Turning the tide of injustice
Sila Collins-Walden writes about her first experience of the Quaker Peace & Social Witness Annual Spring Conference
‘Making change happen’ was the theme of the Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW) Annual Spring Conference, held at Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick, Derbyshire, from 13 to 15 March this year.
The focus of the gathering was on how QPSW, and particularly the Turning the Tide (TTT) programme, make change happen. Turning the Tide is a QPSW-run nonviolent training programme that is part of our Quaker Peace Testimony.
The conference was spiritually based, and included Meetings for Worship, and was also a great opportunity to meet Friends from across Britain and beyond. This was my first conference and I was delighted to be nominated as QPSW correspondent for North Scotland Area Meeting (NSAM).
The opening plenary session by members of the QPSW Central Committee was followed by worship, as well as welcomes, introductions and practicalities from the facilitators.
Our key speaker on Saturday morning was to be Benard Lisamadi Agona, one of TTT’s partners in Kenya. Unfortunately, he was prevented from attending the conference in person but was able to speak via Skype! He talked about the work being done in Kenya with the help of a team of Quakers.
Turning the Tide has been working, along with CAPI (Change Agents for Peace International), in Kenya since 2009, in an area that was affected by the post-election violence of 2008. An example of one of their campaigns was the case of Mama Zepreta Atamba, who had her home taken from her by illegal methods. Trained TTT resource workers, working alongside CAPI, used nonviolent methods and legal processes to restore her home to her.
There were a number of workshop options for Friends to choose from. ‘Working together for change: Turning the Tide resource workers’ shed light on a programme that offers tools to enable people to challenge what is not right and not fair – people like me, who want to make changes in our ever unequal society.
At the ‘Meet the peaceworkers’ workshop Friends heard from those currently doing placements via QPSW’s one-year peaceworker scheme. Each year Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) provides opportunities for people who want to apply their commitment to working for peace to placements with peace organisation, both in the UK and overseas. I spoke with a young peaceworker currently placed with Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT). The placement includes work on the ‘Arms to Renewables’ campaign – shifting jobs from the arms trade into the renewable energy sector.
Another peaceworker, involved in ForcesWatch and War Resisters’ International, told me about the army’s recruitment drive, the presentation of careers, the sanitising of war and the low educational entry requirements for non-officers enlisting in the army. There is a two-tier entry system; one for officers and another for lower ranks. Most recruitment is usually in deprived areas where there is a lack of job opportunities.
There was a film on the work of Joanna Macy, The Great Turning. She is a spiritual activist and a leader in the movement to preserve life on earth. She spoke of the threats of our times and how they present opportunities that are essential for change. Our current way of living revolves around putting profit before people. She spoke of three necessary components in tackling this: holding actions, creating alternative structures and a shift in consciousness/values.
The conference was instructive, informative and energetic. I came home fired up with enthusiasm, having brought back information, tools and skills, which I hope to use for the benefit of my Local Meeting. It was a great opportunity to learn about the work of the Turning the Tide programme, how the power of nonviolence can be used effectively to turn the ‘tide of injustice’, and how by acting together we can make changes.
The full story of Mama Zepreta can be found at: www.turning-the-tide.org/case
