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You are here: Home / News

News

July 4, 2018 by MSPJC Volunteer

HOPE In The News!

When municipalities don’t invest in addressing homelessness on the front end, they end up paying for it on the back end. Memphis and Shelby County still haven’t collectively decided to make a financial commitment to our residents experiencing homelessness and poverty. The irony is that we end up paying more at the jail and emergency rooms than if we invested in direct homeless services and affordable housing in the first place.

This week, Tonyaa Weathersbee from the Commercial Appeal spoke with H.O.P.E. Organizing Coordinator, Tamara Hendrix, about a subject she is all too familiar with; Why do those experiencing homelessness spend so much time at the ER? There are in fact, a number of reasons; it is safer than a shelter, it’s free while Memphis shelters are not, no one will bother or harass you, they let you sleep, and of course many need medication or have illnesses that are worsened by a lack of resources.

Read the full article, HERE!

Summer Survival Continues, YOU can help!
Our Summer Survival campaign is underway!  Throughout this summer, H.O.P.E. members are feeding  vulnerable and hungry folks, and their children at Morris Park. We are providing sandwiches, bottled water, and chips, as well as hygiene kits. We’re always in need of more volunteers to help distribute items, which is a great opportunity for anyone who may need community service hours. Youth volunteers are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult if under 18. We need your help to make this summer great for those in need!

During our first Summer Survival day, we gave away 50 snack bags! Folks were so happy and excited to see us because some of them literally did not know where the next meal was coming from. The next Summer Survival date is this Thursday July 12th,  so there is still time to donate and volunteer with H.O.P.E!

For more information about how you can help donate or support HOPE or those who do the work to combat homelessness,or would like to put on a HOPE shirt and volunteer, contact Tamara Hendrix, (901)725.4990 or  tamara@midsouthpeace.org.

Feed the Movement!

H.O.P.E. would like to thank Marcos Pizza for providing pizzas for the H.O.P.E meetings on the 1st Wednesday of the month. H.O.P.E  is a supportive advocacy group for people with the experiences of homelessness. One of the ways in which we learn about the aforementioned needs and strategize how we can best support one another through this work is through our weekly Wednesday meetings in which we invite people experiencing homelessness to fellowship, share, and brainstorm. It is very important that H.O.P.E. continues to hear from the homeless community about the differing levels of oppression that many of us may face when attempting to navigate through the impending hardships of scarce services available in Memphis. For many groups and organizations offering free food at meetings is a plus for their attendees, but for H.O.P.E. it is a necessity, due to the fact that most often the meal offered at H.O.P.E. meetings may be the only meal they will have that day.

As H.O.P.E. grows in numbers our expenses grow as well. How can you help? You can help by donating prepared foods on Wednesdays to our meeting that afternoon. Don’t have time to cook or buy prepared foods and bring them to our meeting space? We also accept monetary donations towards this cause. Neither of those options seem feasible for you presently? We are also looking for restaurants willing to donate food to our meetings. As always, all forms of donations are completely tax deductible.

If you would like to discuss how you can offer support to HOPE please call Tamara @ 901-254-5964 or email tamara@midsouthpeace.org

Filed Under: News

July 4, 2018 by MSPJC Volunteer

Community Organizing Skills Training: November 2-4, 2018!

Join Mid-South Peace and Justice Center’s Community Organizing Skills Training on November 2, 3 & 4!

Our three-day Community Organizing Skills Training explores the foundational skills to be organizers and create systematic change in a group or community, keeping nonviolence as a foundation.

This training is fully interactive and has direct application in each session. We train use a combination of popular and experiential education, allowing participasnts to explore in a hands-on, direct manner, while also drawing out the expertise that the individual already has within.

Who should attend this Community Organizer Training?
Experienced and less-experienced organizers,  activists, community leaders and any one who wants to learn what ‘community organizing’ is all about.

Topics covered include:
Roles of Social Change, Campaign Planning, Facilitating Meetings, Working with Media and an intro to Nonviolent Direct Action.

Where: TBD
When: Friday, November 2:  6-9pm
Saturday, November 3:  9am-5pm
Sunday, November 4:   2-6:30pm

****** No partial attendance allowed ******

Cost: If your annual income is:
Less than $15,000             You pay: $30
$15,000-$25,000                             $50
$25,000-$35,000                             $100
$35,000-$45,000                             $150
$45,000-$55,000                             $225
$55,000 -$65,000                             $300
Over $65,000                                  $375
Organizational budget over $65K      $375

REGISTER HERE!

Sliding scale based on the individual’s income. If your organization is sending you to the training, use the organizational budget to determine the fee. Please consider that it costs MSPJC $200+ per person to do the training.
Fee includes 14+ hours of training, simple snacks, light breakfast and lunch on Saturday, materials and follow up support from a network of the mid-south best organizers and activists.
Some scholarships may be available, please request scholarship application by email.
Donations for workshop scholarships gratefully accepted!

Registration online or by phone is required for all trainings.
For more information call 901-725-4990, email to gio@midsouthpeace.org

———————————————————————————————-

Upcoming *.*.* FREE Self-Care Workshop *.*.*
Self-Care with Movement and Sound  ::  August 23 @ 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
This workshop is full, if you want to be added to the waiting list email gotpower@midsouthpeace.org or call 901-725-4990

———————————————————————————————-

Grassroots Organizer Training for Power (GOT Power), Mid-South Peace and Justice Center’s training program, is committed to building our community’s capacity through building skills in grassroots organizing, providing support to people doing community work and offering oppression awareness and liberation education.
Our method of education is Popular and Direct Education. Direct education means education that directly confronts and challenges the current system of injustice, which includes traditional education. Rather than traditional education, which gives all the expertise to textbooks and teachers, Direct Education invites the expertise of the people themselves. Direct Education is about liberation and empowerment — going to the direct source of wisdom: the community itself!

Please contact us to get more information and schedule a training in your group or community. Fees are negotiable, scholarships are available and donations for scholarships are greatly appreciated.

Trainings can be designed specifically for established groups, organizations, campaigns, coalitions, etc. Comprehensive weekend workshops on specific organizing skill sets, issue or community-specific formats are available.

Trainings in Spanish are also available. All trainings are offered in English or Spanish as requested. We work and collaborate with bilingual trainers and facilitators.
G.O.T Poder – Entrenamientos en Español

For more information visit G.O.T.Power or write to GotPower@midsouthpeace.org

                        ≈• Please Let Us Know What You Think ≈•
The Training Department of the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center (G.O.T. Power) would like to hear from the movement community. We want to know what you think about us and how we could better support your work or group! Please take a couple minutes to complete this short survey. This survey is for everyone, whether you have attended a workshop or not! Feel free to list your name or remain anonymous.
G.O.T Power Survey

Filed Under: News

July 4, 2018 by MSPJC Volunteer

Meeting Next Saturday! MBRU Survey Coming Soon! Transit in the News!

                    [Photo Credit: Alexandria Taelor]

Greetings, transit warriors! It’s only a WEEK until MBRU’s next monthly meeting: join us Saturday, July 14th from 12-2 PM. We’ll be talking about new developments in mobility, MATA’s upcoming budget, and doing outreach in the South Memphis area. We’ll be at A Step Ahead Foundation, on the 4th floor of the Crosstown Concourse!

Also, we’re happy to announce that we have a new survey in the works! We want to hear from riders like us about how you use transit, and what the transit needs are in your community. The survey will be available soon on paper and online. Keep an eye out for updates on this!

Finally, we mentioned last week that MATA was recently selected for a program that works on On-Demand transit service. Maya Smith spoke to MBRU organizer Justin Davis for an article in the Memphis Flyer! “It’s an interesting idea that’s worth researching, but we want to see what this kind of program would look like in practice,” Davis said. Read the full article here. We also highly encourage riders to read this recent column by Tonyaa Weathersbee in the Commercial Appeal! Tonyaa talks about the recent arrival of Bird scooters to Memphis, and points out that this move should be paired with improvements to public transit, streets and crosswalks, and bike lanes.

MBRU holds meetings on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 12-2 PM; our next meeting is July 14th at the Crosstown Concourse. If you have any questions, or you’re interested in joining our work, contact organizer Justin Davis at justin@midsouthpeace.org. And follow us on Facebook and Twitter to see more updates!

Filed Under: News

June 27, 2018 by MSPJC Volunteer

Feed the Movement!

H.O.P.E. would like to thank Marcos Pizza for providing pizzas for the H.O.P.E meetings on the 1st Wednesday of the month. H.O.P.E  is a supportive advocacy group for people with the experiences of homelessness. One of the ways in which we learn about the aforementioned needs and strategize how we can best support one another through this work is through our weekly Wednesday meetings in which we invite people experiencing homelessness to fellowship, share, and brainstorm. It is very important that H.O.P.E. continues to hear from the homeless community about the differing levels of oppression that many of us may face when attempting to navigate through the impending hardships of scarce services available in Memphis. For many groups and organizations offering free food at meetings is a plus for their attendees, but for H.O.P.E. it is a necessity, due to the fact that most often the meal offered at H.O.P.E. meetings may be the only meal they will have that day.

As H.O.P.E. grows in numbers our expenses grow as well. How can you help? You can help by donating prepared foods on Wednesdays to our meeting that afternoon. Don’t have time to cook or buy prepared foods and bring them to our meeting space? We also accept monetary donations towards this cause. Neither of those options seem feasible for you presently? We are also looking for restaurants willing to donate food to our meetings. As always, all forms of donations are completely tax deductible.

If you would like to discuss how you can offer support to HOPE please call Tamara @ 901-254-5964 or email tamara@midsouthpeace.org.

Filed Under: News

June 27, 2018 by MSPJC Volunteer

Summer Survival Continues!

Its hot out there, and its just getting started! That’s why, last week, we kicked off our Summer Survival campaign. During Summer Survival, H.O.P.E. members are feeding the most vulnerable and hungry school age children and their parents throughout summer. We would like to provide sandwiches, bottle water, and chips as well as hygiene kits when necessary. We also need volunteers to help pass out the food, which is a good opportunity for those who need community service hours. Youth volunteers are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult if under 18. We need your help to make this summer great for those in need!

We had our first Summer Survival and we gave away 50 snack bags! The adults and children we met were so happy and excited to see us because some of them literally did not know where the next meal was coming from.

More good news…. Kroger has gifted us a $200 gift card to continue our program! We want to thank Kroger for this awesome gift and please keep Kroger in mind when you do your family grocery shopping .The next one is this Saturday June 30 so there is still time to donate or volunteer with Summer Survival.

For more information about how you can help donate or support HOPE or those who do the work to combat homelessness,or would like to put on a HOPE shirt and volunteer,  contact Tamara Hendrix, (901)725.4990 or  tamara@midsouthpeace.org.

Filed Under: News

June 27, 2018 by MSPJC Volunteer

JJP Welcomes Our Summer Interns!

This summer the Juvenile Justice Project is proud to introduce our 6 interns! Brianna, Marquinna, Brianna, and Shamira are our four high school interns from the Board of Education‘s Summer Internship Program. We’re also thrilled to have Casey and Monae, from the University of Memphis. They have been helping to facilitate our Know Your Rights Theatre Workshops, all over the city this summer! In addition, our high school interns have been working on our Youth Council to help plan new  volunteer opportunities for other teens.

We have had a busy week with Know Your Rights Theatre Workshops. We’ve done almost 15 KYR workshops at Hickory Hill Community Center, Orange Mound Community Center, Pine Hill Community Center, and Douglas Community Center. This summer we will be running over 100 Know Your Rights Theatre workshops. We will be at the Boys & Girls Club of Hickory Hill, Girls Inc, and almost every community center in the city. Each of these sites serves over 100 youth from elementary through middle school that will be learning how to more safely navigate experiences with law enforcement. We use improv theatre to help them act out realistic scenarios with police, explain how to safely exercise one’s rights (which we tie back to the constitution and case law), and demonstrate techniques to deescalate conflict. We believe that when we approach law enforcement from a place of knowledge, instead of what we learned on Law & Order, that everyone is safer.

We have a busy summer ahead of us. We need food and beverage donations for our JJP Days of service (mostly snacks) and your financial support.

Donate today at https://midsouthpeace.org/get-involved/donate-now

Filed Under: News

June 27, 2018 by MSPJC Volunteer

Powerful Marshal Skills Training!

Last Thursday we held our Marshal Skills Training. In this training, participants explored the roles of a Marshal (or Third Party Nonviolent Intervenor – TPNI), skills for non-violent intervention and de-escalation during a nonviolent direct action.

We had a diverse group of participants with different experiences in marshaling, which made for a rich training, where participants shared experiences, knowledge and wisdom.

We are thankful for these participants’ passion to keep our demonstrations and direct actions, nonviolent and safe for everybody!


Marshal Skills Training Participants 

If your group are in need of a Marshal Training contacts us! gio@midsouthpeace.org

Upcoming *.*.* FREE Self-Care Workshop *.*.*
Self-Care with Movement and Sound  ::  August 23 @ 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm (only 3 spots available)

———————————————————————————————-

Grassroots Organizer Training for Power (GOT Power), Mid-South Peace and Justice Center’s training program, is committed to building our community’s capacity through building skills in grassroots organizing, providing support to people doing community work and offering oppression awareness and liberation education.
Our method of education is Popular and Direct Education. Direct education means education that directly confronts and challenges the current system of injustice, which includes traditional education. Rather than traditional education, which gives all the expertise to textbooks and teachers, Direct Education invites the expertise of the people themselves. Direct Education is about liberation and empowerment — going to the direct source of wisdom: the community itself!

Please contact us to get more information and schedule a training in your group or community. Fees are negotiable, scholarships are available and donations for scholarships are greatly appreciated.

Trainings can be designed specifically for established groups, organizations, campaigns, coalitions, etc. Comprehensive weekend workshops on specific organizing skill sets, issue or community-specific formats are available.

Trainings in Spanish are also available. All trainings are offered in English or Spanish as requested. We work and collaborate with bilingual trainers and facilitators.
G.O.T Poder – Entrenamientos en Español

For more information visit G.O.T.Power or write to GotPower@midsouthpeace.org

 ≈• Please Let Us Know What You Think ≈•
The Training Department of the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center (G.O.T. Power) would like to hear from the movement community. We want to know what you think about us and how we could better support your work or group! Please take a couple minutes to complete this short survey. This survey is for everyone, whether you have attended a workshop or not! Feel free to list your name or remain anonymous.

G.O.T Power Survey

Filed Under: News

June 27, 2018 by MSPJC Volunteer

Meeting in 2 Weeks! MBRU at Juneteenth! MATA: On-Demand Service??

 Greetings, transit warriors! MBRU’s next meeting is coming up in two weeks! Join us Saturday, July 14th from 12-2 PM. We’ll be talking about new developments in mobility, MATA’s upcoming budget, and doing outreach in the South Memphis area. Join us at A Step Ahead Foundation, on the 4th floor of the Crosstown Concourse!

Also, we had a great time co-sponsoring the United Campus Workers’ Juneteenth celebration! Last Saturday afternoon, MBRU members had some great fellowship with our allies like Fight for $15, Black Lives Matter, and the Memphis Feminist Collective. We also got to tell community members from all over town about our transit work, and hear a lecture from Dr. Charles McKinney about the greatest labor win in our country’s history! An ask from UCW: SIGN this petition asking to raise the minimum wage for University of Memphis staff!

Finally, MATA was recently selected for a program that works on On-Demand transit service.  According to MATA, this program will provide technical assistance, research tools, and other guidance as they look into using on-demand service for “both people in disadvantaged neighborhoods and paratransit riders.” The program selected 6 transit agencies total, including agencies in Baltimore, Austin, and San Francisco. MBRU will be looking into these efforts, and we hope that MATA keeps the community involved in this process as we talk about improving options for Memphis riders. Read MATA’s full press release here.

—–

MBRU holds meetings on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 12-2 PM; our next meeting is July 14th at the Crosstown Concourse. If you have any questions, or you’re interested in joining our work, contact organizer Justin Davis at justin@midsouthpeace.org. And follow us on Facebook and Twitter to see more updates!

Filed Under: News

June 20, 2018 by Paul Garner

This Summer: Know Your Rights!

We’ve had a busy summer so far with the Juvenile Justice Project and Know Your Rights Theatre. We kicked things off June 4 at the Boys and Girls Club of Hickory Hill. Since then we’ve done workshops at Mitchell Community Center, McFarland Community Center, Cunningham Community Center, and Hickory Hill Community Center. We have already taught over 200 kids and teens about their rights during police stops and we’re just getting started!
This summer we will be running over 100 Know Your Rights Theatre workshops! We will be at the Boys & Girls Club of Hickory Hill, Girls Inc, and almost every community center in the city. Each of these sites serves over 100 kids from elementary through middle school that will be learning how to more safely navigate experiences with law enforcement. We use improv theatre to help them act out realistic scenarios with police, tell them how to safely exercise their rights (which we tie back to the constitution and case law), as well as teaching them deescalation techniques. We believe that when we approach law enforcement from a place of knowledge, instead of what many of us learned on TV Cop dramas, that everyone is safer.
We have a busy summer ahead of us! We’re asking for your support with food & beverage donations for our JJP Days of service (mostly snacks) and your financial support. Donate today at https://midsouthpeace.org/get-involved/donate-now/

 

Filed Under: News

June 20, 2018 by Paul Garner

Trolley Folly! We’re Coming Soon to Your Neighborhood! UCW Celebrates Juneteenth THIS Saturday!

Greetings, transit warriors! This week, the Main Street Trolley will start running every 20 minutes, every day. MATA announced this via Nextdoor, and you can view their announcement here. As public transit in our city continues to be underfunded, we wonder why Memphis prioritizes trolley service over much-needed improvements for our buses and MATAPlus. Let’s shift the focus to the working class folks, people of color, and people with disabilities who rely on service outside of downtown for their livelihoods.

Also, be on the lookout: MBRU will be coming to your neighborhood this year! We want to hear from more riders about what your transit needs are in your communities. And remember, you can always contact us about concerns you have at (901) 205-9737 or MemphisBRU@gmail.com. Stay tuned for more updates on this!

Finally, we wanna remind folks about a great upcoming event from one of our allies. United Campus Workers is hosting their 5th annual Juneteenth Celebration THIS Saturday, June 23rd! Come down to the IBEW Union Hall (1870 Madison) from 2-5 PM for food, fellowship, and special guest speaker Dr. Charles McKinney! Bus riders can get there on the #2 Madison. To RSVP on Facebook, click here.

—–

MBRU holds meetings on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 12-2 PM; our next meeting is July 14th at the Crosstown Concourse. If you have any questions, or you’re interested in joining our work, contact organizer Justin Davis at justin@midsouthpeace.org. And follow us on Facebook and Twitter to see more updates

Filed Under: News

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