - February 2021 Issue | | | | The AVP Inside Out publication provides an opportunity for members of the AVP community, inside and outside correctional facilities, to connect with one another about the effects of violence on us all and the strategies we use to transform the violence in our lives and communities. We hope you'll enjoy reading it and contributing to it in the months ahead. Click on the links below to read the past two issues. We are seeking submissions for future issues! If you are drawn to any of the categories listed or have a new one in mind, we welcome your contributions. Review the submission guidelines here. Please email submissions to: AVP.MN.Community@gmail.com. | | | | | |  | Celebrate the power of love with a Valentine's Day Gift to FNVW! What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than to make a donation to an organization that champions nonviolence and harnesses the power of revolutionary love? Donate $25 or more to support FNVW's work by Sunday, February 14th, and we'll send you an FNVW keychain flashlight as a Valentine's Day thank-you gift!* "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. *while supplies last | | | | | | | | Take Action - Second Chance Day on the Hill Join FNVW in attending the MN Second Chance Coalition's Second Chance Day on the Hill. This annual event reimagines justice in the state legislature. This year, Second Chance Coalition will host a virtual rally to advance their legislative priorities. Kevin Reese from Voices for Racial Justice will give the keynote. MN Second Chance Coalition is working to build a justice system that promotes healing and repair. Second Chance Day on the Hill is Tuesday, February 23rd from 12:00-1:00 p.m. CST. MN Second Chance Coalition can also help you connect with your state representative and senator about their priority bills. Register here for the rally on 2/23 and for visits with your legislators on 2/23 or 2/24. Prior to this event, you can learn more about legislative advocacy and MN Second Chance Coalition's work at the Legislative Priorities Training on Friday, February 19th at 1:00 p.m. CST. Register here. Email Miranda Dils (miranda@fnvw.org) for more information. | | | | | | The People's Inauguration Whatcha Wednesday Series | | | | Join FNVW for a Whatcha Wednesday series inspired by The People’s Inauguration - "10 Days to Activate Revolutionary Love" virtual event! FNVW is partnering with The People's Inauguration to engage and amplify the critical work of rebuilding our nation. In this series, we’ll ground ourselves in the ethic of revolutionary love — love for others, for our opponents, and for ourselves. We’ll focus on a different core teaching each week, using Valarie Kaur’s recorded videos as a guide. The order of our series will correspond with the 10-day online journey (e.g., “Week 1” corresponds with “Day 1”). Check out the full lineup here. If you’re interested in co-facilitating one of these sessions, please reach out to Miranda Dils (miranda@fnvw.org) - we’d love to work with you. | | | | Week 4 - Rage Today’s teaching and guided inquiry focus on cultivating a healthy relationship with rage and harnessing that energy for creative action in the world. We’ll explore the information our rage carries and define and develop “safe containers” for its expression (from TPI website). When: Wednesday, February 17, 10:00-11:30 a.m. CST. Facilitated by Miranda Dils and Leah Robshaw Robinson. Week 5 - Listen This week's teaching and guided inquiry help us understand why listening to opponents is worthwhile and when it is our role to listen. We’ll explore the challenges of listening, the gifts it can bring, and how to listen when it’s difficult (from TPI website). When: Wednesday, February 24, 10:00-11:30 a.m. CST. Facilitated by Miranda Dils and others. Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/96162676801?pwd=Q3ZOWCtGTE1WMEJLbG96NmpHVDNpZz09 Meeting ID: 961 6267 6801
Password: 655383 Call-In Option: +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) | | | | | | What happened at the past two Whatcha Wednesdays? We continued with our focus on loving others and "seeing no strangers" through the topics "Grieve" and "Fight." During the session on grief, we brainstormed the thoughts and emotions that we each associate with grief and then talked in small groups about the essential place collective grieving holds in fighting for social change. Leah also led the group in a powerful song that helped us get in touch with the feelings that live in our bodies. This week, we turned to an exploration of harnessing our own agencies and fight impulses into forces for justice. We identified metaphorical swords, shields, and sacred communities - all important tools in waging nonviolence. We each have different swords, shields, and communities, and the combination of these resources can pave the way to collective liberation. | | | | | | Volunteer Opportunity Corner We will feature volunteer position openings at FNVW in a "Volunteer Opportunity Corner" in each e-letter. | | | | FNVW Volunteer Position Opening! FNVW Board Member There's never been a better time to join FNVW's Board of Directors! The Board is responsible for developing, defining, and reviewing the organization’s mission and for providing overall leadership and strategic direction to the organization. Board Members are stewards of the organization’s vision, mission, and resources. The Board actively sets policy, ensures that the organization has adequate resources to carry out its mission, provides direct oversight and direction for the Executive Director and the organization as a whole, and evaluates its own effectiveness as a governing body. Contact FNVW's Board Chair Brucie Hawkins at brucie@fnvw.org for more information. | | | | | | Save the Date! People Camp 2021 August 8-14 Northern Pines Retreat Center People Camp is a week-long transformative experience of cooperation, community living, peacemaking, and the exploration of ideas and issues. This is a summer camp experience for the whole family and for anyone who enjoys warm, supportive community, challenging workshops, and lots of recreation in a camp setting. The theme for People Camp 2021 is Seeking Justice in a Changing World. Would you be interested in leading a workshop on a topic related to this theme? Please contact PJ Hoffman if you're interested or have questions: pj.hoffman@comcast.net. Learn more here. | | | | | | COVID-19 in Minnesota Prisons As of 2.9.21, there are 3,879 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Minnesota state prison facilities, along with 11 Covid-19-related inmate deaths. The Department of Corrections posts daily on their website with updated numbers. Find other updates here. | | | | | | | | | | Upcoming Events - Wednesday, February 17: The People's Inauguration Whatcha Wednesday Series - Week 4, 10-11:30 a.m.
- Tuesday, February 23: Second Chance Day on the Hill Virtual Rally, 12-1 p.m.
- Wednesday, February 24: The People's Inauguration Whatcha Wednesday Series - Week 5, 10-11:30 a.m.
| | | | Friends for a NonViolent World
393 N Dunlap Street #307 | Saint Paul, Minnesota 55104
(651) 917-0383 | info@fnvw.org | | | | | | | | | |
