How this podcast first came together

Speaking Our Peace began as an idea that Pria Joshi had as she attended a planning meeting for Jai Jagat 2020 in October 2019. Pria happened to be in Madurai, India attending a workshop when she heard about the detailed plans for the Jai Jagat Global Peace March.  She had come to the session in part because she was troubled about the state of affairs in her country, the United States. She wanted to think more about how to work for peace, justice, and reconciliation through nonviolent action. She was inspired by the Jai Jagat team. Realizing she could not actually commit a year to join the marchers, she wanted to use her skills to create something that would spread the word about the march and nonviolent action more broadly. Enter the podcast.

Pria returned to Madurai in October 2020 and began to record conversations with peace educators and activists who were also trying to do their part to support the Jai Jagat and the larger goals of peace and justice. When the Jai Jagat March had to be halted because of the global pandemic, work on the podcast went into higher gear. Pria was joined by Annie Luk, an adult educator from Toronto who is also part of the International Gandhian Institute for Nonviolence and Peace Canada (IGINP Canada). Annie had been actively fundraising for the Jai Jagat and did not want the efforts of the marchers to be lost. About the same time, Pria and Annie were joined by Ashima Vishnoi. Ashima, who is an educator, artist, and activist, had been one of the marchers from India. Pria’s aunt, Reva Joshee, a Gandhian educator and activist from Canada, joined the trio and acted as cheerleader and defacto project manager as they began interviewing marchers and other activists from around the world. Along the way, others like Shawaz who helps with editing the episodes have joined the team. The result is this podcast.
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Speaking Our Peace is a window into the worlds and work of peace educators and activists. We want to share these conversations to allow everyone to hear about the amazing work that is happening, largely unnoticed, around the globe. It has renewed our optimism and energy; we hope it does the same for you!

The 2020/21 season:

The current 2020/21 season started on September 27, 2020, and each week we release a new episode (with the exception of two weeks off at the end of December and the beginning of January). In this season, we talked to a wide range of individuals who work towards creating a world of peace and nonviolence in their communities. Included in our guests were a number of marchers who participated in the Jai Jagat global march that had started on October 2, 2019 from Delhi, India with the final destination in Geneva, Switzerland. In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the march in Armenia. We also talked to teachers who incorporate peace and nonviolence in their classrooms. Many of the guests on the podcast were also artists—poets, visual artists, filmmakers, dancers, and musicians—who use their creativity and craft to promote peace and nonviolence in their community and around the world. 

We hope that the 2020/21 season gives you a sense of possibility as you find inspirations from these ordinary people who do extraordinary things in their day-to-day work. 

Contributors for the 2020/21 season:

  • Ashima Vishnoi
  • Annie Luk
  • Pria Joshi
  • Reva Joshee
  • Shawaz​

We thank:

  • Jessica Red for our logo design
  • Sunbear for the music

Financial and in-kind support for this podcast is provided by: 
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @OurPeacePodcast
Twitter: @OurPeacePodcast
​Facebook: SpeakingOurPeace

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