 | We champion nonviolence as the foundation for effective programs and actions to promote the dignity of every human being. | | | | Note from Executive Director | | | | | | The programs of Friends for a NonViolent World (FNVW) empower people with nonviolent principles and strategies for transforming conflict and violence at the personal, community, and institutional levels. During SpringForwardMN this May 1-11, FNVW is raising funds to launch a new active bystander intervention and conflict transformation community training initiative. These experiential training sessions will teach participants strategies for interrupting hate and responding to conflict in creative and effective ways. Skills like these are a key component of re-imagining public safety and building healthy, connected communities. With your support, we can also offer more weekend-long Alternatives to Violence Project community workshops to meet the pressing need for conflict transformation skills in these times. | | | | Your gift right now is an investment in a future that honors the dignity of every human being. Thank you for your generous contribution and for helping FNVW spread the word about this campaign. Donate now at: http://bit.ly/FNVWspring. With you,
Leah | | | | | | Bridging the Divides Policy Papers The vision of Bridging the Divides: Policing that Works for Everyone is a public safety model characterized by equity, professionalism, partnership with and within the community, and respect for the dignity of every member of our society. From 2018-2020, the Bridging the Divides Team researched and drafted a number of policing policy papers. Our goal was to make evidence-based recommendations for specific training, resources, and supports that improve relations between police and the community, reduce the use of excessive force and, ultimately, save lives. This spring, FNVW is completing final edits on these policing policy papers so they can be made available as a resource. Thank you to Don Sinex and Richard Keiser for your incredible editing work. Click on the links below to read two of the papers. We will share additional BTD policy papers in future e-letters. Militarization of Police - written by Mary Hinz
De-escalation Policy and Mental Health - written by Bridget Doak We encourage you to use our research to advocate for policies and legislation that will improve policing practices and police accountability in your community. If you're interested in the present and future of community safety, and this work excites you, join us at the next Bridging the Divides Meeting on Tuesday, May 18th from 6:30-8:00 p.m. CDT. Zoom meeting info below. Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/95785401714?pwd=QmZuR3V6eFdOOExzK2h0NERveElkZz09 Meeting ID: 957 8540 1714
Passcode: 642111 Call-In Option: +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) | | | | | | Introducing the AVP MN Council | | | | The AVP MN Council is the new governing body for FNVW's Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) program. The AVP MN Council is an amalgamation of the longstanding AVP Steering Committee and its past purview and the AVP Evolutions Committee, which became active in this governing context last fall. All members of the AVP community are welcome to attend AVP MN Council meetings, which take place on the first Monday of the month from 3:00-4:30 p.m. CDT. | | | | | | AVP Inside Out - May 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. 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. | | | | | | People Camp Preview: Book Club Selection | | | | Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (2020) by Isabel Wilkerson is a People Camp 2021 Book Club selection, recommended by PC Planning Committee member Mike Texler. Wilkerson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, uses the sociological concept of caste to analyze and explain white supremacy in American history and in present-day American culture. She compares race relations in America to the caste system of India and discusses how in 1930s Germany the Nazis studied the history of America and its thriving Jim Crow laws as a model for what they hoped to accomplish. The book is full of explanations of misunderstood and neglected aspects of African-American history. By discussing our society in this way, Wilkerson shows what beyond laws needs to change. | | | | | | Unlimited e-book copies of Caste are now available through the Hennepin County Library System to check out with your library card! Access the book here. And...don't forget to claim your spot at People Camp 2021! Registration is open now. Sign up here: People Camp 2021 Registration Form People Camp will take place at Northern Pines Retreat Center, August 8-14, with flexible expectations. We would love to increase our community this year, enriching our experience through expanded participation. This year's campers will be exploring the theme "Seeking Justice in a Changing World." | | | | | | SAVE the DATE! The Great FNVW Get-Together Saturday, June 26, 2021, 10:30am-12:30pm Where: In person at Midway Peace Park in St. Paul (right outside FNVW office) Stay tuned for more details! | | | | | | Volunteer Opportunity Corner We will feature volunteer position openings at FNVW in a "Volunteer Opportunity Corner" in each e-letter. | | | | FNVW Volunteer Position Opening! Event Planning Volunteer The Event Planning Volunteer will help us plan and implement a variety of educational events focused on bringing people together to learn more about a social justice issue. In this role, you will assist with creating agendas, identifying needed resources, and advertising. We are especially looking for a volunteer to help with planning an organization-wide gathering coming up in late June. You will receive an orientation to the organization, programs, and to our event planning strategy. You will receive direct support from the Executive Director and collaborate with our staff and volunteers. This position will require 2-6 hours per month with a 1-year commitment. This role has a flexible work location and can either work remotely or from the FNVW office (as in-person work resumes). | | | | Apply today through this link or email volunteer@fnvw.org for more information. | | | | | | | | Take Action: Have a Conversation on Public Safety & Policing Having conversations with people in our personal lives about topics we may not normally bring up can feel daunting at first. However, talking with people we're close to about issues that matter to us is a powerful way to bring others into social justice work. We encourage you to have a conversation with someone in the next couple of weeks about what public safety and policing means to you and them. Feel free to use these prompts/questions as a guide: - Share a story of a time that you called the police and ask your conversation partner to do the same. What were the outcomes?
- Share a story of a time that you chose not to call the police and ask your conversation partner to do the same. What were the outcomes?
- What does public safety look like to you?
| | | | | | COVID-19 in Minnesota Prisons As of 5.4.21, there are 82 active cases of Covid-19 in Minnesota state prison facilities, along with 12 Covid-19-related deaths. The Department of Corrections posts daily on their website with updated numbers. Find other updates here. | | | | | | | | | | Upcoming Events - Thursday, May 13: AVP Birthday Club, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, May 18: Bridging the Divides Meeting, 6:30-8 p.m.
- Saturday, June 26: The Great FNVW Get-Together, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
| | | | Friends for a NonViolent World
393 N Dunlap Street Suite #450E | Saint Paul, Minnesota 55104
(651) 917-0383 | info@fnvw.org | | | | | | | | | |
