One of the most important goals of the Envision Peace Museum is to get people actively involved in building peace. One way we can do this is by using Nonviolent Action (NVA) to fight injustices we see around us. With that in mind we are nearing completion of our first online exhibit, NVA 101. The exhibit will open in early August 2013. We have a great team helping us create the exhibit including Swarthmore College’s Global Nonviolence Action Database (GNAD) . The students and staff working on the project have been an invaluable resource and the database itself provides real examples of Nonviolent Action from around the world and throughout history.
This engaging and interactive exhibit will start by allowing viewers to choose an issue or problem that is particularly important to them. They will then follow the issue through a process of analyzing it, visioning a world without it, and strategizing how to solve it. Participants will have a variety of ways to engage and share the experience on the website: there will be engaging and informative infographics, debates to weigh-in on, videos of people working on campaigns, and more.
Along the way, viewers will gain an understanding of what NVA is and how effectively it can be used. Visitors will also learn about the work of Gene Sharp, whose seminal work on nonviolent revolutions has been a great influence on Envision and will help visitors explore nonviolent strategies and tactics.
Our hope is that those who view this exhibit will feel empowered to become actively involved in existing nonviolent action campaigns or even start there own. People can also explore NVA more deeply by going on the the GNAD website and learning about the hundreds of campaigns that have been successful already.
NVA 101 will launch not long before Peace Day Philly on Saturday, Sept 21st. This year we will be joining several other organizations at the Friends Center, where Envision offices are currently located, to create a one day conference about education for peace. The conference will include an exhibit hall with many organizations sharing the great work they do, the traveling exhibit Lost Stories, and other exciting programming. There will be workshops on variety of topics related to peace education ranging from How to Start a Campaign to Military Spending.
Beth Tinker is Director of Programs and Exhibits for Envision.