American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization that includes people of many faiths who are committed to nonviolence, justice, and service. Our work is based in a belief in the inherent dignity and worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice. The AFSC was founded in 1917 to provide conscientious objectors with an opportunity to serve civilians suffering in the wake of World War I. In 1947, in partnership with the British Friends Service Council, we accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of all Quakers for silent help from the nameless to the nameless after World War II.
From its beginnings, the AFSC has recognized that the roots of violence and conflict can be found in conditions of alienation, inequality, poverty and oppression. Over the years, our work has expanded to include programs that seek out and address the roots of injustice in our own communities, in our nation and in the world we share.
Where We Focus:
Peacebuilding
We recognize that lasting peace based in justice must be built, not declared. In partnership with organizations and individuals in local communities and globally, AFSC in Southeastern New England seeks to lay the foundations for a world of hope and peace through education, action, and service.
Youth and Nonviolence
Young people are the seeds of the future. In Southeastern New England, AFSC coordinates programs that empower youth, strengthen communities, nurture new leaders and provide training in nonviolence and conflict resolution. We offer alternatives to militarism and military service, and we promote an inclusive community that celebrates our diversity.
Alternative Globalization
As economic globalization has accelerated, so have its negative impacts in our own communities and around the world. AFSC in Southeastern New England is a participant in movements that are globalizing human rights, fair trade and labor practices, democratic solidarity, and intercultural understanding. To this end we engage with allies locally and globally to promote fair trade, support immigrants rights, and provide education, relief, and service related to the effects of economic and corporate globalization.