Dear John,

Tomorrow, hundreds of people in the fight to liberate Palestine will be gathering for our second Gaza Summer School session at 8:00 ET/5:00 PT, and this lesson is all about the local peace economy! Join us as we come together to learn about how to pivot from the war economy to a local peace economy and why this work is rooted in Palestinian liberation. We'd love to see you there!

We all need support and nourishment during these times. This is what we offer each other during our  bi-weekly Local Peace Economy Community Calls. During these gatherings, we learn from and support one another in our journeys to cultivate our local peace economies. We hope you'll join us for our next call on Wednesday, June 19th at 5:00 PT/8:00 ET.

During this call, we’ll be harvesting the lessons from our own journeys and hearing from you about what other support and tools you need as you grow local peace economies in your community.

If you weren't able to be with us during our last meeting, we hope you can join us this time. You can catch up on our last call here. You can also watch the recording of our introduction to the Local Peace Economy Workbook during our first meeting here.

Local Peace Economy Community Calls take place every other Wednesday at 5:00 PT/8:00 ET. Newcomers are always welcome. Stay up to date on all of CODEPINK’s events here.

Next Community Call Topic: Harvesting Lessons

One of the magical parts of being in this work is that our lives become a rich site of learning and guide our next steps along the path. Reflection is critical as we learn our way out of our war economy addictions and helps us know what other support we need to continue cultivating local peace economies in our communities. During this call, we'll reflect together on what we've learned so far and what support you need from CODEPINK and the collective to deepen into this work.

What's working as you work to cultivate local peace economies near you? What's not working? What edges or resistances have you come up against? What questions are arising now? What tools would be supportive of your learning?

We'll explore these questions and more as we learn together during the call. In the meantime, you can learn more about reflection on page 6 of The Local Peace Economy Workbook. We look forward to being with you on Wednesday, June 19th!

Pivot to Peace

Quantity to Quality

The war economy devalues small, personal acts, but the strength of our movement, as adrienne maree brown so eloquently puts it, lies in the strength of our relationships. And relationships can only be measured by their depth. It's all about growing the love between us—not acquiring more relationships or material things.

Where do you find yourself thinking that "bigger is better"? What keeps you from desiring true quality and depth? What does quality require from you? Why might you be resisting it? What drives you to create shallow relationships over deep ones?

Read more about the pivots to peace here.

The Cycle of (Re)connection

Grief, care, joy, and celebration—these experiences are some of the key entry points for (re)connecting with ourselves and each other as we divest from the war economy. We call this the Cycle of (Re)connection, and it's important work to attend to as we cultivate local peace economies. In the spirit of pivoting away from productivity this week, check out the work of The Nap Ministry and Tricia Hersey, including her book Rest Is Resistance and The Nap Ministry's Rest Deck.

Inspiration for the Journey

The local peace economy is all around us. Stories of the local peace economy inspire us and teach us how we can create a culture of peace together. On the Local Peace Economy Wiki, we’ve been gathering stories of local peace economy projects. Check out this story about local alternatives to fossil fuels and big polluters.

Resources

You can always find more resources for your local peace economy journey on CODEPINK’s website. Here are some helpful links:

• Lean into supported reflection by downloading or purchasing The Local Peace Economy Workbook
• Tend to yourself with The Cycle of (Re)connection
• Find a community of practice with The Local Peace Economy Ecosystem
• Get inspired by The Local Peace Economy Wiki
• Listen to CODEPINK Radio's episode all about local peace economies
• Read why the local peace economy is an antidote to the weaponized confusion of war

Don't forget to follow us on social media!

Please email Emily at [email protected] with any questions. We look forward to being with you on Wednesday, June 19th!

With care, 

Jodie and Emily

PS: Spread the word about local peace economies in your community—buy CODEPINK's new Local Peace Economy t-shirts and totes!