 |
Live from Bolivia! 2007 International CongressWomen Unite! Generating Peace, Creating Change! The 2007 International Congress is winding down, and the fact that this is my first time to blog speaks to the MASSIVE amount of work being done while we are here. I've hardly had a minute to hop into the fabulous hotel pool [complete with a swim-thru bar and squawking green parrots roosting in the palm trees], much less blog! :) :) Congress is a time for WILPF members to weave our hearts, spirits and minds together, to reaffirm our commitment to peace built on justice, to facilitate communication amongst the international sections and to develop program priorities for the coming three years. Somehow, we've managed to do all of that plus more in the short few days we've been together. It is completely amazing to be in the presence of so many strong women [and men!] from all over the globe. The Bolivia section has been a wonderful host, and has the most dynamic, smart amazing group of young women that I have had the opportunity to meet! We've got folks from Columbia, Sri Lanka, India, Sweeden, Denmark, Costa Rica, UK, and more! I truly feel that I am part of an international community in WILPF, the nature of WILPF that is hard to convey through emails and reports. It takes the person to person communication that we get here at Congress to really make our world community real. YWILPF had our Gertrude Baer Seminar, where we learned about the political realities in our countries, and solidified our communication and work strategy. And of course, YWILPF had a chance to do some bonding. The first night, the Bolivian ladies took us out on the town for dancing, and the El Salvador section organized a beautiful 1000 Women for Peace Exhibit at the Santa Cruz Plaza. This Congress is not without difficulties. Participatory decision making is never easy, and we have struggled together around issues of racism, finances, and constitutional amendments. While these discussions can be frustrating at the time, struggling together around key issues ultimately brings us closer. I must rush off, because I'm late to our after-dinner discussion on the Middle East crisis, but I do want to alert you to the blog posts by CJ Minster, WILPF's program chair, who has been documenting the happenings of congress each session. Check them out at http://www.socialupheaval.com/. Buenos Noches!
Submitted by kate zaidan on 25 July 2007 - 7:19pm.
nike shoes
nike shoes
jordan shoes
login or register to post comments
Trained to experience phenomena with our 5 senses, humans often forget they have a 6th sense - the brain.
What we rely upon seeing with our eyes, we ignore what we know as common sense. Viewing the iceberg we see above the water, we sometimes forget to appreciate that part of the iceberg which is under the water - and it can be very large indeed.
In assessing violence, it is not always the mere physical acts that constitute the nature of the harm done.
That is particularly true with pregnant women.
Shared chemicals between woman and fetus prompt us to recognize that what she experiences is transmitted directly to the developing infant. If that is violence, the chemical elevations of fight or flight hormones, or other stress-related hormones, become the chemicals transmitted to infants, and can cause many different problems in developing infants, some of which may not be known for years until the child is tested by the demands of education where it is required to learn, to analyze, or digest large amounts of information. Or, it may not be known until a child is required to live socially among others and exhibit a temperament consistent with the social environment.
There are physical, emotional, and intellectual ramifications of violence not yet connected that stem from violence.
Social justice has been the unique perspective of why humans must treat each other with care, to produce a civil society. But ignored are the many scientific reasons that are invoked by negligence in addressing these issues.
Scientific inquiry doesn't depend upon social justice to form the reasons any actions are taken or not taken, but is a powerful motivation once such knowledge can be incorporated in society. It is scientific knowledge that has escaped the world in its narrow view of the acceptance of violence - for what we see, discounting what we don't see. It is the scientific evidence that needs to be gathered and used to justify the importance of non-violence against women, children, and society.
Hi, I'm Darien De Lu, former US Board member.
What a wonderful tool blogging offers! My sincere thanks to those who found the time and made the effort to blog *during* the Congress!
I, too, was at the Congress, and I quite agree that it is a special place and experience where person-to-person contacts are a highlight. For me, even more important is the chance to work at a truly international level, with all that entails. Learning to work with the differences of language and culture (to say nothing of personality and politics!) gives one a much better understanding off the challenges - and the synergistic potentials - of global communications and negotiations.
By the way, you, too, can get involved in International WILPF! There are a number of International committees that work by email and want *you* to participate. If you'd like further information, send an email to Darien@wilpf.org, and I believe it will reach me in due time.
|
 Recent blog posts
 Search 
 |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License. |