Peace and Justice Committee Videos
The AHYM Peace and Justice Committee has sponsored a series of Zoom presentations on issues of interest to Atlantic Quakers.
The videos will be viewable below as they become available.
“Journey to Rwanda” Reflections and stories by Jocelyne Tranquilla
Jocelyne is a member of Halifax Monthly Meeting. She is blessed to live and love in the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people. She currently serves on Quakers Fostering Justice, a committee of the Canadian Friends Service Committee. She loves to garden and to watch plants grow.
Jocelyne’s calling to serve in Rwanda had many sources; the indelible impression of the Rwandan genocide left on a 12-year-old Canadian girl, the roles of ancestors in colonial Africa, and a personal journey of seeking and finding a spiritual home among Friends. Jocelyne will share her experiences among Friends in Rwanda including The Children’s Peace Libraries, a project of Friends Peace Teams (USA) and the Transformational Leadership Centre (Rwanda).
In the Spring of 2022 Jocelyne had the privilege of touring the Children’s Peace Libraries. She is glad to share her experiences with Friends in the Atlantic Region, and beyond.
Forestry Problems and Intuitions – Vince Zelazny
VINCE ZELAZNY Bio (from NB Nature Trust web site)
Vince Zelazny (TRUSTEE EMERITUS NB Nature Trust) was hooked on field work, after his first summer job with an agricultural development project scouring the lands close to Montreal for wild high-bush blueberries. Following a two year CUSO posting in rural Nigeria, with his partner Martha McClure, Vince arrived in New Brunswick from Quebec in the fall of 1981. Vince was immediately taken by the beauty of the Saint John River Valley. After graduating from the University of New Brunswick’s Faculty of Forestry with his Master’s degree in 1983, he took on a job with the Department of Natural Resources that lasted for 22 years. He has had the privilege of traveling far and wide in New Brunswick with his work, and was instrumental in the establishment of New Brunswick’s Crown Land Protected Natural Areas in 2001, after which he received a Gold Leaf Award from the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas. He was also honoured with a Professional Forester achievement award in 2003.
Sandy Greenberg – Voice of Women for Peace
Sandy Greenberg is a long-time member of Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW). She has served as a director of the national organization and as a member of the Steering Committee for the Nova Scotia chapter (NSVOW). She has been a key organizer of NSVOW’s PeacemakeHers Leadership Camp for Young Women, held at Thinker’s Lodge in Pugwash, Nova Scotia.
She has co-organized and attended numerous vigils, rallies, marches, and conferences for peace. Sandy is also a professional singer and musician, performing with her partner, Thomas Cormier, in the award-winning Razzmatazz for Kids. Sandy also sings at peace and women’s events, and is part of the women’s singing group, Clearing by Noon, which produced the CD, “Singing for Peace”, as a fund raiser for Voice of Women and the Halifax Peace Coalition.
In 2015, Sandy traveled to The Hague, Netherlands, representing both the Voice of Women and the Halifax Friends Meeting to attend “Women’s Power to Stop War”, a conference organized by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). WILPF originated 100 years ago when over a thousand women gathered in The Hague to stop World War I.
The Greening of End-of-Life Plans – Maria Recchia
Maria Recchia talks about her research and budding experience in the green death care movement. Topics include green burial and home funerals.
Maria is a member of New Brunswick Monthly Meeting (Quakers) and lives in a rural area outside of St. Andrews NB. She became interested in death care after accompanying and caring for her father in his last few months of life. As a homesteader and animist, Maria strives to live in intimate relationship with the natural world and wants her death to reflect how she lives her life.
This has brought her on a journey of discovery into death care alternatives that suit her beliefs and lifestyle. Maria has guided three families to care for their beloved dead at home with home funerals. She is also working to start a green burial ground initiative in her home community.
Note: This video is avaialble to Quakers by requesting the password from