International Day of Nonviolence Teach-Ins: Sunday, October 2, 2022

Oct 2nd is the International Day of Nonviolence. On this day, we invite you to connect with as many children and adults as possible to discuss, learn about, and explore nonviolence. Work with local schools (including on Mon, Oct 3) to host teach-ins. Ask faith leaders to give sermons/talks on nonviolence. Put up our downloadable Nonviolence Means Posters around town and give a walking tour of nonviolence. Sidewalk chalk nonviolence quotes on the streets. The goal on this day is to “mainstream nonviolence” and bring it to as many people in your community as you can. 

Teach-ins To Try:

Show a 30-min segment of A Force More Powerful. Open a talking circle about what people noticed or learned. 

Share one of the Metta Center For Nonviolence’s short animations and facilitate a conversation.

Put the Nonviolence Means Posters on desks in different parts of the classroom, along with the texts from the website. Let students wander around and discuss the idea that nonviolence could mean living wages or restorative justice or ending gun violence. 

Research three case studies on the Global Nonviolent Action Database and tell those stories in 3-5 minutes to a group.

Pass around the Gandhi Cards from the MK Gandhi Institute, form small groups, and discuss the questions on the card. 

Show Erica Chenoweth’s 12-min TedX Talk on Why Civil Resistance Works. Ask people to share what surprised or inspired them.

Make a short slide show of Nonviolence News stories this week and share them. Alternatively, give people the link and ask them to find 3 stories they can present in “Nonviolence News TV Anchor” role plays. 

Pro-tips

Work with friends! You’ll be happily surprised to find out how many people might enjoy talking about, sharing, and teaching nonviolence. 

Schedule a training session with fellow teach-in presenters. You can practice your presentations with one another ahead of Oct 2nd. 

Reach out to local schools to visit multiple classrooms in brief visits. Your teach-in doesn’t have to be long. You may also involve local youth in doing the presentations. 

Ask faith groups to participate. Many faith traditions include nonviolence as part of their spiritual philosophies. They can organize talks, lectures, sermons, etc. for their communities. 

Have fun! The International Day of Nonviolence is a wonderful chance to celebrate and inspire. There are so many powerful stories of nonviolence to tell. There are dozens of engaging practices. There are thousands of heroes to uplift! 

Posters:

Download, print, and paste these posters onto signs: Nonviolence Means … Nonviolent Schools and the Nonviolence Means … Series.

Questions? Ask Rivera Sun, Campaign Nonviolence Coordinator: rivera(at)paceebene.org

Don’t forget to tell us you’re taking action! Sign up for Campaign Nonviolence Action Days here.