The Culture of Peace Alliance (COPA) was formed in 2004 when several peace-focused organizations merged their efforts to build a culture of peace and nonviolence in Tucson and throughout the Southwest (see Our Story). Although first formed with the intention of connecting all peace-focused groups in Tucson, COPA evolved into more of an umbrella organization for specific projects that all have a pro-peace orientation. COPA has operated as a volunteer-based organization for seven years. Currently there are five projects under COPA's “umbrella.”

COPA Coordinating Council: Representatives from each of the five projects serve on COPA's Coordinating Council, which is its board of directors. In addition, there are Council members who are not affiliated with any particular project, but rather take on duties and responsibilities that are needed to help COPA prosper and grow as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (for example, handling the accounting for COPA's finances or facilitating the Council meetings). Decisions are made by consensus.

If you are interested in serving on COPA's Council, please consider attending a Council meeting or participating in one of COPA's projects in order to see how we function and whether this would be a good fit for your talents and interests. Contact any of the individuals listed above for ideas about how to get involved with COPA. For more information about current Council members, see the Coordinating Council page.