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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 29, 2014)
Street roots Aug. 29, 2014 Wholistic Peace Institute’s calming focus From N orth Korea to South Africa to Palestine — peace is possible in the world o f Gary Spanovich BY JAKE THOMAS transition of power. Originally from Florida, Spanovich spent “That could have beena horrible, decades as an urban planner and did ary Spanovich is a cheery 65-year-old horrible blood bath,” says Spanovich. “But humanitarian work inlndia in the 1990s man, who, from a tidy office in I he saw the writing on the wall and basically before helping found the WPI, which has Northeast Portland has been working ended apartheid and turned his reign of previously been based in Canby and for the last 15 years toward a simple, yet power over to Mandela.” Portland State-University. seemingly impossible goal: prevent people The WPFalso focuses on the situation on Spanovich views his work with the WPI x • from being violently killed. thè Korean Peninsula and, the Israeli- through the eyes of an urban planner, taking Spanovich is the executive director of the Palestinian conflict. Spanovich praises the calculative deliberate steps that will produce Wholistic Peace Institute (WPI), a nonprofit approach of former South Korean Prison results in the long term. In 2010, the WPI organization affiliated with Concordia Kim Dae-jung, who won the Nobel Peace helped broker an agreement between University that’s seeldng to create a less- Prize in 2000 for improving relations with Portland’s Concordia University and the violent world. Although the goals of the WPI North Korea through his Sunshine Policy Pyongyang University of Science and may seem loftyand perhaps quixotic, there . The policy accepted North Korea as a Technology in North is an underlying practicality to its work that neighbor and significantly reduced the Korea that could makes its vision of world peace seem not all possibility of war between the two ■ produce exchange that far-fetched, | countries. programs with The WPI grew out of efforts, to organize a Although Spanovich says that the students and faculty, conference of five Nobel Peace Prize Sunshine Policy could be applied to other as well as other laureates in Portland in 2001. A main focus conflicts, it’s not universal. For instance collaborations. of the institute is on Nobel Peace Prize with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, “It’s a long term laureates and what lessons from their work Spanovich says that the big sticking point is effort to work with can be applied to other conflicts. To that the refusal of Hamas, a militant group that the North Korean end, it’s organized a dozen major events in controls the Gaza strip, to give up its arms. students who are Oregon, including conferences that have ' Rayjubitz, the executive director of the basically the elite in featured past laureates, such as the Dalai Jubitz Family Foundation, says his that country,” says ; Lama,, former South Korean President Kim organization has helped fund visits by Nobel Spanovich. He hopes ‘Dae-jung and former Costa Rican President laureates for about 10 years. He says that that the project Oscar Arias Sanchez. bringing these individuals to Oregon helps provides North - “We feel the Nobel Peace laureates are give the state a reputation for supporting Korea’s future contemporary architects ùf world peace, so - peace, along with other benefits. leaders with a if you can get five or six of them in the same “When Gary brings a Nobel (Prize positive cultural room to debate new ideas, you can advance winner) fo town, they don’t just giye a one- H O T O 'B Y S tM O N exchange with the a dialogue,” says. Spanovich. “And that’s,; -■ off lecture. Gary works them to death,” says U.S., which will pay what these conflicts need: new ideas.” Jubitz, jokingly. off decades froin now. World peace may seem like an impossible Another focus of the institute is on Spanovich says that the “wholistic” goal, but Spanovich says that every Nobel schools. The WPI publishes curriculum to .approach of his organization is based on the peace laureate he’s worked with thinks it’s - help Oregon schools teach about Nobel idea that humans have mental, physical, possible. The Nobel Peace Prize has been Peace Laureates. It also gives out grants emotional and spiritual dimensions and that awarded for over 100 years, and its laureates through the Harold and Arlene Schnitzer any solution to a problem needs to take all have made the world more, peacefulm * * of ihem.into-^ccount. „ « mrm .CARE Foundation to guppqrt With so much conflict in ft «O iK SSBa concrete ways. projects seeking to make their communities the world, Spanovich, a Lech Walesa, the Polish labor leader who more tolerant, civil and peaceful places. practicing Catholic who has Additionally the WPI helps bring Nobel wpn .the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 for developed a form of Christian laureates into Oregon schools, organizing non-Communist unions in the meditation that he has taught 'J*// •,*,$ Joel Sebastian, the principal of Tualatin’s late 1970s and early 1980s, had the most and practices every day, says Athey Creek Middle School, says that impact of any peace laureate, according to that it is the spiritual bringing in Nobel Peace laureates and other Spanovich, because his efforts undermined dimension of his work that speakers into schools “really sticks with the power structure throughout Soviet bloc keeps him from getting countries, accelerating the demise of the | . kids.” discouraged. “I think that kids have a real keen sense Cold War. There’s one simple lesson Spanovich also points to F.W. de Klerk, a ,• of what’s right and what’s wrong and a real in his faith that is also shared desire to use their voice for what’s former South Africa president who shared by the Dalai Lama that he important,” says Sebastian. “So when you the Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela have kids at an impressionable age, and they says is key to peace: Conflict in 1993, as an example of how peace is ; will end when one side is learn how these laureates used their voices possible. Seeing that change was on the willing to accept the last blow. to affect justice that’s a really meaningful . horizon-far South Africa, de Klerk freed thing.” Mandela and allowed for a peaceful ' ST A FF W R ITE R H PHO TO B Y p lE G O PJA? A t tap, Gary Spanovich^ the founder o f the Wholistic Peace Institute in Portland. A t left, Nobel Prize laureates The Dalai Lam a, form er South Korean president K im Dae-jung, and form er South Africa president F.W. de Klerk, all o f whom Spanovich has hosted in Portland fo r W PI events. MURPHY P H O TO BY S H M U E L THALER ... to the health care you know and trust. Working jn partnership with j&bvi-ders, „ THE MAGIC IS N THE HOLE! community health centers ahctsaci at" service agejTcies to serve people, on the Oregon 2 2 SW 3RD & BURNSIDE Health Plan, Health Shaceis building a more accessible and coordinated care system throughout-the-Tri County area. ’ 1501 NE DAVIS 503-416-8090 SUPPORTING STREET ROOTS SINCE 2 0 0 3 D t I -www.hoalthshareorggon.org' Health S hare of Oregon Thank you for giving a hand up in Portland and supporting your neighborhood vendor!
