Bringing Another Successful Year to a Close

It is with joy and gratitude that Pacem celebrates 55 years of peace and justice activism in Delaware. We recognize the contributions of so many individuals throughout the decades. Thanks to the hard work of board members and volunteers this past year, the legacy of Pacem’s accomplishments has been preserved  in the Swarthmore College Peace Collection, one of the oldest historical archives of peace movements and organizations in the country. 

Last year, we wrote about our journey to become a fully democratic, non-hierarchical workplace, with equal pay and shared decision making authority. We are so thrilled that this has become a reality, making Pacem a model of a highly adaptable, sustainable, and enjoyable organization! Our workplace revolves around mutual respect and support for each individual, building trusting relationships inside and out that help us explore social injustices and create ways of addressing them that lead to real and lasting change. 

Thanks to support from our donors, Pacem staff and superstar volunteers have been able to work for peace in our community all year. Arts for Peace has continued to inspire thousands by spreading youth messages of peace throughout the state. We have been canvassing door to door, meeting our neighbors in 19802, and engaging them through free events like Brunch in the Parks and community dinners. While our outreach has been exciting and enthusiastically received, we’ve also been busy developing critical skills. Pacem staff has received training from diverse experts and innovative organizations across the country. This month marks the launch of Restoring Through Relationships, a pilot program providing local community leaders with intensive communication and conflict resolution training. All of these activities follow our tenets of trauma-informed restorative practices, peace and justice education, and community directed programming.

We welcome you to join us in building the skills and support necessary to sustain the work of social change together. The future of our community, where we take collective responsibility in building peace, is a beautiful vision that we are passionate about making into a reality.