The Student Peace Alliance is a nonpartisan student action organization advocating peace across the United States of America. Founded at Brandeis University

Brandeis University

Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...

 in the Spring of 2006 by Aaron Voldman and Julia Simon-Mishel, Student Peace Alliance is a 501(c)4 organization, and has 100 chapters in the United States at high schools, colleges, and community youth organizations.

Mission

The Student Peace Alliance unites youth from across the country around the common goal of establishing a Department of Peace. The Student Peace Alliance advocates for legislation to establish a U.S. Department of Peace through education and grassroots action.

Student Peace Alliance engages in, and develops support for, peace and non-violent initiatives across the United States in all levels of American life; including the local, state, and federal governments. These initiatives involve: grass routes awareness, research, volunteering, community service, activities with spiritual centers, violence prevention programs, conflict resolution, peace education, as well as raising awareness through the internet and popular culture.

Legislation

The Student Peace Alliance calls for a U.S. Department of Peace to effectively and efficiently implement policies that would centralize and unify peace building efforts domestically and abroad. With a legislative bill in the U.S. House of representatives (H.R. 808) that currently has 70 co-sponsors, Student Peace Alliance coordinates supportive efforts on a local and national level through various actions including, policy suggestions, research, citizen lobbying efforts, and peaceful non-violent demonstrations.

Principles

1. Nonviolence
   Nonviolence
   Nonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...
   
   : The Peace Alliance will uphold the highest level of regard for all individuals and organizations. We commit to operate with integrity, with open communication and with respect for people, environment, and process. We will endeavor to communicate our message in ways that do not do violence to the message itself.
2. Cooperation: We will maintain an attitude of support and appreciation while working together on behalf of the common good. Our behavior will be consistent with our mission and core values as we strive to participate in a shared responsibility and shared leadership model.
3. Harmlessness: We will strive never to compromise our core values and principles, and will maintain our nonviolent focus in all things.
4. Clarity & Simplicity: We will maintain our focus as we keep things simple and work for the practical application of the vision and principles we share.
5. Interconnectedness: We acknowledge that we live in a world of interconnected relationships; one world, and we take responsibility for the presentation and influence of our work. We will do what we can to support one another in our various areas of responsibility. It is our intention that all will experience success and be supported in their work.
6. Inclusivity: We will endeavor to resolve all questions and challenges by taking a long view and making choices that meet the needs of all concerned to the best of our ability. When faced with a choice of focusing narrowly over expanding, we will include all in the process as we choose wisely and strive to create a world that works for everyone and is sustained as well.
7. Understanding: We seek to work with loving understanding and a conscious realization of how we impact others and our environment, thus making wise choices.
8. Honest Communications: We acknowledge that communication is key to manifesting peace, healthy relationships, and effective cooperation.
9. Living a Culture
   Culture
   Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
   
    of Peace: We will strive to be the demonstration of the principles and concepts inherent in the Department of Peace, as we live a Culture of Peace based on the principles of nonviolence and cooperation.

National actions

National Call in Action : In December 2007 on the 3rd through the 7th, constituents for congressional districts all over the nation called in to their representative's office to advocate for the Department of Peace.
Valentine's Day Action : On Valentine's Day congressional offices all over the nation are visited by Student Peace Alliance members with Valentine's letters from constituents of their congressional district.
Peace of the Pie Action : The annual Mother’s Day “Peace of the Pie” National Action Day! On May 9 (the Friday before Mother's Day), members of SPA and Peace Alliance take pies to their local Congressional offices, letting members of Congress know that “Peace wants a Piece of the Pie, which is 2% of the Federal Defence Budget.
Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson (musician)

Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...

 Action : SPA Organizers from around the country volunteer at these concerts. At each show, SPA will be collecting photographs of concert attendees showing their support for the Department of Peace as a start to the photo petition campaign. Jack Johnson has also agreed to match donations raised during the summer up to $2,500.

Endorsements

Most recently, Ben & Jerry's

Ben & Jerry's

Ben & Jerry's is an American ice cream company, a division of the British-Dutch Unilever conglomerate, that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream novelty products, manufactured by Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc., headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont, United...

, the Vermont-based socially conscious ice-cream maker, announced that Aaron Voldman, Executive Director of the SPA and a member of the Board of Directors of The Peace Alliance, is one of two nationwide winners of its "Peace Pioneer" contest. The announcement was made on May 27, 2008 at its New York City Times Square Scoop Shop.

The bill (H.R. 808) is supported by 70 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, advocated by 35 cities, counties or other local administrations including Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Lost Angeles, and San Francisco, and endorsed by 55 organizations including Amnesty International

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...

, National Organization for Women

National Organization for Women

The National Organization for Women is the largest feminist organization in the United States. It was founded in 1966 and has a membership of 500,000 contributing members. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S...

 and Physicians for Social Responsibility.

The Greater Alliance

The Greater Alliance, all of which have the goal of promoting peace and policies for peace, consists of the Peace Alliance, Student Peace Alliance, and Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace. Founded in 2004 by Maryanne Williamson, the Peace Alliance is an organization dedicated to, in coordination with national efforts, raising grassroots awareness in local communities about violence prevention and peace programs in order to influence congressional decisions for the creation of a Department of Peace. Established in 2005, and operating in over 30 countries around the world, The Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace works on an international level promoting peaceful dialogue between nations through peace summits and global initiatives to establish Departments and Ministries of Peace.

Institutions across the United States

Seward High School –
Flowing Wells High School

Flowing Wells High School

Flowing Wells High School is a secondary school in Tucson, Arizona. It is the only high school in the Flowing Wells Unified School District....

 –
Horizon High School –
Campbell University

Campbell University

Campbell University is a coeducational, church-related university in rural North Carolina, USA. Its main campus is located in the community of Buies Creek; its law school moved from Buies Creek to a new campus in the state capital of Raleigh in 2009. Campbell has an approximately equal number of...

 –
Aliso Niguel High School

Aliso Niguel High School

Aliso Niguel High School is a high school located in the city of Aliso Viejo, California, U.S. Most of its students reside in the communities of Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel. The school is a California Distinguished School, a National Blue Ribbon School, and a New American High School...

 –
Arroyo Grande High School

Arroyo Grande High School

Arroyo Grande High School is an American public high school located in Arroyo Grande, California. It serves grades 9-12 as part of the Lucia Mar Unified School District .-Campus:...

 –
University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...

 –
California State University, Monterey Bay

California State University, Monterey Bay

California State University, Monterey Bay is a small public university in the California State University system on the site of the former U.S. Army base Fort Ord, on the Central Coast of California. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.CSUMB was founded in 1994 with...

 –
Carlsbad High School –
Del Dios Middle School –
Mira Costa High School

Mira Costa High School

Mira Costa High School is a four-year public high school located in Manhattan Beach, California, United States that first began operating in 1950. It is the only high school in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District...

 –
Pacifica High School –
Palos Verdes High School

Palos Verdes High School

Palos Verdes High School is one of three public high schools on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California, USA...

 –
San Dieguito Academy

San Dieguito Academy

San Dieguito AcademyPrincipalTim HornigSchool typePublicFounded1936LocationEncinitas, California, United StatesEnrollment1,528Faculty115Campus surroundingsSuburbanMascotMustangNewspaperThe MustangYearbook...

 –
San Pedro High School

San Pedro High School

San Pedro High School is a public high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District and is located in the San Pedro portion of the city of Los Angeles, California. In 2003, the school celebrated its 100th Anniversary....

 –
Arvada High School

Arvada High School

Arvada High School is a public secondary school operated by Jefferson County School District R-1 in Arvada, Colorado, United States.-Demographics:Arvada High constitutes following racial demographics:-History:...

 –
Colorado State University

Colorado State University

Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...

 –
Denver School of the Arts

Denver School of the Arts

The Denver School of the Arts was founded in 1991 as part of the Denver Public School District. It was a pioneer of the magnet school concept.-History:...

 –
Regis Jesuit High School

Regis Jesuit High School

Regis Jesuit High School is a Jesuit Catholic college preparatory high school located in Aurora, Colorado. Founded in 1877, the high school shares much of its history with its counterpart Regis University in neighboring Denver, Colorado....

 –
Regis University

Regis University

Regis University is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic, Jesuit university in the United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1877, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...

 –
Thompson Valley High School

Thompson Valley High School

Thompson Valley High School is located at 1669 Eagle Drive in Loveland, Colorado. Its mascot is the Eagle and it is one of four high schools in the Thompson R2-J School District, along with Loveland High School, Mountain View High School, and Berthoud High School.-Athletics:Thompson Valley hosts...

 –
University of Denver

University of Denver

The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....

 –
Amity Regional High School

Amity Regional High School

Amity High School is a regional public high school located in Woodbridge, Connecticut, USA. It provides high school education for the children in the towns of Woodbridge, Orange, and Bethany...

 –
Connecticut's Student Peace Alliance –
E. O. Smith High School –
Fair Haven High School –
Miss Porter's School

Miss Porter's School

Miss Porter's School, sometimes simply referred to as Porter's or Farmington, is a private college preparatory school for girls located in Farmington, Connecticut.- History :...

 –
American University

American University

American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...

 –
Georgetown University

Georgetown University

Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...

 –
National Cathedral School

National Cathedral School

National Cathedral School is an independent Episcopal private day school for girls located on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C...

 –
Coral Shores High School –
Edison State College –
St. Petersburg College

St. Petersburg College

St. Petersburg College is a fully accredited post-secondary educational institution located in St. Petersburg, Florida, serving some 65,000 students annually...

 –
University of Florida

University of Florida

The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...

 –
Boise High School

Boise High School

Boise High School is the one of five public traditional high schools within the city of Boise, Idaho. It is one of four Boise School District three year comprehensive high schools and is located on the outerlying edge of the city's downtown business core...

 –
Eagle High School

Eagle High School

Eagle High School is a four-year public school in Eagle, Idaho, operated by the Meridian School District. EHS opened in August 1995, educating students in grades 9–12. The current student body is approximately 2,200, an average of 550 students per class year...

 –
North Junior High School –
Student Peace Alliance of Idaho –
DePaul University

DePaul University

DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...

 –
University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...

 –
Westfield Washington High School

George Washington Community High School

George Washington Community High School is a public community school located in Indianapolis, Indiana, serving grades 7-12. The school is operated by the Indianapolis Public Schools system. The school's athletic teams are named the Continentals...

 –
McPherson College

McPherson College

McPherson College was chartered in 1887 by the leaders of the Church of the Brethren. The college provides a career-oriented liberal arts education...

 –
Shawnee Mission West

Shawnee Mission School District

The Shawnee Mission School District is one of the major school districts in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Located in northeast Johnson County, Kansas, the school district enrolled approximately 40,000 students in the 2009-2010 school year...

 –
Brandeis University

Brandeis University

Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...

 –
Cross Collegiate –
Endicott College

Endicott College

- History :Endicott was founded in 1939 by Eleanor Tupper and her husband, George O. Bierkoe, as a two-year women’s college. The college was issued its first charter by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in that year and graduated its first class in 1941. In 1944, it was approved by the state for...

 –
Salem State University –
Wellesley College –
Northwestern Michigan College

Northwestern Michigan College

Founded in 1951, Northwestern Michigan College, known as NMC to local residents, is a community college in Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan. Its annual enrollment is around 5,100 students...

 –
Schoolcraft College

Schoolcraft College

Schoolcraft College is a two-year community college located in Livonia, Michigan with a satellite campus in Garden City, Michigan. Schoolcraft College was established in 1961. Originally named Northwest Wayne County Community College, the name of the college was changed because of the length...

 –
University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

, Ann Arbor –
Wayne State University

Wayne State University

Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...

 –
Concordia College –
Mississippi University for Women

Mississippi University for Women

Mississippi University for Women, also known as MUW or simply the "W" is a four-year coeducational public university located in Columbus, Mississippi. It was formerly known as Industrial Institute and College and later Mississippi State College for Women...

 –
Truman State University

Truman State University

Truman State University is a public liberal arts and sciences university in Missouri, United States and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. About 6,000 students attend Truman, pursuing degrees in 43 undergraduate and 9 Graduate programs. It is located in Kirksville in...

 –
University of Nevada, Las Vegas

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...

 –
Keene State College

Keene State College

Keene State College is a liberal arts college in Keene, New Hampshire. It is a member of the University System of New Hampshire and of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges....

 –
Merrimack High School

Merrimack High School

Merrimack High School is the public secondary school of the town of Merrimack, New Hampshire. It is located in a central area of town on 38 McElwain Street. About 1,600 students from grades 9 through 12 attend the school each year....

 –
Plymouth State University

Plymouth State University

Plymouth State University, formerly Plymouth State College, is a regional comprehensive university located in Plymouth, New Hampshire and part of the University System of New Hampshire....

 –
College of Saint Elizabeth

College of Saint Elizabeth

The College of Saint Elizabeth is a private Roman Catholic, four-year, liberal arts college for women. It is located in an unincorporated community called Convent Station, in Morris Township, New Jersey...

 & Fairleigh Dickinson University

Fairleigh Dickinson University

Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university founded as a junior college in 1942. It now has several campuses located in New Jersey, Canada, and the United Kingdom.-Description:...

 –
Monmouth University

Monmouth University

Monmouth University is a private university located in West Long Branch, New Jersey, United States.Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956, and later Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter....

 –
Stockton College

Richard Stockton College of New Jersey

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, located in Galloway Township, New Jersey, an hour from Philadelphia and 20 minutes from Atlantic City, is an undergraduate and graduate college of the arts, sciences and professional studies of the New Jersey system of higher education. The College was...

 –
Westfield High School

Westfield High School (New Jersey)

Westfield Senior High School, or simply, Westfield High School is the only public high school located in Westfield, in Union County, New Jersey, operating as part of the Westfield Public Schools. It was established in the early 1900s at its original location on Elm Street until 1951 when it was...

 –
Armand Hammer United World College of the American West

Armand Hammer United World College of the American West

The United World College-USA is a United World College founded in 1982 by industrialist and philanthropist Armand Hammer. It is a two-year, independent, coeducational boarding school with about 200 students representing 80-90 countries at any time...

 –
Homeschoolers of New Mexico –
The Kew-Forest School

The Kew-Forest School

The Kew-Forest School is an independent, co-ed, college preparatory school for students in grades PreK-12. The school was established in 1918 strictly for residents of Forest Hills and Kew Gardens, hence the name...

 –
Pace University

Pace University

Pace University is an American private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York.-Programs:...

 –
University of Rochester

University of Rochester

The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...

 –
Vestal Senior High School

Vestal Senior High School

Vestal Senior High School is part of the Vestal Central School District which encompasses just west of Binghamton in the Southern Tier of New York. It is a four year comprehensive school which annually receives both national and state recognition for excellence in education...

 –
Western Carolina University

Western Carolina University

Western Carolina University is a coeducational public university located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. The university is a constituent campus of the University of North Carolina system....

 –
Tri-C Metro Campus –
Eisenhower High School

Eisenhower High School (Lawton, Oklahoma)

Eisenhower Senior High School is one of three public high schools and is located in west Lawton, Oklahoma. It was the second high school built in Lawton, Oklahoma in the early 1960s....

 –
Oklahoma City Community College

Oklahoma City Community College

The Oklahoma City Community College, also referred to as OCCC or O-Triple-C, is a coeducational community college located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The community college was founded in 1972. It currently enrolls 19,700 students. The faculty consists of 134 full-time professors, and 400 adjunct...

 –
Pilhomoth High School –
South Eugene High School

South Eugene High School

South Eugene High School is a public high school located in Eugene, Oregon, United States.-History:It was founded as Eugene High School around 1900, and was located at Willamette Street and West 11th Avenue in a brick building that later served as Eugene's city hall. In 1915, Eugene High moved to a...

 –
Cabrini College

Cabrini College

Cabrini College is a coeducational Roman Catholic residential college in the Philadelphia metropolitan area of Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, founded by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1957. It was one of the first colleges in the United States to make community service a...

 –
Neumann University –
Temple University

Temple University

Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...

 –
University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...

 –
Winchester Thurston School

Winchester Thurston School

Winchester Thurston School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school with two campuses: a Pre-Kindergarten through grade five North Hills Campus in Hampton Township and a Pre-Kindergarten through grade twelve City Campus in Shadyside, Pittsburgh...

 –
Johnson & Wales University

Johnson & Wales University

Johnson & Wales University is a private, nonprofit, co-educational, career-oriented university with four campuses located throughout the United States. Providence, Rhode Island, USA, is home to JWU's first and largest of four currently operating campuses. Founded as a business school in 1914, by...

 –
Lincoln School –
Augustana College

Augustana College (South Dakota)

Augustana College is a private, liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. The campus makes the school the largest private university in South Dakota...

 –
Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church –
Abilene Christian University

Abilene Christian University

Abilene Christian University is a private university located in Abilene, Texas, affiliated with Churches of Christ. ACU was founded in 1906, as Childers Classical Institute...

 –
Southwestern University

Southwestern University

Southwestern University is a private, four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts college located in Georgetown, Texas, USA. Founded in 1840, Southwestern is the oldest university in Texas. The school is affiliated with the United Methodist Church although the curriculum is nonsectarian...

 –
Christopher Newport University

Christopher Newport University

Christopher Newport University, or CNU, is a public liberal arts university located in Newport News, Virginia, United States. CNU is the youngest comprehensive university in the Commonwealth of Virginia...

 –
James Madison University

James Madison University

James Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...

 –
Lake Washington High School

Lake Washington High School

Lake Washington High School is one of four high schools in the Lake Washington School District, with an enrollment of approximately 1076 students. It is in the Rose Hill neighborhood of Kirkland, Washington....

 –
Pacific Lutheran University

Pacific Lutheran University

Pacific Lutheran University is located in Parkland, a suburb of Tacoma, Washington. In September 2009, PLU had a student population of 3,582 and approximately 280 full-time faculty...

 –
Vashon Island

Vashon Island

Vashon is a census-designated place in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon-Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. The population was 10,624 at the 2010 census. At , it is about 60 percent larger...

 –
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

See also

• Non-violence
• Department of Peace
• U.S. House of Representatives
• Peace
  Peace
  Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
  
  
• Conflict Resolution
  Conflict resolution
  Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of some social conflict. Often, committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information about their conflicting motives or ideologies to the rest...