CFSC peace program coordinator Matt Legge was on Vancouver Island in March speaking about the practical peace skills he’s been researching for a forthcoming book. In particular the talks raised issues like how we can engage with people we disagree with in the most constructive ways possible, and what evidence shows are the false or biased views that keep us from reaching our potential for inner and interpersonal peace. Matt spoke at Mid-Island (Nanaimo) Meeting, Duncan United Church, Victoria Meeting, and Cowichan Valley Meeting. A few photos are available at: https://bit.ly/2GDi5Ox Video of the public talk in Duncan is available at: http://pasifik.ca/2018/03/03/the-peace-virus/ A brief TV interview Matt gave is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EoTpBC1No8
 
CFSC staff Jennifer Preston continues to live out of her suitcase. She attended UN headquarters in New York to participate in an Expert Group meeting on sustainable development hosted by the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in January. In February she was in Vancouver to present on the UN Declaration at the Union of BC Indian Chiefs’ Council. March had her in Ottawa with other members of the Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples to meet with federal government representatives in preparation for the upcoming sessions of the UNPFII. Most recently she was joyfully close to home, presenting at Wilfred Laurier University on the history of the Declaration. The presentation happened at Laurier’s Centre for Community Research Learning and Action, hosted by the university’s Indigenous Rights and Resource Governance Research Group.