National Student Campaign for a

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National Student Campaign for a U.S. Department
of Peace
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Department of Peace

• The primary function of a United States
  Department of Peace will be to research,
  facilitate, and articulate nonviolent solutions
  to domestic and international conflict

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Addressing Causal Issues
The World Health Organization estimates that the
effects of domestic violence in the U.S. annually
cost us over 300 billion.
Annual defense expenditures in the U.S. top 500
billion.

• Current policy-making tends toward reactive, not
  proactive approaches to violence reduction
• Traditional political problem-solving focuses
  primarily on addressing symptoms of violence,
  such as imprisonment of offenders and engagement
  in armed conflict

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"It seems to me, a lot of our attention should be
on preventing" such incidents, Bush said. That
would require "a mosaic of programs," he said,
such as better training for school officials to
spot the warning signs of a student bent on
violence.
Conference Addresses School Shootings, Bush
Urges Programs To Prevent Violence, Katherine
Shaver, Washington Post 10/11/06
Addressing Causal Issues

• Suppression of symptoms should be augmented by
  stronger preventative measures and treatment of
  root causes of violence
• The United States should be as effective in
  addressing the sources of violence as we are
  effective in addressing its symptoms

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We need a Department of Peace
Big Brothers Big Sisters program participants
are 1/3 less likely than control youth to hit
someone
In 2003, 5570 young people ages 10-24 were
murdered- an average of 15 each day. Of these,
82 of victims were killed with firearms

• To reduce domestic and international violence
• To gather and coordinate information and
  recommendations from Americas peace community
• To teach violence prevention and mediation to
  Americas school children
• To effectively treat and dismantle gang
  psychology

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We need a Department of Peace
Conflict prevention efforts are a financial
investment that pays off in preventing expensive
military operations. 5 million in prevention
efforts can save 500 million in post-war costs.

• To rehabilitate the prison population
• To build peace-making efforts among conflicting
  cultures both here and abroad
• To support our military with complementary
  approaches to ending violence

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Proposed Federal Legislation to Establish a U.S.
Department of Peace

• Bill was introduced into the U. S. House of
  Representatives during the 107th, 108th, 109th
  and now the 110th Congress. Current bill number
  is H.R. 808.
• Proposed legislation calls for the Departments
  budget to be the equivalent of 2 of U.S. defense
  budget

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The Benefits Domestic
In Providence, RI where the streetworker program
has been implemented, none of the 2006 homicide
victims were younger than 20 years old
In a nationwide survey of high school students,
17 reported carrying a weapon (e.g. knife, gun,
or club) on one or more of the 30 days prior to
the survey

• The Department of Peace will
• Develop field-tested educational programs
  promoting conflict-resolution and peer mediation
  among school-age children
• Provide violence-prevention programs addressing
  domestic violence, gang violence, drug and
  alcohol-related violence, and the like
• Provide much-needed assistance for the efforts of
  city, county, and state governments in
  coordinating existing programs in their own
  communities, as well as programs newly developed
  and provided by the Dept. of Peace

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The Benefits International

• The Department of Peace will
• Advise the President, the Secretaries of Defense
  and State, and others on root causes of violence,
  plus practical ways to dismantle violence while
  still in a formative phase

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The fiscal year 2006 budget request allocates
seven times as many resources for military forces
as for all nonmilitary security tools including
nonproliferation, diplomacy, economic
development, as well as homeland security, put
together.
Source Foreign Policy in Focus and Center for
Defense Information
The Benefits International

• The Department of Peace will
• Support the military by
• Providing cultural, ethnic and psychologically
  insightful information, education and technology
• Offering practical skills (conflict resolution
  techniques, and the like) for the amelioration of
  violence among adversarial factions
• Administer the training and support of civilian
  peacekeepers to participate in multinational
  nonviolent peace forces

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Responsibilities of the Secretary of Peace

• In addition to leading the Department, the
  Secretary shall
• Provide the President with statistically-verified
  recommendations on how a specific policy either
  increases or diminishes the prospect of domestic
  and international peace
• Provide the President with recommendations
  regarding the social and financial impact of
  domestic and international policies

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U.S. Peace Academy

• The Department of Peace will create and
  administer a U.S. Peace Academy, acting as a
  sister organization to the U.S. Military Academy
• The Academy will research and teach the most
  cutting-edge techniques for the amelioration of
  violence among domestic and international
  populations
• The Peace Academy will provide assistance to the
  military in international conflict-resolution
• The Peace Academy faculty will be derived from
  well-established practitioners known for best
  practices in the field of conflict reduction and
  resolution

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Grassroots Efforts Support the Department of
Peace Legislation
Activist groups exist in all 50 states
and over 280 Congressional Districts!
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Student Peace Alliance

• The Student Peace Alliance unites youth from
  across the country around the common goal of
  establishing a Department of Peace. The Student
  Peace Alliance advocates for the creation of a
  Department of Peace through education and
  grassroots action.

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Students across the country have
Students in California marched 50 miles to Nancy
Pelosi's office to call for a Department of Peace
Pacific Lutheran University students lobby Rep.
Norm Dicks
Over 75 students attended the Peace Alliance
National Conference in February
Brandeis University students table at a Red Hot
Chili Peppers concert in Boston
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NPR Peace Department Proposal Rattles Small Town
Click here to listen!
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For more information
Visit www.thepeacealliance.org Visit
www.studentpeacealliance.org Contact National
Director- Aaron Voldman, spa_at_thepeacealliance.org
National Operations Director- Julia Simon-Mishel,
spa.pr_at_thepeacealliance.org