Conflict Resolution

It is no longer a choice… between violence and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence. –Martin Luther King Jr.

AFSC holds that all conflict, from interpersonal to international, can be resolved nonviolently. Since its inception, AFSC has worked with all involved in armed conflicts—victims and perpetrators alike— to prevent violence and seek a just peace.

AFSC's Eyes Wide Open campaign displays pairs of shoes to represent the casualties of the Iraq war.

Violence in some form remains the dominant means of dealing with conflict. We see evidence of this reality locally and globally.

In New York City, hundreds of teenagers are killed or wounded each year by peers armed with guns that are trafficked into the city. Hundreds of others are recruited to take up arms in the US military.

In Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians and over 4,000 US military personnel have died as a result of the war.

The AFSC Conflict Resolution and Transformation Program:

Supports NYC youth and residents in communities with high shooting rates to advocate for policies and programs that can reduce the demand for illegal guns in their neighborhoods
Informs disproportionately-recruited youth and their adult supporters about the realities of military enlistment and about other options for employment and service
Raises awareness about the human and economic costs of war by displaying the nationally-acclaimed Eyes Wide Open and Cost of War exhibits throughout New York and New Jersey
Offers listening trainings, support for dialogues, and information about non-violent strategies for preventing and resolving violent conflicts