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You are here: Frontpage > Info > Annual Appeal
The Peace News Annual Appeal
Dear readers, subscribers and supportersI am proud to ask you to donate to the Peace News annual appeal.
Proud? An odd word in this context? Not at all. I am proud to be associated with a top quality magazine that connects, discusses, celebrates and informs nonviolent activists and movements for peace and social change around the world. In just one recent issue there were articles on current activities and concerns in Croatia, Mexico, South Africa, Bolivia, Angola, Israel, the US, Congo and Ecuador written by people active in local movements with firsthand experience. There was also news direct from Chechnya, Iraq, Britain and Nigeria plus discursive articles on aspects of globalisation and global resistance all in the one issue.
In a world where national and international news stories concentrate on violence, big business, powerful politicians and natural calamities it is so necessary to read the other side of the story. In an world increasingly dangerous and hostile for nonviolent activists, it is essential that they and their supporters can find out about alternative, effective actions and campaigns and can make person-to-person contact with other individuals and organisations to exchange ideas. We should all be well-informed, able to argue from a solid theoretical or philosophical base, and understand the meaning and implications of relevant terms and issues interventions, social empowerment, reconciliation, gender or economies of militarism. All the above plus a dozen or so reviews of books, magazines and CDs, a lively letters page, an events and campaigns section so that wherever you are in the world you can join in this is Peace News. Peace News enables its readers to know the people, the campaigns, tactics and organisations in other countries "knowledge is power" and it is an effective tool to help us all achieve our ends, whatever country we live in. But the magazine is currently known and read by relatively few. There are thousands of peace and nonviolence activists in many countries who need the ideas and information contained in Peace News and they could contribute to the paper. There are hundreds of thousands of potential readers all over the world who are interested and involved in the discussions of the issues.
To use business-speak, we believe there is a market out there. We believe Peace News is a good product. Now we need to promote it better. We have lots of ideas for reaching a wider audience and increasing sales but we have a lack of resources (time and money) to do that work.
We all look forward to the day when British Aerospace and the Ministry of Defence have to hold raffles and make street collections on a Saturday but until that glorious day when the tables are turned, Peace News needs your help and support. Please help Peace News reach more people next year. Please donate to the Peace News annual appeal, and I hope you will feel proud when you do.
Caroline Simpson
Chair, Peace News Trustees