Speaking Our Peace

Your hosts get together for one more conversation.

Next season is already in the works. Thank you to everyone who listened, shared, and enjoyed the podcast.

These two interviews were recorded in 2019 in Tamil Nadu, India.

It's amazing to me that, even though I feel like a different person than I was when I recorded them, the truths and passion of Vijay and Inamul come through so clearly. I'm grateful and lucky to have spoken with them when I did, in person. I hope to see them again someday (before too long).

Lorena Julio is a human rights advocate based out of Argentina. She spent some time discussing her work with her nonprofit, "Fundacion Comparlante." In Argentina, she works to secure rights for people with disabilities in varying forms.

Lorena was also one of the 50 marchers who agreed to take a year away from their normal lives to march as a part of the Jai Jagat 2020 campaign, from Delhi to Geneva. For Lorena, this meant so much travel, and so much connection to different cultures. Though the march was postponed in March 2020, Lorena has been busy. In this episode, you'll find out what she's been up to, and hear some words of encouragement for all of us who find ourselves on the path towards peace.

In late September to early October, twelve North American activists agreed to participate in a relay fast - one activist fasting on each day, all in support of causes of their choosing. In this episode, you'll hear from five of the people who participated in that fast, including two of your podcast hosts (Annie and Pria). You'll hear their different reasons for fasting, and their impressions after the fact.

Javier Leal Garcia was one of the marchers who committed a year of his life to marching for peace from Delhi, India, all the way to Geneva. The march was suspended due to the pandemic, and all the marchers dispersed and returned to their home countries.

Javier lives in Spain now. He is a medical doctor, and he shares some of his perspectives about being a doctor, being a doctor while marching, and just being a human being on a massive peaceful undertaking like the Jai Jagat march. This interview is lovely and moving - he is a beautiful speaker. It is wonderful to hear him speak with Ashima, who marched alongside him on the Jai Jagat march.

As an educator, Jamie Beck is deeply immersed in the challenges that have been faced by members of our society during this pandemic. During this interview, you will hear how her stalwart focus on peace and nonviolence has offered her a unique perspective on how to navigate our current challenges. During this interview, she offers advice to educators who may be dealing with undue stress. For me, the examples she gave could be extrapolated and applied to our day to day lives.

Jamie is one of the co-chairs of the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace. She also teaches at the University of Calgary. 

Julie is a retired professor from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, specialized in Russian language and literature. Irakli is the chair of the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation Georgia. In this episode, Julie and Irakli talk about how they met back in the 1990s at George Mason University and how they are now collaborating on a television program called War & Peace Times in Georgia which has the objective to elevate the discussion of peace in this challenging time in the South Caucasus.

We're back after our two week holiday break. We couldn't be happier to be bringing you more stories of people who care about their world. This time, the guests you'll hear from are your very own hosts.

This special episode was recorded months ago, shortly after we began recording and listening back to our interviews. It's strange to listen to something that doesn't seem to be "old" by any means, but still feels like it was happening to a "me" from a long time ago. Time is passing strangely this year (and last). I know that since we recorded this interview, we have all grown as people, and this podcast has grown as well.

I wonder how things will change in the upcoming months. I suppose we'll find out along with everyone else, and who knows? Maybe we'll even record an episode about it, later on down the road.

Speaking Our Peace is a project undertaken by four women who live in three different countries. We always seek to bring you real stories of people who have done amazing things so that you may find some rays of hope in times of instability and turmoil. If that's what brings you to our podcast, this episode will surely be as informative as it is heartening.

In this episode, you will hear from Shaykh Dr. Al-Ninowy (the founder of the Madina Institute), Sushama Sharma (principal of the Anand Niketan school in India), and S. C. Behar (former Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh in India). There is so much we can learn from them, and hearing these three speak all together is powerful.

For more on Dr. Al-Ninowy's work, please visit www.madinainstitute.com

For more on Sushama Sharma's work, please visit www.anandniketan.com

Joe Cloutier has been an educator with a focus on high-risk populations for decades. Early in his career, he recognized that creativity and the arts were an avenue through which he could offer youth a way to express their stories and relate to one another. Over the years, Joe continued his work with his students, eventually leading him to help found Inner City High School, a not-for-profit independent high school that works with high-risk youth. 

In this interview, Annie spends time delving into Joe's personal story, from his childhood in inner city Toronto, to his time spent doing different jobs, and eventually becoming an educator. Joe's passion for what he does comes through clearly when he speaks about his work. 

To find out more about Inner City High, visit: https://innercity.ca/inner-city-high-school

Jill has been a peace activist for decades. We were fortunate to hear about the beginning of her journey into peace work, the work she is currently engaged in, and everything in between. 

We hope you come away with an understanding, not just of her impressive credentials (and let me tell you, they ARE impressive), but also with her humanity. Jill has a way of making a person feel seen and heard in an interaction, but coupled with this is a sense of drive and focus that makes one feel as though her attention would not have come upon you if not for a good reason.

We hope, during this episode, you discover your "good reason".

Email: speakingourpeace@gmail.com

IG and Twitter: @ourpeacepodcast

www.speakingourpeace.com

Sidney Kairu's interview, to me, is unique. As a self-described introvert, he offers his perspective and artistic viewpoint to us in his decision to march with Jai Jagat from Delhi until the march was stopped in Armenia. His words may serve as inspiration for those of us who wish to bring their own gifts and strengths into the movement towards global peace, but may not know how they fit in.

Sidney's encouraging, warm nature shines through in this interview with Annie. We hope you enjoy it.

In this episode, Adwait and Ashima discuss the school where Adwait is an educator. Whether you live in India or the West, the schooling style is revolutionary and Gandhian.

This is a stunning interview conducted by Ashima, with her co-marcher Shruti. Their camaraderie, mutual respect and friendship are palpable in their conversation, and it is with great pleasure that we give you a window into that. During the interview, they discuss education in India, and the things that youth have to teach us.

If you'd like to reach out to us, you can e-mail us at speakingourpeace@gmail.com.

Instagram and Twitter: @ourpeacepodcast

www.speakingourpeace.com

Thank you for joining us for this wonderful conversation with educator, scholar and activist Alain Dangoisse.

Aneesh Thillenkery tells us about being one of the organizers of the Jai Jagat 2020 march, but that is only one part of his discussion with Annie this week. They spend some time talking about his other projects, and discussing the relationship between an activist and the community they work in. 

IG & Twitter: @ourpeacepodcast

speakingourpeace@gmail.com

Thanks for listening to this episode. We have so much to learn from Seonagh - this will not be the last time you hear from her this season. If what she had to say resonates with you and you're looking for a place to start, you can reach out to us. Or feel free to check out the following books she recommends:

My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies. By Resmaa Menakem

Peace is Every Breath by Thich Nhat Hanh

Love in Action by Thich Nhat Hanh

Oppression and the Body: Roots, Resistance and Resolutions, edited by Christine Caldwell and Lucia Bennet Leighton.

If you wish to learn more about her nonprofit, visit www.dharmainmotion.org

Keep your eyes peeled for more information about her work on instagram in the coming months. We'll keep you updated.

Thank you for your interest in this inspiring episode. Dr. Sujit Sinha shares stories from his journey as an educator, as well as his thoughts on industrialization, nation-states, and their relationship to violence.

In this short interview, you receive only a small glimpse into the wisdom that Reva has shared with all of us. As reporters and producers of this podcast, we owe so much of our inspiration to Reva. She continues to impart not just knowledge but also excitement and joy upon this podcast, and perhaps this is why this episode is so dear to us all. Since the podcast's inception, she has provided guidance and support to us.

In this episode, you'll hear about the four pillars of the Jai Jagat movement, some background on the movement, and Reva's involvement. She also discusses the importance of taking action, whether large or small, every day. Starting with this episode, a series of #everydayactions4peace will be released on our Instagram, so please check us out on social media for more information by following @ourpeacepodcast.

For more information on Reva's work, please visit https://sites.google.com/view/slow-peace-and-the-long-march/home .

Hello, dear listeners. In this episode, we speak with Mudit Shrivastava, a man who was among a group of 50 people who committed to marching for one year, from Delhi to Geneva, in the name of justice and peace. The march was halted on March 15, 2019 in Armenia due to COVID-19. The movement and march are called Jai Jagat, and this is just one of many episodes that will attempt to document and capture the spirit of such a grand undertaking.

The march itself is what inspired this podcast, so it’s important that we share a little more about Jai Jagat. In essence, the movement is focused around creating spaces for groups to work together to make nonviolent change on issues related to justice and peace. These issues center around four main pillars: eradicating poverty, stopping social discrimination, mitigating the climate crisis, and reducing war and conflict. While the group of marchers have all returned to their home countries due to the pandemic, they plan to resume the march from Armenia to Geneva in support of these four pillars next year.

Until then, our podcast helps keep this march alive. We are humbled and honored to support this movement. We hope you enjoy this episode.

Maya's conversation brought us a lot of joy and hope. Maya discussed her work with us and how she manages to stay optimistic and active, despite the inherent challenges we all face. 

Continue the conversation with us on social media.
Instagram & Twitter: @ourpeacepodcast

Facebook: Speaking Our Peace

Gmail: speakingourpeace@gmail.com

Trailer featuring the voices of your hosts: Ashima Vishnoi, Annie Luk, and Pria Joshi.