The other side of silence

What does it mean to be an ally? What does it mean to practise allyship?

In this episode we discuss allyship and solidarity with Tatiana Garavito, Sanctuary Everywhere Programme Manager. We also discuss the history of Quaker abolitionist thought with historian Marcus Rediker.

Power and privilege toolkit (PDF) www.quaker.org.uk/documents/owning-power-and-privilege-2nd-edition-october-2018

Healing Justice podcast www.healingjustice.org

The Fearless Benjamin Lay http://bookshop.quaker.org.uk/The-Fearless-Benjamin-Lay-The-Quaker-Dwarf-Who-Became-the-First-Revolutionary-Abolitionist_9781786634719

Five Quakers discuss their take on God, spirituality and Quaker faith.

ARTICLES

The Quakers are right, we don't need God - Simon Jenkins https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/04/quakers-dropping-god And some letters in response https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/07/debate-on-god-language-doesnt-mean-all-quakers-are-losing-faith

Telling our stories: exploring the Quaker way - Alistair Fuller https://www.quaker.org.uk/blog/telling-our-stories-exploring-the-quaker-way

BOOK

God, words and us: Quakers in conversation about religious difference http://bookshop.quaker.org.uk/God-words-and-us_9781999726928

Quaker faith & practice https://qfp.quaker.org.uk/

PODCAST

The Sacred https://soundcloud.com/thesacredpodcast

CBC Tapestry interview with Paul Parker – discussing faith and the revision of Quaker faith & practice https://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/tapestry/segment/15548362

Discussing peace education and nuclear weapons we join peace poet, Antony Owen, CND peace educator Owen Everett, and Quaker staff Ellis Brooks and Sahdya Darr to reflect on the role of peace education in encouraging critical thinking.

Find out more

Antony Owen: antonyowenpoetry.wordpress.com

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CND peace education

England: cnduk.org/education

Scotland: www.peaceeducationscotland.org

Wales: walesforpeace.org or www.cymdeithasycymod.org.uk

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Action you can take

Peace education resources: www.quaker.org.uk/teachpeace

ICAN Parliamentary Pledge: http://uk.icanw.org/projects/appeal/

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What we're reading

Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy Briefs: centreforfeministforeignpolicy.org

Barracoon: http://bookshop.quaker.org.uk/Barracoon-The-Story-of-the-Last-Slave_9780008297664

Millennium: bookshop.quaker.org.uk

Trans Britain: http://bookshop.quaker.org.uk/Trans-Britain-our-journey-from-the-shadows_9781783524716

Quaker Centre Bookshop events: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/quaker-centre-bookshop-15554426114

PS. We haven't got rid of Quaker faith & practice either, we've just decided to revise it www.quaker.org.uk/blog/revision-of-the-book-of-discipline-what-happens-now

In an environment of increasing polarisation it’s more important than ever to understand how to disagree well. In this episode we chat to Lisa Cumming, Turning the Tide Programme Manager, about different approaches to try when engaging with friends and family – or people you don’t know well – on difficult topics.

Find further resources from Turning the Tide at: https://turningtide.org.uk/

Other resources

5 ways to disrupt racism video: https://youtu.be/Lcd4VXHTR3Y

Having difficult conversations toolkit (PDF): http://www.quaker.org.uk/documents/having-difficult-conversations

The civil conversations project from On Being: http://www.civilconversationsproject.org/

Books we’re reading

How to understand your gender: http://bookshop.quaker.org.uk/How-to-Understand-Your-Gender-A-practical-guide-for-exploring-who-you-are_9781785927461

How not to be a boy: http://bookshop.quaker.org.uk/How-Not-To-Be-a-Boy_9781786890085

Fields of blood: http://bookshop.quaker.org.uk/Fields-of-Blood_9780099564980

Image: Ben Wood

Universal human rights are the legal and practical sibling to the Quaker idea that every person is unique, precious and a child of God - simply, that every person has a right to be treated with dignity and respect.

In this episode we explore human rights from a European and international perspective. As Quakers in Britain issue a manifesto about the need to welcome newcomers to the UK with respect and dignity, we reflect on the perception of human rights in a Brexit landscape and hear about the Quaker spiritual view on human rights from Helen Drewery, Head of Witness and Worship at Quakers in Britain. In a wide-ranging conversation we speak with Sylvain Mossou and Martin Leng from the Quaker Council of European Affairs about human rights, the impact of Brexit, and responding to child immigration detention.

Further reading

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Read the Quaker United Nations Office briefing at: http://quno.org/resource/2017/12/briefing-friends-human-rights-migrants-under-new-york-declaration

Quaker Council for European Affairs: Briefing on the European Convention on Human Rights www.qcea.org/2017/08/new-brochure-the-european-convention-on-human-rights/

Report on child immigration detention in Europe: www.qcea.org/2017/07/report-child-immigration-detention-in-europe/

“We can’t have security for people in the UK at the expense of security for people in other parts of the world”

Rethinking security is an invitation to engage in public debate and dialogue about the way we think about security. The aim is to think and plan creatively in relation to safety, security, nonviolence and the role of peace initiatives, and revisit how we think about security to encompass all aspects of human well-being.

In this episode of Q:Witness, we speak to Marigold Bentley, Head of Peace Programmes and Faith Relations, about why Quakers are involved in the rethinking security project. We also speak to Celia McKeon about the aims of the project and the ways that people can get involved.

Learn more at rethinkingsecurity.org.uk or follow Rethinking Security on Twitter @SecurityRethink.

The housing crisis in Britain has reached new lows in 2017, with 1 in every 200 people in the UK being homeless, house prices soaring far beyond the range of ordinary people, and social housing stock being decommissioned and not replaced. Quakers are stepping into the breach wherever they can – setting up YMCAs in meeting houses, running housing initiatives for young carers, and submitting amendments to housing bills as they go through parliament.

In this episode of Q:Witness, Parliamentary Engagement Officer Jessica Metheringham speaks about living in true community, the Quaker roots of the Ethical Landlords Association, and upcoming work around demanding big-scale policy changes.

We also speak with Jon Scarth of the anti-poverty campaigning organisation Quaker Social Action, which is 150 this year. Jon is piloting a housing scheme for young adults with caring responsibilities in East London, ensuring that they have an opportunity to live independently for the first time, and form their own connections to the wider world.

Learn more about the projects mentioned in this podcast:

• Ethical Landlords Association | www.ethicallandlords.org.uk

• Quaker Housing Trust | www.qht.org.uk

• Quaker Social Action, Move On Up | www.quakersocialaction.org.uk/we-can-help/your-house-and-home/move |

• Further information around Quakers in Britain and housing | www.quaker.org.uk/housing

#qwitness

This episode of #QWitness focuses on making witness happen, shifting towards a movement-focused approach from a more information-based one.

We chat to Gurpreet Bola, Hannah Smith and Maya Williams about their work to support groups to take action on different issues and how you can access this.

We also catch up with two people who attended the Quaker Activist Gathering earlier this month. Lesley Grahame gives an update on supporting the ban on nuclear weapons and Laurence Hall talks about his concern around housing, particularly around justice for residents of Grenfell Tower.

For more information about Turning the Tide visit their website at turningtide.org.uk or follow them on Twitter @TTTideUK.

Read stories of Quaker action at www.quaker.org.uk/stories-witness. Download the toolkit for action at www.quaker.org.uk/toolkit-for-action. Discover more about the work of young Friends in The Young Quaker theyoungquaker.org.uk.

Find out about upcoming Quaker events:

- Skilling up for the new economy, Manchester, 18-19 November www.quaker.org.uk/events/skilling-…-the-new-economy

- Quaker Peace & Social Witness Spring Conference 2018, Swanwick, 23-25 March 2018 www.quaker.org.uk/events/2018-qpsw…pring-conference

"It's really hard to stop 30,000 arms buyers from getting into the Excel centre, but it's really easy – and it feels amazing! – to stop a truck with a tank on from driving into the arms fair."

In this episode of Q:Witness we talk about the many ways that people can help build a peaceful society. We hear from Sam Walton who helped organise the headline-grabbing actions to try and stop the world's largest arms fair in London this September; Ellis Brooks joins us to share news and hopes around peace education in British schools; and we celebrate this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Make a donation: www.quaker.org.uk/giving

Find out about the Sanctuary Everywhere conference in Brussels this December: www.qcea.org/home/events/conferences/

Find out about the Take Action on Militarism Gathering: www.quaker.org.uk/events/taomg

Register for regular peace work email updates: www.quaker.org.uk/educate-disarm

Follow @DisarmQuaker and @PeaceEduQuaker on Twitter.

In the first episode of Q:Witness's new season, two campaigners discuss how they came to Quakerism through activism. In an intergenerational, wide-ranging conversation, Chris Venables and Jane Pearn speak of overcoming their own self-doubts around 'doing enough,' and the importance of doing what you can, when you can.

Listen to hear more about how ordinary people live their everyday lives according to Quaker values, and give strength to those who feel called to dedicate their lives to a cause.

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Jane Pearn is a local and national organiser for the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), an anti-land-mine campaigner, and guides BYM's peace campaigns work.

Chris Venables is the Engaging Young Adult Quakers Project Officer at Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM). He is also a sustainability campaigner, human rights observer, and former parliamentary assistant.

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Find out more about Quakers in Britain at www.quaker.org.uk