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Resources for Organizing and Social Change 2006 Annual Report Resources for Organizing and Social Change (ROSC) 161 Stovepipe Alley Monroe, ME 04951 (207) 525-7776, rosc@psouth.net An Affiliate of the War Resisters League ROSC's Mission and Goals Resources for Organizing and Social Change was founded as INVERT (Institute for Nonviolence Education, Research, and Training) in 1977 to promote nonviolence and social change through education, training, and research programs. Since 1978, it has been a tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) organization. In 2000, we changed our name to Resources for Organizing and Social Change (ROSC). The mission of ROSC is: to build and support a movement for nonviolent social change that will educate, activate, and empower all Maine people through grassroots community organizing. 2006 ROSC Projects In 2006, ROSC, through volunteers, board members, and consultants worked with numerous projects, each of which is part of our above-stated mission. Those projects primarily under the wing of ROSC: Maine Draft and Military Counselors (information and counseling for youth), Changing Maine (annual gathering for activists), War Tax Resistance Resource Center, Alternatives to Violence Project (conflict resolution in prisons), No Class (work to end classism), GROW New England (organizer education for ME, NH, VT),Changing Maine Directory, (list of grassroots groups), AbilityMaine.org (disability resources & rights website), Nonviolence Training, and Youth Activism Gatherings (activist trainings). ROSC staff also worked with groups we helped to start, including MaineShare, the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine, Central Maine Tikkun, AFSC (American Friends Service Committee) Maine Program on Youth and Militarism, the Maine Social Forum, and with other selected peace and justice campaigns in Maine. A brief summary of projects: No Class: No Class did 6-8 talks and workshops on this issue in 2006, as well as its annual "class identity" exercise at the Common Ground Fair.. Maine Draft and Military Counselors (MDMC): Rob Pfeiffer continues to speak to students and counselors about the realities of military service, while Larry Dansinger provides military counseling to current GI's. Some aspects have been taken on by AFSC Maine Program on Youth and Militarism. Changing Maine Directory: Kate Harris and Paul Eagle will be coordinating a new 2007 edition of the directory, which will be printed and also on line at www.changingmaine.org. AbilityMaine.org: Website by/for disabled people, coordinated by board member Norm Meldrum and Steve Hoad. Breath and Shadow, a literary journal of writing by people with disabilities staffed by Sharon Wachsler, has gotten national recognition. Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP): Coordinated by Karen Tucker and Sue Rudalevige, AVP offered about 20 conflict resolution workshops with inmates at Maine Correctional Center (Windham), and Cumberland Co. Jail, as well as several community workshops. War Tax Resistance Resource Center: Provides how-to information and workshops for persons who are conscientiously opposed to paying taxes for war and sponsored Tax Day actions on April 15. Changing Maine: The 11th annual gathering focused on helping grassroots groups become more media savvy. Youth Activism Gatherings: A sixth annual Youth Activism Gathering took place at Friends Camp in April, 2006, with about 35 youth attending. GROW (GrassRoots Organizing Workshop) New England: ROSC's GROW events in Maine were resurrected on a Northern New England level with about 30 attending a third training in June, 2006. A fourth GROW will happen in June, 2007. Nonviolent Action Training: In light of US foreign policy violence, ROSC initiated a training for non-violent action trainers and will emphasize such action as a response to government violence. A summary of spinoff projects: Maine Social Forum: ROSC was the foundation for a first ever Maine Social Forum that took place in Lewiston in July, 2006. About 350 attended. MaineShare: ROSC continues as a member of this statewide fundraising federation and Larry Dansinger participated on its board of directors. AFSC Maine Program on Youth and Militarism: Has been getting information to students in various Maine high schools to balance out what youth hear from military recruiters; the Committee got information to 30-40 high schools in 2006, did career days, and met with the Maine Department of Education. Larry continued on its committee through the end of 2006. Affiliations and Other Projects: ROSC continues as a local affiliate of the War Resisters League. ROSC continued connections, sometimes as a fiscal sponsor, with other groups promoting nonviolent change during 2006, including NWTRCC, People's Free Space, Bangor Area Citizens for Responsible Development (BACORD), Food for Maine's Future, Save Passamaquoddy Bay, JED Center, Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine, several youth organizing groups, and PICA and its Bangor Clean Clothes Campaign. 2006 Financial Report Income Donations .............................. Literature.................... Program Income........................ MaineShare.................... Grants........................ Other Income........................ Total......................... Expenses Postage....................... Office Supplies/Equipment............ Office Rent.......................... Copying/Printing.............. Phone/Internet................ Travel........................ ROSC Programs...................... Consultants................... Benefits...................... Miscellaneous................. Total......................... Resources for Organizing and Social Change continues to initiate and maintain many programs with a small budget because of consultants/board members who are committed to simple lifestyles. We thank you for your generous support, which enables us to do so much with so little. 2006 ROSC Board Members: Annie Lunt, Augusta; Norm Meldrum, Wilton; Russ Anderson, Waldoboro; Claire Gélinas, W. Paris; jesse leah vear, Portland; Hillary Lister, Athens; and Jim Loomis, Cambridge. Plans for 2007 Programs In addition to maintaining or expanding 2006 projects, ROSC will take leadership in organizing in Maine around nonviolence as a way to resolve conflicts through nonviolent action trainings and nonviolent campaigns. We are also working to establish a group to promote cooperatives and other worker and consumer owned economic enterprises. ROSC has always sought out more involvement from those in Maine, New England, and the Gulf of Maine bioregion who support our work of education and action on nonviolence and organizing a grassroots movement for nonviolent social change. Your active involvement, through participation in ROSC projects and annual financial assistance (contact us about stock donations), is really needed. Contact Larry Dansinger for questions or more information about current activities: Resources for Organizing and Social Change (ROSC) 161 Stovepipe Alley, Monroe, ME 04951 (207) 525-7776, rosc@psouth.net |