International Day of Peace:   Sept. 21

On September 21, US Servas will host a nationwide hybrid conference in honor of the International Day of Peace. Members will gather in person as local or regional groups to plan local activities and engagement, and we will have guest speakers and presenters Zoom in. Plan on 4-6 hours, with a group lunch in the middle.

Those members interested in helping to coordinate a local or regional event, please contact the US Servas Peace Secretary, Karen Morian at: karen.morian@usservas.org

by Karen Morian, U.S. Servas Peace Secretary, with G. Scott Brown

Our society is currently in a disconnected and divisive period. Many of us have lost the desire to engage in difficult conversations because they are hurtful and seem to lead nowhere. U.S. Servas is committed to supporting our members, both travelers and hosts in re-entering that conversational space where we can learn the most from each other and move forward together. This guide is a tool to help us be more engaged with others. It IS worth the effort to connect with others and to build new relationships as we recommit to Servas core mission of building a more peaceful world.

When approaching difficult conversations bring your curiosity, humility, and empathy. Leave your desires to debate, critique, or judge outside. Check these regularly. Set your intentions to have a peaceful conversation. 

Keep Context in Mind: The times we live in are insane. The root meaning of the word insane is “not whole.” Disconnection, insecurity, and fear are pervasive. Even just the intention of wanting to connect and have authentic conversations counts for a lot! Insanity is only part of the story, and not the largest part. This earth we share is filled with beauty and wonder, mystery, and love. Paradox is everywhere: the light and dark, health and hurt, creation and destruction. Keeping the Big Picture in mind can help you keep your seat when the going gets rough! What is the Big Picture for you and what are your intentions? Get very clear about this. The following “Rs” can be very useful as intentions.

Responsibility: The real challenge of connecting conversations is to always look at ourselves and the necessity to continue our personal evolution toward greater self-awareness, understanding, and love. This is the territory of personal responsibility and it’s the foundation not just for healthy conversations and relationships but empowered and fulfilling lives.

It’s all too easy to say to ourselves: “don’t take it personally” or “don’t judge others.” But we will take it personally and we will judge others unless we make a real practice out of taking personal responsibility. This doesn’t mean being perfect or shaming ourselves when we fall short. It means staying awake, staying with our intentions.

Resources:  We all have things we do that help us relax and come back to center: taking a walk, listening to music, talking things out with a friend... Bringing more consciousness and intention to the ways we “resource” ourselves builds our capacity to stay grounded.

Relationship: Prioritize relationships! Since so many of our deepest needs and longings are only met through relationships, developing relationships themselves is primary, and more important than any issue you might want to discuss. When your ego is wounded, you say the wrong thing, or are misunderstood, come back to your intentions, to personal responsibility, to your resources, and prioritize relationships.

Respect and Repair: All the above lay the foundation for respect and the ability to repair a damaged relationship. An easily overlooked aspect of respect is self-respect. When we’ve caused harm, it’s often easy to fall into feelings of shame. This is when we need to come back to the center, back into our adult selves. By doing this, we show respect for ourselves, for others, and for the relationship.

A commitment to responsibility, resources, relationship, and respect makes it possible to repair harm when it occurs — which it will! We are sensitive beings with nervous systems designed for connection. It’s time we normalize the hurt and disconnection that is an unavoidable aspect of relationships and strive to be authentic. By framing harm as unmet human needs, we humanize it, and avoid the blame game.

Without ongoing repair—as a natural and basic aspect of a healthy relationship—it is practically inevitable that relationships (and conversations) will run aground on the shores of resentment and disconnection.

The Practice: Knowing we can never know the full experience of another can bring a helpful humility and sincere curiosity.

• Be curious and listen to understand. Conversation is as much about listening as it is about talking. You might enjoy exploring how others’ experiences have shaped their values and perspectives.
• Show respect and suspend judgment. People are tribal and tend to judge one another because they are different. Setting judgement aside opens you up to learning from others and makes them feel respected and appreciated. Try to truly listen, without interruption or crosstalk.
• Seek common ground as well as clarifying any differences. Look for areas of agreement or shared values that may exist and take an interest in the differing beliefs and opinions of others.
• Be authentic and welcome that in others. Share what’s important to you. Speak from your experience. Be considerate of others who are doing the same.
• Be purposeful and to the point. Do your best to keep your comments concise and relevant to the questions to which you are responding. Be conscious of sharing airtime with other participants.
• Own and guide the conversation. Take responsibility for the quality of your participation and the conversation. Be proactive in getting yourself and others back on track if needed. Use an agreed upon signal like the “time out” sign if you feel the agreements are not being honored.

 

Thanks to G. Scott Brown of https://4activepeace.com/ for his work on this guide and his ongoing work to build a more peaceful world.

by Kent Macauley

For two weeks in March each year, the United Nations holds a major conference on women's rights and gender equality.  This is the UN Commission on the Status of Women promotes women’s rights, documents the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shapes global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.  This year's 68th conference (CSW68) is being held in New York City from March 11 to 22.  Twenty Servas members worldwide (four from North America) have been selected to attend CSW68 in-person. Visit the US CSW68 webpage for more information.

The NGO-CSW68 Forum is organized by and for civil society and non-governmental organizations like Servas. The Forum helps educate and advocate on the gender equality issues that the UN member countries are discussing at that moment.  The Forum is huge and dynamic, typically with between 700 and 800 online, in-person, and hybrid “parallel events” (1- to-2-hour webinars and discussions) on a wide array of gender equality topics. 

The forum coincides with the CSW68 dates - March 11-22. This year, many of the Forum’s parallel events will focus on the CSW68 priority theme of women and poverty, and on the review theme of social protection for women.  We are excited that Servas is organizing and will be offering three of the parallel events as follows:

March 16 • Servas Taiwan • Economic and social resilience of older rural women

March 18 • Rachel Elion Baird (US Servas) • The situation of North American Indigenous women

March 19 • Servas India, with Servas Mexico • Anti-poverty work by local organizations working with women

You are warmly invited to participate in the Forum virtually.  As your first step in participating online, please complete the online Servas Application Form.  After doing so, you will receive further information by email.  Registration is free.

 

By David Schwartz and Andrea Veltman  

Are you ready for some good news about refugees in the United States? In 2023, over 60,000 were admitted legally. We don't know how many will be admitted in 2024, but it is likely to be in the tens of thousands. All of them will need sponsors. Most refugees are sponsored by groups and many of the groups are church based. David Schwartz and Andrea Veltman, longtime Servas members from Oakland, CA, would like to create another kind of sponsorship group: Servas members. We (David and Andrea) hope to help organize one or more groups; they can be anywhere in the USA.  

What does refugee sponsorship mean?It means being a route to safety for people coming from difficult or desperate circumstances. It can be transformative for both the sponsored and the sponsors. Sponsorship can mean contributions of money, time or both. There are many ways to raise funds and there are plenty of ways to help. Refugees need help with a wide range of tasks to settle into a new life in a new place. In other words, whether or not you can contribute dollars, you may be able to make a valuable contribution.  

What are we planning now?We are looking for Servas members who would like to begin discussions (via videoconference) of the ins and outs, ups and downs, pros and cons of refugee sponsorship. Once we understand what’s involved, we may move on to forming one or more local groups to begin the process of refugee sponsorship. We are only seeking a discussion group, not a commitment to sponsor or lead a group.  

This is what will be discussed.  

• the requirements of sponsorship  

• how to raise the funds required to sponsor an individual or family  

• how to organize a Servas group in your area  

• how local Servas groups can support one another  

• other topics that you add to the agenda  

What does this have to do with Servas? Any groups formed by this process will not be official Servas bodies. But as Servas members, we know that Servas cares about peace and justice; giving refugees a chance to restart their lives in a safe environment furthers both. Servas is about cross-cultural communication and learning; hosting refugees provides an opportunity for communication and learning in both directions. Servas is about making connections; sponsoring refugees is an opportunity to make connections that might last a lifetime.  

How can you join the discussion? To attend Register Here. The discussion group will have its first meeting (virtually) on:

              Saturday, Feb 10^th, at 9:00 am Pacific                    10am MT • 11am CT • 12pm ET

If you would like to be part of this effort but cannot attend the Feb 10th meeting, please send an email to David at david@davidschwartz.com and he will put you on a list to receive future announcements. (Please write “Refugee Discussion Group” in the subject line.)  

How can you learn more? You’ll find a plethora of helpful information about welcoming refugees to the USA at welcome.us and welcomecorps.org. Plan to learn from like-minded fellow Servas members at our meeting on Feb. 10^th, as above. Questions, comments, encouragement?  Send an email to David Schwartz with “Refugee Discussion Group” in the subject line. Please share any relevant information including your location.  

We are happy to invite you and would be honored to have you join the 3rd Servas Peace Forum, which will be hosted by Taiwan on Saturday, December 2nd from 7:00 – 8:30 AM Eastern time. The subject of the meeting will be “Partnership with local communities and universities."

Recently, Servas Taiwan collaborated with a community in a remote area to host Travelers. Both sides felt things went very well. Soon, Servas Taiwan will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Providence University to encourage more youth to join Servas. Come to see what they did and how to achieve this in your area. Here is a link to Register.

We look forward to meeting you online. In peace and friendship,

Francisco Salomón Luna Aburto / Mei Wang

Servas International Peace Secretaries

"Servas International has the overarching, long-term vision of a peaceful world, and its mission is to contribute to achieving this goal." 

by Francisco Salomon Luna and Mei Wang (Servas International’s Peace Secretaries)  

You are warmly invited to apply to Servas International to participate in the sixty-eighth UN CSW68 conference. The Servas International CSW68 Coordinating Team has been working on the event for some time. The team consists of Francisco Salomon Luna and Mei Wang, Hamsa Singh (SI Coordinator to the UN), Paige LaCombe (US Servas) and Kent Macaulay (Servas Canada). In addition to the core group, other Servas members have begun the legwork to organize Servas' virtual and online participation.    

Servas International has consultative status with the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council. This status enables Servas members to participate in a number of UN conferences and meetings. One of these conferences is the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) that takes place in March each year. The purpose of CSW is to strengthen gender equality, which is one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Servas members have been participating in CSW for the past five years, in the belief that we cannot have lasting peace in the world until we have much greater equality for all. 

About CSW68: The next CSW conference--CSW68--will take place at the UN in New York from March 11 to 22, 2024. It will have the priority theme of empowering women and girls by addressing poverty and by strengthening institutions and financing. The conference will also be reviewing social protection systems for women and girls, their access to public services, and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality. Representatives of the UN’s member countries, UN agencies and NGOs will have discussions that lead to Agreed Conclusions about what they will do to strengthen gender equality. 

 Servas International has submitted a written statement to the CSW68 convenors on the topic of women, poverty and armed conflict in time to meet the early October deadline for such submissions. Here is a link to the full written statement 

The NGO-CSW Forum:

The NGO-CSW Forum is organized by and for global civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Servas to help connect them with the official CSW68 process described above. The Forum has over 750 “parallel events” that inform and inspire grassroots efforts and gender equality advocacy around the world. Although the NGO-CSW Forum takes place at the same time and complements CSW68, it is a separate process with separate organizers. 

Servas International offered its first-ever parallel event at the 2023 Forum—a virtual session on Afghan refugee women and on Servas Tűrkiye’s Peace School. We are currently discussing the possibility of Servas offering two or three parallel events at the upcoming NGO-CSW Forum in March. 

There is no limit on the number of Servas members who can register to attend the Forum virtually. If you are interested in this, please complete and submit the Application Form by January 26. Servas will have online sessions during the weeks prior to the Forum to provide further information. 

Participate in the UN CSW68 Conference

The UN will allow up to 20 Servas members to attend CSW68 in-person in New York. We want all of these Servas members to attend the first week of CSW68 (March 11 to 15). If you are interested in this, please complete and submit the Application Form by December 5. The five-person CSW68 Coordinating Team will then decide which 20 Servas members will attend in-person.

CSW68 and the NGO-CSW Forum are excellent opportunities for Servas members to learn, network and contribute to make the world a more equal and peaceful place. We welcome your interest in participating. 

by Dr. Hamsavahini Singh, Peace Secretary, Servas India & Servas International’s UN Coordinator. 

Servas International has the overarching, long-term vision of a peaceful world, and its mission is to contribute to achieving this goal.

Friends, now when we are about to celebrate International Peace Day it seems necessary to ask ourselves the question if we are " International " anymore?Are we willing to encourage, to invite, to welcome others, our brothers and sisters on this our common property,  this earth, to visit us in our homes, in our communities, in our countries, to enjoy what we have been blessed with, our resources, our know-how, our technology, to  give them our time, our friendship, our love and affection, to make them feel at home? Or, should we confront ourselves with the question whether we have become more and more narrow-minded, small hearted, selfish, greedy, regional, parochial, ultra-nationalistic, warmongering, disturbing, arrogant, violent, threatening Peace? 

Today the world seems to be a more frightful place than ever before with regional wars and local conflicts fueled by mistrust, distrust, mutual hostility based upon creed, caste and color of the skin with programs to deprive, displace and drive out hundreds of thousands of hapless men, women and children from their habitat, homes and homelands. Every hour of the day we come across tragic, painful, devastating reports from many parts of the world about human beings like ourselves forced to flee from their homes, from war, religious bigotry, rising prices  and climate change and the  resulting destruction at home in small, flimsy, unseaworthy, over-burdened boats risking their lives and everything they may have been able to pick-up and carry with them to find sanctuaries in strange lands for themselves, their families, their children, their future generations. 
Mahatma Gandhi, a great source of inspiration to the likes of Bob Luitweiler and his cofounders of Servas, to Martin Luther King, to Nelson Mandela and many other " Peace-builders " around the world remarked something like this that "There is enough on this earth to provide for the "needs" of everyone but certainly not enough to satisfy the “greed" of anyone." 

Our greed has angered Mother Nature. Our mindless hunger for more and yet more has scorched the Earth, has heated the Sky, has poisoned the Water. We are having more wildfires in more and more places, we have unprecedented droughts, heatwaves, floods, storms, hurricanes, cyclones and tsunamis challenging our existence. 
It was said that "The meek shall inherit the Earth." But we are not meek, we are not humble, we are not respectful to others, we are not friendly, we do not love ourselves anymore, those around us, our environment, the world around us, our brother trees and our sister rivers and rivulets and lakes and ponds.  

If we really desire to have peace amongst us in our world in our lifetime, we will first have to overcome our greed and stop our mindless consumption; we must be prepared to share our hearts, our minds, our concerns, our time, our know-how, our resources. Only through sharing, through love and friendship, through empathy and cooperation, through understanding and mutual respect, through deliberations and dialogue shall we be able to bring genuine and lasting peace to us, to our world. 
We must cease to do anything to others which we would never wish   to be done to ourselves. 

What is the way forward? How do we go from here, from this dark, dreadful, dangerous present to the bright, peaceful, happy future?  Yes, we can reach our destination, peace, joy and happiness by adopting the Values of Servas. Our beloved and esteemed family of the members of Servas open the doors to their homes, their hearts to others, to share what they have with others. We, the members of Servas can share and spread this Gospel of Love, mutual trust, friendship, active cooperation, harmony and understanding the view-points of others locally by word of mouth, by holding regular meetings of the members, by inviting others to such meetings and introducing them to the vision and values of Servas and encouraging them to become members, by writing newsletters, by writing stories and sharing experiences about the visits of our guests in newspapers and through digital media, by doing presentations about Servas in schools and colleges, in churches, synagogues, mosques and temples and clubs and associations and fraternities in our communities, in our neighborhoods. 

On the occasion of“International Peace Day” let me share a very nice PeaceWish from the ancient Yajurveda. 

"May peace radiate there in the whole sky as well as in the vast ethereal space everywhere. May peace reign all over this earth, in water and in all herbs, trees and creepers. May peace flow over the whole universe. May peace be in the supreme being Brahman. And may there always exist in all peace and peace alone." 

by Bill Magargal 

US Servas presented the first-time ever Peace Awards to two outstanding members, Deborah Shimkus and Carol Trible. Because both applicants were equally inspiring, dedicated, and "noteworthy", the board decided that they would both share our "Most Noteworthy" designation, thus each will receive up to $500 reimbursement for their conference attendance & travel costs, plus each of their umbrella NGOs will receive a $500 donation from US Servas in the awardee's name. Both recipients also received a leather passport holder embossed with their name and the Servas logo (see photo). 

Carol Trible received this award for her long-time work with Tucson Samaritans. The Samaritan volunteers, known as SAMs, go into the Sonoran Desert to provide water and humanitarian relief to migrants attempting to cross the treacherous and deadly landscape, made even more so by the US Border policies set in the late nineties. Carol gave an excellent twenty-minute presentation at the national conference about the Samaritans' ongoing efforts to reduce migrant deaths in the desert. The statistics on this are staggering. To view a video of Carol's presentation, visit our YouTube video. For more information about the SAMs and what they do, see Carol's article, A Walk In the Desert, which appears in the August 2023 Open Doors newsletter. 

Deborah Shimkus received a Peace Award for her many years of volunteer work with "Together Women Rise", a powerful community of women and allies dedicated to achieving global gender equality. This organization helps empower women around the world by providing a substantial ($30,000 to $50,000) grant each month to an organization that empowers women and girls in low-income countries. Deborah works at the grassroots level as a regional coordinator, talking to women she meets, encouraging chapters to form, to raise funds for the grants.

Due to prior commitments Deborah was unable to attend the conference, but she did send us a moving letter that was read to the attendees by Karen Morian, our new Peace Secretary. For more information about this life-altering organization visit the Together Women Rise website. 

Servas Tanzania will host a painting workshop where attendees will paint artwork for a Servas Tanzania Art Auction. If attendees are uncertain of their abilities, local artists will be there to provide guidance and instruction. Proceeds from the auction will benefit rural people with disabilities by providing wheelchairs, tricycles, and other devices to people with mobility issues. 

The project is spearheaded by David Kabambo, a Servas Malawi member. Mr. Kabambo donated 18 paintings to Servas India for the arts auction held during SICOGA. His art-- upbeat, colorful depictions of African scenes and wildlife brings smiles to all who see it.  

From 2016-2022, David Kabambo, engaged friends from Rotarian Clubs to raise funds to purchase 57 wheelchairs that were donated to people with a mobility disability living in rural areas.He hopes that this new project will result in the donation of 100 wheelchairs.  

After the workshop, Mr. Kabambo, has arranged for attendees to visit Serengeti National Park. The workshop and safari will surely delight participants and create long lasting memories, new friendships, while contributing to the improvement of many lives in rural Tanzania. 

The project will occur in 2024. Open Doors will run updates as we get more information on this project. 

by Francisco Salomón Luna Aburto & Mei Wang, Servas International Peace Secretaries 

On behalf of the EXCO,  I want to thank you for your participation in the meeting that was held August 6^th, 2023 to plan activities  celebrating the anniversary of Servas, the International Day of Peace, and International Servas Week.There were 32 attendees from 26 countries, so by any measure, it was a success. Here is a link to a recording of the event.We had several great presentations during the conference including one by Mr. David Kabamboof Servas Tanzania entitled Artists Peace Safari... see Sept. 2023 article “Tanzania - Art to Benefit People with Disabilities.” 

Call to carry out a walk for peace during the month of September.  

Let's take advantage of the month of September for a  peace walk -- an opportunity to strengthen the friendship between the members of each group, invite members who are not active, promote Servas to friends and family, share with other organizations that promote peace,spend time outdoors and learn more about the organization to which we belong. Each of us can be an ambassador of peace. Here are some things we can do: 

• Look for local references to pilgrims for peace in your country. This has been a traditional practice in many places; you will learn many things about yourself and our world community. A wonderful example of this is the story of Mildred Norman’s 28 year peace pilgrimage.  

• Share the results of the activities (pictures, writing and videos) on social networks and in national and international newsletters to encourage the participation and involvement of members.  

• Visit the Servas International website to find out about events and activities to be held in different places in the world, some are even virtual,so we can all participate. 

With these actions we promote world peace.