Stories And Strategies - Nonviolent Resistance And Social Change
HISTOIRES ET STRATEGIES - Résistance Non-violente et Changements Sociaux
Historias y Estrategias - Resistencia Noviolenta y Cambio Social
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REGISTER NOW for WRI's Conference "Stories and Strategies: Nonviolent Resistance and Social Change". Registration deadline is 1 July, and we cannot garuantee you a place to stay - or participation in the conference in general - if you register after 1 July!
For more information, visit  http://www.wri-irg.org/tri/2002/index.htm, and see more information below.

Stories And Strategies:
Nonviolent Resistance And Social Change
War Resisters' International
Triennial Conference
3-10 August 2002 in Dublin, Ireland

War Resisters' International's conference Stories and Strategies -- Nonviolent Resistance and Social Change will bring together peace, social justice and human rights activists from around the world to discuss how we can make the world less violent and less militarised. As wars and acts of terrorism have increased in recent months, this event has taken on a new importance.
Since 11 September, violence within and between peoples, nations and societies has become a part of everyone's awareness, while the power of the military and the police in even the most liberal societies has been strengthened in direct and repressive ways. We are at a time when the task of building a peaceful and just society is immensely difficult. Presenting and promoting a nonviolent approach to social problems has become a formidable task involving great personal risk. Yet this is a time when we must find ways to break the cycle of violence that is spinning faster than ever. The War Resisters' International conference has the potential to make a major contribution to this effort.
We need to develop new nonviolent strategies for ending the threat of terror, as well as for revealing and deconstructing institutional violence. We need to find ways to listen to and enter into dialogue with people in our societies who find a nonviolent approach too difficult. We need to strengthen our own international network and make it a model of globalisation from below. The WRI conference will provide a forum for steps to be taken towards all of these goals.
The title and theme of Stories and Strategies -- Nonviolent Resistance and Social Change holds new meaning in these changed political times. Storytelling and stories are powerful threads, which help people learn from each other, connect to each other, heal from painful experiences, and make our truths known. They attest to the value of each person as a part of the social fabric.

Theme groups
· Economics, Militarisation and Globalisation
· Violence in Society and Nonviolent Social Empowerment
· Addressing Ethnic Community and Intra-State Violence
· Roles of Gender and Racism in War and Militarisation
· Conscientious Objectors, Veterans, and Anti-Militarism
· Strategies for Open Borders: Asylum and Migration
· An Exploration and Introduction to Nonviolence
· Dealing with the Past
· International "Peace Operations": what they are and what they could be

Plenaries
A plenary session will be held each evening of the conference where panelists and speakers will share their stories and case studies and engage in public dialogue to highlight the conference theme. One panel will focus on the use of stories: how they have been used to heal communities in conflict, how they can be used to develop new strategies of nonviolent resistance. Following on from this idea, another evening will focus on the power of grassroots efforts in bringing about nonviolent social change. One session will be an introduction to the work of NGOs in Ireland and Northern Ireland and some of the key issues they are addressing, such as ethnic conflict and economic globalisation. Two of the plenaries will highlight the connections between different issues: one will look at the links between global violence and violence in daily life, and another will focus on the relationship between anti-militarist work and efforts to strengthen civil society.

Workshops
Time each day will also be set aside for one-off workshops. Like the Theme Groups, these sessions will be a place for the sharing of stories of all participants. Some workshops will focus on specific campaigns, others will be introductory sessions on certain topics, or provide some skills training. Workshops will provide an opportunity for people to strengthen the networks around common interests and concerns that can continue after the conference. Many workshops will be planned in advance but there will also be space for these sessions to be created spontaneously during the Triennial.

Home stay programme
A home stay programme -- with hosts from Irish groups both from the Republic and from Northern Ireland -- gives the option to meet local activists, and to exchange experience. The programme operates prior and after the conference.

Workcamp
A work camp is being organised which will give some young people the opportunity to be part of an international team that helps with the practical aspects of the conference.

In its long history, WRI's Triennial conferences have often provided the international platform from which to launch new peace campaigns and to discuss new ideas about nonviolence. The "stories and strategies" that arise at the WRI Triennial in Dublin in 2002 are sure to trigger new activities and new ways of thinking. This is likely to influence and inspire not only the people who attend, but, on a broader scale, numerous international efforts of nonviolent resistance and social change.

Participation
If you definitely plan to attend, you will need to register before 1 July -- but the earlier the better. You can register online through an interactive form or download, print out, and complete a pdf version of the registration form, mailing it to the WRI Triennial office in Dublin (address below).
WRI Triennial office
84 Templeville Drive
Templeouge, Dublin 6W
Ireland
Phone/fax +353 1 406 3060; email  dublin@wri-irg.org
You can also write or email the Dublin office if you require
* more information on WRI's Triennial conference
* copies of this leaflet in English/French/Castellano; or if you
* have particular enquiries about registration or participation
* want to make a donation to enable participants from the global South to attend the conference

Registration fees
· Conference: €350 euros
· Daily rate: €40 euros
· Children welcome. Contact the office for details.
· WRI Business meeting: €130 euros (Friday 9 - Sunday 11).

Contact us
War Resisters' International is actively seeking international interest and support for the Triennial. If you would like to support this effort with a financial contribution, you can make a donation by contacting the War Resisters' International, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX, UK. Email:  triennial2002@wri-irg.org.