About Us

This network website hub was organized by the Peace Justice and Environment Project (PJEP), a network of networks that encourages the communication and cooperation of member groups to facilitate each other's projects. PJEP now serves close to 1200 justice, peace and environmental organizations in 31 networks and 2 coalitions covering 43 states throughout the U.S. We expect to have networks in all 50 states by the summer of 2009.

Use of this site encourages the exchange of ideas, expertise and resources between participating organizations through the use of an online and technical infrastructure, whereby local groups can work closely with each other by recruiting others to endorse, co-sponsor and/or participate in their projects. By networking we facilitate resource sharing and increased communication, which in turn encourages seamless action execution among cooperating groups.

Actions Options Tool (AOT) software provides the backbone of this website. AOT was designed by activists and then developed and refined in the field by those using the software to facilitate human-to-human exchanges by encouraging direct communication through web and email applications. Use of the AOT has resulted in more real time meetings, phone and conference calls between the individuals and organizations most needed to accomplish specific organizational goals. The AOT was made open source by its developers in 2007.

The AOT web framework seeks to lower the level of authority to the local grassroots organization, empowering those organizations across the country with unique and powerful communication tools and online resources. With the recent addition of social networking features, we've integrated social networking with political action lowering the level of authority even further to provide individual activists with knowledge and online features never before available at any level.

A  PJEP facilitated network is neither a coalition nor organization unto itself and will not endorse actions. However, member organizations can band together and endorse actions. This structure emphasizes the cooperative function of the organizations using this tool, focusing on providing resources, enhancing communication and creating opportunities for peace, justice and environmental organizations across the state to work in close cooperation to execute common actions. Therefore, this network will not be an instrument to form a common policy under a single organizational name.

Use of this network embodies grassroots empowerment at its best. Here we encourage emerging, powerful, democratizing forces by enhancing horizontal communication, nurturing transparency and facilitating diversity. By empowering the individual and local grassroots organizations, we seek to foster creativity where creativity can thrive, with the individual that seeks deep and lasting social change.

For a complete list of Peace Justice and Environment Project facilitated state networks and coalitions, place your cursor on “Commons” on the navigation bar at the top of the page and select “States” from the dropdown menu there.

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