Institute For Peaceable Communities Inc

SHARING PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF EFFECTIVE EGALITARIAN SELF-GOVERNANCE AND DECISION-MAKING

THE ORGANIZATION CONTINUED ITS CORE WORK OF SUPPORTING EGALITARIAN SELF-GOVERNMENT THROUGH TRAINING, CONSULTING, AND MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT AND DISTRIBUTION. OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR SOCIOCRACY FOR ALL (SOFA) MEMBERS CONSULTED WITH ABOUT 150 ORGANIZATIONS. THE ACADEMY, OUR YEAR LONG ADVANCED TRAINING PROGRAM HAD 56 PARTICIPANTS. THE SOCIOCRACY LEADERSHIP TRAINING, OUR 10 WEEK INTERMEDIATE TRAINING PROGRAM, RAN THREE TIMES WITH A TOTAL OF 44 PARTICIPANTS. WEBINARS: 1028 PEOPLE REACHED IN 19 WEBINARS. CLASSES: 328 PEOPLE IN 11 CLASSES. WE HOSTED 4 ONLINE CONFERENCES WITH A TOTAL OF 671 ATTENDEES. OUR VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE WERE WATCHED 36,204 TIMES AND OUR WEBSITE HAD 309,509 PAGE VIEWS. SOFA DISTRIBUTED ABOUT 600 PRINT BOOKS AND 200 E-BOOKS. A VARIETY OF ARTICLES WERE PUBLISHED IN SOCIAL MEDIA. WE HAD 253 VOLUNTEERS PARTICIPATING IN ABOUT 45 TEAMS. ABOUT 20 OF VOLUNTEERS ALSO WERE PAID PART TIME FROM A FEW HOURS A WEEK UP TO 30+ HOURS. AS OF OCTOBER 2023, SOFA HAS CERTIFIED THE FOLLOWING TOTAL NUMBERS: 6 CONSULTANTS; 16 TRAINERS; 55 FACILITATORS, 69 PRACTITIONERS. INTEREST IN EGALITARIAN SELF-GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO GROW IN MANY FIELDS, INCLUDING WORKER COOPERATIVES, INTNETIOANL COMMUNITIES, NONPROFITS, AND TECH CONSULTING GROUPS.

1) $5,000 PEACEABLE SCHOOLS DONATION TO COMMUNITY SERVICE CARE, INC. IN SUPPORT OF CAMBRIDGE HEART AND ALTERNATIVES TO POLICE COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM2) INTERNATIONAL SOCIOCRACY CERTIFICATION BOARD - MAINTAINED THE CERTIFICATION BOARD AND ITS WEBSITE PRESENCE WHICH SUPPORTS AN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED PROCESS WITH SHARED STANDARDS FOR PUBLICLY CERTIFYING CONSULTANTS QUALIFIED TO ASSIST THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SOCIOCRACY IN ORGANIZATIONS; THERE ARE 25 CERTIFIED CONSULTANTS AS OF JUNE 30 2023, UP FROM 19 AS OF JUNE 30. 2022; HELD AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR CERTIFIED CONSULTANTS.

CAMBRIDGE BETHLEHEM (CBPPP) WE DESIGNED A NEW HOUR-LONG VIRTUAL PROGRAM VOICES FROM PALESTINE FEATURING PALESTINIAN ACTIVISTS, CULTURAL WORKERS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS, EDUCATORS, AND HEALTH WORKERS SPEAKING ON THE GROUND FROM PALESTINE: TIMELY INTERVIEWS WITH AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION. OUR FIRST PROGRAM IN APRIL 2023 FEATURED EXPRESSIVE ARTS FOUNDER/ACTIVIST KHITAM EDELBI AND WAS ATTENDED BY MORE THAN 75 PARTICIPANTS. SUCCESSFULLY SOLICITED GRANT SUPPORT FOR KHITAM'S EXPRESSIVE ART THERAPY WORKWE AGREED TO PLACE 2 EXHIBITS AT THE PALESTINE MUSEUM IN CONNECTICUT: VIEWS OF BETHLEHEM, THEN AND NOW AND PALESTINIANS IN CAMBRIDGE: STORIES FROM THE DIASPORA. HAVING THEM AT THE PALESTINE MUSEUM ENSURES THAT THEY WILL BE SAFELY STORED AND ALSO EXHIBITED. WE ALSO RESPONDED TO HUMAN RIGHTS REQUESTS THROUGH LETTER SIGNING, STAND-OUT EVENTS AND PUBLICITY.

CAMBRIDGE PEACE SAN JUAN LAS FLORES (SJLF) SISTER CITY IN SEPTEMBER OF 2022, THE CAMBRIDGE PEACE SAN JUAN LAS FLORES (SJLF) SISTER CITY PROJECT HOSTED 2 WOMEN RURAL COMMUNITIY LEADERS FROM EL SALVADOR. THEY VISITED WITH UNIVERSITY CLASSES, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, CITY OFFICIALS AND LOCAL CAMBRIDGE SALVADORAN LEADERS. WE ALSO OFFERED A WELL ATTENDED PUBLIC HYBRID EVENT WITH MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE ENTITLED HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE POPULAR MOVEMENTS IN THIS MOMENT IN EL SALVADOR. IN APRIL 2023 WE SENT TO SJLF A DELEGATION INCLUDED 3 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, A YOUNG SALVADORAN ACTIVIST, 2 BILINGUAL EDUCATORS FROM SOMERVILLE, A CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCILOR AND 4 LONG TIME SISTER CITY COMMITTEE MEMBERS. DELEGATES MET WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS IN THE CAPITOL AND IN LAS FLORES SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY. WE CAME BACK ENERGIZED FROM OUR TRIP MOTIVATED BY THE DESIRE AND RESPONSIBILITY TO SHARE OUR LEARNINGS AND EXPAND THE COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT. OUR REPORT-BACK INVOLVED MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE. A LARGE AND GENEROUS GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO SUPPORTED OUR DELEGATION ENABLED US TO BRING FUNDS FOR THE SJLF ELDERS PROJECT, THE WATER DEFENDERS AND THE SISTER CITY ORGANIZING. WE ARE INTENT ON ADDING THE CITY OF SOMERVILLE TO THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE'S LONG-STANDING SISTER CITY HISTORY. WE CONTINUE TO BUILD STRONGER TIES AT HOME BETWEEN SOLIDARITY EFFORTS AND LOCAL SALVADORAN AND IMMIGRANT ORGANIZING. MAY 5TH , 2023 WE ORGANIZED AN IN PERSON AND ZOOM EVENT WITH 75 PEOPLE ENTITLED MUJERES EN LA RESISTENCIA- FROM THE PAST TO THE PRESENT WITH UMASS GLOBAL FEMINIST PROFESSOR AND ACTIVIST DIANA BECERRA AND LOCAL ORGANIZERS IRMA FLORES AND GABRIELA CARTAGENA. DIANA BECERRA SPOKE FROM HER RESEARCH ON HISTORIC REVOLUTIONARY SALVADORAN WOMEN ORGANIZERS AS WELL AS HER OWN IMMIGRANT ORGANIZING WORK IN WESTERN MASS. SOMERVILLE AND CAMBRIDGE SALVADORANS IRMA FLORES AND GABRIELA CARTAGENA TALKED ABOUT HOUSING CAMPAIGNS AND THE STRUGGLES FACING YOUNG SALVADORANS. THE EVENT WAS SIMULTANEOUSLY TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH WITH IN PERSON AND ZOOM INTERPRETERS. HOSTED A VISIT FROM PROFESSOR MOLLY TODD TO SHARE LOCAL MATERIALS FOR THE ARCHIVING SHE IS DOING FOR THE NATIONAL SISTER CITIES NETWORK AND PARTICIPATED AS AN OFFICIAL PROJECT IN A SERIES OF SOLIDARITY ALERTS.