Self ~ Others ~ World ~ Earth

For 12 years, Campaign Nonviolence has brought together tens of thousands of people to build a culture of peace and active nonviolence, free from war, poverty, racism, and environmental destruction. Last year, over 80,000 people participated in 5,329+ actions, events, and marches across the USA and around the world.

In these times of escalating violence, hatred, discrimination and war, the need for nonviolence has never been greater. We need the collective effort of thousands of people like YOU to lift up the practical, useful, and powerful tools of nonviolence.

For Campaign Nonviolence Action Days, Sept 21-Oct 2, 2025, we invite you to take action to promote nonviolence in one or more of these four areas: toward self, others, world, and the earth. 

Our goal is to show our friends, neighbors, communities, and society that there are solutions and alternatives to violence. From Sept 21 (Int’l Day of Peace) to Oct 2 (Int’l Day of Nonviolence) there are effective tools, skills, and practices for stopping harm and destruction, advancing justice, fostering healing, and working for change. 

You can participate in two ways:

• Sign-up for one or more of our specific calls-to-action, below.

• Design your own nonviolent action. Just tell us the details and we’ll add you to the Action Days list. 

To build solidarity and connection with others, we’ve crafted specific calls-to-action that you can join. Below, you’ll find action ideas for how to meaningfully uplift nonviolence toward self, others, the world & earth. You also find some for the Int’l Day of Peace (Sept 21) and Int’l Day of Nonviolence (Oct 2). 

These invitations are intentionally crafted to address the connections between violence, war, poverty, racism, and environment. Your action may also address multiple areas at once, such as organizing a mental wellness day for “Nonviolence Toward Self & Others”. There are lots of ways to adapt these themes and we look forward to your ideas, too. We hope to see everything from pop-up wellness centers in unexpected places to public art installations on racial justice, and much more!

Fill out the form to tell us: “Yes, I’ll do something!” We’ll share the toolkit, action ideas, and resources like posters, stickers, and more. You don’t need to know your details yet. (We’ll follow-up as we get closer to September.) 

Have fun. Be creative. And let us know if you have any questions: shainajones(at)paceebene.org

Nonviolence Toward Self: Self Care Keeps You Going

As we work for social change, inner healing and self care help us build resilience, prevent burnout, and address the traumas and harm caused by racism, poverty, and violence. With healing work, listening circles, meditation and mindfulness, healthy meals, walks, friendship, music, and art, we use self care to replenish our reserves of energy and mental health so that we can engage nonviolence in the world. You can organize a solo or group action.

Action Ideas:

• Guided Meditation & Mindfulness on addressing trauma, especially around racism.

• Pop-Up Wellness Clinics in low-income or underserved areas.

• Host a Climate Cafe to express climate anxiety or grief.

• Use art and journaling to process grief over war.

• Find a spot in nature (or even next to a favorite potted plant) to sit quietly.

Nonviolence Toward Others: Protect the Vulnerable

Train individuals and groups in how to offer community safety in situations of potential violent confrontation and/or harassment, especially toward people of color, migrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, unhoused persons and others. Individuals can grow their bystander intervention and de-escalation skills. Groups can plan and deploy a community safety team at a public event like a farmers market, sports game, school, or public park. Nonviolence toward others can also include fostering conflict resolution skills, doing mutual aid, participating in poverty or disaster relief efforts, and engaging in community care. 

Action Ideas:

• Organize a safe space (with a peace team on duty) where people can share personal experiences related to racial injustice and healing.

• Train unhoused community members in de-escalation techniques.

• Host an educational event on the work of unarmed peacekeepers in conflict zones worldwide.

• Put together a community safety team for a public event, especially for targeted groups .

• With a small team, offer a protective presence aimed at stopping degradation or destruction of a vulnerable natural spot near you like a public park, a trash-filled gully, a community garden being vandalized, etc. 

Nonviolence Toward the World: Make It Seen

Social movements use nonviolent action to stop injustice and bring change to the world. During Action Days, bring attention to your social issue with creative, bold nonviolent actions. From ending poverty to stopping war to dismantling racism, organize a visibility action that’s impossible to ignore. 

Action Ideas:

• Make public art or gallery exhibits on racial healing and injustice.

• Organize a camp-in with unhoused, low-income, and allied residents on the steps of city hall calling for affordable housing.

• Build a Climate Memorial in a public space and share true stories of people (and ecosystems) impacted by climate change.

• Do a light projection on a building calling for peace and ceasefires.

Nonviolence Toward the Earth: Move The Money—Everyone Can Do Something

We cannot continue to destroy our only planet. It’s time to stop funding weapons and fossil fuels. Take action to move the money out of pensions, banks, and investments. Building on our Earth Day 2025 theme of “Everyone Can Do Something,” ask all of your community members to do something to divest from destruction. Alumni can write to their universities, pensioners can contact their pension funds, residents can speak up at city council meetings, etc. 

Action Ideas:

• Picket outside your bank and ask bank clerks and patrons to speak to management about divesting from fossil fuels and weapons.

• Start a letter campaign among your fellow university classmates to the chancellor and alumni relations office.

• Hold a protest before the next city council meeting demanding that city funds be divested.

• Move your money! Make a plan to divest any personal funds you might have or any organizational funds you steward.

Sept 21: International Day of Peace—Love Peace? Stop War.

On the International Day of Peace, bring pamphlets, fliers, and/or signs to local Peace Day events to make the connection between feel-good peace (which we love) and the hard work of opposing war. 

Action Ideas at Peace Day events:

• Hand out counter-recruitment fliers to youth .

• Do outreach for an anti-militarism or anti-war action coming up.

• Pass out fliers on why we should abolish war.

• Hold up a sign that says Love Peace? Stop War.

• Set up a war abolition table and talk with people about it.

• Collect signatures calling for ceasefires in ongoing wars.

• Set up a Penny Poll about where people want our tax dollars spent besides military.

Oct 2: International Day of Nonviolence—Creative Teach-ins On Nonviolent History

It’s easy to teach nonviolence with our free Nonviolent History Coloring Pages! Each one comes with a study guide and discussion questions designed for all ages. Each page is designed to encourage discussion of important topics like racial justice, civil rights, children’s rights, labor history, migrant justice, discrimination and prejudice, youth-led organizing, intergenerational movements, nonviolent action, social justice, and much more. Explore 8+ examples from the Birmingham Children’s March to the Delano Grape Strike & Boycott and more.

Action Ideas:

• Use the multi-faith Women of Liberia Mass Action For Peace page with faith groups.

• Connect K-12 students to the story of the March of the Mill Children .

• Use the India Forest Protectors page in preparation for an eco-action.

• Talk with workers about the world’s oldest recorded strike by the Egyptian Builders in 1170 BCE. 

From the International Day of Peace (Sept 21) to the International Day of Nonviolence (Oct 2), rally your friends, family, and community to demonstrate that another way of life is possible. We invite you to explore the many ways in which nonviolence works for change, fosters healing, advances justice, heals relationships, and counters violence in all its many forms. Thank you for being part of this growing movement!

Fill out the form to tell us: “Yes, I’ll do something!” We’ll share the toolkit, action ideas, and resources like posters, stickers, and more. You don’t need to know your details yet. (We’ll follow-up as we get closer to September.) If you have any questions, contact Shaina Jones: shainajones(at)paceebene.org