We interviewed Mariana Uzielli and Pia Argimón about the campaign on October 2 #nonviolenceday launched into the social networks by the initiative “Building nonviolent spaces.” (translation of article in Spanish)
1.-What is the initiative “Building nonviolent spaces” and since when does it exist, and where?
It is a project two years in the making and launched now, aimed at the irradiation of Silo’s Message* to reach places where it is not yet present. The ultimate goal is self-generated groups or projects (hence the term “spaces”) working on the basis of materials (documents, audio, video) with a proposed methodology (which interested parties may then vary according to taste, in the context of freedom of interpretation and of organization) to work autonomously.
All these materials are housed in the multilingual Web:
http://www.nonviolentspaces.net
There are teams working in different languages, and the Web, in addition to Spanish, already exists in English and German http://www.nonviolentspaces.net http://www.gewaltfreiraum.net, and soon will be ready in Portuguese, Italian and French.
In terms of irradiation and diffusion through social networks, the fanpages are already active in Spanish in Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/espaciosnoviolentos), Twitter (twitter.com/espnoviolentos), Google+, Youtube, Instagram and Facepopular.
Moreover, taking advantage of current media and to reach the younger generations, the web site is available for PC, smart phones and tablets, from which you can listen to or download audio, or different materials.
2.-What would people who are interested do?
For people who are interested, the proposal is to create nonviolent spaces or groups working with other people tuned in the same direction, based on mutual support and sharing of experiences. Something important in this proposal is the formation of working groups which we call Communities of the Message in which ideas, feelings and experiences based on Silo’s Message are shared. These communities may be physical or virtual.
If it is really felt the need to change or deepen into a life situation that is experienced, then the first step will be to share this concern with others in the immediate environment: family, friends, co-workers, club, etc. to form a community dealing with these issues.
The second step is to implement weekly meetings that can then be extended according to the interest, adding meetings of study, reflection and practice and/or also occasional seminars and retreats.
If someone also wants to support or contribute to this initiative: Every kind of support is welcome! We think the best way is to encourage the emergence of Communities of the Message which are SELF-GENERATED by mass diffusion through social networks: sharing Facebook content and the address of the web with the entire list of friends and contacts, postings retweeting, sharing the web, etc. The more people know about the proposal, the more likely it is that it will reach millions of hearts in need of affection, meaning and hope.
3.-Why and what for will you launch a campaign from September 2nd to October 2nd? How can people participate?
The goal is to install the theme and invite as many people as possible to reflect on the theme of nonviolence. We are living in an increasingly violent world and we are convinced that a different world is possible. We just need to be able to imagine it, in order to build it.
This is a campaign designed for the virtual environment, which is based on social networks and tries to inspire the creativity of people who will post a photo with their message and the hashtag #nonviolenceday
5.-What is the scope?
We’ve invited musicians, artists, chefs, entertainers, notables of culture, to help us spread this message and upload their photos on social networks.
We are calling on schools, so that during the month of September, children can work the theme of nonviolence, participate in workshops and various activities being carried out so they can reflect on the different types of violence and nonviolent conflict resolution; and to complete these tasks, a joint photo to upload on that day to social networks.
6.-If the best result were possible, what would happen?
The most important thing would be that people become aware of the level of violence in which we live and to start to reflect and work on the construction of different, nonviolent connections between people, in relation to animals and to the planet in general.
7.-Tell us more details and conclude by summarizing the basics.
Change does not depend on others, or on any government or any NGO. Change is the responsibility of each one of us and we are working in that direction, aspiring to grow more and more.
* “Silo’s Message” is a spiritual movement based on the proposal of Silo, pen name of Mario Luis Rodríguez Cobos (1938 -2010), based on a book of the same name. It is open to free interpretation and free participation.
