Making peace must start within ourselves and in our family.
Each of us, members of the ______________________
family, commit ourselves as best we can to become nonviolent and peaceable people:

To Respect Self and Others
To respect myself, to affirm others and to avoid uncaring criticism,
hateful words, physical attacks and self-destructive behavior.

To Communicate Better
To share my feelings honestly, to look for safe ways to express my anger,
and to work at solving problems peacefully.

To Listen
To listen carefully to one another, especially those who disagree with me,
and to consider others' feelings and needs rather than insist on having my own way.

To Forgive
To apologize and make amends when I have hurt another,
to forgive others, and to keep from holding grudges.

To Respect Nature
To treat the environment and all living things,
including our pets, with respect and care.

To Play Creatively
To select entertainment and toys that support our family's values and to
avoid entertainment that makes violence look exciting, funny or acceptable.

To Be Courageous
To challenge violence in all its forms whenever I encounter it, whether at home,
at school, at work, or in the community, and to stand with others who are treated unfairly.

This is our pledge.  These are our goals.  We will check ourselves on what we have pledged once a month on  ___________  for the next twelve months so that we can help each other become more peaceable people.

Pledging family members sign below:

_______________________              _______________________

_______________________              _______________________

_______________________              _______________________

_______________________              _______________________

"Eliminating violence, one family at a time, starting with our own."

We are horrified by the prevalence of violence in our culture. Increasing violence touches every community and practically every family. We live in a culture of violence in which families, and especially children, are the victims as expressed so poignantly in this reflection from the Children's Defense Fund:

Violence romps through our children's playgrounds, invades their bedroom slumber parties, terrorizes their [day care] centers and schools, ...attacks their front porches and neighborhoods, abuses them or a parent at home, tantalizes them across the television screen....  It nags and pricks at their minds and spirits,... snuffing out the promise and joy of childhood and of the future.

In the face of widespread violence, many people are frightened, confused, frustrated, angry, and perhaps worst, feeling powerless. We, however, claim both a power and responsibility to respond. We join together in this Advocacy Network to express a moral voice, a voice of outrage, that calls all families and our whole culture to reject violence and violent 'solutions' to problems. We will break the cycle of violence by creating a circle of families who can be strong and bold because we stand together. We say "NO!" to violence in our homes, and "YES!" to countering violence and promoting alternatives to violence in our communities and world.

We will realize this vision by

* Bringing together organizations and individuals who share the goal of violence prevention .

* Developing an annual Families Against Violence Advocacy Agenda. It will call families to promote alternatives to violence in their own homes and communities and include strategies for how families can be effective advocates in violence prevention.

* Celebrating and publicizing successful anti-violence efforts by families.

* Promoting and teaching nonviolence skills to families.

* Organizing regional Families Against Violence workshops and conferences, starting with the US and Canada. These gatherings will be an opportunity to strategize on a more local level, celebrate local successes, recruit families to the Network, and build a sense of solidarity.

The Network will focus on

1) legislative advocacy;

2) coordinated action to promote alternatives to violence vis-a-vis churches, synagogues, businesses, schools, and the media; and

3) resourcing of members. Our agenda will address a variety of issues related to violence, but particularly the presence of weapons and drugs in our society; the reality of and connection between interpersonal and institutional violence, especially racism and sexism; violent forms of punishment and discipline; societal practices that reflect retaliation rather than reconciliation; domestic violence; and violence in entertainment.