Peace in action

Peace in Action (PIA), founded in summer 2003, is a network of young peace and development activists, academics, practitioners and other individuals.

Projects
PIA aims to motivate and mobilize individuals to take action, and to create momentum in building cultures of peace. Members of PIA are actively involved in projects that raise awareness about the importance of citizen action through community and cultural events, projects, workshops, trainings and independent consulting. PIA aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice in the areas of peace-builing, development and conflict transformation, and stresses the principles of creativity, collaboration and action.

History
The creation of Peace in Action was initially realized by now alumni of the UNESCO Masters Program of Peace and Development Studies in Castellón de la Plana, Spain. At the time when PIA was legally founded as a non-profit organization in summer 2003, the initial group had already developed into a network of interested and active individuals, colleagues and friends from different cultural and professional backgrounds that committed to work on PIA. Today PIA is a vivid international and multicultural network with its virtual home base in the World Wide Web and its current main operational office in Vienna, Austria.

Aims and means
The following aims and means have been taken directly from the PIA statutes. As you will see, the aims and means have been framed in the broadest sense possible, in order to leave potential for further growth and the development of the PIA network in coming years. Nonetheless, principles such as non-violence, gender balance, creative-approaches etc. have been explicitly incorporated our legal framework and underlying the work we do.

Aims
Peace in Action is a non-profit organization for public benefit, which is aimed towards:
*The formation of a global network of people and initiatives, which are dedicated to promoting a culture of peace;
*The promotion of a greater understanding of development through empowerment, development work and motivation to discuss development issues;
*To promote intercultural and interdisciplinary exchange;
*To promote dialogical processes and understanding for individual and collective differences;
*To create a vivid connection between science and practice.

Means
The organization will reach its means by remaining committed to the principles of non-violence, dialogue and diversity. Furthermore, the organization will function independent from political parties and confessions. The following means will be applied:
*The development and promotion of non-violent conflict transformation;
*The creation of conditions of peace and an awareness for active peace organization;
*The development and introduction of new and creative methods in the fields of peace, development and intercultural work;
*The drafting, promotion and execution of educational processes;
*The drafting, promotion and execution of cultural, scientific, artistic-creative, educational and social events;
*Training in the field of transforming community, inter-cultural and international conflicts;
*Consulting in the field of peace and development;
*Providing psychological, socio-pedagogical assistance and counseling in conflict areas;
*The support and application of women specific viewpoints and approaches;
*The active use of public space.

==Statement of Need: World in Crisis - We want Peace!==
PIA believes that peace is a broad notion, and generally invokes positive connotations. The preservation of basic needs for all humans is appreciated by nearly all cultures worldwide, giving us a common interest that transcends borders. Unfortunately, mass suffering in our world has increased astronomically with the augmentation of acts of mass violence, the mind-boggling “innovations” in weapons technology, on-going environmental degradation, and the violent imagery pervading the world’s cultures. Thus, PIA holds that the need for more peaceful conditions is growing globally and a visible response is being mounted.

PIA takes the view that most people directly or indirectly support the subsistence of direct, structural and cultural violence. That is that at the pace the world is changing, “the world is in crisis”. The PIA aims to support actions for peace. These actions are now gaining momentum through recognition and synergy. The PIA network is specifically created to further this momentum.

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