POWER Summit 2008 was held in St. Paul, MN, June 23-26, 2008. Over sixty people gathered to focus on:  Peace – The New Energy!  What does the world look like without war? Peace Partnership International president Dot Maver was on the program and files this report.

Student Peace Alliance came together for its Third National Coordinating Committee Retreat on Wednesday June 4th in Washington D.C.  All seven members of the Committee, Student Peace Alliance's national staff, were present at the Retreat for the first time in SPA's history. At the Retreat, we discussed proposals and plans for the upcoming year. On Friday June 6th, the Coordinating Committee was joined by nine state organizers, bringing the retreat total to 18.

Ben & Jerry's, the Vermont-based socially conscious ice-cream maker, announced that Aaron Voldman, Executive Director of the Student Peace Alliance (SPA) and a member of the Board of Directors of The Peace Alliance, is one of two nationwide winners of its "Peace Pioneer" contest.

The announcement was made on May 27, 2008, at its New York City Times Square Scoop Shop. The ceremony was part of Ben & Jerry's joint effort with The Lennon Estate and Peace One Day, a nonprofit global peace organization, to encourage people to work for peace every day.

Click here to learn more about the award and the award ceremony and here for an article ("Raising a pint for peace") in the June 2, 2008, edition of the Burlington (VT) Free Press about Aaron and the award.

The Student Peace Alliance, founded in March 2006, has grown in two short years to over 100 chapters on high school and college campuses around the U.S. SPA is dedicated to establishing a culture of peace on their campuses and in their communities, and calling for a Department of Peace in the federal government to support a culture of peace.

Peace Partnership International supported the First Annual Student Peace Alliance National Conference , which took place in October 2007 at Brandeis University with close to 300 high school and college students from all parts of the country in attendance. Arun Gandhi and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Betty Williams were among the keynoters.

In addition to providing financial support for the SPA Conference, Peace Partnership International has mentored SPA leaders and assisted financially in SPA’s National Coordinating Council coming together for strategic planning retreats in July 2007 and June 2008. 

Visit the SPA website for more information about their accomplishments and activities.

The World Spirit Youth Council (WSYC) is an international youth project incubated by Children of the Earth. According to the meeting proposal, “The aim of the WSYC is to connect youth who live oceans apart by awakening the realization that we are all related to one another and the earth. Youth are inspired by other active people they meet and become spiritually activated themselves; they are called to be a moral force on the world's stage. The 2008 World Spirit Youth Council met February 12-22 in Thailand. Peace Partnership International provided travel scholarships for Aaron Voldman of the United States and Corina Simon of Romania to attend. Here are their stories.