Participants in the Season for NonViolence

• Amnesty International has as its vision a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights documents.
  In pursuit of this vision, Amnesty International’s mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses to the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights.
  Amnesty International forms a global community of human rights defenders with the principles of international solidarity, effective action for the individual victim, global coverage, the universality and indivisibility of human rights, impartiality and independence, and democracy and mutual respect.

• Asian Indians of Hampton Roads serves to facilitate the involvement of people of Asian Indian origin in the mainstream of American Social fabric. To promote the cultural heritage of the people of Asian Indian Origin.
  To disseminate information on economic, social and political issues. To promote voter registration and educate legislators on issues critical to Asian Indians.

• Campus Kaleidoscope (Virginia Wesleyan College) is a program to educate college students for effective citizenship in our richly diverse society. Kaleidoscope was developed by The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) in 1985 as a pilot program in cities across the United States.
  At Virginia Wesleyan College, Kaleidoscope serves as an umbrella organization to bring together students and student organizations to sponsor events that will enhance appreciation of our differences, develop personal and institutional understanding of bias, bigotry and racism, and empower student leaders to include those who are different to make our community more inclusive and, as a result, more productive and innovative.

• Hands on Network helps to bring people together to strengthen communities through meaningful volunteer action. They are a growing network of more than one million volunteers changing communities inside and outside the United States. Hands On Network creates and manages nearly 50,000 projects a year, from building wheelchair ramps in San Francisco to teaching reading in Atlanta, to rebuilding homes and lives in the Gulf coast communities. Hands On Network is currently made up of 55 national and international volunteer organizations that act as entrepreneurial civic action centers.

• Hampton Roads Network for Non-Violence has as its vision that every individual, family and community organization will become aware of the interconnectedness of all life and to begin to work to value and respect others in order to create a nonviolent world.With a mission to promote peace and nonviolence among all people and among all factions within and outside of Hampton Roads, HRNN’s goals are: to support and develop education programs that promote peace and nonviolence for individuals, families, communities and organizations, to promote a public presence in the community in support of peace and nonviolence, to develop and maintain a community calendar of peace and nonviolence activities within our community, to be a clearinghouse for activities and organizations promoting peace and nonviolence in Hampton Roads, and to maintain a forum to discuss issues of peace and nonviolence in Hampton Roads.

• National Conference for Community and Justice, founded in 1927 as The National Conference for Christians and Jews, is a human relations organization dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry and racism in America. The NCCJ promotes understanding and respect among all races, religions and cultures through advocacy, conflict resolution and education.

• Operation Understanding Hampton Roads (OUHR) is an organization of selected African American/ Jewish high school students who want to explore each other's culture and help build a community of understanding. The group is sponsored by the Jewish Community Center of South Hampton Roads and the Hunton YMCA.
  Operation Understanding Hampton Roads (OUHR) is under the umbrella of a non-profit organization. Its goal is to nurture understanding, respect, and friendship among young African Americans and Jews who will, as future leaders of the community, have the responsibility of creating a climate of true pluralism and equality in Hampton Roads.
  This program enables the participants to develop their personal strengths, share on another’s cultures and religions, and enhance their leadership abilities.

• Playback Theatre is an original form of improvisational theatre that invites audience members to tell stories from their lives and to watch them enacted on the spot. Using sound, music, movement and short dramatic pieces, Playback performers will create enactments focusing on audience stories of creating peaceful solutions to violence.
  Created in New York in 1975 by storyteller, Jonathan Fox, Playback Theatre is now performed worldwide. The International Playback Theatre represents actors and musicians in 17 countries and 5 continents, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Europe, North and South America.

• Soka Gakkai International has as its mission:
  We, the constituent organizations and members of the Soka Gakkai International (hereinafter called SGI), embrace the fundamental aim and mission of contributing to peace, culture and education based on the philosophy and ideals of the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin.
  We recognize that at no other time in history has humankind experienced such an intense juxtaposition of war and peace, discrimination and equality, poverty and abundance as in the twentieth century; that the development of increasingly sophisticated military technology, exemplified by nuclear weapons, has created a situation where the very survival of the human species hangs in the balance; that the reality of violent ethnic and religious discrimination presents an unending cycle of conflict; that humanity's egoism and intemperance have engendered global problems, including degradation of the natural environment and widening economic chasms between developed and developing nations, with serious repercussions for humankind's collective future.
  We believe that Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, a humanistic philosophy of infinite respect for the sanctity of life and all-encompassing compassion, enables individuals to cultivate and bring forth their inherent wisdom and, nurturing the creativity of the human spirit, to surmount the difficulties and crises facing humankind and realize a society of peaceful and prosperous coexistence.

• We, the constituent organizations and members of SGI, therefore, being determined to raise high the banner of world citizenship, the spirit of tolerance, and respect for human rights based on the humanistic spirit of Buddhism, and to challenge the global issues that face humankind through dialogue and practical efforts based on a steadfast commitment to nonviolence, hereby adopt this Charter, affirming the following purposes and principles: 1. SGI shall contribute to peace, culture and education for the happiness and welfare of all humanity based on the Buddhist respect for the sanctity of life. 2. SGI, based on the ideal of world citizenship, shall safeguard fundamental human rights and not discriminate against any individual on any grounds. 3. SGI shall respect and protect the freedom of religion and religious expression. 4. SGI shall promote an understanding of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism through grass-roots exchange, thereby contributing to individual happiness.5. SGI shall, through its constituent organizations, encourage its members to contribute toward the prosperity of their respective societies as good citizens. 6. SGI shall respect the independence and autonomy of its constituent organizations in accordance with the conditions prevailing in each country. 7. SGI shall, based on the Buddhist spirit of tolerance, respect other religions, engage in dialogue and work together with them toward the resolution of fundamental issues concerning humanity. 8. SGI shall respect cultural diversity and promote cultural exchange, thereby creating an international society of mutual understanding and harmony. 9. SGI shall promote, based on the Buddhist ideal of symbiosis, the protection of nature and environment. 10. SGI shall contribute to the promotion of education, in the pursuit of truth as well as development of scholarship, to enable all people to cultivate their characters and enjoy fulfilling and happy lives.
  

• Tidewater Zen Group consists of individuals who get together to practice in the tradition of Japanese Soto Zen. Japanese Soto Zen is a Buddhist school that emphasizes the spiritual practice of zazen or simply seated meditation. Zazen is a simple meditation practice that promotes awareness and the ability to be present. We are affiliated with the Chapel Hill Zen Center.
  Some basic tenets of Soto Zen are
  • Seated meditation and enlightenment are one.
  • The world of enlightenment is the everyday world.
  • The everyday mind is Buddha-mind.
  • Realization shows us that we are directly connected to, and dependent on, all living beings and everything that exists. (Compassionate concern for the welfare of others and for the environment flow naturally from this insight.)
            Contact: Paul Rasor, 757-455-3128

   

• Voices That Challenge is a regional faith-based teen and young-adult organization that focuses on peace, root causes of poverty and other social-justice issues.

• Women’s Resource Center (Virginia Wesleyan College) has as its mission to promote a campus community that is safe, equitable and supportive for women; that celebrates their achievements; and recognizes and welcomes their diversity. The Women's Resource Office exists as a place of support, service and education for all students, faculty, staff and community members.

• Ymedia: The Educational Fund to Sop Gun Violence is committed to working with young people to assist them with reducing gun violence in their communities. Ymedia is a violence prevention program that promotes the positive contributions young people can make to ensure the safety of their communities. Ymedia provides a platform for young people to obtain the information, skills and support they need to resist violence as they work together to develop a successful media campaign. This helps young people develop healthy attitudes and behaviors by learning and practicing life skills, connecting with peers, adults and communities, and learning through service. In Ymedia, youth are involved in developing and conducting activities that benefit the community and, therefore, they are recognized as contributing members of society. Research shows that young people who are connected to caring adults and their communities are less likely to become involved with violence and consequently guns. The guiding principles of Ymedia are as follows: Youth should be seen and heard on matters of civic importance; Create and reinforce healthy, positive attitudes and behaviors around the contributions of young people; Support young people who want to be agent of change; Foster personal and social responsibility; Provide opportunities to develop life skills, such as leadership, communication, critical thinking, problem solving, decision-making, goal setting and planning.

• YWCA of South Hampton Roads - the Young Women's Christian Association of the United States of America is a women's membership movements nourished by its roots in the Christian faith and sustained by the richness of many beliefs and values. Strengthened by diversity, the Association draws together members who strive to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision: peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all people. The Association will thrust its collective power towards the elimination of racism wherever it exists and by any means necessary.