Developing leaders for peace, justice, and nonviolence
John Looney, 1916-2005The Alternatives to Violence Training Course originates from materials collected by John Looney, the first director of the Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee.
John Looney's life may be best summarized by the motto, "to see what love can do." John was a tireless, committed, and joyful educator, advocate and organizer for peace, nonviolence, and justice who was also a dedicated husband, loving father, and devoted friend. He and his work with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) was known and respected across Ohio and the nation. To him, love toward others was not sentimental or naive, but the most moral, ethical, and practical means toward personal fulfillment and fundamental social change. One of his common responses was "what good is faith if not put into practice." In the 1960s, John's love of people found social justice outlets in scheduling and hosting AFSC speakers and peace caravans around Ohio, working on fair housing, church integration, racial justice training, and full funding for public education in Wadsworth. With his wife, Adele, he joined Summit County Coalition for Peace. Stirred by his son Mark's anti war efforts and daughter Marcia's work on the cause of equal access to health care and their attendance at a massive demonstration against the war in Vietnam, John sold his business and began working full time for AFSC out of his home in 1970. |
In 1973, he helped establish the Northeast Ohio AFSC as part of Humanity House, an incubator for start-up and local community groups confronting discrimination, abuse, and poverty. He helped organize over 200 peace groups across Ohio during the height of the nuclear weapons freeze movement. He was also instrumental in developing and teaching "Alternatives to Violence," a comprehensive curriculum on nonviolent conflict resolution.
In 1986 after "retiring" from AFSC, he started Peace GROWS (Grass Roots Outreach Works), which focuses on spreading the ATV philosophy, materials, and course throughout Ohio and beyond. Interviews about John Looney and the Alternatives to Violence Course
|
What have you taken away from your experiences with the course and intern work?
|
How has the internship for peace and justice affected your career choice?
|
What do you see for the future of the John Looney Internship for peace and justice?
|
The John Looney Peace Justice and Nonviolence Internship
Downloadable PDF pamphlet about the John Looney Peace, Justice, and Nonviolence Internship
|
|
Danene M Bender, volunteer organizer of the John Looney Internship for Young Leaders, has been involved with Northeast Ohio AFSC projects since the late 1970's, shortly after Humanity House opened. An Akron Public schoolteacher, Danene became an Alternatives to Violence teacher and editor of the OHIO PEACE & JUSTICE CALENDAR. When John Looney formed Peace GROWS Inc, Danene edited John's writings including the ALTERNATIVES TO VIOLENCE WORKBOOK. Over ten years, Danene has mentored six young interns with individual coursework in conflict resolution and nonviolence. AlternativesToViolence.org looks to the future with the same quality John Looney inspired in all his endeavors for peace, justice, and nonviolence. |
|
Serena-Claire Hanna (2008/2009), as a John Looney Intern, focused on presenting alternative options to enlisting in the military, as well as debunking the tactics recruiters use to make their enlistment numbers. Serena worked to distribute the book Making the Connection to high schools in northeastern Ohio. She gained access to several high schools, brought speakers into classrooms, and spread awareness of and distributed opt-out forms. Serena also participated in the Speak for Peace Tour around northeast Ohio, with a panel who represented all facets of militarism and its effects. Serena was hired for the John Looney Internship during a break from her pre-med program at Youngstown State University. However, after working with AFSC and the Alternatives to Violence materials, she decided to transfer to Kent State University where she is currently finishing her Bachelors degree in Conflict Management and Environmental Science Eugene Watkins (2011) graduated from an Akron City high school and attended the University of Akron. He was a medic in the United States Army and did a tour of service in Iraq before he became a John Looney Intern. Eugene Watkins worked on NEO AFSC program planning to bring more urban youth to events. He took flyers/brochures to places of youth congregating to engage them in dialogue about justice and nonviolence. “I have learned many techniques that will inevitably change my life and those around me. Techniques that could mean the difference between someone or myself getting into a quarrel, or even life and death.” Elizabeth Rose (2012/2013) became the newest John Looney Intern soon after graduating from The University of Akron with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Communications and a minor in Sociology. The focus of her job was to create, design, and manage an online version of the Alternatives to Violence Workbook. This workbook was the educational background for all John Looney Interns and has been used to train hundreds of others. She worked closely with Danene Bender, editor of the workbook, to assure the quality of the course as it translates from original materials. Hannah Yackley (2015) graduated from Kent State University with two undergraduate degrees: BA in Spanish and BA in Applied Conflict Management. Her varied cultural experiences include interpreting for American doctors and nurses in Mexico, Honduras Leadership Training, and involvement with Invisible Children awareness campaigns.
During her 2015 internship, Hannah mainstreamed and expanded multi-media strategies to promote the online Alternatives to Violence Course website. Simultaneously she helped to organize a Northeast Ohio "Forum Theatre" workshop, which is a type of participatory theater for teaching people how to change the world. Her talents for producing videos are displayed on the Northeast Ohio AFSC Youtube page (Click here). |
Peace GROWS (Grass Root Outreach Works) Inc.
A nonprofit educational foundation was established to develop and distribute resources for peace and justice from 1986 to 2005.
The group self-published three books written by John T. Looney and edited by Danene M Bender: THE MEDIA SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, THE ALTERNATIVES TO VIOLENCE WORKBOOK and THE CLASSROOM TEACHERS BUIDE FOR ALTERNATIVES TO VIOLENCE. Books were sold in all fifty states and twelve foreign countries; many libraries received copies. Levels of programs were developed to teach principles, strategies and skills of nonviolence compiled in the Alternatives to violence workbook. Presentations, workshops, courses and trainings were attended by school teachers, health workers, social workers, church workers, parent groups and students. Ohio teachers who had completed the course contributed case studies about techniques used to settle classroom conflicts. In 2002, the John Looney Internship for Peace and Justice was established as joint effort of Peace GROWS and the Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee. Waring Advertising created our graphic art as "a family of publications" including our logo for stationary, brochures, posters and newsletters. Waring Smith also designed covers for our three books and determined standards for page layout and illustrations. That same artwork is used throughout this online website. |
The Lion and the Lamb
The lion and the lamb is the artwork used for the honorary pin which was given to graduates of the Alternatives to Violence course.
Origin of the AFSC Star
The red-and-black star was first used by the Fund for the Relief of the French Peasantry of The London Daily News during the Franco-Prussian War. At that time, Friends food wagons and ambulances bore the British Union Jack on one side and the Red Cross on the other, causing confusion. In 1870, the newspaper invited Quakers to share the star emblem, to be used with the phrase "Quaker Relief Fund" to distinguish it. Ever since, the double star has been a symbol of relief from catastrophes. It was adopted by the AFSC in 1917, six months after the organization's founding.
For more information about Quaker Action, visit AFSC.org |
Organizational Index
For over 25 years participants in the Alternatives to Violence course would exchange names of groups working on social justice issues. People want to join and support organizations working against oppression and violence and for peace, justice and the relief of suffering. The following in an updated version of those that now have websites. Perhaps you can get involved by joining one of these groups.
Organizational Index | |
File Size: | 1610 kb |
File Type: | doc |