• 2022 Mike Yarrow Peace Fellowship

    by program co-director Bruce Pruitt-Hamm This article contains a brief introduction to each of the current youth fellows and their projects. Since the turn of the millennium the WWFOR has nurtured a unique long-term training program for youth in the theory and skills of nonviolent activism. In the year 2000 the Peace Activist Trainee program had 2 participants. In the 22 years following, more than 150 youth activists have received funding, training and support from WWFOR.  In 2014 the PAT program merged into the Mike Yarrow Peace Fellowship in honor of PAT founder and WWFOR Organizer, Mike Yarrow, who died of cancer at age 74 that year. From 2014 to the present the MYPF program has been organized by 3…

  • Reflections on George Floyd

    “Black Lives Matter!” “Say her name: Breonna Taylor”  “Say his name: George Floyd”  “No Justice, No Peace” These were some of the chants called out over the past few days of protests in Seattle and across the nation.  Quickly, the nation has mobilized in response to police brutality and the racialized murders that have happened for much too long. Thousands of people have shown up on the streets and those who can’t join are educating themselves, having hard discussions and donating money.    I was at a couple of the protests that have unfolded over the last few days. On Saturday, some friends and I walked downtown in Seattle, we passed out clementines and cliff bars to the angry and…

  • Tom Ewell speaks out: Abolish War

    Friends,  I have spent the better part of this weekend streaming a World Without War conference on war abolition being held in Washington, DC. (For those interested, the conference will continue to be re-streamed at http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2904). We heard speaker after speaker give accounts of the enormous negative impact of war our planet – the suffering of people killed and injured, the hundreds of thousands of refugees created, the economic and environmental cost of preparing for and executing war, the immorality of the arms trade, the failure of the US Congress to audit and control the Pentagon budget, the complete insanity of preparing for a nuclear war, the failure of the US to observe international law like the Geneva conventions and the UN Declaration…

  • Militarism and Gun Violence

    Friends, It is difficult to provide my intended “uplift” from my Saturday Evening Post this evening. The gun violence of this past week only leaves me with a “sinking” feeling – that we as a nation are sinking into some kind of quicksand of violence begetting violence. Recently a friend and I stopped at a little restaurant for breakfast on our way to a hiking trip. Across from our booth were a couple of unused video game machines blinking away with scene after scene of gun violence and inviting us to come “play.” My friend remarked at the time how this infusion of “recreational” gun violence must be having on us all but particularly the law enforcement community who carry…

  • Seabeck 2016: Whidbey Island FOR Part of a Greater “Beloved Community”

    July 2, 2016 Friends, I am writing this evening from Seabeck, WA, where I am attending a conference of the Fellowship of Reconciliation where we are also celebrating the venerable international organization’s 100th anniversary. FOR was initially founded in the fall of 1915 by a German and an Englishman at the outset of WWI as they vowed on a handshake that “no matter what happens, nothing is changed between us” and refused to be enemies. The FOR is best known for its persevering commitment to nonviolence, efforts at reconciliation, and opposition to racism, militarism and war. The Whidbey Island Fellowship of Reconciliation, which we founded on Whidbey in 2010, is a subchapter of the Western Washington FOR, which is a…

  • Doug Mackey wrote: “The world gets smaller in Selma

    The three Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965 were part of the Voting Rights Movement underway in Selma, Alabama. The first march took place on March 7, 1965, organized locally by Bevel, Amelia Boynton, and others. State troopers and county possemen attacked the unarmed marchers with billy clubs and tear gas after they passed over the county line, and the event became known as Bloody Sunday.  On March 8, 2015  thousands of people paraded across a Selma, Alabama bridge to commemorate the 1965 “Bloody Sunday” march, not waiting for dignitaries who had planned to lead them in marking the 50th anniversary of a turning point in the U.S. civil rights movement. A number of members of FOR were present for the commemoration.       We met on our way into the…

  • Seabeck Conference 2015 – Activist Fair

    Sunday Morning Activist Fair: A Quasi Open Space Session This is a session for us to share information, express opinions, accomplish quick actions, and plan actions that will occur after the conference. Attendees of all ages are invited to participate. Let’s use this opportunity to strengthen the links between us and between the issues we care about. o  Some issue you’d like to tell others about? Perhaps it hasn’t been included in any workshops. Set up a table with informative literature and invite all to hear about it. Why is it important and how does it relate to other issues? o  Want to share opinions about some activist issue? Set up with some chairs and invite others to sit and…

  • Seabeck Conference 2015 – Logistics and Other Information

    SEABECK CONFERENCE CENTER:  Seabeck is on beautiful Hood Canal, fifteen miles west of Bremerton, Washington.  Bedding and towels are provided to guests at the Conference Center.  Sleeping in RVs is not permitted.  Family style meals will be served from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch.  Vegetarian meals will be served, with meat available at some meals.  If you have special dietary needs, please indicate this on the registration form.  Recreation opportunities include swimming, row boating on the lagoon, tennis, horseshoes, ping-pong, volleyball, basketball, hiking, music, and crafts.  Bring swimwear and comfortable shoes.  Be prepared for wet, dry, warm, or cool weather. ACCOMMODATIONS:  Seabeck Conference Center’s website www.seabeck.org/ provides descriptions of each housing building and floor plans. Except for 10 single rooms…

  • Seabeck Conference 2015 – Schedule of Events

    2015 Conference Schedule What is new this year: An Activist Fair replaces one of the Workshop Sessions. There will be NO SILENT AUCTION this year and the live/oral auction will be different. Thursday, July 2 4:00    Registration (till 9:45) 6:00    Continuous Soup and Salad Bar 7:00    Drop by and Meet Children’s Program Leaders 8:00    Welcome, Orientation 9:00    Youth Group Meet and Plan 9:00    Ad Hoc Groups and Social Time Friday, July 3 7:00    Nature Walk and Meditation 8:00    Breakfast 9:00    Sing-Along and Announcements 9:45    Keynote 1 11:15   Introduce Workshop Leaders Sign Up for Workshops 12:00  Lunch 1:00    Workshop I 2:45    Break 3:00   Workshop II 4:45    Break 5:00    WA and OR Regional Meetings 6:15    Dinner 7:15    Ad Hoc Groups and Social…

  • Seabeck Conference 2015 – Youth and Children’s Programs

    The Children’s Program: The Children’s program for 3 to 11 year olds will be led by Nora Walsh and Jamie Martineau. Activities will be geared to the needs and interests of the individual children, and will develop a sense of community through play and mutual problem solving. We celebrate and explore our beautiful surroundings with walks and outdoor games. We rely on adults and youth attending the conference to volunteer their time and talents to assist us. Beyond Seabeck, Nora teaches art with young people in a variety of settings. Youth Program: The Youth Program for 12 to 19 year old attendees will feature workshops following two threads, “The Power in Your Voice” and “What is Youth Driven Activism?” Participants…