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November 2009 letter to QPSW correspondents

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Dear QPSW correspondent,

Here is your third QPSW Correspondent’s mailing and it includes information about:-

You may find it easier to raise the items in this letter over a period of weeks or, if you know that certain Friends have an interest in some of these areas, ask them to deal with those items.

QPSW Conference and Events

QPSW Annual Spring Conference - 26th – 28th March 2010

The theme for the 2009 conference is “Quakers Networking for Peace – Exploring the Work of QPSW”. The conference will focus on the work that QPSW does in the world on your behalf. Those attending will learn how the work we do connects with Quakers and others in the world and how it grows from Testimony. They will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with some of those who deliver the programmes of work and they will learn how work is discerned by, and overseen by Friends.

Your area and local meeting has been sent information about the conference. The conference is particularly aimed at new Friends or attenders or those new to the work of QPSW.

Action Required:- Please think about who in your meeting would benefit from attending this conference – including yourself – and forward their names to your area meeting for consideration.

Contact for further information: Anne Wilkinson, 0207 663 1062, annew@quaker.org.uk.

Website. http://www.quaker.org.uk/qpsw-conferences-and-events

All Age Conference 3rd August – 6th August 2010

The theme for the conference is “What do we mean by peace?” This event is aimed at Quakers of all ages. Whether you come alone or with family and friends we will be examining this theme together in a variety of ways. There will be workshops, activity groups, reflection time and speakers.

We aim to explore the theme at different levels and to look at work being done by Quakers locally as well as centrally managed work. We will examine our personal understanding of peace and seek to link the spiritual with the practical. Each of us can do something to bring peace.

Your area and local meeting has been sent information about the conference.

The conference is open to individuals as well as those nominated by their area meeting. Under 18’s must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Action required:- Raise awareness in your meeting of this conference – particularly among those Friends with children.

Forward the names of interested Friends to your Area Meeting Nominations Convenor when the calling notice is issued in January 2010

Contact for further information: Anne Wilkinson, 0207 663 1062, annew@quaker.org.uk.

A Sustainable Economy – Future Events

One of the things we learned from the Zero Growth Economy Events was that Friends would like more opportunities to learn about and discuss economic structures and their relationship to the environment and to sustainability in its widest form. We are currently giving consideration to how this may be achieved, including the holding of more events next year. I hope that further information will be available at the beginning of next year. If you have Friends in your meeting who are interested in this work and you are NOT the person to whom information should be sent, can you let me know who will act as your contact – otherwise information will be sent to you as it becomes available. In the meantime, Friends are encouraged to continue exchanging information and views on this subject via the Quakernomics blog – http://www.quaker.org.uk/quakernomics.

Please find enclosed a flier about the blog to be put up on Meeting House notice boards.

Climate Change and Copenhagen

Some of you may be aware that a multi faith conference was held at Windsor Castle at the beginning of the month under the auspices of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation at which Friends were represented. This was followed by a public meeting in Friends House, organised by QPSW in conjunction with ARC and the United Nations. The weblink for further information is as follows: http://www.windsor2009.org/index.htm

The next event to be held in the run up to Copenhagen will be on 5th December. This event called “The Wave” is being organised by Stop Climate Chaos and Quakers are encouraged to come along with a local group or meet up with other Quakers on the day. Quakers are gathering as follows:-

11.00am - Ecumenical Service, Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, Central London

This will be a time of prayer and worship featuring an address given by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. It is an ecumenical event and Quakers do not have a formal meeting point.

12.00pm - Climate Emergency Rally, Speakers Corner  

Gather by the prominent Quaker banner to hear speeches, including Caroline Lucas MEP and then move on to join the main march.

http://www.campaigncc.org/climatemarch2009

1.00pm - The Wave

Gather at the north east corner of Grosvenor Square (Upper Brook Street and N Audley Street) where there will be a Quaker banner for the start of the main march route.

http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/the-wave

Contact: Alison Prout for posters to use as placards – alisonp@quaker.org.uk, 0207 663 1035.

Settlement Products

Included in this mailing is the briefing paper ‘Help end trade with Israeli settlements’ which outlines how, despite having been acknowledged as a major obstacle to peace in the Israeli Palestinian conflict, many countries including the UK are indirectly helping illegal Israeli settlements to survive and grow by trading with them. QPSW considers that settlement products shouldn’t be on sale in the UK and is working with others to persuade government and retailers to end this trade. The briefing outlines a number of ways you can help us do this. These include writing to your MP, contacting your supermarket and avoiding settlement goods when shopping. Please consider whether you or your meeting could take action on this issue. As well as the suggestions given in the briefing, you could:

  • Pass the briefing on to others in your meeting or to your Meeting/ area’s peace group
  • Use the briefing as the basis for a study session
  • Ask Friends in your Meeting to use the product list contained within the briefing to guide their shopping choices
  • Invite an Ecumenical Accompanier to give a talk at your meeting about their experience of working for peace in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and how settlements affect the prospects for peace. (Contact eappi@quaker.org.uk or tel: 020 7663 1144)

For more information on this issue see: http://www.quaker.org.uk/settlement-produce

To receive occasional e-mail updates about other ways you can get involved, including taking part in a forthcoming government consultation on the labeling of settlement goods on sale in the UK please contact: suzannei@quaker.org.uk

Learning from Experience: Personal narratives from the criminal justice system

The enclosed leaflet, outlines this new piece of work from the Crime, Community and Justice Group in which Friends are encouraged to participate in collecting stories which will help to identify gaps and opportunities for improvements in the criminal justice system. Further copies of the leaflet, and copies of the full Guidance Pack it refers to, are available without charge. Contact: Paula Harvey: 020 7663 1036, paulah@quaker.org.uk.

Aldermaston blockade: 15 February 2010

Next year sees a crucial summit to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the major treaty that attempts to control the spread of nuclear weapons. It comes at a time when Britain is building new facilities at Aldermaston to develop a new generation of nuclear weapons. Quakers and others are invited to join a 1-day mass blockade of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston, Berkshire on Monday 15 February 2010. Quakers were the largest group represented in the year-long Faslane 365 actions in 2006-7 to protest Britain’s Trident nuclear weapons system and its proposed replacement. Trident Ploughshares, the organisers of the Aldermaston blockade, hope we can once again respond in large numbers. There will be a special multi-faith presence at Tadley gate for religious witness. Friends wishing to participate are encouraged to form affinity groups in advance. The QPSW Turning the Tide programme can provide workshops for groups preparing to go to the blockade. Please announce this to your meeting. See the enclosed leaflet for more details, and display it in the Meeting House for those who may interested.

Host a nonviolence workshop

Turning the Tide is seeking partners to help run its popular nonviolence course. In 2010 they hope to work with Quaker Meetings and local activists to organise and deliver 1-day taster workshops. Local and area meetings have been sent flyers explaining what is required. Please consider whether this is something your meeting could be involved in. Full details can be found at www.turning-the-tide.org. Contact: Denise Drake denised@quaker.org.uk, 0207 663 1064 or Steve Whiting stevew@quaker.org.uk, 0207 663 1061.

As always if you have any queries or comments please do not hesitate to contact me.

In friendship,

Anne Wilkinson
QPSW
0207 663 1062
annew@quaker.org.uk