Veterans Community Media Center of San Francisco

Veterans Voices


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Coming Home: A Veterans Artwork Exhibition

CALL FOR ART WORK
Submission deadline extended to October 31.
Exhibition Dates: Nov. 13th , 2014 – Thurs., January 15th, 2015

SF State University Art Gallery Open Call For Veteran ArtThe veterans experience during war and upon returning home is unimaginable for most civilians. Even still, the effects of conflict are far reaching, touching even those who do not face combat. Soldier’s families, displaced refugees, taxpayers, policy makers and voters are among those who share in the indirect impact of war and bear the burden of its consequences. Despite this, the divide between veterans and civilians often seems insurmountable.

In partnership with the San Francisco Public Library and the Cal Humanities War Comes Home initiative, Associated Students Inc Art Gallery will present an exhibition titled “Coming Home.” This exhibit will strive to bridge the gap between the disparate experiences of veterans and civilians by utilizing the singular power of art to express that which defies expression. By providing veterans with the opportunity to speak about the way that their experiences have impacted their perception of home, the Art Gallery will give the public unusual access to their changed perspectives. As part of War Comes Home, the Art Gallery will create a platform for education, discussion, connection, and healing. Continue reading


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International Day Of Peace

International Day of Peace, September 21Celebrate The Right Of Peoples To Peace
Sunday, September 21, 2014
4:30-6:30 Informational Booths
5:30-6:30 No Host Cocktail Hour
6:30 Dinner, Introductions, Raffle, Presentations
$30
Grace Evangelical Luthern Church
3201 Ulloa St., San Francisco
Contact: Latonia Dixon, lionlatonia.1@gmail.com

The International Day of Peace, sometimes unofficially known as World Peace Day, is observed annually on 21 September. It is dedicated to world peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in acombat zone for humanitarian aid access. The day was first celebrated in 1982, and is kept by many nations, political groups, military groups, and peoples. In 2013, for the first time, the Day was dedicated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to peace education, the key preventive means to reduce war sustainably. Read more…

PRESENTATIONS AND SPEAKERS Continue reading


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Mental Health/Homeless Summit

MH-Homeless-VetExpanding Partnerships & Resources To Improve The Lives Of Veterans & Their Family Members
Friday, August 29
8am-4:30pm
New Federal Building, ground floor
90 Seventh Street, San Francisco
Contact: Dr. Jennifer Boyd 415 221-4810 x342, jennifer.boyd@va.gov

 

VA Health CareBring together organizations that serve Veterans, to strengthen partnerships between the VA and the community.
Enhance access to Mental Health and Homeless services for Veterans and their families in San Francisco and northern San Mateo counties.

Agenda: Continue reading


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Post 4: A Friday Picnic In Afghanistan

Posted on Veterans For Peace
by Fridays, in the Muslim world,
are days of relative rest and the gathering of family and friends.

Sherri & Friends Sherri Maurin

We decided to go on a picnic, and twelve of us crammed into a van to head for a peaceful area about an hour outside Kabul’s downtown center. Those of you who have experienced traffic in Cairo can get a small sense of how challenging it is to cross Kabul. There are no lanes, no signals, and no rules; there are hundreds of potholes and honking horns. However, the Afghan Peace Volunteers (APV) are young and we cross town, bobbing and weaving and honking our way through traffic, clapping and singing with music blaring from our radio.

The land is bone dry clay, hard as rock, and I couldn’t visualize a park, but we wove higher into the hills, following dozens of others trying to escape the incessant heat, to an area that was cooler with more trees and a bit of grass. Continue reading

 


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Post 3: Arrival, New Friends, Border Free Center

Posted on  Veterans For Peace SF
by Salam from Kabul!
Peace To You From Afghanistan!

Borderfree Center Opening Sherri Maurin

I arrived at 10am on Thursday morning, to sweltering heat and heavy lines. Smiling, yet shy children, peaking out from behind mother’s scarves, made the long wait at Customs easier, but once I was released into the scorching heat of Kabul, my all black clothing, including a head scarf, seemed like a bad choice!

The entrance was virtually empty except for the armed guard off at a distance. No one is allowed close to the airport, so the search to find my waiting friends, when all of the numbers I had weren’t working, was a challenge! They were there, but without internet or phone access we never connected, and instead I was given a ride by an Al Jazeera reporter just returning to Afghanistan to cover John Kerry’s arrival. Continue reading