North America Rojava Alliance (NARA) is a small solidarity group made up completely of volunteers. Though we know many other people in the New York area are interested in the vision of Rojava (also known as the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria), we have had no staff and no capacity to reach sympathetic parties in a systematic and ongoing way. We feel we could have a much broader reach and greater impact if we had a part-time staff person or intern to handle logistics, communications, and outreach. Our goal is to double our active membership (which has fluctuated between five and fifteen members), which we hope to do by starting a study group and having occasional events. Our project timeline is as follows:

• Hire an intern in January 2018 to work 5+hours per week and oversee communications, logistics, monitoring and responding to inquiries on social media and email, and consolidating and enlarging our email subscription lists.

• Begin monthly study group meetings and/or events beginning in February.

• Establish a press list and send regular news briefings on the situation in Rojava.

Africa Awake will use the grant to create a training workshop in collaboration with the Africa Solidarity Network, helping diaspora activist leaders from Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda living in Durban, South Africa guide their communities to apply nonviolent means in seeking democratic change.

Arbi Harnet (Freedom Friday), will have a nonviolence training with Eritrean diaspora activists on campaign building, cohesion and training of trainers.

“A Non-violent Struggle to End the Occupation,” scheduled to take place in Tul Karem, Palestine, Tel Aviv Israel, and Beit Jalla, Palestine in early 2015, with the goal of training Israeli and Palestinian members in the principles of nonviolence and to become leaders in a Theater of the Oppressed action program.

A "Marginalized Grassroot Leaders’ Training on Nonviolence and Social Empowerment” with members of Panchayats (local self-government bodies) and local community leaders in Jharkhand state, with the goal of developing their capacity to implement nonviolent action for good governance and social justice.

Via Nonviolence International,a four-day training in Sahrawi territory on “Resisting Occupation, Learning from the Palestinian Experience, Nonviolence Strategies.”

To educate the public about the role of Cornell NYC Tech and its sponsors—Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Cornell University and Google Inc.—in developing and deploying communication surveillance technologies used in drones by military and police forces around the world.

In April 2013, the Muste Institute's International Nonviolence Training Fund (INTF) granted $4,000 to Tibet Action Institute for Lhakar Academy - Tibetan School of Leadership and Change, a three-week training program in nonviolent campaigns, strategies, leadership and skills.

For a Rural Engagement Internship Project promoting cleanup and environmental monitoring at the Savannah River Site nuclear weapons facility and challenging the expansion of the nuclear Plant Vogtl.

For The Cost of War: A Focus on Drones, a campaign to educate the public in Vermont about the consequences of the military use of unmanned aerial drones.

A Training for Trainers, scheduled for October 2012, to build a local network of nonviolence trainers and increase popular awareness of nonviolent activism in Korea.

Grassroots organizing and education to build a statewide movement in Rhode Island to demand that local police stop holding and transferring immigrants to federal immigration custody.

"The Practice of Active Nonviolence: Training for Trainers," a 10-week program in Cairo empowering 12 trainers with practical organizing skills to help their communities engage in nonviolent campaigns. The participants are refugees from Sudan, Eritrea, and Somalia.

For outreach and education among military families, deployed members of the military, veterans, peace activists and the general public, with the goal of uniting and strengthening efforts to end war and redirect resources to social needs.

A nonviolent direct action (NVDA) training with the aim of improving the abilities and skills of 20 Re.Generation activists from Bucharest and Cluj Napoca to carry out nonviolent campaign actions for social justice and a safe environment.

For the Grassroots Initiative for Organizing and Transformation Project, supporting community leaders of color in developing local policy campaigns, educating the public, and building a membership base to advance fairness and respect for human rights in the criminal justice system.

For an internship program to mobilize public support for redirecting federal funding from nuclear weapons toward a sustainable future for New Mexico. By distributing well-researched informational materials and organizing community meetings and actions, LASG recently won a victory: the federal government postponed plans to build a plutonium manufacturing complex — a flagship nuclear warhead project — at Los Alamos.

For “Bring the War $$ Home,” educating and mobilizing Wisconsin residents to press for redirecting military spending toward social needs. WNPJ develops key resources for the campaign, supports communities in presenting local “war $$ home” resolutions, and shares a digital “cost of war” counter for high-profile public displays.

To organize and mobilize the underemployed and unemployed within Louisiana through community labor partnerships. ACV has held leadership trainings, created a hiring hall matching unemployed people to employment options, held community meetings and actions that led to new jobs for local residents, and engaged with local churches to support union organizing campaigns.

For a series of nonviolence trainings teaching the history and strategies used by Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement. COPA organized trainings throughout the region, helped create a “Peace Warriors” after-school program at a local high school, and hosted an Art & Peace Activity Center for kids at the Annual Tucson Peace Fair.

Minnesota Break the Bonds is made up of Palestinians, Jews, Christians, Muslims, students, professionals, parents, community members and allies, working together to educate and mobilize Minnesota residents to press Israel to comply with international law and end its occupation of Palestine. This grant goes for a campaign supporting the Palestinian civil society call for boycott, divestment and sanctions by building public pressure on the state of Minnesota to divest from Israel bonds.

Think Outside the Bomb started in 2005 as a project of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Youth Empowerment program, and became an autonomous youth collective in 2009. This grant goes for the Disarmament Summer project: a cross-cultural alliance of youth working in partnership with indigenous communities in New Mexico to build a grassroots, consensus-based, nonviolent direct action movement. Their goals: stop the expansion of the nuclear weapons industry and achieve healthcare and environmental justice for communities directly affected by the nuclear industry.

The Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition is a membership-based coalition of immigrants, allies and organizations promoting human rights, dignity and social and economic justice for immigrants. The Coalition formed in the spring of 2006 as immigrants were mobilizing across the U.S. in response to repressive national legislation. This grant goes for the Human Rights Promoter Project, training immigrant leaders to organize in defense of their rights under the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to educate others through the creation of human rights committees.

MASE is a coalition of community-based organizations from communities adversely impacted by uranium mining. In a region that produced almost half of the uranium used by the U.S. from 1948 to 1988, many former mine workers are still sick, and communities are devastated by contaminated air, water and soil. This grant goes for the Mount Taylor Sacred Sites Prayer Run, an action to unite and reinvigorate people who have been working to stop new uranium mining in the region, and let the mining companies know that these communities will not allow uranium mining to resume.

A nonviolence training involving Croatian war veterans in a campaign to create a nongovernmental voice in a truth and reconciliation process to help document and investigate war crimes.

For a three-day active nonviolence training with 25 leaders from this youth association.

Operating out of a state prison in Los Angeles County since 2000, the Honor Program gives imprisoned people an opportunity to work on specific self-improvement and rehabilitative goals and projects which benefit the community. Our grant goes for the Other Death Penalty Project: led and comprised solely of prisoners serving life without the possibility of parole, this project organizes prisoners to raise awareness about how life without parole sentences comprise an unjust “other death penalty.”

For a training promoting awareness about nonviolent action and encouraging leadership development among women to help them organize nonviolently for justice.

Founded in 1979, Nukewatch is an environmental and peace action group dedicated to the abolition of nuclear power and weapons. This grant goes for Resistance for a Nuclear Free Future, a national gathering scheduled for the July 4th weekend, 2010, with the goal of increasing awareness and action around nuclear issues through discussions, workshops, nonviolence training, celebration and direct action. The gathering will be hosted by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, another past Muste Institute grantee.

For a training on nonviolence and conscientious objection.

To inform women working in Peshawar area factories of their labor rights and maternity protections in the workplace.

For an educational tour in the US in conjunction with the release of Teaching Rebellion: Stories from the Grassroots Mobilization in Oaxaca, a book of photos and testimonials of Oaxacan activism.

For workshops on autonomous community development and active nonviolence with the Emberá Chamí community in the Lower Putumayo region of Colombia.

To foster student activism around labor issues at the University of Maine Orono campus.

For the “Road Trip for Justice” project, organizing speaking events in five Missouri cities to raise awareness about and build public opposition to the death penalty.

For a youth-led film project and screening program building awareness among Asian-American youth around issues of war and militarism.

To challenge new nuclear projects, advocate for responsible solutions to nuclear waste and contamination, and promote safe and sustainable energy alternatives.

Association of Human Rights and Torture Defenders (AHURTOD) has a “training for trainers” workshop for 30 University of Buea student leaders.

A nonviolence training for university student leaders in Nairobi.

For "How Did They Do That?", a project encouraging social justice groups to share and replicate innovative social justice education projects.

 The Young Advocates Program, training young Palestinians in nonviolence, conflict resolution, advocacy, human rights, communication and other skills, in order to help them lead a successful nonviolent movement to end the Occupation.