The Pace e Bene workshop titled “We Each Have a Piece of the Truth: The Spirituality of Active Nonviolence” brought over 80 students from a broad range of colleges across the nation on Saturday, March 4, at the COOL Idealist National Conference in Nashville TN.

The workshop was one of over 150 offered at the weekend conference and was led by Lindsay Martin, coordinator of Pace e Bene’s College Project.

Although time was short, the college students were able to explore some of the complexities surrounding the different perspectives on the Muslim cartoon controversy, a current global issue, and ask themselves how they think nonviolence relates to such difficult issues.

Martin felt that the workshop was an enriching experience for participants and saw great potential for further connection to college students and their process of learning about nonviolence.

“Pace e Bene offers a curriculum that is so relevant for college students who are looking for a deeper understanding of the spirituality of nonviolence,” she expressed. “What I heard people talking about was the importance of compassion, especially among activists, when they talk about these issues. It’s not something that is easy and it takes time to cultivate.”

Pace e Bene is planning to continue to connect with college students, both on campuses and at conferences. For more information about this project, please contact Lindsay at lindsay@paceebene.org.