HEARTS AND HANDS ELDERS

Mission Statement

One World One

Peace Movement

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THE CALIFORNIA YOUTH PEACE MOVEMENT

Our strategy is to help initiate a statewide Truce through Literacy campaign

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HEARTS AND HANDS ELDERS MISSION STATMENT

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Our youth and families today experience undesirable and intolerable levels of violence in our communities. Something must be done to build safe and strong communities. We must change the status quo of minimal violence prevention/intervention resources. We must address the negative trend of commercial media violence for profit, which infests and poisons our hearts or barrios and neighborhoods.

We, the Hearts and Hands Elders, have come together to advocate, mobilize, and promote a statewide peace movement in California. We understand that peace begins one person at a time. Our strategy is to help initiate a statewide Truce through Literacy campaign with events hosted by various community grassroots leaders and agencies throughout the state. Together with authors, educators, local political representatives, and social and humanitarian agencies and foundations we will bring together families and youth to promote peace and tolerance.

We are particularly concerned that the mass media, through its manipulation and repetition of negative images, have painted a dismal picture of our cities, our schools and our families. These mass media images portray destructive relationships among individuals and groups or gangs and depict people who incite fear. This, in turn, leads to a distorted self-perception of insecurity and social isolation among Latinos.

We, the Hearts and Hands Elders see a different California, one longing for peace and capable of true justice and tolerance. We encourage all concerned humanitarians to submit letters of endorsement on behalf of our efforts, to write letters to the editors and to fully participate in this movement by volunteering in or hosting a local community event. Join with us to publicize the message of peace by any means available such as email, ads, bulletins, word of mouth advertisement, and letters to local representatives

The Hearts and Hands Elders are actively working to reimagine and regain a common vision of safe and secure neighborhoods and cities. We intend to counter negative mass media messages regarding Latino youth and Chicano / Mexicano families with positive messages of hope, inspiration, and change. Our Committee of Founding Elders is seeking regional Elders and grassroots activists to step forward and share their success stories of building stronger communities through community service and volunteer efforts. We can then applaud and publicize these inspirational achievements so that other communities can achieve similar results

The days of entitlements as well as state or federal funding for community action seem to be long gone. Many public libraries are facing reduced hours. Poor Latino communities do not have local bookstores or newsstands in their barrios which provide quality literature and promote positive images for our Chicano youth. The local liquor stores or grocery stores continue to provide an abundance of "violence embedded text and graphics" in the titles they provide. How will our "at risk" children and youth learn about peace when the media, commercials, products, toys, electronic games, cartoons or magazines are intentionally embedded with the culture of violence?

We are taking a new approach of families, communities, local businesses and merchants, churches and other spiritual centers, unions and schools, working together to provide safe venues for literacy in our communities.

The solution does not lie with one group or agency. It does not depend solely on the "at risk" youth doing it alone. Would we expect an ill child to heal him/her self? Our youth need proper, respectful, and meaningful relationships with adults, mentors, and teachers. They need elders to govern and guide. The visions, values and traditions must be clearly set forth, modeled and shared by the Elders. Cross generational co-operation for inculcating personal responsibility linked to a deep and abiding social responsibility is a major first step. Literacy and storytelling are the vehicles to spread the vision. We must find the resources to bring quality literacy to our kids especially in low-income barrios.

The Hearts and Hands Elders will not pass negative judgments against "at risk" youth and families. It is our intent to lead by example, guide from experience, and collaborate through human connections to begin the healing process. We already have the medicine for all the ills plaguing our youth, families and community. We need to know how to tap into and activate the natural healing powers we possess within ourselves and in our relationships that have held our communities together in the past and can do so in the future. We represent distinct areas/regions of California and various fields of study. We are here to advise, caution, direct and/or redirect others to safer paths of existence by seeking a personal path of tolerance and respect toward others.

The California Hearts and Hands Elders ask you to imagine what can occur when many are gathered in the name of Peace. Consider the fact that the Holocaust finally ended through a world-wide effort. Consider how Indigenous and African American slavery was eventually abolished. The Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and La Causa, the struggle for justice inspired by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, have positively changed this country.

The Hearts and Hands Elders ask you to embrace our dream of a united state of peace for California, where residents and visitors can travel freely without fear, reprisal, scorn, or violence based upon the color of their skin, shirts, caps, belts, or shoelaces.

Our common vision and dream is to strengthen communities in violent times by advocating for a statewide Peace and Community Truce. Literacy and Storytelling through a statewide multi-media campaign is only the start. Once we successfully declare and achieve a "California Truce," the long arduous road towards rebuilding communities can safely begin.