[SDCPJ] Nonviolent Peaceforce San Diego, MLK Day and SFN Calendar, and Gandhi Living Nonviolence HO

Nonviolent Peaceforce San Diego invites you to join us in celebrating MLK and the Season for Nonviolence 2009   Nonviolent Peaceforce San Diego (NPSD) invites all of San Diego to join us in celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) and the Season for Nonviolence (SNV).    January 19 is the birthday of MLK. Gandhi King Chavez Season for Nonviolence, January 30 - April 4, is a national 64-day educational, media, and grassroots campaign dedicated to demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform, and empower our lives and our communities. Inspired by the 50th and 30th memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this international event honors their vision for an empowered, nonviolent world.    Now is a perfect time to resolve to celebrate, study and practice nonviolence in the coming year(s).    NPSD wants to help you follow through on your resolution.    There are many MLK SNV celebrations and activities in the San Diego area.  We hope that you can attend at least one of these and, better yet, get involved with on-going groups and activities. Attached is a calendar of the ones that we know about.  If you know of others that should be added let us know and we will add them before the next distribution.  Let us know if you want to receive updates!   President-Elect Barack Obama has appeared on You Tube asking Americans across the U.S. to participate in service projects on MLK Day as an official part of his inauguration. He and Vice President-Elect Joseph Biden and their families will be performing service work in Washington, D.C. on MLK Day in this nationwide effort. You may have received a related email from Michelle Obama introducing the usaservice.org website.  It is an amazing example of how technology can be used to inspire and connect people for good.  Enter your zip code and get a list of local service projects.  Check it out!  San Diego projects listed on this Presidential Inaugural Committee service project website are included in our calendar.   Of course we want to take this opportunity to highlight the following NPSD activities.    Study Gandhi with NPSD   We invite you to join us on Saturday, March 7 for a study/discussion session "Living Nonviolence – The Wisdom of Gandhi (in his own words)", 1:15 pm, Library, St. David's Episcopal Church, 5050 Milton, San Diego (Clairemont neighborhood).    Or we invite you to host your own study/discussion session "Living Nonviolence – The Wisdom of Gandhi (in his own words).  We encourage you to invite friends to come to your home or sponsor a session at your church or community center.  Attached is a packet of materials to guide you.  You do not have to have studied Gandhi to lead this group.  If you cannot join us or organize your own session we invite you to study the materials on your own!   Co-sponsor or participate in Nonviolent Conflict Intervention Training   Last year NPSD co-sponsored six one-day Nonviolent Conflict Intervention (NCI) trainings with local churches and community organizations.  We are looking for co-sponsors again this year. If you are interested in attending a training (we will put you on a contact list) or are part of a group that might be interested in being a co-sponsor, please contact us.  We also offer a practice/introduction NCI session after our monthly meetings held the first Saturday of every month (see previous section for time and directions).   About Nonviolent Peaceforce  NP was conceived in 1999 as a continuation of Gandhi's vision of a "Shanti Sena", or peace army. NP recruits, trains and financially supports civilians from around the world who deploy in areas of conflict. NP teams are nonpartisan and unarmed. NP peacekeeping forces apply proven nonviolent strategies to protect human rights, deter violence, and help create space for local peacemakers to carry out their work. More, information about the Nonviolent Peaceforce can be found at www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org.   NPSD supports international activities through community education, training, and fund-raising.   NPSD looks forward to working with the San Diego community to celebrate, study, and practice nonviolence during 2009 and in the coming year(s).  For information about NPSD contact me, carrollboone@yahoo.com, 619-697-3223; Debby Park, rayandeb@gmail.com, 858-270-59768 Gloria Joyce, Gloria@NPSanD.org, 619-276-5232.