Our January newsletter is being brought to you by our National Coordinator Alley McDonald.

This January we want to highlight to Reflection on VOW's AGM; Matching Campaign-Donate Now!; Watch the Trust Fall-Julian Assange; and so much more happening this month!

Be sure to scroll all the way down for upcoming events, calls to action, and recommended resources!

VOW's work of peace, anti-war and demilitarization merits your support! Make a donation. Even better, join our growing number of Monthly Peace Partners. Consider $5 or $50 or any amount in between. Become a Peace Partner today!

Nominations are now open for the 2025 Peace, nuclear Abolition and Climate Engaged Youth (PACEY) Award.
 
Do you know of a youth project that addresses peace, nuclear disarmament and/or climate issues and that could be boosted by a prestigious award with €5000 in prize money to help it succeed? If so, we encourage you to nominate it for the 2025 PACEY Award. 
 
The award provides three (3) prizes of €5000 each: one prize in the category of European Youth Project and two prizes in the category of Beyond Europe Youth Project. The award is sponsored by the Basel Peace Office, the Presidential Department of the Canton of Basel-Stadt and the Reformed Evangelical Church of Basel-Stadt.

Nominations are easy. And if you are young and involved in such a project, you can nominate it yourself. The deadline for nominations is December 31, 2024.

We'll be at Gaza square once again this Sunday morning with hot chocolate and coffee, buttons and posters, lawn signs and colourful chalk! Come say hi and meet your fellow neighbours/organizers as we make our presence known and continue to build safety in our community!

TKARONTO: LET’S KEEP THE PRESSURE ON EVERY MONDAY! 📱🍉

Week after week, we’re keeping the momentum going with our Monday lunchtime zaps.

Our collective action is making waves, but we need to ensure our elected officials continue to feel the pressure until real change happens.

Gather with neighbours in an online space to phone, email, and fax representatives together! Guidance, script, and contacts provided. Invite your friends!

☎️Whether you’ve zapped before, or are just getting started, all are welcome in this weekly action! And if you’re interested in organizing in your neighborhood - these zaps are a great way to meet your people. Bring a friend or two! Facilitators from GTA ridings are present to offer support, demo live phone calls, and answer questions.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.

King’s notion of nonviolence had six key principles. First, one can resist evil without resorting to violence. Second, nonviolence seeks to win the “friendship and understanding” of the opponent, not to humiliate him (King, Stride, 84). Third, evil itself, not the people committing evil acts, should be opposed. Fourth, those committed to nonviolence must be willing to suffer without retaliation as suffering itself can be redemptive. Fifth, nonviolent resistance avoids “external physical violence” and “internal violence of spirit” as well: “The nonviolent resister not only refuses to shoot his opponent but he also refuses to hate him” (King, Stride, 85). The resister should be motivated by love in the sense of the Greek word agape, which means “understanding,” or “redeeming good will for all men” (King, Stride, 86). The sixth principle is that the nonviolent resister must have a “deep faith in the future,” stemming from the conviction that “The universe is on the side of justice” (King, Stride, 88).

Learning for peace must be a transformative process, enabling learners to gain essential knowledge, values, attitudes, skills, and behaviors, thereby empowering them to serve as catalysts for peace in their communities. The foundation of more peaceful, just, and sustainable societies is laid through education, a force that permeates every facet of our daily lives and overall prospects. In the face of escalating climate change, democratic erosion, persistent inequalities, growing discrimination, hate speech, violence, and conflict on a global scale, education emerges as a powerful tool to both address and prevent these challenges in the future. Moreover, when effectively shaped and implemented, education becomes a long-term investment with increasing returns.

An active commitment to peace is more urgent today than ever: Education is central to this endeavor.

By: Toma Mochizuki

Nihon Hidankyo's decades-long campaign to draw attention to the horrors of nuclear warfare won recognition with its receipt of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, with the award committee praising the role its efforts have played in making the resort to nuclear weapons a global taboo.

But the accolade for the survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is also a sign of how urgent the issue has become amid heightened global tensions, and comes as experts worry about what will happen when the voices of the group's aging members finally fall silent.

Ottawa’s new Arctic Foreign Policy is a plan for greater militarization of the northern territories. NATO + NORAD mentioned 33 times and most of the funding is for their modernization $38.6 billion, but only $20 million for sustainable development research! Climate change mentioned 39 times roughly the same amount as NATO-NORAD. But this Arctic Strategy is about moving fossil fuel powered F-35 fighter jets, destroyers, submarines, attack helicopters up the north that will exacerbate the climate crisis and further warm this vulnerable oceanic ecosystem.

Canada’s new Arctic Foreign Policy does not represent women, peace & security at all. The word “women” is NOT even mentioned once! 

For December, in which the United States has the presidency of the Security Council, the MAP provides recommendations on the situations in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Israel/Palestine.

This award-winning documentary reveals that U.S. officials suppressed--for decades--the most important footage shot in Hiroshima and Nagasaki (including by the U.S. Army) after the atomic bombings. Why? What was the result and how does it haunt us today?

NGO CSW/NY's monthly meeting covered various topics related to gender-based violence, climate change, and extractive industries, with a focus on their disproportionate impact on women and marginalized communities. Speakers shared personal experiences, discussed ongoing initiatives, and highlighted the need for increased representation of women in climate negotiations and renewable energy sectors. The conversation ended with calls for action to address structural issues, implement protective measures, and ensure fair climate finance contributions from developed nations.

Join author Yves Engler on Mondays for a weekly news roundup and interactive discussion about Canada’s role abroad. This weekly session will delve into the latest developments on subjects ranging from military affairs and Canada’s role in Ukraine to its contribution to Palestinian dispossession and exploitation of African resources. Join Yves for a critical take on Canada’s foreign policy. Questions, comments and criticisms are all welcome.

Mondays 6PM EST

Be sure to renew your membership and donate to support our important work building a culture of peace in Canada and so that we can continue to hire youth throughout the year. Make a donation today!