UPDATE & INVITATION: PROPOSED MPT TEAM TO PANAMA
Also: How to Get Involved if you can't go!
Dear Nicole:
Perhaps by now you have heard how MPT has been working around the clock to deploy an Emergency Response Peace Team to Panama in response to a request from the Ngabe-Bugle indigenous
group recieved little more than 48 hours ago. MPT is asked to provide
observation and documentation of the conflict, as well as Human Rights
reporting to the United Nations special council for Panama in
anticipation of their April review of this matter.
We
currently have a team of 2 to 4 people, with two strong MPT co-anchors,
and we'd like two more team members. We are working to raise funding
so that team members will not have to pay out of pocket costs; our first goal is to cover airfare expenses for this team, as in country expenses will be very minimal in the rural area.
The current dates for this team deployment are February 29/30 through March 10/12th (slightly flexible).
We have adjusted the prospective dates of the team based on travel
conditions and more information from our host organizations.
In addition to our hosts (the Ngabe-Bugle) and several local environmental and civil society groups, we will be partnering with Costa Rica Peace Team
for this work, whose leader was trained by Nonviolent Peaceforce. We
are proud to partner with a local latin-american organization, who are
nearly on the border with this area of Panama, and feel this issue is
close to their home and hearts.
We
will also be exploring opportunities for protective accompaniment and
skill sharing while in the region. We are asking the team to be very
conservative in managing risk in part as this is our first team to the
area, and we believe this will be a moderate-risk peace team; please
read our open letter about Safety for our teams below.
Team meetings and location-specific training begins immediately and will continue via phone/skype and email from Friday to Wednesday, most likely in the evening primarily.
If you have been through the MPT nonviolence training and are interested in joining this team, please contact
Nicole Rohrkemper (our International Teams Coordinator) immediately at (586) 419-1070.
The location of the Ngabe-Bugle Comarca in Panama
Details about the proposed Peace Team and Conflict Situation:
Michigan Peace Team (MPT) has recieved an emergency request for a Peace Team to Panama's Ngabe-Bugle Comarca (autonomous
indigenous tribes or “reservations”). The Peace Team has been asked
to arrive within days, as negotiations and demonstrations regarding
mining rights on native lands resume next week. Nonviolent
demonstrations against mining on indigenous lands have met with police
violence (tear gas, rubber bullets, and other weapons labeled of U.S.
origin). Locals report that the government has cut cell phone
reception on at least one occasion. There have been seven deaths
acknowledged by the Panamanian government in relation to this matter,
and many more reported by local civil society organizations.
Indigenous people and their supporters have reported hundreds of
injuries at the hands of police and an unknown number of arrests.
MPT will
provide observation and reporting of human rights violations to the
United Nations, and offer protective accompaniment to people who are
threatened with police violence as they attempt to nonviolently protest
the proposed destruction of their lands via mining. We will follow the
lead of local Ngabe leaders, and are also coordinating and partnering
with Costa Rica Peace Team.
Previous
rounds of negotiations between the Ngabe-Bugle tribes (headed by first
woman tribal leader Silvia Carrera) and Panamanian President Ricardo
Martinelli's government have stretched out over many months. The
Ngabe-Bugle people have opposed government mining on native lands and
appealed through the Panamanian court system. Recently at least one
decision (a law that would provide environmental protection to their
lands) is reported to have been overturned.
Can't go with us to Panama...
but want to support the Team or
participate in future urgent response Peace Teams?
1. Attend the required Step One and Step Two trainings below, and get on the list to be
called next time we have an emergency request!
2. The Panama Team needs financial donations to make this Peace Team possible,
3. Can you donate airline miles? Contact Nicole at 586-419-1070
if you'd be willing to shrae your frequent flyer miles!
4. Call and let us know you want to support the team at 586-419-1070, and watch your email for more opportunities to get involved.
Step Two:
Nonviolence Skills Retreat
One amazing weekend, open to all who have already taken our one-day nonviolence training.
Build Skills, Community, and learn more about Nonviolence and MPT Teams. Lodging (mats and sleeping bags!) and meals on-site.
Chose any of the following dates:
March 30 - April 1, 2012 (Coming Up!)
May 25-27, 2012
July 20-22, 2012
Oct. 19-21, 2012
Step One:
Basic Nonviolence Skills Training
June 16, 2012
Sept 9, 2012
Additional Dates TBD!
Various Dates & Locations in 2012. Call Mary at the office, 517 484 3178.
Train-the-Trainer
August 3-5, 2012
Learn to be an MPT Trainer and deepen your nonviolence skills; build community and have fun!
An Open Letter about Safety and MPT Teams
Dear Friend,
Michigan Peace Team (“MPT”) is pleased that you or a loved one are considering volunteering with MPT on an international team.
We
understand that having as much information as possible about MPT's
programs and our commitment to the well-being of our team members is
very important for potential volunteers and their loved ones.
Any
venture in a conflict/war or occupation zone comes with inherent
risks, and MPT cannot guarantee the safety of anyone volunteering with
us (nor frankly, can any other organization operating in such theatres
of which we are aware).
The type of conflict intervention work Peace Teams do necessitates
contact with potentially dangerous situations. It is up to each
individual to weigh the risks associated with Peace Team work, and to
chose whether to assume those risks and also to manage them with their
team while in the field.
That
being said, MPT considers Team safety to be paramount, and to such we
devote extensive training/preparation time, as well as staff and
volunteer time to supporting teams in this regard.
Michigan
Peace Team has been training and deploying Peace Teams to do conflict
intervention and nonviolence work in conflict/war zones for 16 years.
In that time, we are happy to report that none of our 150+ peace team
members have suffered life-threatening injury or death. In the case of
accidental injuries (sprains, digestive ailments, once a broken bone
from a slip and fall, etc.) we seek care from local facilities, which
vary depending on the location of deployment. We require that teams
discuss health concerns prior and during deployment, and teams research
and discuss the availability of health care in the conflict zone with
our local partners. We encourage all team members to check with their
insurance regarding coverage abroad and in conflict areas, and encourage
them to explore purchasing their own supplemental insurance from many
travel-related companies (see the Department of State Travel page for a
list of companies).
MPT has found that risk is best managed in five ways, which all of our team members are trained in and espouse:
1. Awareness
of the potential situations and underlying issues one may come into
contact with in the field is important, so that team members may
effectively manage risk. This includes:
- intensive pre-deployment training with Michigan Peace Team, including teambuilding and nonviolence skills training
- directed reading and self-study regarding the conflict zone and history
- opportunities to participate in Domestic Peace Teams in the United States prior to deployment overseas, when possible
- additional in-country training and situation briefing with our sister peace organizations located in the field
Additionally,
teams always include at least one veteran peace team member (the
“Anchor”), who is familiar with nonviolent conflict intervention work
and MPT's values; of course, each team member must take personal
responsibility in each of these areas, and decisions are made by
consensus. Each day, Peace Team members discuss potential activities as
a team, including possible dangers, and chose by consensus only those
activities which are acceptable. Of course, unexpected and/or
emergency situations do arise, yet we train team members to check in
with one another before acting, to stick to the guidelines outlined
here, and to avoid or remove themselves from situations if necessary.
2. Acting as a team/“Affinity Team:”
Peace Teams are usually 3-7 persons, and no one is to ever act alone
in the field. Furthering the team dynamic, before each 'activity' or
event on a daily basis, the team discusses personal roles and boundaries
or concerns for the activity, and important points for safety. For
example, the team might decide, “while attending this nonviolent
demonstration, we will stand toward the back to minimize risk and
increase our ability to exit. We will have 'affinity buddies' and
maintain eye-contact distance and awareness of our buddies at all times.
Also, two team members will stand several feet behind to monitor the
'big picture' and take photographs. If any one team members wishes to
leave, we will all leave as a group... etc.”
3. Staunch adherence to nonviolence,
nonviolent communication and conflict de-escalation techniques. We
believe that our best safety measure is de-escalation of a potentially
dangerous situation, for both team members and for the local
populations. This work follows the teachings of Gandhi and Martin
Luther King, Jr., and has been practiced with great success for many
years by international organizations in addition to MPT, including Peace
Brigades International, Nonviolent Peaceforce, and Christian
Peacemaker Teams.
4. Strong relationships and connections
in the communities where we work, as well as alliances with local
nonviolence leadership and groups is key to MPT's work in the field. We
follow local leadership when it comes to safety and security, and look
to them for advice on these matters.
5. Support from staff and volunteers
here at home is also critical to our program. There is an experienced,
trained cadre of staff and volunteers here at MPT which is dedicated
to supporting our teams in the field with advice, counseling,
assistance, a listening ear, and more. Also, all returning team
members debrief with MPT's psychological professional trained in
supporting those involved in work in conflict/war zones.
We
hope this additional information is helpful. Please do not hesitate
to contact me directly for more information, additional resources, or
clarification. We hope that should you or a loved one chose to become a
part of an MPT Team, the support of loved ones will be available, and
safety will be high priority at all times.
Sincerely,
Michigan Peace Team
Can't go to Panama? Summer MPT Team to Palestine!
Could you share this very special Peace Team Invitation with a Teacher, Administrator, or School that You Know?
MPT Summer 2012 Teachers Peace Team to Palestine
We'd like to invite you and educators you know to join a special Peace Team to Palestine: the MPT Summer 2012 Teachers Team! This
Team will deploy to the West Bank (Palestine/Israel) in Summer 2012.
Each member will have the option to join the team from 3 weeks to 12
weeks in the field.
We
love our friends that are teachers, who already give so much for peace
and justice-- and they make great Peace Team members. We're currently
talking with two of many wonderful returned team members that are
teachers, to arrange for special a special teacher anchor or co-anchors
for this Team if possible.
We need your help! Do you know a teacher at any level K-12 or undergraduate/ graduate who
would do great work for peace on a team? Someone team-oriented,
dedicated... in short just like all the teachers we know! Could you
forward this invitation to them with a short note from you telling them
about this great opportunity, or invite them to contact Nicole or apply
for a team? Please share this announcement with your email lists or
post it on your bulletin board.
Training will start as soon as February/March 2012. In fact, March
30-April 4, we invite you to learn more about MPT, nonviolence, and
this special team opportunity at our Step 2 information and nonviolence
skill session. If you're considering any team (Spring, Summer or Fall),
this event is the next step to finding out whether a Peace Team is
right for you. More information about this event is at:
Idealist.org. More information about training and International Teams is on our
FAQs page.
For more information on teams or to register for this weekend or an upcoming event please contact Nicole Rohrkemper at
NicoleR.mpt@gmail.com or
586-419-1070.
Continuing Education Credits:
We are pursuing several options for arranging for CE Credits for
teachers and others for our Steps1 & 2 Training, and also for our
fieldwork. If you are interested in CE credits, let us know!
What are the best ways to ways to donate to the work of MPT?:
Michigan Peace Team
808 West Barnes Ave.
Lansing, MI 48910
- Or by becoming a member of our Sustainers Circle: A small amount charged automatically to your credit card every month. Just call us & ask to join (517-484-3178)
Thank you so much!
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