Peace School

Peace School News Spring 2010

Posted: 171 days ago by Jon Dorsett

In this edition of Peace School News we have a reflection on working in an inter-faith context from an ex-peaceschooler; some thoughts on the impacts of income inequality on communities; details of an upcoming Peace School taster day; and updates on the activities, events and news of some of our partners…

Playing Chicken with Society: Income inequality and its devastating social impact – by Jonathan Dorsett

Posted: 172 days ago by Jon Dorsett

A few years ago I was challenged by a friend to imagine what our world would look like if instead of money as currency our communities were based on the trading of chickens. In this world of chicken trading it would be very obvious if one person’s ‘wealth’ of chickens was dramatically more than that of someone else. If the community found themselves in a time of scarcity with very few chickens, and one person had a backyard full of chickens, the inequality would be visible for all to see, and the moral obligation on the chicken horder towards the rest of the community would be obvious…

Facing Difference: Building interfaith relationships of respect in Sheffield – by Aglaia Barraclough

Posted: 172 days ago by Jon Dorsett

Negative feelings can sometimes creep up on you. They are very unwelcome. One day I was in Sheffield city centre, people watching. I saw a woman dressed in a hijab and nikab, her whole body, head and face completely covered in black cloth, walking a few steps behind a man dressed in a salwar kameez, his face covered with a beard. As I watched them I felt angry and perplexed. I thought ‘surely this is not what she wants; surely this woman is being oppressed by this man, by her culture, by her religion’, ‘doesn’t she realise she doesn’t have to dress like that here!’ ...

A Taste of Shalom: A Peace School/SPEAK taster day

Posted: 172 days ago by Jon Dorsett

Over the past few years a number of people have said that they would like to engage with some of the Peace School themes and material, but either aren’t able to sign up for the full year programme or are a little intimidated by starting with a week long residential where they don’t know what to expect or anyone else taking part. So, both to resource people with a one-day space for theological reflection on shalom activism, and to enable potential participants to gain a flavour of what Peace School might be like, we have teamed up with our friends at the SPEAK Network to put on a taster day in Manchester this May…