Looking back, looking forward

Thinking back on PeaceFest 09 and the other work Peace Train and its supporters did over 2009 brings a smile.  It was a hectic time at the end of PF 09, and the Fall was full of action.  I’m currently taking time off of work and so have some moments to reflect, and there are some things that stand out:

• Photos from PeaceFest 09:  Allison, Medora, Artemisia and others contributed to a pool of photos on Flickr from the 3 days of PeaceFest.  REALLY neat to see the map photo and the closeups of the artists and others…  you can see that set of images here.
• 16 Days of Activism:  I was personally honored to be asked to moderate two panel discussions featuring leaders from around the world – women leaders who are making positive change happen.  Siri Vita provided real-time translation from Spanish to English for one of the panelists.
• Earth Week happened in April, and recently Paolo Rouselot and friends invited Peace Train and Four Bridges to provide a display on their One Climate sim in November.  Something I sometimes take for granted about this method of work is that it is very ‘green’ as they say; no travel for anyone, and yet everyone gets together…
• Another interview with Prinny and Connye – the descendants of the Monticello family (Jefferson and Heming).  STILL makes me smile thinking about how the ideals we share about our common humanity and reconciling old wrongs have become so very real for these great people.
• The unstoppable Siri Vita and her (ongoing!) work helping the folks in Iran get the word out, organizing and running Organizing for America meetings in SL for US health care reform, and the events for PeaceFest she, Tonks, and others put together.
• Gwenette and the Ga-Go Concert.  I think I may have to make up new words for the English language to describe that.  AND there is a new concert being planned for February!
• Conversations with people from around the world – learning about their great work, and becoming a much more connected person myself, benefitting from first-hand accounts of things. 

The moon is going to be full tomorrow night; it is New Year’s Eve in the US.  Peace Train work will continue steadily into 2010:  my personal hope is to expand the number of events we host and support, to increase the number of core team members, and to raise the donations to increase impact.  Feels achievable to me.

Thanks to all of you who have contributed and who continue to help us develop the ideas and events, and build the bridges across the world – bridges of help and understanding.  Best wishes (for those celebrating) for a happy and healthy New Year!

Donations sent!!!

Update:  well this is better than last year’s timeline!!   Last year it took us MONTHS to get the banking thing sorted out – getting Linden dollars out of Second Life into a PayPal account (after having to set that up) and then getting PayPal connected to a bank account for our new non-profit.  SO.

• Peace Direct:  The Escuela Project:  US $495.00
• The Zion Project (for child soldiers):  US $495.00
• The Edith Benson Babies Home:  US $550.00

Explanation:  the EBBH got an additional donation specifically to cover the wire transfer fees (of 50+ dollars).

Reflection:  On Friday of last week I left work temporarily for a quick stroll uptown.  The bank that holds Peace Train’s account has a prominent building there.  The sun was out, and warm, but the humidity was down! 

I entered the bank and was greeted by the attending bank workers; I sat down at the desk opposite an older gentleman.  He inquired as to my needs, and I was only too happy to share more details than he probably expected or needed to know! 

Sending the contributions of so many people from PeaceFest 09 to the Edith Benson Babies Home by wire transfer – it was a joy I hope in some way anyone reading this will imagine and experience with me.  The monetary donation, the result of months of work in sourcing and coordinating all the live events, and the kindnesses of so many contributors, I – ME – I was the one who had the privilege of making the final step happen in creating the real impact from the virtual endeavors.  I signed the papers with one name that represented all of you.

Thank you all.  You made my day.  I hope this little story made yours.

For those interested in learning more or doing more with Peace Train, please contact us.

RiZ and Ga-Go video from PeaceFest 09

Unreal – to give you a sense of just how amazing these productions can be (hats way off to Gwenette Writer), take a look a this video – if you speak Japanese perhaps the conversation leading into the song will be recognizable to you!  This was a full band with vocalists, playing for an audience of 70 or 80 avatars in Second Life, live from Japan.

Ga-Go Band Live!

UPDATE (Sept 14) Ga-Go PeaceFest 09 Digest Video!!

Sweeping up and giving away

Check out Junivers Stockholm’s Livestream capture of PeaceFest events.

If you click on the On Demand button, you will be able to catch some 4 hours’ worth of PeaceFest events!

Check out the in-world pictures from PeaceFest 09!  I’m sure you may have your own, too, so please comment and include the URL to your Flickr set or whatever else you have.

Sweeping up:  tip jars and posters collected, prims stashed in inventories, and sims returned to ‘normal’.  Things are cleaned up from PeaceFest 09!  Now onto the wonderful task of sending out the donations…

While there will be an official post about the proceeds from PeaceFest, it is looking like we will have something close to US $1500 to donate to the three organizations!  I’ve been working this week on transferring lindens to our PayPal account, and PayPal to our bank account in order to make the donations happen.  More on that later…

Making the difference…

…and making it through!  Shown below is Tonks shouting out bids as they were coming in on the PeaceFest quilt!  In the end, she proposed everyone throw their Lindens to the highest bidder, Maverick, and the ultimate total was north of 34,000 lindens! 

There are so many people to thank!  And so many pictures to see!  Check out the Stories page to see more images from PeaceFest 09.  I’d like to start thanking people now, even at the risk of leaving some folks out (tired brain, please understand!):

>>Siri; constantly there.  A million notices and IMs.  And Peace Train Engineer. 
>>Tonks; even in the midst of all sorts of things going on, she jumped in and ran things!
>>millay; huge supporter and giver of space on Four Bridges!
>>Gwenette; despite all sorts of things, managed to create the biggest danged event I’ve ever seen!
>>Kate; wonderful support from Music Island, organizing fantastic talent there for PeaceFest
>>Jon; continuous support and giving of space on Cedar Island for the Auction
>>Fractal; donated art – again! 
>>Blue Lantern – for providing well-organized support and security all the way through
>>Justice League – for also providing excellent support and security during PeaceFest
>>Zack – I practically lived on top of Second Pride!  Thanks!
>>Jonah and Alexxa – terrific logo (THANK YOU) and art auctions
>>Medora – for her dragon breathing, advertising, poetry and beautiful performance
>>any1 – WOW she is unstoppable!   always there, great performer and advocate
>>junivers – for streaming things, performing, being an all-around hero
>>HatHead!  So laid back, generous with space, and talented as performer!
>>Cadence – helping with space and advertising at Cedar
>>Michele!  you were a constant greeter extraordinaire!!
>>Gadgetjoe and Lourdes: web support, hosting, DJ spinning – WOW
>>all of the PERFORMERS !!  So so so much talent!
>>Maverick – wow, constant support, wrote an article for iReport, AND generosity in the bidding for the quilt!
AND
The speakers: 
>>Erica, your commitment to good work in Africa shines through in your voice.
>>Agie, giving us the scoop from Durban and the photos to go with it!  Beautiful.
>>Prinny and Connye, the incredible and wonderful story of peacebuilding in the US
>>DarkLobo, sharing the on-the-street experience from Bogota
>>Sammy!  Your passion shines through with that amazing Ghanan accent!
>>Sivan and Yussef, proving that Palestinians and Israelis need not fear each other.
>>Jacqueline; wonderful stories of rehabilitation in Kigali / Rwanda
>>and millay, the story of child soldiering and Amnesty’s commitment

I know I have forgotten many; ALL of you have helped us to dream, to care and to DO something for peace.

PeaceFest in iReport

Amazing.  That’s all I can say at this point.  Thanks to Maverick for writing up PeaceFest while he was at the Poetry Jam today in SL.  Please see the article here.  And, many thanks to Raven and Torben for their live music performances at Hathead’s truly galactical sim:

Torben Asp and Raven Kondor played!

Tai Chi by the Sea

A group of avs in synchrony

Edith Benson Babies Home

Medora’s Poets for Peace jam!

And away we go!  A great kickoff this morning for PeaceFest 09!  Check the Schedule out for more about what’s coming, and the Performers page for more about who you’ll see and hear!

Calm before the party : )

I sit here, having constructed the ‘cockpit’:  two computers, network ready, streaming my iTunes as a test into SL.  The sun set over the Peace Train Station, and the moon came up.  Siri and Tonks created a great flag for PeaceFest 09, and you can see a copy on top of the station:

The calm before the activities begin!

I received the following note from one of the panelists who works at the Edith Benson Babies Home in Durban, South Africa.  I think it sums up what we’re about.  Hop on board : )

I am excited about the show and look forward to it. Wow Aaron has done a fabulous job (re the youtube video). I am touched. I am thrilled to be a part of this event and I know the work we do at EBBH will add to this dream.
I will be at home from 6.00pm onwards.
 
DREAM! CARE! DO!  The real spirit of UBUNTU.
 
Ubuntu is the African word that means “I am what I am because of you”.
 
Warmest

Notice the links….

Today I finally had some quiet time to update this site.  It’s far from complete, but as you know, blogs are by definition ‘works in progress’. 

To the right, in the sidebar is a refreshed set of links to both the organizations that we are supporting with your donations this year, and the organizations and other links that are from our past work.  Please do take some time to read about the Escuela Project, Amnesty’s work to end child soldiering, and the Edith Benson Babies Home.

That last one:  we don’t have a web page on the ‘net dedicated to the Babies Home.  SO, we are pointing you to the agency that oversees donations to help them out.  COME TO PEACEFEST 09 to hear direct accounts of what’s going on there, and in many other places in the world! 

I’m particularly excited – and hope all the tech connections work! – to include a conversation with Mariette from Rwanda, an interview with Sammy from Ghana, a discussion with DarkLobo (av) in Bogota… oh it just goes on and on.  I’ll write more later…

Calling all angels…

It is time to dream, to care, to do.  See you next weekend : ))