Bringing Peace To Life

Artwork from a prisoner who attended a recent workshop.

Kazu Haga has had a vision of world peace in which conflicts between nations and among peoples can be fully resolved without war and conflict becomes a pathway to further growth. Some would say that the world is far from that realization, but one cannot achieve such a far-reaching goal without acting, even in a small way.

When he was 17 years old, Kazu undertook a 1 1/2 year journey through the US and South Asia, studying nonviolence wherever he ended up and spending time in Buddhist temples, where the particular Buddhist order emphasized peace and justice. About that journey, he says, "I believe that those working for peace need to have the same levels of commitment, training, strategy, and discipline that the military invests into war. The military trains its leaders at West Point. East Point will serve as a counter to that."



That explains how Kazu came to found EAST POINT PEACE ACADEMY, which is located in Oakland, CA. A lot has changed with Kazu since the age of 17, including his background with religious elders and his training in KINGIAN NONVIOLENCE. He is able to use his vast experience as the abiding philosophy in the academy he founded.

Among the groups, with which the academy works, is the incarcerated community. Typically, when many people reflect on the lives of those incarcerated, the image of violence comes to mind. But what better place to instruct men and women who know first-hand about communities that may be themselves enveloped in violence! So, East Point brings peace workshops into prisons. After all, incarcerated individuals do return to the communities from which they came. With instruction in peaceful living, they can bring that message into their communities and help change it and the people around them.

The workshops utilize small group activities, role-playing, readings, video presentations, talks, and discussions. Areas covered include definitions of violence and nonviolence, types of conflict and what accelerates and decelerates them, principles of Kingian nonviolence, and using the skills of the latter to develop campaigns and resolve conflict. The end result is that the majority of attendees leave with new skills and a change in perspective.

A group attending a workshop held at Growing Up Locked Down conference in NYC.

The prison groups are just one of many with which East Point works. There are also workshops for police officers, youth, violence prevention activists, organizers of political and social movements, and anyone else who is interested. Groups can arrange for their own workshops and individuals can check the academy's schedules for workshops they can attend. There are even readings, a blog that discusses current events and peace philosophy, videos, and additional resources, posted online.

A recent introduction workshop at East Bay Meditation Center.

Thanks to this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/kazu-haga-east-point-peace-academy/; and the above links.

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