Raising Peace Festival 2022
17-21 September 2022
The Raising Peace online festival celebrated the International Day of Peace, from 17-21 September.
It has never been more important for all of us to come together in support of a peace-full world. The Raising Peace Festival is a forum where together we can learn more about peace in all its forms, from the most personal to peace among nations. It’s also a place where participants can equip themselves to act in support of peace.
Leading off with a day led by First Nations people discussing the Uluru Statement from the Heart and more, our festival also celebrated the great women activists of Greenham Common, hosted participatory workshops to unlock your own peace practice, and dived deep into matters of security, diplomacy and peacemaking in the Pacific. We also joined with others in celebrating the International Day of Peace itself on 21 September.
All events are available to watch online, whether you missed them or want to catch them again.
Event Overview...
Our Vision
Raising Peace is an alliance of more than 30 organisations that together are working to share ideas, knowledge and inspiration for a peaceful world.
The Raising Peace Network celebrates and raises the profile of peace, peacemaking and nonviolence. We have a strong belief in the ability of people and countries to prioritise peacemaking, to sustain peace and to work for a future where violence and war is no longer an acceptable way to settle conflict. We acknowledge the peaceful existence of First Nations peoples across Australia before colonisation and into the present.
Through our activities we unite peacemakers to learn from and support each other and to educate the community about peace, in all its forms.
Our Values
While comprising of many diverse groups and individuals, the Raising Peace Network shares the following values that inspire us to act together for peace:
- We believe that the pursuit of peace and the nonviolent resolution of conflict, by individuals, communities and nations, is the path to our best shared future.
- We are committed to the realisation of the rights and recognition of First Nations people in Australia, notably through the implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
- We support war veterans and remember those killed in wars as they remind us of the long aftermath of the horrors of warfare.
- We advocate for diplomacy, led by a professional and well-resourced diplomatic service, to develop cooperative relationships with other countries and to contribute to conflict negotiations between and in countries to avoid violent conflict.
- We believe that Australia, as an island continent, will be more peaceful and secure as an independent, defensive state than as an allied, offensive one. Military expenditure is to defend Australia, not for involvement in wars in foreign countries.
- We believe that Australia’s R&D and manufacturing industries should be used for peaceful purposes, not to support military industries and exports.
We work to:
- be a network that brings together the many organisations and individuals working for peace by creating opportunities to learn from each other, for new collaborations to develop and to explore inter-related issues such as First Nations and climate change impacts
- showcase and celebrate a broad range of initiatives, ongoing work and successes in promoting peace through voluntary and paid work by individuals, local, national and international organisations, educational institutions and other networks.
- contribute to a broad-based peace movement in Australia
- promote and foster the teaching of nonviolent approaches to conflict resolution in inter-personal relationships as well as in community, national and international contexts
- encourage and sustain one another as we work for peace and create a positive engagement in its ongoing process
- attract and engage young people in learning and taking action for peace
- promote the United Nations International Day of Peace, 21 September
2021 Raising Peace Festival - an amazing success!
11 days, 37 events, 35 organisations, 120 speakers, 1000 attendees. The event was truly heartening. Standing together for peace, sharing our experience and passion for peace, we can do so much together.
Watch recordings of the sessions here.
Make a donation here.
And if you only have 3 minutes, watch the closing statement from IPAN’s Nick Deane:
International Volunteers for Peace (IVP)
The Australian branch for Service Civil International (SCI), one of the world’s largest Global Volunteering Networks with Branches in 44 countries and 106 Partners and Contacts in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. More than 5000 volunteers participate in hundreds of volunteer projects each year.
IVP is a non-profit local community group. it focuses on organising volunteering opportunities around worthwhile community needs and causes, for which it recruits participants from Australia and all across the world through its global network.
IVP activities are aimed at encouraging understanding among peoples and promoting discussion and an appreciation of the problems that different communities face in their struggles for social justice and environmental harmony.
The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF, NSW)
- Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) brings a feminist perspective to the analysis of root causes of war and conflict, and emphasises the gendered impacts of conflict and war.
- WILPF has a transformative vision for permanent global peace, where a just economy and social, environmental and gender justice is achieved for all.
- WILPF brings together women and people of diversity from around the world who are united in working for peace by non-violent means; and encourages young women and others to participate.
- WILPF is recognised as an authoritative resource, a trusted support and an ongoing stable anchor point in the area of peace activism.
IPAN has the vision of an independent and peaceful Australia.
It advocates for that movement.
IPAN is a network of organisations around Australia – community, faith-based and peace groups, trade unions and concerned individuals. It aims to build public dialogue and apply pressure for a truly independent foreign policy for Australia. It wants our government to play a positive role in solving international conflicts peacefully, i.e. without resorting to armed conflict.
IPAN is currently conducting a ‘People’s Inquiry’ exploring the case for an independent and peaceful Australia, with specific reference to the Australia/USA alliance. Submissions to the inquiry from any interested party are welcomed!
See also:Independent Peaceful Australia
About Raising Peace
How did Raising Peace start?
Raising Peace began on the initiative of International Volunteers for Peace (IVP) as a way to celebrate the 100 years anniversary of our founding organisation, Service Civil International (SCI). The name also links us with the Raising Peace campaign of the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS). We are delighted to have Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) and the NSW branch of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) as co-organisers.
What is the aim?
The name was chosen to celebrate and raise the profile of peace rather than the celebrations of war that we so often see held at official levels.
Raising Peace will bring together the myriad of organisations working for peace in all its manifestations. Mainly from NSW but also the East coast of Australia and nearby Asia-Pacific areas. There will be opportunities to learn from each other and for new collaborations to develop.