METHODS AGAINST WAR

International seminar on antimilitarist education and protest


1-6 June 2022 in Kosovo

About the Project

No war anywhere! While preparing this call for participants, we are horrified at the violence caused by war and militarization. The war in Ukraine shows us how technological progress also means more advanced possibilities of destruction and mass murder. More than ever, we need to stand up against the atrocities, the reality and the threat of warfare, nuclear weapons, arms industries and military conscription. We need to stand in solidarity with those who are directly affected by the violence resulting from them. And we need to become many more who are dedicated to peace, disarmament and diplomacy!

Let’s exchange and develop methods for antimilitarism! This seminar works like a „tool fair“. This means that most of the seminar will be a methods exchange: Participants bring methods for education and protest that they use in their antimilitarist activism and introduce them to the rest of the group. We then reflect on each method and try to find ways how we can use them in our work with volunteers and young people, be it in street protests, school workshops, trainings or volunteering camps.

Networking between antimilitarists around Europe and Southwest Asia. This seminar involves 29 participants, representing 21 organisations and living in 17 countries (Austria, Cyprus, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, UK). We want to use this space to bring together organisations from different antimilitarist and peace networks such as SCI, War Resisters International (WRI), International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) and others.

Organised by GAIA Kosovo and SCI Austria. “Methods Against War” is part of a bigger collaboration between these two organisations. Later this year, we will organise the antimilitarist youth exchange “Not Your Soldier” in Austria. This seminar will be facilitated by Genti Behramaj and Thomas Schallhart.

Outcome

As an outcome we would like to add more methods and perspectives to the toolkit „Peace on the Streets“ that SCI has published as the outcome of a training course in Austria in 2019. We also want to develop some concrete follow-up projects together at this seminar.

COVID-19 during the seminar

At this point, we assume that it will be possible to organize the seminar in person in Kosovo in June, but we will have to see how the situation around COVID-19 develops. We will ask all participants to be fully protected from COVID-19 (e.g. vaccinated with booster shot, recently recovered from COVID-19). We will have a hygiene concept for the group during the seminar and will follow all regulations by the authorities.

Participant’s profile

Participants should be antimilitarist activists, educators, trainers, youth workers, staff or active volunteers in the participating organisations. All participants selected for this project should meet the following criteria:

• be 18 years old or older
• be able to work in English
• be interested in the the topics of the seminar and have a strong motivation to act as a multiplier
  able to attend for the full duration of the seminar

We explicitly encourage participants of all classes, educational backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations, abilities and ethnic backgrounds to apply.

Logistics, financial conditions and sustainability

Simple life: The seminar will take place in simple living conditions. You will sleep in a room shared with few other people.

Money, money, money: We can cover all essential costs of the program (including food, travel costs up to a maximum amount per country, visa costs, accommodation and training) through a European project grant by Erasmus+. Your sending organisation might ask for a small participation fee.

Sustainable food: The food we provide will be vegan/vegetarian. This is not just a practical decision, but also an ideological one: SCI believes in the values of sustainability and climate justice – and if we want to contribute to a more peaceful planet, we need to give up on industrialized animal agriculture and its destructive effects on our planet. In the application form you can tell us, if you have any diets, allergies or intolerances that we should be aware of.

Sustainable travels?: This is also why we ask you to come to this seminar through more sustainable means of transport rather than flying (e.g. by train or bus), if somehow possible. We will give you more guidance on how you can reach the venue, once you are accepted to the seminar.

How to apply?

We have official partner organisations for this project in Austria, Cyprus, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. We can accept participants living in these countries. If you live in another country, we could also try to find a sending organisation for you that fits.

Please send your application to Thomas at t.schallhart@gmail.com. All those accepted will later receive a detailed infosheet (incl. info on how to get to the venue, how to book your travels, more info about the agenda of the project).

Deadline for applying is 6 May 2022.

APPLICATION FORM

Contact

If you have any questions regarding the project and your application, don’t hesitate to contact Thomas at t.schallhart@gmail.com. We are looking forward to your application!