Recipe for Activism Soup
by Abby Bernhard (2012 Peace Activist Trainee)
Take four experienced activists, eight high-school students from around Seattle, and a myriad of daunting political, social and environmental issues.
Mix them all together, add in dashes of wisdom from guest speakers on subjects that include racism, LGBTQ, homelessness, bullying, immigration, Palestine and Israel.
Transfer the students to the streets of Greenwood and Westlake.
Sprinkle in some history lessons on successful peaceful nonviolent movements.
Let the students cool off and reflect outside of Joint Base Lewis McChord and at Garfield Community Center.
After four weeks you will have transformed Peace Activist Trainees into real peace activists. Presto-change-o!
From July 9th to August 2nd the Peace Activist Trainees (PATs) and their mentors met in the Woodland Park Presbyterian Church to discuss nonviolent tactics to make positive changes on our world. By the end of the month the PATs not only gained knowledge about activism but also about facilitation, leadership, and group organizing. Each day the team grew closer as we learned about ourselves and each other. I think that I can safely speak for the others on the program say that we left the training with our minds much more full and with 11 new friends. (And as an extra bonus we received a little compensation for our time, thanks to the Abe Keller Peace Education Fund.)
It would be impossible to pick out one favorite memory from the four weeks because every day was a unique adventure. But if I had to choose one highlight that all the participants thoroughly enjoyed it would be visiting Josh Simpson and Greg Miller. Josh and Greg are two young, friendly, muscular guys who like coffee and are also Iraq veterans. We met them outside of Joint Base Lewis McChord in Coffee Strong, an anti-war, pro-GI coffee shop that Josh helped found and where Greg volunteers. The PATs had the privilege of hearing their stories and perspectives of the wars in the Middle East. We learned that instead of fighting for freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan our army is fighting on the side of injustice and corruption. Josh told us how he was trained to arrest innocent Iraqis and hold them in prison without trial. Greg exposed the truth about how the army manipulates soldiers to believe that all Middle Easterners are terrorists. He also explained how the army distributes false information to recruit youth.
By the end of the two-hour talk with these insightful men, the PATs were horrified, a little confused but mostly determined to not sit idly by and let these policies continue. We wanted to enlighten the public on the atrocities our government is committing. So for our group project we put together a variety show for our friends, family, and the Seattle community. The PATs invited the veterans to speak at the event. We all read poetry which was written by the trainees and friends of the trainees. We heard original songs and spoken word. All who attended our night of nonviolence discussed the root causes of violence and methods to make Seattle safer. In a way, every person who attended the show also became an activist.
The PATs have plans to continue questioning the world in which we live to promote justice and create a sunnier future. So watch out, you might get a dose of activism soup coming your way.