SUGGESTIONS FOR APPROACHING ORGANIZATIONS
INTRODUCTION
No one knows if the current cease-fire is a lull or an end to the war, but many people working in the region now say that this period after the fighting is actually more difficult and painful. Now is the time when the impact of the horrors of war hit the hardest, when the task of reconstruction and rebuilding seems overwhelming, when Post Traumatic Stress is evident throughout the society. It is now that politicians and unscrupulous leaders are able to nurture seeds of new hatred and keep the cycle of violence going. As nationalist politicians begin to solidify their power, now is the time when opposition voices, independent journalists and human rights activists are at greatest risk for speaking the truth.
The main theme throughout this Guide is hope and understanding. It is not, however, a message from people wearing rose-colored glasses. The individuals who volunteer and work with the organizations listed in the following pages are not idealists. They are people who have taken a long-range view of the conflict in former Yugoslavia and have made a long-term commitment to help. They are people who have been involved deeply enough to know that the conflict does not fall into simple categories.
There are many political views represented here, and apolitical ones as well. But you will find two common threads. While there are differing opinions about the use of military force, all the projects and programs share a common desire to stop the violence and killing. And while many of the organizations listed work primarily with one particular ethnic community, all of them are committed to a multicultural, multiethnic society in the region, where no citizen of any state is denied human rights because of his or her cultural heritage.
A third element that the groups here have in common is that their members are very eager to increase the public's awareness and understanding of the Balkan conflict. They are concerned about the emotional distance which Americans have kept from the war, the confusion and apathy people have settled into. These activists want to play a role in changing this.
This is the main purpose of Working for Peace in the Balkans. We want to reach people who have been interested and concerned and eager to help, but who have been stymied by media presentations and government spin doctors who provide flat images, stereotypes and a pragmatic hopelessness. We want to change this by introducing Americans to citizens within their own communities who have some other information to share about former Yugoslavia: to volunteers who have been delivering humanitarian aid; activists who work with local grassroots peace and human rights organizations; legal scholars who are helping to set up new democratic legal structures in the new states. These people have a deeper understanding of the war's complexities and they have created U.S-based channels for citizen action. They offer hope and understanding.
The Guide will be distributed among community leaders, teachers and journalists. We want to encourage its use as a resource guide for those looking to host speakers, join campaigns, and promote charities. It will also help to build a network among U.S. groups active in the Balkans.
Some might say that this resource is too late, that it was most needed when the war was raging. No one knows if the current cease-fire is a lull or an end to the war, but many people working in the region now say that this period after the fighting is actually more difficult and painful. Now is the time when the impact of the horrors of war hit the hardest, when the task of reconstruction and rebuilding seems overwhelming, when Post Traumatic Stress is evident throughout the society. It is now that politicians and unscrupulous leaders are able to nurture seeds of new hatred and keep the cycle of violence going. As nationalist politicians begin to solidify their power, now is the time when opposition voices, independent journalists and human rights activists are at greatest risk for speaking the truth.
The people whose work is described in the following pages are idealists in one important sense. Behind every listing, you will find a great love for the people of the Balkans, and for the land and its fate as a place at the crossroads of many historical influences. We invite you to learn from them. We think that this is an important part of the international peace process.
Gopher Access, November 1996
Fully Searchable Web Access through Bosnet, March 1997
October
1996
Dorie Wilsnack, Coordinator
Working for Peace in the Balkans
by Ed Agro
by Dubravko Kakarigi
and not fully searchable European site by Boyd Noorda.
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
The following suggestions can help you make the best use of this resource guide:
MEDIA. Suggest to your local media that the work of organizations
listed be covered
in the local newspaper, its staff or volunteers hosted on local talk shows or on the
cable television community access stations. Consider interviewing some of them
yourself for an article in your church or community newsletter.
RESEARCH. Some organizations listed are resource networks and
libraries
themselves. Use them when you are doing research for a speech or sermon, a term
paper or a foundation proposal.
VOLUNTEERING. Most organizations depend on volunteers for some
of their work.
Look for ones that match your skills or attract your energy.
DONATIONS. All these organizations need financial support. But you
might also
think about supporting a group by organizing a fund raising event. This will increase
public awareness about the issues as well as providing needed funds.
INSPIRATION. Use the Guide as a source for organizing ideas to
develop programs
in your own community.
SUGGESTIONS FOR APPROACHING
ORGANIZATIONS
Use the KEY WORD INDEX to help you find organizations
working on specific issues or in specific geographic areas.
Many of the organizations now have web sites on the Internet's World Wide Web. If
you have computer access to the Web, this is a good place to begin.
Before you write or call an organization, sit down and think out what kind of
information you want. If you are calling to get more involved, make a list of what you
want to offer, what you are interested in doing. This will help the staff and volunteers
respond to your interest.
If you make good contact with a group, if people are helpful to you with information
or ideas for action, send them a thank you note. You might also send a donation, if
you can, but the thank you is a small but meaningful sign of support which activists
and organizations need.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The production of the Working for Peace in the Balkans has been an
all-volunteer effort.
Dorie Wilsnack was responsible for overall project implementation. Gajtana Simonowski
and Irene Oria conducted research and letter writing to locate organizations. Johanna
Bjorken, Laurance Hovde, Ed Agro, and Jack Patterson contributed their time and
energy, and Dubravko Kakarigi adapted the directory for access through the
World Wide Web. The greatest thanks goes to the busy individuals at the organizations
included, who took the time, often at a moment's notice, to respond to our requests for
literature, information and spelling corrections.
Working for Peace in the Balkans has received financial support from the Winston
Foundation for World Peace and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting and in-kind
support from the New York Metropolitan Region of the American Friends Service
Committee and the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly/USA.
Conflict Resolution Program
Helsinki Citizens Assembly/USA
Institute for War and Peace Reporting
SPEAKERS. Contact organizations when you are looking for speakers
for school
classes or to participate in a conference or public forum.
New York Metropolitan Regional Office
American Friends Service Committee
15 Rutherford Place
New York, New York 10003
Tel: 212-598-0967; Fax: 212-529-4603
P.O. Box 2391
New York, New York 10185
Tel: 212-982-9561
doriew@igc.apc.org
Lancaster House, Islington High Street
London N1 9LH, England
Tel: 44-171-713-7130
Fax: 44-171-713-7140
warrepport@gn.apc.org