[Antiracism] Youth Newsletter - WMA

[American Friends Service Committee]

Friends,

Some of you may have already met Raul Matta, who is AFSC WMA's first Fellow 
focused on Counter Recruitment.  He and Jackie Johnson are putting together 
a monthly newsletter for young people in our area which focuses on youth 
trainings, workshops and youth-led events/activities.

A portion of the newsletter text follows.  I have attached a .pdf of it, 
and you can also find it on line at www.WesternMassAFSC.org.  Raul can be 
reached at 413.584.8975 or at raul at westernmassafsc.org.

Peace, Jo

*****
HIPP stands for the Help Increase the Peace Project
Come meet new young people from across the valley:
The Help increase the Peace Project is having its first
BASIC HIPP training of the year on January 20th-22nd.

Help Increase the Peace Project began in Syracuse, New York in 1991 through 
the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), youth employment project. 
HIPP was modeled after the Alternatives to violence program developed by 
Quakers in 1975. Since then HIPP has expanded throughout the country and is 
still growing.

HIPP is an interactive and engaging program based on active learning.
Through three-day workshops and follow-up activities, participants are 
empowered to reduce youth violence by strengthening cross-racial and 
cross-cultural understanding. Participants are encouraged to analyze the 
impact of social injustice on their lives and the lives of others, to 
become agents for positive personal and social change.

The three HIPP workshops- Basic, Advanced and Training for Trainers- are 
designed to increase levels of skill development. Participants have the 
opportunity to complete the training series and become HIPP facilitators 
themselves. HIPP workshops were originally designed for middle and high 
school participants but they have been successfully adapted for 
participants of all ages in various settings

Valley Free Radio
Valley Free Radio -- The Valley's newest non-commercial radio station, has 
its doors open. Consider joining the station. Call in at 585-1033. And tune 
in to 103.3 FM. Listen in on Wednesday mornings at 7 AM to Diversity in 
Motion, a show dedicated to the youth work
in the valley, hosted by Raul Matta.

Books Building Bridges
Books Building Bridges is a community-building project developed in order 
to acknowledge and foster a common human desire for learning, authentic 
connection and a healthy society while transcending political divisions in 
the United States and the geographic and social distance between the United 
States and Iraq. The group was inspired by Jeanette Winter's book, The 
Librarian of Basra, which chronicles the work of Basra librarian Alia 
Muhammed Baker who, with her community, saved 30,000 volumes from being 
destroyed during the current war with Iraq.

We are a broad-based coalition of western Massachusetts literacy educators, 
booksellers, librarians, schoolteachers, artists and community 
organizations. To read more please explore our Web site. You are encouraged 
to visit the, Donate/Get Involved, section to find out how you and/or your 
organization may help Books Building Bridges!  For more information call 
AFSC: 413-584-8975 or visit www.booksbuildingbridges.org

MLK 2006
Have you wanted to observe Martin Luther King's Birthday as more than just 
a bank holiday, but you just don't have time to join another committee? 
Here's your chance!

Between January 13 and 16, 2006, members of our community will celebrate 
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with the program "Is There Space for Spirit 
Here? Reverend King's vision and the role of community, faith and action." 
The focus of this year's event is reflection on what it means for people of 
faith / faithful people to carry on the legacy of Rev. Dr. King.

This year's unique event consists of Circles - small groups of friends, 
faith congregations, or people of shared interests - meeting during the 
weekend of January 13-15 to respond to the query: "How do our 
spiritual/ethical commitments/beliefs/principles require that we take 
sustained, brave action toward justice?" On Monday, January 16th, these 
Circles will be recognized during the traditional community-wide 
celebration organized by the 2006 AFSC MLK Committee.

Would you like to attend a Circle? Would you be interested in leading a 
Circle? The Circle may be held at a Meeting House, in a coffee house, or at 
your house; it can be made up of friends, or people with whom you share a 
common interest but haven't yet met.

The MLK Day Committee will provide you with support, materials to help you 
organize and lead a Circle, and even a website to invite like-minded folks 
to join you, if you wish.

If you think you would be interested in leading a circle, visit the website 
below. If you know others who might be interested in hosting (or attending) 
a Circle, please let them know about this opportunity! The AFSC website is 
www.westernmassafsc.org. Thanks!

Do You Want To Know The Truth About Military Recruitment?
Military recruiters are trying to get the youth of America to join the 
military. They are targeting people of color and people living in poverty. 
They are taking advantage of the part of our population that has not been 
afforded equal opportunity, and unfortunately there is such a lack of 
opportunity, that we are losing many to the war in Iraq. Counter 
Recruitment offers statistics given by the US Department of Defense, to 
show the realities of joining the military. Recruiters are salespeople, 
they are trying to sell the military to people who are considering 
enlistment. They do not tell the complete story. They tell the story that 
will sell best. Counter Recruitment shows both sides, it acknowledges that 
many people are successful, and also shows how many are not. The goal of 
Counter Recruitment is to educate people about the military, so they can 
make an informed decision, when they sign over their lives. AFSC, in 
partnership with the Military Recruitment Education Network, is offering 
Counter Recruitment trainings for anyone interested in learning more about 
why the military is not always the best decision for the youth of our 
nation. These trainings are free and can be held in any location. It is 
important that the people know the truth about military service.
For more information call Jackie or Raul @, 413-584-8975. Or email us at 
Jackie at westernmassafsc.org or raul at westernmassafsc.org.

Options Booklet
We all have options!
Last year Jackie helped create an an option’s booklet. The option booklet 
was a great way to allow other youth to see that they have other options 
other than the military. The booklet encompasses ways that young people can 
receive transportation, housing, shelter, food, and any other resources 
that are available to the community. The options booklet is a great 
resource to have in your local schools and places of employment. It allows 
for there to be many options and many opportunities for young people. 
Option booklets can be done in many ways. If you have any questions or 
would like to get started on your own options booklet and would like some 
assistance. Please contact me by email at Jackie at westernmassafsc.org.

Conscientious Objector Support Circles
You have morals. You morally oppose some actions. If your government asked 
you to kill would you do it? What if it tried to force you? Protect 
yourself! Conscientious Objectors to war are protected from the draft. 
A.F.S.C. is trying to help local men and women under 26 think about where 
they stand, and what they should do to protect themselves and their friends 
from military conscription. Meet us on the third floor at Thornes 
Marketplace on the first Wednesday of each month. We’ll be there from 6:00 
to 7:30. Call Jo Comerford or Elías Sánchez-Eppler at the Western Mass. 
AFSC Office (413-584-8975).

In Amherst a similar group meets from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on the first Monday of 
each month, (except for holidays). The group meets at the Men’s Resource 
Center, 236 N. Pleasant St (about a block from Bruegger’s Bagels, going 
toward U Mass). The group is led by two students at Amherst Regional High 
School, who have helped lead workshops before about this subject-
Daniel Stubbs and Owen Hayden. For more information, e-mail Owen at
owenhayden at earthlink.com

Resume Writing Workshop
Do you know how to write a resume?
Do you know what a resume is?
Do you know how to fill out a job application?
Do you what information you do and don’t have to give your employer?
If these are questions you ask yourself every time you apply for a job, 
then join us at our resume writing workshop.
When? January 19, 2005
Where? 140 Pine St. Florence, MA
At the American Friends Service
Committee office, on the third floor.
What Time? 3pm - 5pm
For more information call (413)-584-8975 ext. 203, or email us at 
afsc at crocker.com.

Congradulations to Youth Leadership in the Arts
Congradulations to Youth Leadership in the Arts for leading a very 
successful Youth of Color and Allies Event last Thursday night at the 
Northampton Center for the Arts. This event was meant to be the first of 
many to come.
The next Youth of Color and Allies Event will be held in Springfield during 
the month of February. Further details have yet to be announced, but 
February’s newsletter will have more information.
You can also call Beth Mattison/ YLA @ 413-320-3243

Youth Leadership in the Arts
140 Pine Street Rm 5
Florence, MA 01062
1.800.850.3880 ext. 303
beth_yla at hotmail.com


Raul Matta or Jacqueline Johnson
140 Pine St. Rm 10
Florence, MA 01062
413.584.8975 ext. 203
Raul at westernmassafsc.org
Jackie at westernmassafsc.org

Jo Comerford
AFSC
140 Pine Street Rm 10
Florence, MA 01062
413.584.8975
afsc at crocker.com

END
Jo Comerford
American Friends Service Committee, Western Massachusetts
140 Pine Street, Room 10
Florence, Massachusetts 01062
413.584.8975 (W)
413.584.8987 (F)
413.695.6059 (C)
afsc at crocker.com
www.WesternMassAFSC.org

History says, don't hope on this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
the longed-for tidal wave
of justice can rise up,
and hope and history rhyme.

~ Seamus Heaney, The Cure at Troy
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.hampshire.edu/pipermail/antiracism/attachments/20051222/d28e9a56/attachment.htm>