The Siotha Project has finally been born, but not without a labor of love. I started forming the idea of a peace project in 2019 in the middle of my International Affairs program at Seton Hall. I was the weird arts girl taking this Master's Degree path in diplomacy, but nevertheless intrigued on how creative outlets were being used globally to create peaceful relationships. I learned how yoga classes created diplomacy during the cold war, how art shows helped ease the tensions in post-civil war areas, how film helped people create dialogues that led to productive change, how music brought people together from different religions, politics, and regions. I was eager to share this concept with my home city, because working as a local music promoter and events manager, I saw these community-building capabilities on a local level. I knew I wanted to give more to the idea.
Fast forward to 2023 after a relocation from Arizona to Oklahoma, a pandemic, a divorce, and an expired marketing/branding startup that never took shape as the peace project I originally dreamed. Being a single mom and household breadwinner, I was fortunate to receive an offer from the Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) right before Christmas and eagerly took the job. Being a music artist myself, I knew this was a position where I could give back to my local music community.
Yet, my original peace project never escaped my thoughts, and through a series of fortunate events, I became available in Fall of 2024 to mobilize my vision. Staying at OF+MO, I was able to create a little more room in my work schedule for an outside project. Over a year prior, I started seeing a new partner who was a marine veteran and also had undergone divorce. After meeting, I soon learned that Kyle Gambol had a heart for giving back to the community and a fellow peace promoter. Together we identified some special-focus groups we wanted to serve, including veterans, people in the midst of divorce, and those struggling with conflict in the workplace.
And here we are. The Siotha Project is kicking-off with our first community event on November 23rd with an Oklahoma City rucking trip. It encompasses our vision to serve the veteran population alongside their friends and family while promoting overall wellness and camaraderie. This is peacemaking. Whether it be speaking, workshops, events, one-on-one interactions--when we show up with the intention to build positive, healthy, peaceful relationships--we are doing the deeper work of the world.
I like to echo the Gandhi quote reminding us we all have the opportunity to BE the change we want to see in the world. The word peacemaking is an internationally used word to explore the relationships between different countries. However, we can begin to use this larger concept of peacemaking to understand how we build a peaceful relationship with ourselves and others.
Sending care from my corner to yours, and we hope you will join us in this journey in its many forms, and help create the change we want to see together.
Cheers,
Jenn
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