Martin Rowsell runs Postcards for Peace. In an interview
with us two years ago, he took us through the story behind PFP and its
founding. Here’s our chat with him on what’s been happening since then.
How is it going with Postcards for Peace?
There’s been a lot of talks behind the scenes but not much
actual action for us to share with the world in the last year. However, there have
been some positives. For instance, a group of ambassadors in Kurdistan got
together to hold an event for Peace Day under the PFP banner. We had our first
meet-up in London last summer which was really useful! We sent twenty postcards
around the world to see what journeys they might take - some have got further
than other and many have completely disappeared, though. We are currently holding
talks aimed at sending messages about body positivity, body shaming and related
bullying. Something might come from this in 2019. Right now, we are looking at
ways to restructure our Ambassador network, while the network continues to
grow. We have a lot of schools looking for partnerships as part of our Postcard
Exchange Network, and are currently looking at several ideas too!
In your journey so far, what has your key learning been? Have you found
yourself with a different idea of / view on peace than from when you began?
Personally, my biggest learning has been that we, as humans,
are more similar than I had felt we were before. My view of peace is so much
bigger than it was when I first started. I now realise that it is far more than
stopping war or dropping bombs on distant lands. It is much more personal than
that. It has to start with each and every one of us realising that we are all
human beings and that we should all be there for another. That doesn’t make the
job of Postcards For Peace any easier though!
You have built a powerful network of ambassadors in this time! Tell us
about your ambassador program.
We do have a lot of Ambassadors and most are very willing to
help but need some direction. Many seem to want to call themselves Ambassadors
but not really sure what that involves or just want the title. We plan to
change this so that Ambassadors becomes a network of the most dedicated
supporters who can be more actively involved or who, through their own
work/network, have something more to offer. Those that want to be associated
with the charity but perhaps can’t dedicate their time to helping, will become
part of a separate network. Ambassadors do play a vital role in our work
though. Sometimes we just want to share an idea with people around the world
and it’s good to get different feedback. They can also help us share posts on
social media.
What have your greatest professional obstacles been in this time?
Finding time to work on PFP and also, recently, maintaining
motivation. We have also really struggled to open a bank account - as stupid as
that sounds - which means that we haven’t been able to get as many funds or
apply for grants as we should have been able to. Most recently an application
was turned down because we associates ourselves with another charity that has
had some bad press in the last year. The stress this has caused me personally
has been massive.
How have you overcome, or how are you overcoming these challenges?
Recently, I’ve just had to switch off from working on the
charity completely. However, I need to start getting things moving again and
hopefully we can get to a position where I can delegate some roles to others.
The challenges to peace are manifold - sometimes, they cannot be
foreseen. At this point, do you believe that getting young people to work
towards peace can still prove useful for a future of sustainable peace?
Yes, I still believe that getting young people involved. I
think most already want to learn about it and want to work towards it but are
perhaps lacking the guidance or knowledge. It is a basic human instinct to want
to live in peace and we need to work to make sure that children don’t grow out
of that belief because of what they see older generations or the media doing
now.
As a peace worker, what do you believe we are missing out on in
achieving or making the achievement of peace a possibility?
The peace movement misses out on money. Governments and many
businesses are only interested in money and, sadly, they seem to believe that
there is more money in war and hate than in seeking peace. People need to come
before profits and then hopefully we can create a world where there is a place
for humanity in diversity.
Switching gears a bit… What got you into writing?
My father always said that he had an idea for a novel. He
started it but it was tucked away in his wardrobe and was never touched again.
But I think that planted a seed in my head that anyone could write. At school,
as part of an English project we had to write the first chapter of a novel. I
loved doing that and I think that was probably the start of believing that I
would like to write more. In my mid teens I had an idea for a novel. I can’t
remember where it came from but probably a dream. I asked for a typewriter and
wrote it out. I got copies and sent them to agents but it was rejected until I
got too demoralised. I really believed in it at the time, and thinking about it
today, I do believe that it is a strong story so it might get told again in the
future.
In
my early twenties, I saw an advertisement for a contributors to a music
reference book. I got six articles included and that really made me realise
that I could write good enough to be published. In the mid-1990s, I began to
write short stories. The more I wrote, the more ideas I got and I really found
my flow. Two of the short stories were published and received great feedback.
However, circumstances changed and my inspiration dried up. It was until twenty
years later that I had the idea for another story and I opened myself up to the
idea of writing again.
Writers often say it is a challenge to write short stories. Do you
think so, too?
I’ve never found it a challenge. If anything I find it
easier to tell short story than it is to
write a novel because you can keep detail to a minimum, leaving a lot up to the
imagination of the reader. Before I start, I don’t set myself a word count
limit and allow the story to grow as long as it needs to.
A lot of your writing is driven by your observation and passion for
peace. Do you consciously follow that pattern?
No, it is never a conscious decision but I am inspired by
the people I have met and the stories I have heard as a result of my work with
Postcards For Peace and a greater knowledge I have as a result of listening to
people from around the world, and books from different countries. I had a head
full of ideas last year, for different stories that I really felt needed
telling. Some were definitely influenced by the side of humanity that I want to
help create. My work has changed because I have a better understand of people
and the world but, The Christmas Jumper, was written in the 1990s so maybe it
was always meant to be that I would write about society and humanity.
