Photo: Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre
The Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre pledged to work towards a peaceful and just society, according to their new Vision Statement released today.
The Centre, located in St. John’s Church’s basement terrace, has also pledged to become widely known throughout Scotland as an independent and accessible provider of trustworthy information on relevant events and issues.
Janet Fenton, coordinator, said: “We have gone through a visionary process, and we need to interact more, and make more of an effort to attract the attention of the mainstream media.”
The Centre publishes a monthly newsletter, which accepts contributions and advertises events. Their website contains articles and a calendar of past and upcoming events.
Fenton said: “I see us as providing reliable and trustworthy information, not influenced by anyone trying to gain control, power or money.”
The Centre is run by volunteers, and is committed to causes such as non-violence, finding alternatives to war, and ecological responsibility.
Fenton said: “Our main activity is networking, providing links for individuals and groups. We initiate events, and work in partnerships with other organizations.”
The Centre provides a meeting place, and groups without a permanent base can use the Centre as a postbox.
Part of Scotland For Peace, one of the major upcoming event for the Centre is the Long Walk For Peace. The walk covers 85 miles from Faslane to the Scottish Parliament, and aims to encourage the Scottish Parliament to speak out against any new nuclear weapons.
The centre houses a library owned by the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Education Centre. The library is free and books are available to loan. The Education Centre has been involved in projects such as mediating conflicts between neighbours. While the Education Centre has charitable status, the Resource Centre doesn’t, and relies on contributions.
Fenton said: “We rely on goodwill and selling second-hand books. The difficulty with running the centre is we need to have complete autonomy. Not having charitable status allows us to be as subversive and political as we need to be.”
Originally published May 2005
