YTNF :: SCIDeutschland

As one contribution to the 2011 International Year of Volunteering SCI branches & partners will be continuing the No More War Action that began already last year. Throughout the world a series of NMW international work & study camps are being scheduled to take place in the summer months, enabling volunteers of all ages, backgrounds, religions and colour to discuss together what civil society activists can do to prevent wars & violence and solve conflicts by peaceful means. They will equally be contributing to the no more war effort by supporting grassroot peace groups who are working to solve local problems on an everyday basis.

Peace is not just the absence of war: It is about identifying & fighting the main causes of conflicts & violence within every society, as well as between communities & nations. This concerns basic questions of social justice, structural violence, racism, gender inequality, climate injustice and many other issues which continue to pose everyday threats to peace.

For more information on the SCI Action, as well as opportunities to get active, please consult the special weblink:
www.no-more-war.net

There are more than 1000 international workcamps around the world waiting for you this Summer! In an international workcamp you will meet special people (like yourself) who want to do something meaningful to change the world by helping a local community. Besides doing some interesting practical work in the social or ecological field, you will have the opportunity to gain new friends from all over the world, share your different cultures, practice your foreign language, sample different recipes, engage in intriguing discussions and get an inside view of the country where you are staying. Details...

One can only speculate as to the reasons that drove the Georgian government at this particular moment to send its troops to attack its breakaway province of South Ossetia, or whether its closest ally, the US, has given its approval for such a step. In any case, after 3 days of heavy fighting, and the tragic deaths of hundreds of civilians and young soldiers, the status quo has almost been returned, with the possible exception that in the future South Ossetia will resist even more being ruled by the central government in Tbilisi. When both Georgia and Russia joined the Council of Europe they both solemnly agreed & signed the convention to solve conflicts by peaceful means. Details...