MEPEACE.org Chat 02 May - After-event discussion - Civil Society - How to make it work better

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Oliver Haack on May 6, 2010 at 10:36am

I've just added the detailed summary of the event. Enjoy reading!

Permalink Reply by Arie Shulov on May 6, 2010 at 2:58pm

Hi,

i wanted to correct one statement that should have been mine but was written the opposite of what i think:

In the "Local vs global civil society - small vs big civil society actors" section was written:
Arie thinks small organizations works as smooth as the big ones because within small ones
people do not know whom or what they are working for.

But what i think is, that small oranisations work better and smoother then the big ones, because small organisations have a better overview. In big organisations it can happen that people don't know for whom or what they are working for.

That is a difference.
Cheers!
Arie

Permalink Reply by Oliver Haack on May 6, 2010 at 3:41pm

Sorry for that. Thanks for correcting :)

Permalink Reply by Marek Zielinski on May 8, 2010 at 3:15am

Small or big organization, properly administered and overviewed, work as smooth and as good.
Small or big civil society actors are still actors.
Everyone has a role to play in life.
In Spirit of Global Peace

Permalink Reply by Marek Zielinski on May 7, 2010 at 12:49pm

Remember how Jerusalem was supposed to be neutral territory? Think about how now it’s the Israeli Capital.
Remember how Yasser Arafat and the PLO had initially suggested a two-state solution in the mid 1970’s, backed by the whole world? Think about how it was only after Arafat’s death that such a solution suddenly became acceptable to the US and Israel.
Remember how Bush touted the achievements of Democracy, when elections took place? Now think about how, when the people of Gaza freely elected, in one of history’s most closely observed elections, the political organisation of their choosing, Israel made a Ghetto of Gaza that would shame Warsaw, with a wall that makes the Berlin Wall a trifling. And Never forget what Israel did one year hence, when Hamas showed that it was able to withstand and defy the Israeli blockade.

Permalink Reply by Arie Shulov on May 8, 2010 at 8:07pm

I think that we must not forget what happend - look at it from all sides.

I also think that we should move forward and look what can be done now. Where we as civil socilety are headed? What are we doing about it? Waht role can everyone of us play in a civil society?

Actively remebering the past - doing something with it, evolvig through it - is here an importantant path, on of the ways, that we can use.

Permalink Reply by Arie Shulov on May 8, 2010 at 7:56pm

No worries :)

Permalink Reply by Arie Shulov on May 8, 2010 at 8:13pm

Hi all,

I think that when people meet together and work together they change the small world arround them. Thus they evolve the society in which they live.

There are lots of groups of Israelis and Palestinans in lots of places arrounf the world who regularly meet and work toghether.

It would be good to show them to the people in the world - to show that cooperation is possible and it is happening.

There is for example such a group in Berlin - Palestinians and Israelis who live in Berlin, everyone for his cause. They meet, and talk with each other, make projects with kids and adults, and there is more to come.
I'm happy to belong to this group, and to other initiatives also.

Do you want to tell about the groups that you know?

Permalink Reply by Jennifer A. Miskin-Flake on May 11, 2010 at 6:12pm

I believe that all society begins at the level of the individual human being. Each person needs to consciously make decisions about the kind of person they choose to be. It is the relationship of these conscious people from which any society and its structures arises.

Permalink Reply by Basil Keilani on May 12, 2010 at 6:17am

Strong civil society requires the building of institutions where people are dealt with in terms of the skills they need, and having their emotional needs addressed.

I will read the comments people made in the summary tomorrow and respond... Thank you for your hard work....