Review of the past year by International Psychologists for Social responsibility GroupIntroductions, review of the past year and the current situation 21.11.2009
Lenin Raghuvanshi, Shirin Shabana Khan, representing Peoples' Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR),India. We are working to provide psychological support to the survivors of torture and organized violence through "testimonial therapy" with the joint collaboration of RCT. PVCHR is the founder of newly alliance "National Allaince for testimonial therapy (NATT) with more than 85 human rights organization working in India. we trained 54 human right defender/community worker on testimonial therapy in eight states of India. Please visit www.testimony-india.blogspot.com, http://www.pvchr.blogspot.com/ for further information. We are working for reconciliation in context of the caste system, which is major factor of organized violence and torture major in India and south Asia.
Ferdinand Garoff, current president of the INPsySR and President, Finnish psychologists for social responsibility. The FiPSR is currently working in Finland, Lebanon, Namibia and Palestine. New projects for us this year is a sports related project with Palestinians in Lebanon and joining the Medical Peace Work curriculum program. For more information on these check out: www.vastuu.fi, www.medicalpeacework.org . Other working groups of the INPsySR network include: Internships (Chris Cohrs); Peace Psychology Curriculum (Anthony Marsella); Cultures of Peace (Paul Kimmel); Ethical Oversight (Jancis Long).
Winnifred Louis, Psychologists for Peace Australia. The link for PFP is http://www.groups.psychology.org.au/pfp/ .
Jancis Long, Secretary of InpsySR and representative to this group of PsySR USA and temporarily of Systems in Transition Berlin and Eastern Europe. Also coordinator for the Working Group on Ethical Oversight of psychologists working for military and states.
- PsySR USA is currently working through 6 program areas. In brief: Human Rights, Peacebuilding and Reconciliation, Violence War and its Alternatives, Social Health and Justice, Education for Soc Responsibility and Climate Change. Major focus in 2009 has been iworking against torture and abuse of prisoners, plus the involvement of psychologists and health professionals in such abuses, or even as bystanders, . We are preparing a Case Book of conflicts for health professionals in military and prison work, and a Coalition worldwide to alert health professionals and the public of abuses where they are noted.
- Systems in Transition is a group of health professionals and social scientists from Eastern and Central Europe, Russia, Ukraine and some Wsdt Europe and US participation. It holds a 4 day annual meeting in a central europe setting around a given topic. In 2009 we met in Usti Nad Labem, northern Czech Republic around the topic The Younger Generation in a Violent World. Students and faculty from the University of UNL were involved as well as representatives from youth foster care and correctional institutions. We started a year long research project on "Social Courage". Next year the SIT meeting will be in Lviv Ukraine around the topic Social Courage.
- Both PsySR individual members of organizations in INPsySR would be welcome to join PsySR and SIT or just come to upcoming conferences which will be in the document you receive. ALSO organizations in INPsySR are welcome to join any Coalitions for specific projects of organizations noted. I would be particularly interested in PsySR being of use to Dr Lenin's organization.
Miriam Schroer, member of the steering committee of InPsySR as well as of the steering committee of the German Peace Psychology Asscociation. In InPsySR I am also member of the working group Peace Psychology Research as well as Internships in Peace Psychology.
Chris Cohrs and together with Miriam Schroer representing the German Forum Peace Psychology at INPsySR. Also I am involved in two INPsySR working groups: Peace Psychology Research, and Peace Psychology Internships.
- The activities of the german forum peace psychology tend to be more academic rather than practical: annual conference “Attitude Formation, Value Change, and Intercultural Communication: Peace Psychology Perspectives” in Bremen, June; additional support of a conference about psychology of reconciliation of the Academy of the Lutheran Church in Bonn, November (two speakers); publication of a new book (in German) about psychology of human rights and human rights education by Gert Sommer and Jost Stellmacher (October); continuous support of “Wissenschaft und Frieden” (journal “Science and Peace”); Gert Sommer Award for dissertations in peace psychology: „News media as a resource for peace and reconciliation” (Susanne Jaeger, Konstanz) and “Victim Consciousness and its Effects on Intergroup Relations –a Double-Edged Sword” (Johanna Vollhardt, Amherst); we have a mailing list with about 100 members; more information at www.friedenspsychologie.de .
- The Project Group "Peace Psychology Research": This group came into being after the European Congress of Psychology in Oslo in July 2009. It provides people who are interested in academic research in the area of peace and social responsibility with a platform to exchange information on publications, conferences, research projects etc. and to discuss recent research-related developments. In addition, the group aims to enhance the footing and reach of psychological peace research on an international level, for example through the preparation of meetings at large conferences or the organization of own small conferences. Currently there are 45 members on the mailing list.
- The Project Group "Peace Psychology Internships": we have a collection of internship possibilities for students mainly in germany, also in northern ireland and some in britain and the u.s. - this list is currently made available on the website, and some people are trying to find further possibilities to add.
Ferdinand Garoff (FiPSR) was elected as president, Winnifred Louis (Psychologists for Peace) was elected as secretary.
17.12.2009 SK
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