Grant+proposal+draft

Final Budget Chart:

Final Copy

Cover page of final copy
 * __ Statement of Issues __**

The antiwar and social justice problems have been issue throughout the nation. The SPC recognized that younger generations across the country have been making links between unchecked militarism/wars at other countries and the declining access of U.S. peoples to basic social services, and the increasing threats to basic social justice. However, many of these voices did not have strength in the community because there was no systematic tool for communication available to unify the messages each young community was sending. With recognition of these problems occurring in the U.S. society, the SPC was created to help Syracuse community to bring their voices more effectively and help to influence the society by running campaigns and diverse programs. There still numerous social justice problems exist in the nation where a lot of people are experiencing disadvantages. These issues have been crucial in fact that a lot of issues are still in progress, hence many communities are trying to help the society to overcome. The national Student Peace Actions Network at Syracuse University also has similar mission along side with SPC. It is supported by Peace Action Education Fund, the nation's largest grassroots peace and justice organization. SPAN is a tool for diverse student groups to obtain current information on the peace movement and a space for students to forge their own strategic campaigns and visions to challenge the injustice of our current national agenda. These two organizations have similar goals and missions to work on, hence we decided to focus on one of the newest campaign called “SMEP: Stop Militarism in Education Project.” Currently, there is a similar campaign running at SPC which is called “Military Alternative Education Project” which introduces and explains other options besides going to military schools.

**__ Background or History of the Organization and Its Relationship to the Community and/or University __** The Syracuse Peace Council (SPC) was founded in 1936 as an antiwar/social justice organization. It is community-based, autonomous and funded by the contributions of its supporters mostly from Syracuse community. SPC has a goal to educates, agitates and organizes the world where war, violence and exploitation in any form will no longer exist. It challenges the existing unjust power relationships among nations, among people and between them and the environment. They initiate and support activities that help build this sense of community and help tear down the walls of oppression. SPC are educating and bringing up awareness of antiwar/social justice in community by running several programs itself. Those programs have broad sections from youth to media and peace letters, etc. SPC is also generating variety projects/workshops and doing campaigns to increase awareness. However, even though SPC is trying hard to inform and agitate the community with social justice problems happening throughout the nation and bring peace by going against war, since SPC is such a small community organization, they do not have enough strength in their voices to influence greatly in the community. Hence, it is trying to work with Syracuse University where campus is such diverse and active. One of the organizations at Syracuse University is called “SPAN: Student Peace Actions Network,” which is an organization also concerned about social justice and war the U.S. is facing.

Methodology of the Partnership The proposed collaboration would link the Syracuse Peace Council with the Syracuse University Student Peace Action Network. Because these are both established organizations already, this partnership would be very much a collaboration between two distinct and separate groups, and not an incorporation of one group into another. Although the missions of each group are similar, they do not exactly coincide, so an affiliation would be more effective than a complete merger of the organizations.

This partnership would require strong communication between each group about goals, projects, and progress in the community. The leadership hierarchy of each group will remain as is, but will need to adapt to cooperate with an outside group on shared projects.

This partnership would not exist in name only. Although the gesture of a partnership shows cooperation and alliance, our proposed partnership is on based on action rather than just words. The like-minded members of SPAN and SPC have been working separately on very similar projects in the past, and we believe that co-sponsoring projects and events will be more effective for both groups.

There are several examples of existing projects that have overlapped between SPAN and SPC. The goal of this entire partnership is to unite for specific causes and work together one project at a time. For example, both groups have cited closing down the United States School of Americas and ending the war in Iraq as goals of their work. The groups can combine agendas of each project (but not necessarily of the organization as a whole) and work on an event-by-event basis.

This methodology will be effective because if there are ever discrepancies in what each organization wants to work on, there is an “opt-out” option for either group. If SPC decided that they wanted to embark on a project that SPAN did not support, then SPAN (as a separate entity) can continue to work on the selected projects that they do support. Neither group is forced to compromise their mission.

Another goal that both organizations have been working towards is lessening the influence of the military in the United States. In particular, SPAN has worked to create awareness about Syracuse University’s connections with the United States military, which it views as negative. SPC, in a separate but similar project, formed the Military Alternatives Education Project, which focuses on informing youths that there are alternatives to joining the military.

Other goals of each organization are always available for collaboration, but the purpose of this grant would be to connect SPAN and SPC on the particular issue of curtailing the culture of militarism that exists in the United States, particularly in the Syracuse community (which includes Syracuse University). This initiative would combine the past events of each group with potential new events that will be co-sponsored by both organizations.

Members from SPAN and SPC that have particular interest in this issue will form a committee that will work under the project title, “Stop Militarism in Education Project.” (SMEP). This will combine the two former campaigns, which were SPAN’s Campus Militarism Campaign and SPC’s Military Alternatives Education Project.

Program Goals The main goal of the Stop Militarism in Education Project is to inform youths that militarism is not the only option. Some young adults, especially those who are impoverished, join the military to gain financial security and help themselves out of poverty. The members of Syracuse Peace Council want to inform young adults in the Syracuse area that they have choices regarding service in the military. The SPC wants to balance the heavy recruitment tactics in poor areas by educating youths about what an important decision it is to join the military. Young adults should not taken this decision lightly and only make it for financial reasons. Therefore, the goal of the new Stop Militarism in Education Project will be to inform local students about their options.

A feasible goal for this initiative would be to give as many Syracuse students as possible access to information about their options. Ideally, this would reduce the number of students who feel that they need to enter the armed forces in order to create a steady income. The partnership between Syracuse University’s SPAN and the SPC would bring members of the group (most likely SU students) with SPC members into schools to give presentations about militarism. The SU students will serve as a valuable resources because they are living examples of youths who have made successful life choices without joining the military. These joint SPC and SPAN presentations would hopefully take place in all Syracuse area middle and high schools, and would incorporate various educational materials as well as speeches by SPAN and SPC members. Some of the educational materials are included in this grant proposal. Other curricula may be developed as the Stop Militarism in Education Project grows. At this stage, we hope that all of the schools in Syracuse city will be visited by presenters in the 2009-2010 academic year. Beyond that, the program will be expanded to the suburban school districts in the rest of Onondaga County. Hopefully, the program will be deemed successful enough to return to schools in later years in order to reach new students.

Evaluation We believe that this program will be invaluable to the students of Syracuse. They need to be able to make informed life decisions, and the presentations given in schools will help them to know and understand that they have multiple options. The success of this program will be measured by the number of students who decide that a career in the military is not for them; this is difficult to measure, but if even one young adult decides not to enlist, then that is potentially one life saved. Overall, this will help ameliorate the violence that pervades our culture. It will contribute to the idea that non-violent resolution of conflict is a preferred method for solving problems. An effective program will keep the students engaged during the presentations and will encourage students to question the information that they have been given about enlistment. Students should walk out of the presentation understanding that they have a right to question their government’s policies regarding war and enlisting.

The SMEP will give each student a post-presentation evaluation form (included in this proposal) that will ask questions about whether or not the student learned the intended goals. These surveys will help the program evaluate its progress and effectiveness.

Proof Similar programs have been put into use before, such as the DMZ manual printed by the War Resisters League, a handbook which provides advice on how to keep military recruiters out of schools and various statistics [1]. This manual is successful enough to still be in print, and is still being distributed, showing that a program of this type can be a success and have an influence on people.

Theoretical By reaching out to those who are most likely to join into military service, we will bridge the gap between what Nancy Cantor describes as the insiders and outsiders in her essay, "Multiculturalism, Universalism, and the 21st Century Academy." [2] The outsiders are the students who are impoverished or for other reasons more likely to enter into the military, who find themselves on the outside of everyone else, the insiders, who do not need to consider this option due to financial security. By giving the outsiders alternative options, they do not have to further push themselves away from the insiders, but can instead follow alternative options in society that will keep them closer to the insiders then they would be otherwise. This leads to less alienation experience by the outsiders, and the distance between the insiders and outsiders will lesson.

Benefits about Partnership The above proposed partnership would be a beneficial step for both the peace council and for Syracuse University. The scholarship in action title can be applied to the relationship between the university and the peace council, while only giving away a small portion of money to the council. This type of 'honorary' title will improve the image of the peace council by giving the council the prestige that the names of scholarship in action and Syracuse University will provide, leading to a better image of the peace council in the minds of people.

This in turn will also make the university look better, by showing it to be dedicated to peace and to connecting to the neighborhoods, and will allow greater connection to the rest of the country via the partnership the peace council will have with SPAN. By creating an honorary partnership, the public image of both will increase, and will lead to the benefits of greater recognition.

1. "DMZ: A Guide to Taking Your School Back From the Military | War Resisters League" __War Resisters League__. 2008. 25 April 2009. . 2. Cantor, Nancy. "Multiculturalism, Universalism, and the 21st Century Academy." __Critical Encounters With Texts: Finding a Place to Stand__. Ed. Margaret Himley and Anne Fitzsimmons. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2008. 65-73.

Budget Proposal The proposed budget is estimated at $5000, which will be split up as follows: SMEP: $3000 //Video production: $1500 Transportation fares/Gas: $500 Pamphlet printing: $500 Creating copies of video: $100 Snacks/Refreshments: $200 Miscellaneous/Backup: $200// Other: $2000 //Pamphlet printing: $500 Towards meeting costs: $600 Protests and related costs: $600 Miscellaneous: $300// Budget chart: Image that works:

Mission Statement: Present social injustices cannot be understood in isolation from each other nor can they be overcome without recognizing their economic and militaristic roots. Thus, the Syracuse Peace Council and Student Peace Action Network have teamed up to be dedicated to the principles that every human being has the right to live without the threat of nuclear weapons; that war is not a suitable response to conflict; and that because America has the resources to both provide for and protect its citizens, our economy must focus on priorities like education and healthcare rather than excessive Pentagon budgets. ===Through coordinated direct actions, demonstrations, teach-ins, letter-writing campaigns, dissemination of materials, and other tactics, our activists all over the country challenge policies like these and work for non-violent, constructive alternatives.===

For Appendices:

Below are images that will be used in the educational materials for students at Syracuse schools:

Promotional poster:

Evaluation of presentation, given to students immediately after the presenters finish:

Opt-Out form, which will be given out to every student at the end of the presentation so they can take it home to their parents