Thinking back on PeaceFest 09 and the other work Peace Train and its supporters did over 2009 brings a smile. It was a hectic time at the end of PF 09, and the Fall was full of action. I’m currently taking time off of work and so have some moments to reflect, and there are some things that stand out:
- Photos from PeaceFest 09: Allison, Medora, Artemisia and others contributed to a pool of photos on Flickr from the 3 days of PeaceFest. REALLY neat to see the map photo and the closeups of the artists and others… you can see that set of images here.
- 16 Days of Activism: I was personally honored to be asked to moderate two panel discussions featuring leaders from around the world – women leaders who are making positive change happen. Siri Vita provided real-time translation from Spanish to English for one of the panelists.
- Earth Week happened in April, and recently Paolo Rouselot and friends invited Peace Train and Four Bridges to provide a display on their One Climate sim in November. Something I sometimes take for granted about this method of work is that it is very ‘green’ as they say; no travel for anyone, and yet everyone gets together…
- Another interview with Prinny and Connye – the descendants of the Monticello family (Jefferson and Heming). STILL makes me smile thinking about how the ideals we share about our common humanity and reconciling old wrongs have become so very real for these great people.
- The unstoppable Siri Vita and her (ongoing!) work helping the folks in Iran get the word out, organizing and running Organizing for America meetings in SL for US health care reform, and the events for PeaceFest she, Tonks, and others put together.
- Gwenette and the Ga-Go Concert. I think I may have to make up new words for the English language to describe that. AND there is a new concert being planned for February!
- Conversations with people from around the world – learning about their great work, and becoming a much more connected person myself, benefitting from first-hand accounts of things.
The moon is going to be full tomorrow night; it is New Year’s Eve in the US. Peace Train work will continue steadily into 2010: my personal hope is to expand the number of events we host and support, to increase the number of core team members, and to raise the donations to increase impact. Feels achievable to me.
Thanks to all of you who have contributed and who continue to help us develop the ideas and events, and build the bridges across the world – bridges of help and understanding. Best wishes (for those celebrating) for a happy and healthy New Year!
Leave a Reply