Spirit in Action

Don't know about the planned (and underway)  Nicaragua Inter-oceanic Canal ? Tere Campos, Nicaraguan native, and her husband, Brad Stocker, are working to put out the word about this potentially disastrous plan which would put at risk the 9th largest lake of the Americas, and much more.

While there are many roots to the global environmental crisis we face, some of the most important emerge from our concepts of ownership, especially of land. Howard Vogel is an emeritus professor of law at Hamline University , having taught constitutional law, restorative justice, international human rights, and a seminar in ethics after having done extensive public interest litigation in environme...

Greg Elliott is helping the American Friends Service Committee to launch a program, innovated by Unitarian-Universalists, and adapted to Quakers to help avoid the burn-out & lack of results which result from un-centered, though well-motivated, activism. With an approach that ties together spirit & action, using worship, story-telling, & deepening relationships, we are helped to remembe...

The effective struggle to protect us against the destruction and desecration of the Earth draws on the powers of both mind and heart, and little can capture our hearts and open us to realities like a powerful song. We draw on the music and messages of Sarah Pirtle, David Rovics, Brian Bethke, Sara Thomsen, & Bryce Black to shine a light exposing the wrongs of fracking, mining for frac sands an...

Jenn Rogar is passionately called to work for healing of the world in too many ways to enumerate. All are rooted in, however, and fed by, a deep connection to the Earth and its creatures. Whether the topic is addiction, native rights, homelessness, corporations, or whatever, Jenn's call for action and healing comes through with compelling power and folk music brilliance.

Ben Grosscup serves as director of People's Music Network . Ben initiated the PMN Song of the Month , a project to integrate inspiring new songs of freedom and struggle in today’s progressive movements.

The tables are turned in today's program, as Spirit In Action's regular host, Mark Helpsmeet , is himself interviewed by Robert Park of WIDE-LP, Madison, Wisconsin . Topics addressed are the roots of Mark's broadcasts and activism, the mechanics of building a syndicated community radio based program, and the goals and future of creation of spirit-focused shows aimed at improving the world.

A glimpse into the horror of one piece of the genocide that took place in Turkey in the early 1900's, The Great Fire , by Lou Ureneck, conveys the dark side and a few strands of silver lining amidst the disaster.

Most activists recognize the strength to social action groups of drawing power from across the racial and sex/gender landscape, but too few recognize the key effects of class. In Missing Class: Strengthening Social Movement Groups by Seeing Class Cultures , Betsy Leondar-Wright shines a focused light on the opportunities for pulling together as never before, by seeing the many ways in which social...

A visit with a student participant of, the UW-EC staff founder of, and a Selma, AL, presenter of the Civil Rights Pilgrimage.

Joel Westheimer asks the deep questions and provides the important facts in What Kind of Citizen?: Educating Our Children for the Common Good. How should education in a democracy differ from that in other systems? What are the wider effects of standardized education? What kind of citizen do we want our schools to promote?

In Incident at the Bruce Mine Shaft , Stephen Ivancic uses historical fiction to highlight the real life issues around workers, unions, and opportunistic capitalists. Set in the iron mines of Northern Minnesota in the 1920s and focusing on the Finnish workers, some communist, some not, Stephen helps us to understand the dynamics of individualism, community, and power.

While there are many sources of info on urgent environmental threats and of technological methods of dealing with those threats, few books tackle the major underlying question of how can we make a sustainable life actually be sustainable for the individual. In A Sustainable Life , Douglas Gwyn examines the essential inner work and the myriad complexities of initiating and supporting the choices of...

Bruce Dancis is author of Resister: A Story of Protest and Prison during the Vietnam War , was raised by secular Jewish parents, nurtured at the NY Society for Ethical Culture , and became a passionate advocate for social justice and student leader as a student at Cornell U.

The War Tax Resistance Penalty Fund (WTRPF.org) is a way to help manage the risks of conscientious objectors to paying for war, something to think seriously about as April 15th approaches.

In Mumbet's Declaration of Independence , Gretchen Woelfle , brings to life the true story of Elizabeth Freeman (Mumbet) , whose efforts & determination led slavery to be declared unconstitutional in Massachusetts in 1783. Gretchen writes books for youth on a variety of social justice & environmental topics.

Jean Alix Lusma grew up in a village near Les Cayes, Haiti. Pioneering the practice of keeping orphans in the community, instead of in an institution, Jean is working to heal people and uplift communities in Haiti through an organization, L.O.G.I.C (Let Orphans Grow In their Communities) of Christian Mission South Haiti . Jean studied at the College of the Scriptures in Louisville, Kentucky.

Jamie & Zacharious Pappas dabble in magic - the magical transformations that are possible through creative processes that make bounty & beauty out of our detritus and down-time. First they founded the Chippewa Valley Timebank , knitting community out of spare talents, and now they are launching Earthbound Environmental Solutions to make rich soil out of organic waste typically buried in la...

In Making Housing Happen: Faith-based Affordable Housing Models , Jill Suzanne Shook brings together numerous models for making housing accessible to those in need. From the sweat equity ingredients of organizations like Habitat for Humanity, to adaptive reuse, to tenants taking ownership, community land trusts, and many more approaches, Jill highlights the possibilities and results of creative th...

Not All Poor People Are Black (and other things we need to think more about) is a collection of essays by Janet Cheatham Bell , treating the reader to the insights and experiences of a strong African American woman from Indiana. Janet speaks movingly, honestly, and inspirationally of racism, spirituality, politics, and much more. With astonishing candor and humble brilliance, Janet opens eyes and...

Girls on the Run is a program for young girls, seeking to ensure that "every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams". The primary program works with girls in 3rd-5th grades, and another curriculum deals with girls of middle school age, teaching life skills through dynamic, interactive lessons and running games. Our guest is Kim Gillette, Council Di...

Andrew Tomlinson has been the director of QUNO (Quaker United Nations Office) in New York since 2008. QUNO staff in New York & Geneva advocate for and work behind the scenes on issues like Peacebuilding, the Prevention of Violent Conflict, Climate Change, Food & Sustainability, and Human Rights & Refugees. Raised in the UK but a long-time resident of the USA, Andrew's background anthro...

Matt Southworth was a wrestler in high school, fought as a U.S. Army intelligence analyst in Iraq after graduation, and now conducts legislative battles for peace on Capitol Hill.

There are ways to help individuals and organizations to overcome the impediments to adoption of alternative energy sources, and it's the work of RENEW Wisconsin to help get folks in Wisconsin past these problems, into the future. Drawing on the inspirations and experiences of other states and nations, RENEW Wisconsin's executive director, Tyler Huebner helps map a course to a decentralized, non-po...

James O'Dea 's latest book is The Conscious Activist: Where Activism Meets Mysticism , and he stands as an expert with a foot solidly in each camp. In addition to his 10 years as director of Amnesty International's Washington office, James has been President of the Institute of Noetic Sciences and CEO of the Seva Foundation. He is also lead faculty for the Shift Network's Peace Ambassador Training...