2010 White Poppies Appeal + Peace Scholarships
* About the white poppy
The white poppy is an international symbol of remembrance for all the casualties of war, civilians and armed forces personnel, and of peace. Some people wear it as an alternative to the red poppy, others see it as complementary; some choose to wear both poppies, some one or the other, and some no poppy at all. More information about the white poppy is available at http://www.whitepoppies.org.nz.
White poppies are available for a donation to the White Poppy Peace Scholarships.
* The White Poppies for Peace Annual Appeal
The White Poppies for Peace Appeal is held annually from 17 to 24 April. The Appeal is the main fundraiser for the White Poppy Peace Scholarships.
* How you can support the Appeal
There are three ways you can support the Appeal – ordering white poppies for yourself or your group, having a collection box so you can collect donations, or helping with a street collection.
1) Ordering white poppies
If you would like to order some white poppies for yourself or your group (rather than have a collection box), please use the form available at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/poppiesform.pdf
2) White poppies collection boxes
You could:
a) have a white poppies collection box: at your work, school, church or other community place during the appeal week (this will be delivered to you next week if you are within the Wellington area, or posted to you if you are elsewhere); or
b) organise a special or one-off collection: ask your church or other place of worship if they would consider having a white poppy appeal collection during the Appeal week, or arrange a collection at any scheduled community group meeting around the time of the appeal;
If you would like to be sent a white poppies collection box, please email whitepoppies as soon as possible and let us know: how many collection boxes you require; the approximate number of white poppies you would like; and your name and postal address. Each collection box contains white poppies and white poppy information cards, as well as guidelines for collectors, a parcel post SAE to return the box, and a standard SAE to return the money collected (account details are included if you would prefer to do a bank transfer).
3) Helping with a street collection
We are currently looking for individuals or groups to organise street collections in areas outside Wellington. Collections can be done in an informal way (for example, by arrangement with a local church, supermarket, or other public venue) or by a formal arrangement with the local council. An information sheet with suggestions for organising a white poppy street collection is available on request.
Wellington: The street collection in Wellington is on Thursday, 22 April and there will be three collection times: from 7am to 8.30am (railway station), from 12.30pm to 2pm (central city), and from 4.30pm to 6pm (central city / railway station). If you can help with this street collection, please email whitepoppies as soon as possible and let us know what time/s you are available.
* About the White Poppy Peace Scholarships
The White Poppy Peace Scholarships comprise at least two grants that are awarded each year to assist with research into: the impacts of militarism, militarisation and warfare; alternatives to militarism, militarisation and warfare; or collective non-violent responses to state violence. The Peace Scholarships are for students studying at any tertiary education institution in Aotearoa New Zealand. Each grant is a minimum of $1,000 – one is for a Maori or Moriori student, with the other/s open to any student with New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency.
The White Poppy Peace Scholarships were launched in October 2009, and the first two Scholarships were awarded in April 2010 (see details below).
Applications for the Peace Scholarship to assist a Maori or Moriori student with research during 2010 remain open – guidelines for applicants and the application form are available at http://www.peacescholar.org.nz.
* Award of the first White Poppy Peace Scholarships
Congratulations to Marianne Bevan and Ryan Bodman who are the inaugural recipients of White Poppy Peace Scholarships.
Marianne is completing a Master of Development Studies at Victoria University, Wellington. Her research is titled ‘A Gendered Approach to Police Reform: Addressing Masculinities in Policing Projects in Timor-Leste’. Marianne is investigating how conceptions of gender and masculinities are shaping police training in Timor-Leste; and whether the related discourse is reproducing a view of masculinity (and men) that will increase the chance of the Timorese police force becoming more militarised, or if it instead allows for police reform programmes which will effectively promote non-violent enactments of masculinity and gender equality within the police force.
Ryan is completing a Post Graduate Diploma in Arts in the Department of History at the University of Auckland. His dissertation is on the Passive Resisters Union (PRU). “Under the 1909 Defence Act, all young men between 12 and 21 (later amended to 14 – 25) were lawfully required to train in the military. The PRU was established in early 1912 to peacefully resist this policy. Only young men directly affected by the policy were able to join the union, which had as its goal “to resist coercion, conscription and military training in all its circumstances and defy all penalties that may be imposed”.
Strongest in Christchurch and west coast mining towns, the PRU was never a large group but they became, as Elsie Locke explained, the “heftiest muscle” in the anti-Compulsory Military Training (CMT) movement. Their playful activism, the strength of their peace and anti-militarist convictions, the successes they achieved via the spread of anti-militarist ideas and the threat they posed to a draconian law, are all worth remembering.”
* How you can support the White Poppy Peace Scholarships
You can support the peace scholarships by making a donation during the Appeal or at any time during the year – your generosity will help to promote peace by directly supporting research into alternatives to militarism and war, and collective non-violent responses to state violence.
To make a donation by cheque, please use the form available at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/poppiesform.pdf; if you would prefer to make a donation by direct credit or internet banking, please email whitepoppies and we will provide the details for you – a receipt is sent for all donations.
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