East Point Peace Academy

TO EDUCATE CHANGEMAKERS IN THE PRACTICE OF NONVIOLENCE AND CONFLICT RECONCILIATION IN SERVICE TO A CULTURAL SHIFT, BOTH PERSONAL AND SOCIETAL, FROM VIOLENCE AND DIVISION TO NONVIOLENCE AND WHOLENESS.

"NONVIOLENCE DOJO" IS OUR COMMUNITY-BASED TRAINING PROGRAM, WHICH INCLUDES ALL THE COMMUNITY-BASED WORKSHOPS WE OFFER. DUE TO THE COVID PANDEMIC, NINE OUT OF TEN OF OUR TRAININGS IN 2021 WERE HELD VIRTUALLY. THESE OFFERINGS SPANNED TOPICS SUCH AS FIERCE VULNERABILITY (INTEGRAL NONVIOLENCE), DIRECT ACTION, MEDIATION, TRAUMA HEALING, GRATITUDE, AND STREET MURAL ACTIVISM. ATTENDANCE RANGED FROM A LOW OF 10 PARTICIPANTS TO A HIGH OF 136, WITH AN AVERAGE OF APPROXIMATELY 50. WE ESTIMATE THAT THIS PROGRAM DREW ON 30% OF OUR ALLOTTED PROGRAM TIME AND RESOURCES. "PEACE FROM WITHIN" IS OUR PRISON-BASED NONVIOLENCE TRAINING PROGRAM. DUE TO THE COVID PANDEMIC WE HAD NO ACCESS TO THE PRISONS IN 2021, SO THIS PROGRAM WAS ON HOLD.

IN 2021 OUR CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM INCLUDED A VARIETY OF VIRTUAL SPEAKING AND TEACHING EVENTS REQUESTED BY OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS, COACHING AND CONSULTATION SERVICES OFFERED TO THREE OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONAL CLIENTS, AND EAST POINT'S OWN ORGANIZATIONAL RESTRUCTURING PROCESS CARRIED FORWARD BY OUR CORE TEAM. IN EACH CASE, OUR CAPACITY BUILDING WORK FOSTERS ALIGNMENT BETWEEN GROUPS' OPERATIONAL SYSTEMS AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE WITH FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES OF NONVIOLENCE AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE. IN TOTAL WE ESTIMATE THAT THIS PROGRAM DREW ON 50% OF OUR ALLOTTED PROGRAM TIME AND RESOURCES (20% FOR SPEAKING AND TEACHING ENGAGEMENTS, 20% FOR COACHING/CONSULTATION WORK, AND 10% FOR OUR INTERNAL RESTRUCTURING PROCESS).

THE FIERCE VULNERABILITY NETWORK (FVN) IS A NATIONAL NETWORK OF DIRECT ACTIONS TEAMS POSITIONED AT THE INTERSECTION OF RACIAL HEALING AND CLIMATE JUSTICE. EAST POINT IS ONE OF SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TOWARD THE LAUNCH OF THIS NETWORK. IN 2021 WE COORDINATED TWO BAY AREA FVN TEAMS AS THEY "BETA-TESTED" THE NETWORK'S CORE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES. IN ADDITION, WE SECURED A PUBLISHING AGREEMENT WITH NOMADIC PRESS (NP) FOR THE NETWORK'S HANDBOOK, AND HAVE SERVED AS PRIMARY CONTACT AND EDITORIAL COLLABORATOR WITH NP ON BEHALF OF FVN. WE ESTIMATE THAT WE HAVE GIVEN 20% OF OUR PROGRAM TIME AND RESOURCES TO THIS PROGRAM.

IN 2021, EAST POINT ESTABLISHED A PRE-APPROVED GRANT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE POSSIBILITY ALLIANCE FOR THEIR "NONVIOLENCE EDUCATION AND PRACTICE PROJECT". THIS PRE-APPROVED GRANT RELATIONSHIP IS COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE MODEL C FORM OF FISCAL SPONSORSHIP. THE POSSIBILITY ALLIANCE IS A LAND-BASED COMMUNITARIAN HOMESTEAD IN BELFAST, MAINE, DEDICATED TO EMBODYING NONVIOLENCE AND ENGAGING IN SERVICE TO PEOPLE AND THE MORE-THAN-HUMAN WORLD. THEIR NONVIOLENCE EDUCATION AND PRACTICE PROJECT INCLUDES AN ARRAY OF EDUCATIONAL AND PRACTICE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVISTS AND ORGANIZERS IN AND BEYOND THE BELFAST AREA, INCLUDING OFFERINGS ON THEMES SUCH AS REPARATIONS, NATURAL BUILDING, TRAUMA HEALING, DIRECT ACTION, AND PERMACULTURE DESIGN. THESE OFFERINGS ARE ROOTED IN THE NONVIOLENCE PRINCIPLES AND FRAMEWORKS OF THE KINGIAN AND GANDHIAN TRADITIONS THAT FUEL SO MUCH OF EAST POINT'S WORK AND VISION. THEY ALSO DRAW ON EAST POINT'S FIERCE VULNERABILITY WORKSHOP CURRICULUM, AS WELL AS OTHER TRAINING MODALITIES EAST POINT IS EXPERIMENTING WITH IN COLLABORATION WITH THE FIERCE VULNERABILITY NETWORK.