OPI at 2012 Peace and Justice Studies Association Conference

The OPI attendance at the October 2012 PJSA Conference in Boston, Massachusetts included Board of Directors members Tom Hastings, Riya Kaphle, Terri Shofner, Patrick Hiller, Paloma Ayala, and Gina Mason. They were accompanied by Erin Niemela and Joy Henry (Portland State University Graduate Students) who assisted in the filming phases of PeaceVoice’s new YouTube channel presence, PeaceVoiceTV.

Tom Hastings participated in the Media and Conflict session with ‘Conflict Change and Conflict Management’, which discussed the consequences of conflict management choices on climate and examined the link between resource consumption and militarization.

Terri Shofner presented ‘Ghandi Calling: Is He on a  Smart Phone’ in the Rights and Responsibility session. Her paper discussed the methods that Gandhi used to spread the word of his campaigns juxtaposed against a cost/benefit analysis of smart phone technology for organizing social change movements.

Ambika (Riya) Kaphle (OPI) and Zuzana Molcanova (Portland State University Graduate Student) presented ‘Sustainable Peacebuilding Activities at Local Schools in Meru, Kenya’ during the session on Students and Schools. Their project presentation focused on the role of peace education in promoting sustainable peacebuilding outcomes and programs in Kenya.