From 27–28 October, ICAN Sweden gathered more than 20 future anti-nuclear campaigners for a weekend course entitled "Nuclear weapons, peace and disarmament". It included topics such as the functioning of nuclear weapons, their environmental and humanitarian consequences, the current political landscape regarding disarmament and the proposal for a global ban.
Using their newfound knowledge, the participants tackled issues such as the funding of nuclear weapons, political paralysis and low public awareness, while developing their own action ideas through an interactive campaigning workshop. The course featured lectures by representatives from ICAN partner organisations WILPF Sweden and the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society.
The purpose was to provide an introduction to nuclear weapons and to question their role in the world, as well as to give people with an interest in this field the opportunity to meet and to inspire their continued involvement in the nuclear issue. Participants hailed from ten cities in Sweden and from nine different organizations.
The evaluations show that an overwhelming majority feel more engaged in nuclear weapons issue than before and wish to continue to work actively against nuclear weapons. One participant wrote: “You have made me understand that this is not an old 1940s problem, but a highly relevant problem for today!”
"We are extremely excited, and happily surprised, that so many amazing people from all over the country wanted to come and dedicate their weekend to learning more about the nuclear issue. It not only sparked a new commitment among the participants, but fuelled the campaign as a whole. It clearly shows that people in Sweden care and are willing to fight for a nuclear-weapons-free world," said Pernilla Lundmark, coordinator of ICAN Sweden.
28 October 2012