Share your smiles, compliments, time, talents, money, and energy with those around you. We must truly be the change that we want to see. And we can do it. We are doing it. Believe that the future is full of mindfulness where hearts mean more than our accounts.
The Love Initiative.
Notes From the Road – Bright Lights Blog
http://troubadourofpeace.blogspot.com/
Book a house concert or music for a yoga class today!!
TOUR DATES
Date | Time | Venue | Location | Cost |
---|---|---|---|---|
3/22/18 | 3:00 PM | Choices | Akron, OH | |
3/22/18 | 6:00 PM | Tea Time for Peace | Kent, OH | |
3/23/18 | 5:00 PM | Friends of the Metro Parks Benefit w/ the Bright Lights | Akron, OH | |
3/27/18 | 7:00 PM | Brother’s Lounge | Cleveland, OH | |
3/30/18 | 6:30 PM | 330 Day @ Akron Civic Theatre | Akron, OH | |
3/31/18 | 10:30 AM | Celebration of Life for Marilyn Stroud | Cuyahoga Falls, OH | |
4/3/18 | 6:30 PM | MLK Kirtan | Akron, OH | Donations |
4/4/18 | 6:30 PM | Nonviolent Communication Circle | Akron, OH | Donations |
4/6/18 | 7:00 PM | Big Love Night @ Live Music Now w/ Rhodes St Rude Boys | Akron, OH | $5-10 |
4/7/18 | 8:30 PM | Mustard Seed Highland Square w/ Bright Lights! | Akron, OH | |
4/10/18 | 7:00 PM | Brother Lounge | Cleveland, OH | |
4/16/18 | 7:00 PM | Wolf Creek Winery | Norton, OH | |
4/21/18 | 6:30 PM | Bright Lights @ the Rialto | Akron, OH | $5 |
4/22/18 | 4:00 PM | Yoga Central | Canton, OH | |
4/28/18 | 7:00 PM | Wine Mill | Peninsula, OH | |
5/2/18 | 6:30 PM | Nonviolent Communication Series | Akron, OH | Donations |
5/4/18 | 7:00 PM | Big Love Night @ Live Music Now w/ Gretchen Pleuss | Akron, OH | $5-10 |
5/5/18 | 12:00 PM | Cleveland VegFest | Cleveland, OH | |
5/5/18 | 6:00 PM | Bent Ladder winery | Doylestown , OH | |
5/8/18 | 7:00 PM | Brother’s Lounge | Cleveland, OH |
‘GRANDMOTHERS ON THE MOVE’ Podcast Episodes
Click HERE!
NO START TIME and NO END TIME – LISTEN to past and current podcasts!
Grandmothers To Grandmothers Campaign
The Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign exists to support the indomitable African grandmothers who are caring for the millions of children who have been orphaned by AIDS. Members of the Grandmothers Campaign share three goals. They work to:
- Raise funds to meet the needs of African grandmothers and the children in their care;
- Listen to African grandmothers, respect their expertise and amplify their voices, in order to promote authentic and substantive responses to the epidemic in Africa;
- Build solidarity among African and Canadian grandmothers in order to motivate and sustain the vital work of turning the tide of AIDS in Africa.
Canadian grandmothers groups are tremendously active in their communities. They put on concerts, organize card tournaments, and sell jewellery. They visit countless schools and community organizations. They bake, cook, sew, knit, paint, write, organize cycle tours, walks, and even ride motorcycles – all to raise funds and awareness for grandmothers in sub-Saharan Africa through the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
To learn more about how you can get involved in the Campaign, write to Ilana here.
Articles About The Campaign
What started as a conversation around a kitchen table has grown to become a movement to empower women, especially grandmothers, in Africa.
The Grandmothers Campaign, an initiative of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, is known as Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers in Regina, which was among the very first places in Canada where women took on projects to support families in Africa.
‘We know the power of women’s organizing in Canada and older women have an extraordinary amount of vigour and energy.’– Ilana Landsberg-Lewis
As Ilana Landsberg-Lewis explains, the movement arose in response to the human crisis, observed by her father Stephen Lewis during his time as a special envoy for the United Nations, afflicting the African continent during the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
Millions of children were orphaned by the deaths of their parents. Their grandmothers were left to raise them, with little or no support.
“Grandmothers were just in an agony of loss,” Landsberg-Lewis said. “Death was everywhere. They were left with no income and often isolated by the terrible stigma surrounding HIV-AIDS.”
Landsberg-Lewis recalled how requests seeking aid referred to the grandmothers as “caregivers” and when she asked why, she learned there was a strong bias in play.
“Nobody wants to fund them because they’re older women and nobody sees them as a meaningful investment,” she learned.
“We decided if Canadian grandmothers knew what was happening on the [African] continent then it would surely resonate with them and boy did it ever,” Landsberg-Lewis said.
“I wish I could say that I was prescient but it would be overstating it,” she said, talking about how the success of the organization, which quickly grew from a handful of activists brain-storming at a kitchen table (her own) to over 250 chapters across the country.
Since 2006 they have raised about $25 million.
“It was really extraordinary but I can’t say that I’m surprised,” she said. “Older women in our communities, we know the power of women organizing in Canada and older women have an extraordinary amount of vigour and energy.”
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The Campaign currently boasts more than 240 grandmothers groups across the country. Many of the groups have organized into regional and national networks in order to support each other’s efforts in solidarity with African grandmothers and the children in their care.
Resources from the Grandmothers Campaign go to grassroots organizations that support African grandmothers with food, health care, school fees and school uniforms for their grandchildren, income-generating programmes, counselling, social support, essential shelter, and other necessities. Throughout Africa, grassroots organizations run by and for grandmothers are sharing insights, deepening their expertise, collaborating with other local organizations, and building their capacity to turn the tide of AIDS at community level.
MARCH 2-MAY 8, volunteers invited to participate in workshops working with the community to create spectacular visual art, giant puppets, and costumes for the Ecological City procession celebrating climate solutions.
-Costume Workshops: WEDNESDAYS, 6-9:30pm with artist Yelaine Rodriguez
-Puppet Workshops: SATURDAYS, 12-4pm with artist Lucrecia Novoa
Workshops are free of cost and take place every week at Two Bridges Neighborhood Council (Community Room) 82 Rutgers Slip (between FDR and Cherry St. -LES)
Please register here: http://earthcelebrations.com/register-ecological-city-workshops-2/
ECOLOGICAL CITY PAGEANT, on Saturday May 11, 2019 (Rain date- May 12), is a climate action, ecological urban pilgrimage and performance art event featuring a spectacular 7 hour procession of visual art, giant puppets and costumes with 20 site performances of dance, music, theater and poetry celebrating sustainability solutions throughout the community gardens, neighborhood and East River Park waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City.
Metamorphic Convergence – A Journey of Planetary Stewardship is a streaming film series that shines a light on the path from the present to the future, while weaving together regenerative solutions and fresh perspectives from artists, scientists, activists, authors and philosophers. Through poetic imagery, visual meditation and timely interviews – the series delves into how our environmental crisis is an opportunity for radical personal and planetary transformation. Artists and filmmakers guide us on a journey to reconcile what they perceive as a crossroads for humanity.
ECOLOGICAL CITY PAGEANT, on Saturday May 11, 2019 (Rain date- May 12), is a climate action, ecological urban pilgrimage and performance art event featuring a spectacular 7 hour procession of visual art, giant puppets and costumes with 20 site performances of dance, music, theater and poetry celebrating sustainability solutions throughout the community gardens, neighborhood and East River Park waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City.
For more information: http://earthcelebrations.com/ecological-city-project/
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – SIGN UP – PARTICIPATE IN THE ECOLOGICAL CITY PAGEANT
PAGEANT DAY: Volunteers are needed to participate for various roles. Sign up today!
-Wear a spectacular ecological costume, direct puppets, marshal parade, direct make-up/body painting, photograph/video document and more…
-Marshals/ Key Performers needed: 8am-6pm / Make-Up artists 8am-12pm
Sign up here: http://earthcelebrations.com/volunteer-ecological-city-sign/
Bringing Peace to Our Ancestors
September 19-22, 2019
Menla, Phoenicia, NY
Join us on World Peace Day and the Fall Equinox for LIFT THE EARTH: Bringing Peace to Our Ancestors; a four-day gathering which includes the participation of the Grandmothers Council, Alice Walker, Dr. Henrietta Mann, Chief Phil Lane Jr, Dr. Robert Thurman, Jussara Korngold and other spiritual leaders and activists from around the world.This gathering will include interactive dialogue, prayer circles, and teachings on ancestral healing, water and land issues, and the future of the generations to come.
Register now before we sell out – join us for this special event and participate in this world-wide collective prayer for outer and inner peace.
GRANDMOTHER AGNES BAKER PILGRIM
GRANDMOTHER BERNADETTE REBIENOT
GRANDMOTHER CLARA SHINOBU IURA
GRANDMOTHER MONA POLACCA
GRANDMOTHER RITA BLUMENSTEIN
GRANDMOTHER RITA LONG VISITOR HOLY DANCE
ALICE WALKER
DR. HENRIETTA MANN
CHIEF PHIL LANE
ROBERT A.F. THURMAN
JUSSARA KORNGOLD
DAY SCHILDKRET OF MORNING ALTARS
ECOLISE
The European Network for Community-led Initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainability, is the initiator and main organiser of the European Day of Sustainable Communities. We have 46 member networks and organisations across Europe
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A celebration of local communities taking action for a zero-carbon, regenerative and inclusive Europe.
This is an ECOLISE flagship event. #EDSC19 #SustainableCommunity
Become a co-creator of the day! For details see https://www.sustainable-communities.net/
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Global week of action on Peace, the Climate, SDGs and Nuclear Abolition
September 21 – September 27
The week of Sep 21-27 includes the following key events:
- Sep 21: UN International Day for Peace;
- Sep 23: UN Climate Summit;
- Sep 24-25: Summit on SDGs;
- Sep 26: International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
Together these dates comprise a Global week of action on peace, climate, SDGs and nuclear abolition.
Flyers on the Global Week: Taking action together
Abolition 2000 has established a working group to build cooperation between climate, SDG, peace and disarmament organisations to take action during the week. For more information see the Abolition 2000 flyer on the Global Week for Peace, the Climate, SDGs and Nuclear Abolition Sep 21-27.
Abolition 2000 is cooperating with Action for Sustainable Development (A4SD), Forus, Asia Development Alliance (ADA), the Korea International Cooperation Agencyand other sustainable develpoment organisations on Stand Together Now for a Just and Peaceful World: Seven Days to Save our Planet. See Stand Together for peace and sustainability Global Week of Action Sep 20-27 poster.
Connections between peace, climate protection, SDGs and disarmament
UN Charter (Article 26) recognises the connection between disarmament and sustainable development. Article 26 requires the UN to facilitate disarmament ‘in order to promote the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the world’s human and economic resources.’
More recently the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes that there can be no sustainable development without peace, and no peace without sustainable development. In addition, Securing our Common Future: An Agenda for Disarmament, the disarmament agenda released in 2018 by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, outlines the links between disarmament and many of the SDGs.
Key events and actions:
Sep 21: International Day for Peace
- UN event: International Day of Peace Student Observance, United Nations, 20 September 2019. Watch it on webtv.un.org
- Peace One Day event in London: with civil society leaders and celebrities that will be live-streamed globally.
- List your event at Peace One Day, a global platform to share, find out about or join actions for Peace Day.
For further information see the UN website on International Day for Peace. Share your ideas and activities through #PeaceDay and #ClimateAction.
Sep 23: UN Climate Summit
- UN Climate Summit, New York on 23 September
Action: Call on your government to commit in New York to deeper reductions in carbon emissions, a faster transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies, and reductions in military budgets in order to fund climate protection.
Sep 24-25: Summit on Sustainable Development
- Summit on the SDGs, September 24-25
Action: Call on your government to highlight at the SDG Summit the importance of peace and demilitarisation in achieving the SDGs, and support the proposal of Kazakhstan that all countries redirect 1% of their military budget to the SDGs.
Sep 26: International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
- UN High Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament, September 26. See International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. To register click here (registration deadline is August 23).
- List your action or event at UNFOLD ZERO: list of events for Nuclear Abolition Day .
Actions:
a) Encourage your Prime Minister/President to attend the Sep 26 UN High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament and call on all States to never launch a nuclear war, and to negotiate for the abolition and elimination of nuclear weapons;
b) Organise a screening of ‘The Man who saved the World’ or other action for Nuclear Abolition Day.
Climate Action Summit 2019
The Secretary-General will convene a Climate Action Summit in September 2019 to bring climate action to the top of the international agenda. Mr. Luis Alfonso de Alba, a former Mexican diplomat, will be his Special Envoy to lead its preparations.
The Summit will focus on the heart of the problem – the sectors that create the most emissions and the areas where building resilience could make the biggest difference – as well as provide leaders and partners the opportunity to demonstrate real climate action and showcase their ambition.
To read about the commitments that regions, cities, businesses, investors and civil society pledged during the Global Climate Action Summit in California, September 2018, click here.
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“Sunflowers instead of missiles in the soil would ensure peace for future generations”
U.S. Secretary of Defence William Perry, as he joined Russian and Ukrainian defence ministers to plant sunflowers on a former missile base
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Contact
Basel Peace Office
c/o Seminar für Soziologie
Universität Basel
Petersgraben 27
CH-4051 Basel
Switzerland