*** Please help with the Big Catch Up! ***

From Never Again

Speak Out for Peace 21 September 2006

Never Again International, New York City: Event Report

Index:

i. Event Team

ii. Description

iii. Evaluation

Appendix A: Speak Out for Peace Program

Appendix B: Transcript of suggestions made on the Peace Wall during the Speak Out for Peace

Appendix C: Speak Out for Peace Press Release

Appendix D: Event Budget

i. Event Planning Team

Coordinator: Abby Batchelder

Organizing Committee: Marian Hodgkin, Heddy Nam, Albert Nzamukwereka, Jed Oppenheim

Preparation Volunteers: Nancy Bae, Pieternel de Bie, Abdou, Melissa Appleton, Ishmael

Event Volunteers: Abdou, Pieternel de Bie, Megan Bodane

Reporter: Marian Hodgkin

Approximate number of volunteer hours spent on event: 350

ii. Description

Planning and Preparation

Never Again International New York organized a fundraiser and awareness raising event to celebrate the International Day of Peace on 21 September 2006. The event venue was the International Center for Tolerance Education (ICTE), in Dumbo Brooklyn. We were invited to host our event in this location after Albert was awarded a grant to participate in their International Guest Program August and September 2006.

We began planning for the event in March 2006. Venues were researched and the organizing committee discussed possible dates. Our venue and date were finalized in July.

Abby spent much of her time securing the talents of several poets and musicians who were willing to perform for free. The line-up included:

• Andrew Juechter
• Federico Moreno
• Joshua Garcia
• Malik Ameer
• Marie Claudine Mukamabano
• Purvi Shah
• Tahani Salah

See Appendix A, the event program, for biographies of performers.

Once the venue and performers had been decided the Organizing Committee also successfully applied for sponsorship from Lagunitas Brewing Company, who supplied 8 cases of their beer (192 bottles) free of charge.

Fundraising Strategy

We had planned to sell tickets, merchandise, food and drink in order to raise money in aid of the Never Again International Peacebuilding Centre in Kigali.

Our strategy was slightly thrown up into the air after some miss-communication from the venue’s administrators. It transpired that because of building regulations it was not possible for us to publicize the event in any major publication (we had to withdraw notices from free NY newspaper Village Voice and TimeOut New York, amongst others). We were also not permitted to sell tickets on the door or sell alcohol on the premises.

Therefore, rather than selling tickets, the Organizing Committee decided to promote Speak Out as a free event, encourage donations for beer and water, and sell merchandise.

Publicity

• We invited all of our friends and contacts and encouraged them to invite their friends.
• We advertised widely on email list serves, including the NAI – NYC list, the Socially Conscious list, Columbia University and NYU Student Group lists, ICTE lists, and various non-profit and young professional lists.
• We exploited volunteer person-power and posted professionally designed flyers all over the city, including at all the major universities, poetry venues and at the Save Darfur Rally on 17 September.
• We also advertised on a student radio station.
• We circulated a Press Release [see Appendix C].

Merchandise

• We sold PEACE T-shirts of two designs. Black simple Ts with white PEACE stencil lettering and fitted baby-Ts for women in three camouflage-colors, also with white lettering. Black T-shirts were brought online for $3-$5 at cost, baby-Ts were brought in a New York store. All sold for $10 [for event budget see Appendix D].
• We also sold black book bags with the same white lettering. Bags bought online for $5 and were sold for $12.
• Marian, Pieternel and Jed worked to make over 100 shirts.
• Marian donated the cost of the Black T-shirts and bags (approx $250) to Never Again, so all of the profits went to the Peacebuilding Centre.
• All the performers and volunteers were presented with a T-Shirt to thank them for their contribution to the event.
• The remaining T-shirts were sold the following week at a Columbia University event that Jed and Marian helped organize.

The Night

With a lot of hard work from the Organizing Committee and many volunteers, the event itself came together finally.

• We had approximately 80 people attend, almost of all of whom stayed for the entire event.
• Heddy opened the show by giving a brief introduction explaining what the event was about. Abby was the MC for the evening. Singer and dance Marie Claudine began. All of the poets performed once. There was an interval followed by the final performances of the poets, Albert closed the event by talking a little more about Never Again International and screened Video Letters.
• Federico Moreno was the only performer who did not show up.
• The audience contributed to the Peace Wall which was installed on the wall of the performance space [for a transcription of suggestions for peace, please see Appendix B].
• We raised $655: sold many PEACE t-shirts and bags, and received donations for 6 out of 8 cases of beer and 2 cases of bottled water.

iii. Evaluation

The Friday after the event, the Organising Committee met together at the Hungarian Pastry Shop for recovery coffee and to discuss the successes of the event, how things could have been better and what we might do in the future.

The evaluation was intended to help us here in New York think about how we might move forward and what we might learn for future events, but also would allow us to share our experiences, successes and lessons learnt with the wider Never Again International network.

1. Highlights of successes and things we are most proud of:

o Proud of the performance line-up. Tahani was especially good. o Heddy commented that it was one of the smoothest events that she has been involved in organizing and this is a testament to Abby’s organizational leadership especially in the key area of pulling together the fantastic line-up. o Kathleen (ICTE representative present at the event) gave positive feedback and told others at ICTE that the event was a success o It built the credibility of NAI – we were successful in making connections and raising awareness. o Everything worked out even though it was stressful which says a lot about the people who are involved. o It was crowded and the audience definitely enjoyed the performances and the atmosphere of the evening was great. o Different types of people came – a very diverse audience: people with connections to NAI such as SO NYC folks and Stephane (NYC intern), as well as people who had seen flyers and emails and knew nothing about us. o We felt that the event was a demonstration of the creativity of NAI as an organization. o We are proud of the fact that the entire event happened through donations: of time, venue, equipment, artwork, design, beer etc. We created the event using the resources in our community. o The t-shirts were a success and they were bought by many people because of the cause, but also because they liked the style and design. o The educational aspect was very successful.

2. How could things have been better? What did not happen that we hoped? What didn’t turn out as we expected? What can we learn for the future?

• Abby (the MC for the evening) felt that a professional MC might have been better. Others disagreed, and liked the fact that it was not too slick, and thought Abby set the right tone for the night.
• We should have been more explicit with ICTE from the beginning about our expectations for the event and about their rules.
• Our goals in organizing this event were not entirely clear – we wanted to both raise money and awareness, and it is hard to do both. In the end we because of the venue choice we succeeded more in the awareness raising, but didn’t do as well as we had hoped with the fundraising.
• In terms of planning it was agreed that it would be more efficient and helpful if the Event Organizing Committee could meet in the very early stages to brainstorm and draw-up a document which outlines the goals of the event and the strategy for achieving these aims.
• We should have asked more people to be involved as volunteers at the start of the planning process doing specific tasks, rather than recruiting hard at the end – then there is more a sense of ownership by everyone involved and less pressure on a small group of organizers.
• It was suggested that the film shown at the end could have been shorter, given the overall context of the evening.
• At the event there were signs that stated “Suggested Donation”. Some felt that this was too ambiguous, and it should have been clearer what was being sold and when we were asking for a donation. Again, building regulations of the venue played into this confusion.
• We should make press coverage a higher priority next time.
• It would have been good if there had been enough time to prepare proper collateral for NAU, USA e.g. complete the design and printing out our brochure so that people could take something away with them (other than the program which did have some NAI info on it). Perhaps include some ‘action points’ on the brochure – ‘What you can do for Peace…’
• It was agreed that it was not entirely appropriate to hand around a basket for donations during the performance – those attending were already being asked to give money at various other points.

3. Ideas for future events and plans follow-up.

• Albert suggested that it might be valuable in the future when organizing awareness raising events, to work with other organizations with similar aims. By drawing together a coalition of organizations we would collectively reach a wider audience and would also potentially bring in more resources.

• It would have been better if we had instigated more international coordination earlier on, to insure that this was a global NAI event.
• It would be great to have video conference facilities so that we can connect with events worldwide.
• When we next organize an event we could enlist the volunteer power of Americorps Alumni and New York Cares.
• We all agreed that it would be great to makes this 21 September an annual celebration of International Day of Peace.
• We would like to consider how to design another event in the next year which is more clearly focused on fundraising.
• The T-Shirts were such a success that we should look into selling them on the NAI website – could be part of the ‘Action > Donate’ section of the site. Paypal capabilities.

For more pictures check out Flickr (www.flickr.com) Tag: neveragaininternational

Some comments from those who attended:

“I had a great time at the Peace Day. I'm actually wearing my bag now.”

“It was a great event. I am glad that I was able to be a part of it. I even got cute new accessories out of it (t-shirt and bag). Who knew activism could be so fashionable :)”

“I want to get my hands dirty, tell me how I can get involved”

“When is your next event? How can I participate?”

“two random people the street told me they liked my shirt. That is so cool!”

Appendix A: Speak Out for Peace Program (page 1 only)

speak out for PEACE

celebrating the international day of peace 21 september 2006

organized by Never Again International

andrew juechter is a musician and holistic health counselor who teaches and practices in Westchester county. He studied piano for 18 years and drums for 8, having traveled to South Africa and Mali as a part of his study. He most often performs with the Kazi Oliver drummers and is working on incorporating music into his holistic healing practice.

federico moreno is jazz guitarist who recently relocated to New York City from Colombia.

joshua garcia is the Community Outreach Manager for New York Cares. He is working on two books of poetry, one that emulates Langston Hughes and another that draws inspiration from comic book heroes and heroines. He has recently submitted his poetry to various publications and expects to receive his letters of rejection from October through December. He holds a dual B.A. in Comparative Literature and Psychology from New York University.

malik ameer has been honing his abilities in the craft of poetry for twenty years. He has published, recorded and performed from California to New York and even Cuba. Growing up in Oakland, CA, he found poetry through rap music, childhood bedtime Langston Hughes poems and folk tales. He draws inspiration from everything and hopes to one day paint poems on huge canvasses and give them away for free to anyone who digs them. He works at a bookstore, lives in Harlem and is working on a novel about the struggles and triumphs of artists in the name of their craft. He helped create and consistently contributes to www.madmenscalling.com, a literary site.

marie claudine mukamabano is an artist and genocide survivor with spirit of gold and infectious hope for the future. She shares her heritage and experience with any and all that will join her while she works to affect change in the lives of children in her hometown of Kigali, Rwanda.

purvi shah is Executive Director of Sakhi for South Asian Women, an anti-domestic violence organization. She is author of poetry book Terrain Tracks, 2005 winner of a Many Voices Project prize. Her poems have appeared in journals and anthologies including Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, Crab Orchard Review, Descant, Weber Studies, and Contours of the Heart: South Asians Map North America (a 1997 American Book Award winner). She is part of Kundiman, an Asian American poets group, and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. She has an M.A. in American Literature and has published articles on community activism as well as academic reviews of contemporary South Asian literature.

tahani salah is 19. She is a sophomore at Columbia University and an Outreach Coordinator for Urban Word NYC. She is also a member of the 2006 Word Wide Urban Word NYC youth slam team. Urban Word is a youth-driven program that encourages teens to discover and use their voices to bring to light the issues that are important to them. Urban Word NYC promotes critical literacy and positive social dialogue across boundaries of age, race, class, gender, culture, and sexuality.

this event is generously supported by

Amnesty International USA ICTE Lagunitas Brewing Company

Proceeds from donations will go to supporting Never Again's Peacebuilding Centre located in Kigali, Rwanda to provide training and resources for young people in the Great Lakes region engaged in genocide prevention and peacebuilding activities.

Appendix B: Transcript of suggestions made on the Peace Wall during the Speak Out for Peace event

• “School based health clinics that teach conflict resolution and have trauma counseling”
• “Laugh at each other!”
• “Laugh at yourself!”
• “Education that stresses how we’re all the same”
• “Do you see a human being when you look in the mirror? *So what do you think your neighbor sees when he looks in his mirror?*”
• “Listen to some music (Like Queen for example)”
• “Practice the Golden Rule”
• “Learn to really listen and hear the underlining issues people don’t say out loud”
• “Always remember that once the color of our skin is removed, that we are all the same inside…Human!”
• “Invite the peacemaking factions of the society into the negotiations – don’t leave it up to the war makers to sign the treaties”
• “Always think of peace in any
• “Before judging a group of people, because they don’t think or live the way you do, first find out why they think or live like that, then see things from their perspective”
• “Meditate”
• “Discover your original face – yoga, Qi-Gong etc – A Charter School in Chicago has done this”
• “Educate people on the real issues of war and violence – show real consequences – stress the fact that no side wins during/after war”
• “Laugh :o)”
• “Smile :o)”
• “Promote gender equality”
• “Try to see where others are coming from”
• “Attacking indifference by evoking a sentimental response to the effects of violence. Using narratives to link strangers such as “She could be your daughter in-law”
• “Instead of using fist to response conflict, MAKE TALK WORK!”
• “Write a poem”
• “EDUCATE”
• “Trust each other and communicate”

Appendix C: Speak Out for Peace Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: ABBY BATCHELDER

AUGUST 28, 2006 917-940-1283 / abby.batchelder@gmail.com

SPEAKING OUT FOR PEACE: INTERNATIONAL YOUTH NETWORK MAKES THEIR VOICES HEARD

NEW YORK - Never Again International, a global youth network dedicated to innovative peacebuilding and conflict prevention, is poised to celebrate the United Nations’ International Day of Peace on September 21, 2006. In simultaneous events taking place in the United States, England, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, over 2,000 members will speak out for a peaceful world and an end to genocide.

.

“Never Again International regards genocide prevention and peacebuilding as a dynamic process which belongs as much to the general public as it does to high-level policymakers,” said Heddy Nam, Co-Founder and Chair of Never Again International’s USA chapter. “For this reason, we seek to bring the young people of New York City together to embrace and celebrate the message of peace at a time when many of us are pre-occupied with notions of national security that are ultimately destructive to our global community. It is our hope that young peacemakers will draw inspiration from each other and our program on September 21”

The New York City celebration, entitled Speak Out for Peace features a line-up of talented poets who will entertain and inspire a diverse crowd of young New Yorkers. Musicians and performers showcasing their skills and activism include Malik Ameer, Joshua Garcia, Marie Claudine Mukambano, Christina Olivares, and Purvi Shah.

The event will bring to New York for the first time Peace Wall, a participatory peacebuilding activity and art installation created by British artist Basia Forrest. The Peace Wall has involved over 1000 participants in sites across the United Kingdom, and will make its début in the US at this event. Other Peace Wall installations are planned at the United Nations Headquarters and Harlem before a national tour including California and Florida.

Never Again is also partnering with Amnesty International USA during this event to raise awareness of the ongoing conflict in Darfur, Sudan and encourage attendees to take action and contribute to a peaceful solution.

The organizers will accept donations that will go to benefit Never Again International’s Peacebuilding Centre located in Kigali, Rwanda that provides training and resources for young people in the region engaged in genocide prevention and peacebuilding activities.

This will be the second major New York City event which Never Again International USA has organized since the chapter was established in February 2006. The first brought together academics, policy makers and educators in an international comparative education forum at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Event Information

Date: Thursday, September 21, 2006

Time: Doors open at 6:30pm; Show starts at 7:30pm

Location: International Center for Tolerance Education at 25 Washington Street, 4th floor in DUMBO, Brooklyn

Admission free, donations accepted

About Never Again International

Founded in 2001, Never Again International is an international not-for-profit organization that connects young people from around the world to generate ideas and action for peace.

With major gifts from the Columbia University President’s Diversity Grant and the Third Millennium Foundation, Never Again International USA engages American youth in global peacebuilding and conflict prevention.

For more information, visit: www.neveragaininternational.org.