From Dreams to Actions – where we are so far
Changemakers on the road to a more peaceful future
On the 15th of September our long-awaited online training course which is part of the project From Dreams to Actions has began!
Participants from 12 countries met on ZOOM for the first time to begin their journey towards effective peace work. They are supported by excellent trainers, Gośka Tur and Natalie Jivkova, as well as many peace, advocacy, communication and political change experts from the SCI network. The participants come from different age groups and very diverse backgrounds – some of them are students, teachers, volunteers or peace educators but they all joined together for this course, ready to share their unique experiences and grow together as changemakers for more a peaceful future.
The first session was introductory – it established the basis of the next collaborations and online meetings and helped create a group feeling, which fostered motivation and energy amongst the participants. Even though the course is conducted online it still serves as a platform to get to know each other and network with like-minded people across Europe. The next sessions that followed were practical and provided a lot of inspiration. The participants broadened their understanding of peace on many levels, reflected on their role as peacebuilders and learnt tactics and tips on how to create their own campaigns. They saw practical examples of successful actions and understood how they can use emotions and storytelling to reach their campaign goals. As the biggest part of the learning process is actually putting new knowledge into action, they were also empowered to take part in the campaign for International Day of Peace, on September 21st. This year, to celebrate this day, SCI called for abolishing nuclear weapons and petitioning for the governments of the United Nation member states to sign the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Under the hashtag #nuclearban our participants shared the activities they created in their home countries, pictures, posters and videos advocating for this cause. It was a very special day across the whole SCI network, when the staff members, volunteers, course participants and peace workers all united for the shared goal.
The ‘From Dreams to Actions’ training course is still ongoing, online sessions are informative and fruitful and we are excitedly anticipating to see the results of these two weeks spent together!
Explore more news
World Heritage Volunteers (WHV), Mozambique
This report describes in detail the activities carried out on the Island of Mozambique, Nampula Province between September 17 and October 2 of the current year. The activities carried out are part of the World Heritage Volunteers Program. Since the Island of Mozambique is a site declared by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage, the involvement of all is essential for its conservation, so AJOV and...
Is there a strong man here?
Pacifism, solidarity, friendliness, ecology, diversity and citizenship. These are the six values of SCI. This movement, now 100 years old, has witnessed many struggles and social changes and has also evolved over time. SCI advocates inclusiveness, equality and acceptance for all. So I was surprised to read, in an account of a volunteer project from the 1960s, that “men dealt with the physical...
Decolonizing is an active process, not a passive one
Interview with Sara Vaca, an Equatorian volunteer living in Austria. The interview was conducted in Brussels during a CCIVS event addressing decolonizing volunteering. Sara has already produced extensive work on decolonizing volunteering issues with SCI Austria, and here she is presenting key ideas to keep in mind when working towards greater reciprocity in collaboration with Global South’s...