Dear Reader,

As the COVID-19 forces organisations to cancel events, Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace & Reconciliation has created the Coventry TeleConference website which will allow any group, community or organisation to organise a free, high-quality video conference.

The website will give preference to based in the city, although they will consider requests from elsewhere. They have already scheduled around 10 events, large and small. Visit the CovTeleCon website to find out more.

Please do let us know of any peace-related news or activities happening in or near Coventry and we will be happy to add them to our website http://coventrycityofpeace.uk and include them in a future edition of this newsletter.

Philip Brown
Chair, Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace & Reconciliation
covlmpc@gmail.com

Peace News

Coventry TeleConference Facility Launched

In the face of the current restrictions on meetings due to COVID-19, Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace and Reconciliation have launched a teleconference facility aimed at bringing communities together for meetings of up to 99 people for up to 24 hours duration using high-quality video and clear sound at no cost. They will be using Zoom, the market leading …

World BEYOND War

World BEYOND War is a global nonviolent movement to end war and establish a just and sustainable peace. We aim to create awareness of popular support for ending war and to further develop that support. We work to advance the idea of not just preventing any particular war but abolishing the entire institution. We strive to replace a culture of …

Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP)

Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP)

Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) is a peer mentoring programme that aims to create safe and supportive learning environments by challenging bullying and abuse, building relationships and creating partnerships between schools and communities. MVP trains secondary school students to speak out against all forms of bullying, violence and abusive behaviour and focuses on an innovative 'bystander' approach that empowers each student …

Together for Change

The Diocese of Coventry's mission strategy is "Worshipping God, Making new disciples and Transforming communities". With this in mind, 'Together For Change' was formed – a charitable joint venture between the Diocese of Coventry and the Church Urban Fund to resource and equip churches to transform their communities and tackle issues of systemic poverty. More Information Web page: http://www.dioceseofcoventry.org/TFC Jet …

Japanese Peace Garden Project

Japanese Peace Garden Project

Article by Rebecca Bollands, Deputy Head, Howes Primary School. The project started as an education project involving five Coventry primary schools and a Noh theatre group "Between the Stones". The school communities learnt about the links between Coventry and Hiroshima especially the importance of reconciliation and peace. The final part of the project was for pupils to design miniature Japanese …

Rough Sleepers in Coventry

The following newsletter with information about programmes and projects to help people sleeping rough in Coventry was produced by Paul Maddocks, Chair of Coventry Action for Neighbourhoods.

Netanyahu-Trump "peace plan"

This statement by Lakhdar Brahimi was originally published on 4 March. Lakhdar Brahimi is an Algerian diplomat who served as the United Nations and Arab League Special Envoy to Syria until 14 May 2014. Last month, The Elders marked thirty years since Nelson Mandela was released from imprisonment by South Africa’s apartheid regime: we looked back on shared memories of our courageous founder. Mandela …

Places of Peace (POP)

What is a ‘Place of Peace’? A Place of Peace (or POP for short!) is an initiative of the Bishop of Coventry to engage faith communities to respond to youth violence in Coventry. It consists of an after-school safe space for young people aged 10-14. Although the venues are religious buildings, there will be no religious content to the youth …

Forthcoming Peace-Related Events

CovTeleCon Website Launch Party

CovTeleCon Website Launch Party

Philip Brown cordially invites Coventry community leaders (and anyone else who might be interested) to the launch of the exciting new website CovTeleCon.uk at 4pm on Sunday, 5 April 2020. This amazing website will allow communities in Coventry to run high-quality teleconferences for up to 99 people at no cost. This will probably be the first teleconference ever created using this website, so it …

International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda

United Nations General Assembly has designated 7 April as the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, recalling that Hutu and others who opposed the genocide were also killed. This date marks the start of the 1994 genocide. Every year, on or around that date, the United Nations organizes commemorative events at its Headquarters in …

UN75 Teleconference

Coventry United Nations Coventry Branch will be running a teleconference on 16 April to enable people to participate in UN75, the biggest-ever global conversation on the role of global cooperation in building the future we want. The establishment and preservation of peace is one of the main aims of the UN, so supporters of the Lord Mayor's Committee might want …

Online Climate Change Debate

Online Climate Change Debate

Which is the bigger threat: climate change or COVID-19? UNA Coventry will run an online debate from 7-9pm on 23 April to finally settle this question, using the motion: This house believes that climate change is a far bigger threat than COVID-19 Click here to book your place at this online debate. You will receive an email with a link …

Online Celebration of International Nurses Day

International Nurses Day is organised annually on 12 May by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) to celebrate the contribution that nurses make to societies around the world. In this year of COVID-19 when nurses around the world are under greater stress and in greater danger than usual, this is a good time to show them we, the public, really …

Family Day Teleconference

The International Day of Families is observed on the 15th of May every year. Activities include workshops and conferences, radio and television programmes, newspaper articles and cultural programmes highlighting relevant themes. To celebrate the day we will be running a meeting from 10am to 9pm in which families can meet up. Anyone can drop in whenever they want. No account …

International Day of Living Together in Peace Teleconference

This event will be held as a teleconference on 16 May, the International Day of Living Together in Peace. To book your place click here. The adoption of this day was the result of efforts by International Alawiyya Sufi Association (AISA International). Background to their work can be found here. Their mission is “to create a worldwide movement in favor …

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International Day of UN Peacekeepers

The General Assembly of the United Nations has designated 29 May as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. This is the date when in 1948 the first UN peacekeeping mission named the "United Nations Truce Supervision Organization", or UNTSO, began operations in Palestine. On this day, we pay tribute to the professionalism, dedication and courage of all the men …

World No Tobacco Day

World No Tobacco Day

31 May is World No Tobacco Day. To help people stop smoking CovTeleCon will be running an event from 10am to 8pm at which people can drop in to share ideas about how to stop smoking and prevent young people from starting. No need to book. Click here any time between 10:00 and 20:00 on 31 May 2020 to join the …

Refugee Week 2020

Refugee Week takes place every year across the world in the week around World Refugee Day on the 20 June. In the UK, Refugee Week is a nationwide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK, and encourages a better understanding between communities. Refugee Week started in 1998 as a direct reaction to …

International Day of Peace

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. Sustainable Development Goal 16 “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions” calls for promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access …

Coventry Peace Lecture 2020

Coventry Peace Lecture 2020

12 November will present a rare opportunity to hear the UK's ex Chief Scientific Adviser and Special Representative for Climate Change share his insight and wisdom. Some people claim that Covid19 is the world’s biggest threat since the end of World War II. It has galvanised governments into action because it is an immediate and obvious danger. But, within a …

Ruined and Rebuilt

This classic book is on sale now in hardback or paperback and would make an ideal and unique gift. On the night of 14 November 1940, Reverend Richard Howard, Provost of Coventry Cathedral, was one of four firefighters who climbed onto the roof to smother with sand the incendiary bombs that were landing not just on the Cathedral but starting …

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Website and newsletter created by Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace and Reconciliation

For their generous support, the Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace and Reconciliation expresses our thanks to the Lord Mayor's Office and Coventry City Council. We also thank Coventry Cathedral, Coventry University and Warwick University for their support and assistance.