Engaging Nonviolence II: Inner Skills & Outer Practices For Interpersonal and Social Conflict

Co-Facilitated by Nina Koevoets & Rivera Sun
Wednesdays, March 6 – April 10, 2024
9-10:30am PT // 10-11:30am MT // 11am-12:30pm CT // 12-1:30pm ET
$95, scholarships available

In this new 6-week online course, you will explore the power of nonviolence in our relationships, communities, and daily lives. Engaging Nonviolence II explores skills for interpersonal conflicts, builds our inner awareness, and fosters our capacity to engage nonviolence in wider settings, such as interrupting harassment on the subway, or participating in nonviolent actions. 

When we learn nonviolent practices, we gain ways to communicate, problem-solve, and deal with the challenges we face. From friends and family to coworkers and community, this 6-week course offers practical, useful skills for a wide variety of interpersonal conflicts. We will look deeply into ourselves to find our potential—and barriers—around activating nonviolent power and each week will offer new opportunities to put what we’re learning into practice. With your fellow participants, you will have many chances to explore role plays, dive into exercises, and engage in group discussions. Pace e Bene trainings are fun, participatory, and always lively. 

Co-facilitated by Pace e Bene trainers Rivera Sun and Nina Koevoets (who coauthored the Engaging Nonviolence Study Guide), this 6-week course draws from many sessions of the book as well as integrates new knowledge. Purchasing the Engaging Nonviolence Study Guide is recommended, but not required. 

Engaging Nonviolence II is open to people of all experience levels. You do not need to have taken Engaging Nonviolence I (our introductory class) to take this course. 

We will look at:

• Session 1: Conflict & Identity

• Session 2: Inner Awareness & Nonviolence

• Session 3: Communicating Through Challenges 

• Session 4: Stepping Up, Stepping In

• Session 5: (Nonviolent) Power

• Session 6: Unleashing Our Potential

Facilitators

Nina Koevoets has been studying nonviolence and conflict resolution for more than a decade. Her master in Conflict Resolution did not include what regular people can do to build peace, so she sought answers elsewhere. She joined a training program with the Metta Center for Nonviolence in the USA and worked several months in India and Israel-Palestine. These experiences gave her new perspectives and ideas about the challenges and potential of nonviolent action. In 2015 she implemented her own training courses that included exercises from the Engage Study Program. As she became more familiar with the materials by facilitating several trainings and workshops the idea for a new Study Program became more clear and so this book came into existence.

Author/Activist Rivera Sun is the Editor of Nonviolence News, a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements, and the author of many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrection and The Way Between. She serves on the Advisory Board of World Beyond War and Backbone Campaign. Rivera helps coordinate Campaign Nonviolence Action Days and our Nonviolent Cities Project. www.riverasun.com

Register Below

Read For Peace! All-Ages Book Group on The Crown of Light 

Co-Facilitated by Savanna Holden & Rivera Sun
Tuesdays, February 6, 13, 20, and 27, 2024
4-5pm PT // 5-6pm MT // 6-7pm CT // 7-8pm ET
$60, scholarships available (Please ask! We want you to come.)
Intergenerational, open to ages 11 and up
Books must be purchased separately. Find them here or ebooks here.

Special Offer: Bring a younger or older friend for free. 

Build a culture of peace through peace literature and readers of all ages!

Bring your kids, grandparents, and friends of all ages to this lively, 4-week discussion group that explores an exciting fantasy novel about waging peace. Author Rivera Sun and youth facilitator Savanna Holden are co-facilitating a special intergenerational book club on The Crown of Light. 

The novel is a part of the award-winning Ari Ara Series and tells the story of a nonviolent Peace Force that halts violence and stops war in the border region between two feuding nations. Note: You do not need to have read the other books in the series. This story stands alone.

Readers age 11 and up will enjoy this book group. This story features a 14-year-old heroine and an intergenerational group of friends. 

With readers of all ages, this book group will have engaging conversations about the scenes of waging peace, the characters’ commitment to nonviolence, and the challenges they surmount. Discussion will be interspersed with real life examples, trainings in the skills the characters are learning, and some of the nonfiction stories that inspired the book. A great way to learn peace skills!

Stories of peace grow cultures of peace. 

Please bring an older/younger friend with you to this book group. Once you have registered, you can send us their email to ensure that they get the zoom link and invitation.

About the Book

In the jagged peaks of the Border Mountains, Ari Ara revives the ancient legend of the Peace Force, gathering friends and strangers to stop violence and prevent war. With the Way Between guiding their footsteps, they set out to wage peace. Before long, a rising threat makes them take drastic action.

Mysterious raiders are attacking villages, burning homes and terrifying families. Fingers point to the secretive Paika. For centuries, their clans have survived by double-crossing and backstabbing everyone else. But when young Finn Paikason is caught spying on the Peace Force, he swears the raiders are imposters. Ari Ara wants to believe him, but can she trust him? She can’t be certain – especially since this boy with storm-tossed eyes might be stealing her heart.

Stopping fights among villagers, thwarting bandit ambushes, and preventing battles across borders, Ari Ara and her friends seek the truth amidst a web of lies. Old enemies come back to haunt them. Friendships are strained to breaking. Tensions heighten between the two nations. When the Lost Heir is taken hostage, the Peace Force races to solve the mystery before the sparks of violence erupt into war.

Your heart will race along with the heroine’s in this exciting tale of waging peace.

Reviews

“The Crown of Light is a book that contains everything a great novel needs: a heroic female protagonist, colorful supporting characters, adventure, suspense, and most importantly, nonviolence used as a means to solve conflicts. I highly recommend the Ari Ara Series to educators and students!” —Robin Wildman, Nonviolent Schools Rhode Island

"I have been in youth work forty-five years, and I have never encountered a more important work than the Ari Ara series to share with young people and their advocates.” —Michael Harrington

“Ari Ara is the bedtime reading adventure for younger generations that completes my circle of peace literature.” —Patrick Hiller, father, bed-time story reader, Peace and Conflict Studies scholar

“The entire Ari Ara Series offers students a warm, exciting, and hopeful adventure, full of problem-solving, love of life, and worthy models of personal growth and peacemaking.” —Scott Springer, The Bay School, Maine

Making Magic Happen: Keeping It Lively

Two-hour training with Rivera Sun
Thursday December 7, 2023
4-6pm Pacific / 5-7pm Mountain / 6-8pm Central / 7-9pm Eastern
$30, scholarships available

Energize. Inspire. Engage. Keeping it lively in virtual trainings takes skill and creativity. In this two-hour webinar with Rivera Sun, explore how you can keep people awake, active, and ready for more. We’ll look at everything from how to structure your webinar to how to use breakout rooms skillfully. Along the way, you’ll get a closer look at how to make the chatbox useful (not distracting), how to vary discussion, Q & A, and slides, and how to use short videos to infuse a sense of fun and entertainment into your training. This course is useful for anyone interested in doing online presentations, whether that’s a formal webinar or an informal teach-in with a group of friends. Everyone is welcome from beginners to seasoned instructors. 

You will learn:

• How to plan a fun and lively course

• How to use participatory exercises

• How tech can engage (without getting complicated)

• How to use music, photos, art, poetry to liven things up

• How, when, and why to use breakout rooms

• And more … 

Pace e Bene trainers have facilitated dozens of courses and trained thousands of people online. Our course participants appreciate our personable, heart-centered approach. We emphasize participatory learning and use tech to tap into group knowledge and wisdom. From meditations to games to immersive exercises to role plays, we have skills to share with you about how to lead trainings with joy, laughter, soulfulness, humanness and professionality. Our approach to technology is to keep it simple and seamless, prioritizing human connection and deep learning. On top of this, we are fearless and playful in trying new things with virtual tech, leading to some of the most enjoyable and meaningful courses in nonviolence available online.

Sign up for all four of the Making Magic Happen Trainings here. 

We are gearing up to do a Train the Trainers Intensive with our Engaging Nonviolence Curriculum in February-March 2024. Interested? Let us know here.

Course Fee: $30. Scholarships are available for anyone who cannot afford to attend. Email Erin at info@paceebene.org to request a scholarship. If you can pay the full fee, consider adding a higher amount for the scholarship fund to increase accessibility for others to participate. 

A Mindful and Nonviolent Holiday Season

with Piero Falci
One 90-minute session on Zoom
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
1-2:30 pm Pacific / 2-3:30 pm Mountain / 3-4:30 pm Central / 4-5:30 pm Eastern
$30, scholarships available

Let’s be honest. Although the end-of-the-year holidays are supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, uncomfortable family gatherings, awkward office parties, crowded malls, airports, streets and parking lots, and other similarly unpleasant situations can make it the most stressful time of year.

Spending time with family members and friends who hold different personal, political, and cultural views can be very challenging and demand a lot of restraint in order to avoid the emergence of explosive arguments.

Although you might not be able to eliminate family dysfunction or shopping and travel stress, mindfulness tools can help you cope with these stressors more wisely.

Join us for a conversation with Piero Falci, Mindfulness Meditation and Mindful Living teacher, and the author of A Better Life in a Better World: Can Mindfulness Save Us from Ourselves? on how to apply nonviolence and mindfulness techniques in order to experience the minimum amount of stress and the maximum amount of joy during this season.

Fee: $30. Scholarships are available for anyone who cannot afford to attend. Email Erin at info@paceebene.org to request a scholarship. If you can pay the full fee, consider adding a higher amount for the scholarship fund to increase accessibility for others to participate. 

Engaging Nonviolence: An Online Community Course

Six-week course with Rivera Sun and Ken Butigan
Mondays November 6 - December 11, 2023
2-3:30pm Pacific / 3-4:30pm Mountain / 4-5:30pm Central / 5-6:30pm Eastern
$95, scholarships available

Join Rivera Sun and Ken Butigan in this 6-week series exploring transformational nonviolence for personal growth, healthy relationships, and a more just and peaceful world. Together, we’ll plumb the power of nonviolence as a way of life, a set of principles, a collection of practices for navigating conflict, and a toolbox for making change.

Pace e Bene has trained tens of thousands of people in exploring nonviolence. This Community Course is an introduction to principled and strategic nonviolence using Pace e Bene's Engaging Nonviolence Manual, and will familiarize participants with the overall contents of the Engaging Nonviolence study program. 

Participants will connect with up to 50 people who share their interests in discovering the many dimensions of the nonviolent life. It will be an opportunity to build community while tapping the power of nonviolence for transforming our daily lives and changing our society. And as an online series, you’ll engage with this exciting field from the comfort of your own home.

The Engaging Nonviolence course is designed to be accessible, fun, friendly, and fearless. Join us!

Cost: $95 USD. Need a scholarship? Just let us know. Our Solidarity Scholarships are open to everyone without hassle or fuss. Email us at info@paceebene.org

Note: Having a copy of Engaging Nonviolence is recommended but not required for participation in this course. All necessary course materials will be provided during lessons.

A Mindful and Nonviolent Holiday Season

with Piero Falci
One 90-minute session on Zoom
Tuesday October 24, 2023
1-2:30 pm Pacific / 2-3:30 pm Mountain / 3-4:30 pm Central / 4-5:30 pm Eastern
$30, scholarships available

Let’s be honest. Although the end-of-the-year holidays are supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, uncomfortable family gatherings, awkward office parties, crowded malls, airports, streets and parking lots, and other similarly unpleasant situations can make it the most stressful time of year.

Spending time with family members and friends who hold different personal, political, and cultural views can be very challenging and demand a lot of restraint in order to avoid the emergence of explosive arguments.

Although you might not be able to eliminate family dysfunction or shopping and travel stress, mindfulness tools can help you cope with these stressors more wisely.

Join us for a conversation with Piero Falci, Mindfulness Meditation and Mindful Living teacher, and the author of A Better Life in a Better World: Can Mindfulness Save Us from Ourselves? on how to apply nonviolence and mindfulness techniques in order to experience the minimum amount of stress and the maximum amount of joy during this season.

Fee: $30. Scholarships are available for anyone who cannot afford to attend. Email Erin at info@paceebene.org to request a scholarship. If you can pay the full fee, consider adding a higher amount for the scholarship fund to increase accessibility for others to participate. 

Making Magic Happen: Simple & Seamless Tech For Online Trainings

Two-hour training with Rivera Sun
Thursday October 19, 2023
4-6pm Pacific / 5-7pm Mountain / 6-8pm Central / 7-9pm Eastern
$30, scholarships available

The secret to wonderful online trainings is to keep tech simple . . . and do it well. In this two-hour course, facilitator Rivera Sun will guide you through the best tips and tricks to making facilitating online courses seamless and smooth. Whether you’re interested in facilitating nonviolence (Pace e Bene’s superpower) or something else, this fun and friendly training will help you keep your students engaged and lively. (And help you stay calm and relaxed.) You’ll learn not only the technological how-to’s, but also the “soft skills” of facilitating tech with grace and ease. We’ll also share what to do if tech glitches—because it happens. This course is for people who want to facilitate online meetings, webinars, courses, or discussion groups and are looking to skill-up their abilities. It is useful if you’ve never facilitated a webinar and if you’ve facilitated dozens. 

You will learn:

• Zoom basics—and how to use them seamlessly 

• How to make people feel comfortable using tech 

• The art of using breakout rooms—set up, preparing participants, guidelines, time length, and debriefing

• How to balance presentation, slides, video, breakout rooms & discussion

• How to use the chatbox as a tool, not a distraction

• How to stay centered and not get flustered over tech

• Some ways to be inclusive of many learning styles and abilities

• And much more!

Pace e Bene trainers have facilitated dozens of courses and trained thousands of people online. Our course participants appreciate our personable, heart-centered approach. We emphasize participatory learning and use tech to tap into group knowledge and wisdom. From meditations to games to immersive exercises to role plays, we have skills to share with you about how to lead trainings with joy, laughter, soulfulness, humanness, and professionality. Our approach to technology is to keep it simple and seamless, prioritizing human connection and deep learning. On top of this, we are fearless and playful in trying new things with virtual tech, leading to some of the most enjoyable and meaningful courses in nonviolence available online.

Here’s what course participants say about Rivera Sun’s ease with tech and facilitation:

“Your style of facilitation on zoom was effective and efficient and creative.”

“The way the course was facilitated was brilliant.”

“You made it look so easy! It was seamless.”

“Best online group facilitation of zoom I’ve ever experienced!”

These skills are meant to be shared. Join us—and bring some friends. 

Sign up for all four of the Making Magic Happen Trainings here. 

We are gearing up to do a Train the Trainers Intensive with our Engaging Nonviolence Curriculum in February-March 2024. Interested? Let us know here.

Course Fee: $30. Scholarships are available for anyone who cannot afford to attend. Email Erin at info@paceebene.org to request a scholarship. If you can pay the full fee, consider adding a higher amount for the scholarship fund to increase accessibility for others to participate. 

Making Magic Happen Series

Four-part Series with Rivera Sun
Thursdays October 19, November 9, December 7, and January 11
4-6pm Pacific / 5-7pm Mountain / 6-8pm Central / 7-9pm Eastern
$85, scholarships available

With many trainings happening online, facilitating nonviolence (or anything) has gained new challenges. In this webinar series, trainer Rivera Sun will share how to make tech seamless and virtual trainings magical. This series will be interactive and participatory. It will be both philosophical and practical, offering outer skills like adaptations for Zoom and also look at the inner work of facilitation. Rivera Sun will offer best practices from training hundreds of people online throughout the pandemic and onward.

You can register for individual sessions, linked below, or sign-up for all 4 sessions at the bottom of this page—and get a 25% off discount!

• Simple & Seamless Tech For Online Trainings (October 19, 2023)

• Heart & Spirit in Online Courses (November 9, 2023)

• Keeping It Lively (December 7, 2023)

• Troubleshooting 101 (January 11, 2024)

These sessions are recommended for all Engaging Nonviolence facilitators, nonviolence trainers shifting to online webinars, educators on any subject, and others who hope to gain more skills at facilitating online.

Pace e Bene trainers have facilitated dozens of courses and trained thousands of people online. Our course participants appreciate our personable, heart-centered approach. We emphasize participatory learning and use tech to tap into group knowledge and wisdom. From meditations to games to immersive exercises to role plays, we have skills to share with you about how to lead trainings with joy, laughter, soulfulness, humanness and professionality. Our approach to technology is to keep it simple and seamless, prioritizing human connection and deep learning. On top of this, we are fearless and playful in trying new things with virtual tech, leading to some of the most enjoyable and meaningful courses in nonviolence available online.

Course Fee: $85. Scholarships are available for anyone who cannot afford to attend. Email Erin at info@paceebene.org to request a scholarship. If you can pay the full fee, consider adding a higher amount for the scholarship fund to increase accessibility for others to participate. 

Signing up after the series has started? You can still sign up for the full series and we will send you a recording of the sessions you missed.

Resist Through Redirection: Choose Your Own Adventure

with Chrissy Kirchhoefer
Saturday, September 23, 2023
9-10:30am PT // 10-11:30am MT // 11am-12:30pm CT // 12-1:30pm ET
Free, register below

You don’t support global militarism, but do your dollars? If you protest the government’s involvement in wars and military actions, and you advocate for peace and nonviolence, have you considered how your taxes might be working against you? In this workshop, you’ll get the chance to learn about your role in financing the war machine and what you can do about it.

Join National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (www.nwtrcc.org) outreach director Chrissy Kirchhoefer and members of Pace e Bene's War Tax Resistance Affinity Group for an engaging overview of the many options available for interrupting the smooth flow of resources into war and the resulting devastation to life, human and non human. Bring your questions, concerns, skepticism and friends—all are welcome!

About the Tax Resistance Affinity Group

If you want to end the war then instead of sending guns, send books. Instead of sending tanks, send pens. Instead of sending soldiers, send teachers. —Malala Yousafzai

What else is possible to do with the thousands of dollars we give to war each year, via our federal taxes? Could tax resistance serve as a vehicle for reparations for both domestic and foreign policy that has caused and causes harm? We meet monthly online to learn about historic and current forms of tax resistance, and related topics based on interest. Group members will support one another to discern how/whether to engage in tax resistance. If interested in joining the group, let the coordinators know here.

Mindful and Nonviolent Communication

With Piero Falci
4 week course, 1.5 hour sessions
Tuesdays, August 8-29, 2023
1-2:30 pm Pacific / 2-3:30 pm Mountain / 3-4:30 pm Central / 4-5:30 pm Eastern
Fee: $65, scholarships available 

Join Piero Falci for a 4-part, experiential workshop where we will explore the elements of mindful communication as a nonviolence practice. In a participatory setting, you will learn to bring more awareness to your conversations with attentive listening and thoughtful speaking. Take your nonviolence practice to the next level through focusing on how you use words, speech, and dialogue with friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers.

Communication is a rich and complex activity. Most people can speak and listen, but not everyone is capable of communicating skillfully. Research has shown that one of the most important elements for mental, emotional, and physical health is a nourishing social network. Having a group of good friends is an incredibly powerful medicine. Healthy relationships are fundamentally important for our health, and communication has a huge impact on our relationships. Good, clear, efficient communication is the most fundamental element for preserving and improving relationships. Unskilled communications, on the other hand, create tensions that may become difficult to dissipate. 

This special 4-part workshop is presented as part of Pace e Bene’s mission to provide nonviolence training for nonviolence toward self, toward all others, and toward the world, through nonviolent thought, word, and deed. This course will be offered twice in 2023. Learn more about facilitator Piero Falci here. 

Cost: $65. If you are in need of a scholarship, just let us know. No one will be turned away. Email us at info@paceebene.org

Gender Justice and Nonviolence 

Online workshop with Rev. Jerry Maynard and Rev. Lauren Grubaugh-Thomas
Thursday, July 27, 2023
5-6:30pm Pacific / 6-7:30pm Mountain / 7-8:30pm Central / 8-9:30pm Eastern
Fee: $35, scholarships available

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. held that nonviolence is "a way of life for courageous people." This "way of life" includes all of who we are and who we are becoming, including our beautiful and diverse gender identities and expressions. As more and more people are targeted in our society because of their gender, faithful and strategic nonviolence is needed. Our trainers, Rev. Lauren Grubaugh-Thomas and Rev. Jerry Monroe Maynard, will lead us in exploring nonviolence as a powerful lens for gender justice in our churches, social circles, and global human family. You'll come away with practical tools rooted in proven strategies and informed by lived experiences. 

Fee: $35. Scholarships are available for anyone who cannot afford to attend. Email Erin at info@paceebene.org to request a scholarship. If you can pay the full fee, consider adding a higher amount for the scholarship fund to increase accessibility for others to participate. 

Facilitators

The Rev. Lauren Grubaugh Thomas (she/her) is a nurturer of faithful dissidents in Littleton, Colorado. She empowers communities to embrace the sacred art of nonviolent social change through her local church ministry, chaplaincy, and community organizing. A certified Kaleidoscope Institute dialogue Facilitator, she holds a Master of Divinity with an emphasis in Christian Ethics from Fuller Theological Seminary.

As a Two-Spirit Person (Xochihua) Father Jerry strives to offer healing medicine at the intersections of church & society through protest, praise, and community organizing in Houston, TX. For several years, Father Jerry has provided training in-person & online with different nonviolence/peace organizations—including Pace e Bene/Campaign Nonviolence—offering an integrated approach to faith-based social action. 

Father Jerry holds a Doctorate of New Theology from The New Theology School where they serve as The Berrigan Brothers Professor of Social Justice specializing in contextual & constructive theologies with areas of focus including gospel nonviolence, queer religious experiences, anti-oppression & peace studies. Father Jerry also holds a Master’s Degree in Contextual Ministry from Northwind Theological Seminary with a concentration in Postmodern Ministry & Leadership with master-level certifications as a Coach & Trainer. 

For more, click here.

A World of Change: Summer Film & Discussion Series

Online Series with Ken Butigan
Thursdays, July 27 - August 31, 2023
3-4:30pm PT / 4-5:30pm MT / 5-6:30pm CT / 6-7:30 ET
$65, scholarships available

Films. Friends. Fantastic stories. Fascinating conversations. Join Pace e Bene’s six-week summer film series featuring A Force More Powerful on the power of nonviolent action in South Africa, Poland, Chile, India, Denmark, and the US. In each of these six sessions, we will watch one of the incredible 30-minute documentary video segments on a classic nonviolent struggle for change. Then, Pace e Bene's Ken Butigan will share further insights, reflecting on the struggle's many lessons for building a more just and peaceful world today. In a fun, engaging, and participatory way, this course offers you a dive deep into the power of nonviolence to unleash social change. In groups discussions and breakout rooms, we will explore each example in depth. This six-week program will illuminate the steps for effective social transformation—and what it takes to change the world.

What YOU will gain:

• Inspiration and empowering stories

• Useful and applicable understanding of how nonviolent change occurs

• Community and connection

• Enlivening conversations

• Tools you can apply to your situation

• Knowledge you can use from local issues to global change

Highlights of the Film:

• Historic footage of the Salt March in India

• A look at the Nashville sit-ins' trainings and role plays

• The escalating power of Poland's Solidarity strike

• How pots-and-pans banging broke through fear of Chile's dictatorship

• The power of timing in organizing a successful boycott in South Africa

• Staggeringly courageous Danish resistance under Nazi occupation

A Force More Powerful is a documentary series available through the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict.

Pace e Bene’s Ken Butigan has been an organizer in a series of movements for social change, including campaigns addressing homelessness, nuclear weapons, freedom for East Timor, and US wars in Central America and Iraq.

From Conflict To Community: Transforming Conflicts Without Authorities

4 Week Book Group on Zoom
facilitated by Rivera Sun w/ Author Q&A with Gwen Olton on July 31
Mondays, July 10-31
4-5:30pm PT // 5-6:30pm MT // 6-7:30pm CT // 7-8:30pm ET
$65, scholarships available

You need to purchase the book separately. See below on how to find it.

A perfect book discussion group for the movement to build a culture of active nonviolence! You will find volumes to talk about in this 4-week book group on Gwen Olton’s compelling book From Conflict To Community: Transforming Conflicts Without Authorities. Facilitated by Pace e Bene staff member Rivera Sun, each week will connect a set of chapters to our personal experiences and situations. On the last week, Author Gwen Olton will join us for a Q&A session. 

In divisive and contentious times like these, building our ability to handle conflict is essential. From family disputes to incidents in the streets, we need strengths and skills for sorting out the heated moments that are cropping up everywhere. From Conflict To Community is a book that helps us see our nonviolent capacity to deal with a wide range of challenges. It also directly invites us to do so without reliance on the police or other authorities. (An approach that aligns with many aspects of social justice work and our vision of a nonviolent culture.) 

Bring a friend. Get your book. And get ready for a powerful 4-week discussion group! 

About the Book

Conflict is everywhere: our living rooms, our streets, our community organizations, and every corner of the internet. But few of us have the training to successfully intervene or resolve these conflicts. In these pages, professional peacemaker Gwendolyn Olton shows you how to use your existing skills and intuition to transform a wide variety of conflicts from insurmountable impasses to working relationships where everyone's needs are met. The result is a practical, kind, realistic guidebook for anyone who's found themselves in a conflict (their own or someone else's) and wondered, How did we get here and what can I do to make it better!? 

The book is broken up into three sections: learn the basics of conflicts, help others work out their conflicts, and finally, resolve and heal the conflicts in your own life. Filled with real life examples and thought-provoking scenarios, Olton offers a variety of conflict analysis and conversation tools that you can use to navigate the most challenging interpersonal dynamics, and to better understand yourself and others along the way—all without calling HR or the cops.

Where to get From Conflict to Community: Transforming Conflicts Without Authorities:

• From the publisher, Microcosm: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/27976# 

• (If the paperback is out of stock, try one of the options below.)

• From Bookshop.org which supports indie bookstores: https://bookshop.org/p/books/from-conflict-to-community-transforming-conflicts-without-authorities-gwendolyn-olton/18085434?ean=9781648410581 

• One of Gwen Olton’s favorite bookstores - Burning Books in Buffalo, NY: https://burningbooks.com/products/from-conflict-to-community-transforming-conflicts-without-authorities 

• Or your favorite local indie bookshops!

About the Author

Gwendolyn Olton brings her unique background in mental health nursing and conflict transformation to her work as the Interim Director of the MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence in Rochester, NY. She is a lifelong learner of communication models and group processes that help transform conflicts to leverage for more systemic and liberatory change. She is an Appreciative Inquiry facilitator, member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, restorative process facilitator, transformative mediator, and an Apprentice Provider with the Nonviolent Global Liberation Community. Gwen studied philosophy (as well as geological sciences) at the University of Rochester, nursing at St. John Fisher College, and obtained a master's in peace and conflict resolution from Arcadia University.

Nurturing Nonviolence Drop-In Class: Using a Needs Lens for Sustainable Practices in our Home

Online Workshop with Sarah Kmon
Monday, June 26th, 2023
4:30-6pm Pacific / 5:30-7pm Mountain / 6:30-8pm Central / 7:30-9pm Eastern
$20, scholarships available

Back by popular demand! Sarah Kmon's Nurturing Nonviolence At Home Series will now be offered as drop-in classes.

We will begin the journey of moving from shame to mattering, from helplessness to choice, from scarcity to flow, from separation to togetherness through the lens of needs. Building trust and connection through Nonviolent Communication.

Space is limited. If you plan to watch the recording and not attend live, please let us know at info@paceebene.org after you sign up below so we can keep registration open for as many people as possible.

About the Nurturing Nonviolence Series:

Do you want to:

Deepen (or begin) a practice of nonviolence at home?

• Move from a punitive to a restorative model in your household?

• Speak your truth to your family with the care that they want to receive?

• Remove punishments but don’t know what to do instead?

• Know how to support your children’s squabbles instead of refereeing?

Then these drop-in sessions are for you. Each week, Sarah Kmon will facilitate a participatory, small group opportunity to learn and practice around a different theme. The sessions help people like you take a deep dive into nonviolence at home—a home-revolution, where we learn to place needs at the center of the family system. These workshops are intended for parents or caregivers for children.

The Power of Listening Circles For Racial Healing

Online Workshop with Camille Bennett from Project Say Something
Saturday, June 24, 2023
9-11am PT / 10am-12pm MT / 11am-1pm CT / 12-2pm ET
Free, Suggested Donation: $30

Listening Circles play a vital role in racial reconciliation. Listening Circles offer allies and directly impacted communities the opportunity to openly share their experiences and perspectives without judgment. Our session will begin with the exploration of the historical background of talk/listening circles and drumming circles and why Indigenous and African  cultures created them. 

Our interactive session will explore the power of grounding, mindfulness practices, how to set boundaries, how to create a safe space and how to develop guiding principles for listening circles. Together we will explore the  facilitation of listening circles through practice and active engagement. Our session will end with a brief Q&A session. 

This training will prepare you to participate in the call-to-action for holding Racial Healing Circles during the Campaign Nonviolence Action Days, Sept 21-Oct 2. Project Say Something is a cosponsor of this call-to-action. Racial healing circles provide space for people to come together, share stories, and listen deeply to one another, fostering better understanding and empathy across races. You can increase your impact by inviting power holders from local offices, institutions, and businesses. Take it deeper by reaching out to people who are not usually at the table. If you are planning to hold a racial healing circle during Campaign Nonviolence Action Days, let us know here.

Your suggested donation of $30 for this session will help Pace e Bene pay Camille Bennett for her knowledge and expertise. Everyone is welcome, however. If you are able, please contribute a little extra for the Solidarity Scholarship Fund.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, her global perspective stems from living on the  island of St. Maarten. Camille is the Founder and Executive Director of Project Say Something, a nonprofit organization with a mission to confront anti-Black systems and ideologies, promote reproductive justice, and fight against patriarchal violence using education, community empowerment and advocacy.  After the State of AL passed a bill targeting her and the organization, Bennett founded Project Say Something Direct Action, a c4 organization that focuses on the eradication of anti-Black policies in AL and co-founded Alabama Moves a statewide coalition created to stop Anti-riot legislation and protect protestors on the frontlines of Black liberation.

A 32-year resident of Alabama, Camille and her husband Taurus are Founders and Directors of Focus-Scope Child Enrichment Centers. The centers focus on holistic child development o Black and brown children. Camille has also been the Chief facilitator of Living Spirit: Center for Spiritual Oneness since 2012. Her centers focus on reproductive justice, empowering marginalized communities, and cultural competency. Project Say Something, initially a local grassroots effort, mobilized regionally and nationally through coalition building, sustained protests, and advocacy for the political power and humanization of Black Alabamians.

Earning a National Championship in public speaking from The University of Alabama in 1999, Camille continues to lift her voice empowering local, national and international communities to advocate for racial justice. Camille is the wife of Taurus Bennett and mother of Christian (21), Morgan (17).

Nurturing Nonviolence Drop-In Class: Deepening our Self-Responsibility

Online Workshop with Sarah Kmon
Monday, June 19th, 2023
4:30-6pm Pacific / 5:30-7pm Mountain / 6:30-8pm Central / 7:30-9pm Eastern
$20, scholarships available

Back by popular demand! Sarah Kmon's Nurturing Nonviolence At Home Series will now be offered as drop-in classes.

A follow up to our Self-Responsibility is Sexy class, yet useful if this is a new concept to explore. Self-responsibility gives us freedom to enter conversations without charge, to ask for what we want, and be grounded and maintain presence.

Space is limited. If you plan to watch the recording and not attend live, please let us know at info@paceebene.org after you sign up below so we can keep registration open for as many people as possible.

About the Nurturing Nonviolence Series:

Do you want to:

Deepen (or begin) a practice of nonviolence at home?

• Move from a punitive to a restorative model in your household?

• Speak your truth to your family with the care that they want to receive?

• Remove punishments but don’t know what to do instead?

• Know how to support your children’s squabbles instead of refereeing?

Then these drop-in sessions are for you. Each week, Sarah Kmon will facilitate a participatory, small group opportunity to learn and practice around a different theme. The sessions help people like you take a deep dive into nonviolence at home—a home-revolution, where we learn to place needs at the center of the family system. These workshops are intended for parents or caregivers for children.

Nurturing Nonviolence Drop-In Class: Limit Setting From the Heart, part 2

Online Workshop with Sarah Kmon
Monday, June 12th, 2023
4:30-6pm Pacific / 5:30-7pm Mountain / 6:30-8pm Central / 7:30-9pm Eastern
$20, scholarships available

Back by popular demand! Sarah Kmon's Nurturing Nonviolence At Home Series will now be offered as drop-in classes.

Deepen (or begin, if you haven't been here before) your practice of connecting with and communicating the limits of your capacity and willingness while holding everyone's needs. Explore nuance and the role of sensitive observation.

Space is limited. If you plan to watch the recording and not attend live, please let us know at info@paceebene.org after you sign up below so we can keep registration open for as many people as possible.

About the Nurturing Nonviolence Series:

Do you want to:

Deepen (or begin) a practice of nonviolence at home?

• Move from a punitive to a restorative model in your household?

• Speak your truth to your family with the care that they want to receive?

• Remove punishments but don’t know what to do instead?

• Know how to support your children’s squabbles instead of refereeing?

Then these drop-in sessions are for you. Each week, Sarah Kmon will facilitate a participatory, small group opportunity to learn and practice around a different theme. The sessions help people like you take a deep dive into nonviolence at home—a home-revolution, where we learn to place needs at the center of the family system. These workshops are intended for parents or caregivers for children.

Power In Protest: Preparing For Street Demonstrations

Online Workshop with Rev. Jerry Maynard
Thursday, July 6th
2-4pm Pacific /3-5pm Mountain /4-6pm Central /5-7pm Eastern
Fee: $30, scholarships available

Contrary to popular belief, protesting is not simply about creating pretty signs, marching down a street, and singing "feel good" songs. Various strategies, tactics, and tools have been developed over the decades to aid in the work of global transformation. In this training, organizers and activists will learn how they can empower themselves in preparation for public demonstrations within their local communities. 

Since we live in a time of ongoing, global health crises, we will also share information with you on "best practices" to aid in keeping yourself healthy while doing the work of justice. 

This training will be facilitated by nonviolence educator, peace activist, and long-time friend of Pace e Bene, Rev. Dr. Jerry Maynard (he/they). You can check out their bio below. 

Fee: $30. If you are in need of a scholarship, just let us know. No one will be turned away. Email us at info@paceebene.org

As a Two-Spirit Person (Xochihua) Father Jerry strives to offer healing medicine at the intersections of church & society through protest, praise, and community organizing in Houston, TX. For several years, Father Jerry has provided training in-person & online with different nonviolence/peace organizations—including Pace e Bene/Campaign Nonviolence—offering an integrated approach to faith-based social action. 

Father Jerry holds a Doctorate of New Theology from The New Theology School where they serve as The Berrigan Brothers Professor of Social Justice specializing in contextual & constructive theologies with areas of focus including gospel nonviolence, queer religious experiences, anti-oppression & peace studies. Father Jerry also holds a Master’s Degree in Contextual Ministry from Northwind Theological Seminary with a concentration in Postmodern Ministry & Leadership with master-level certifications as a Coach & Trainer. 

For more, click here.

Nurturing Nonviolence Drop-In Class: Reflecting Another's Experience Without Agreeing

Online Workshop with Sarah Kmon
Monday, June 5th, 2023
4:30-6pm Pacific / 5:30-7pm Mountain / 6:30-8pm Central / 7:30-9pm Eastern
$20, scholarships available

Back by popular demand! Sarah Kmon's Nurturing Nonviolence At Home Series will now be offered as drop-in classes.

Do you long to support your children's squabbles without taking sides? Or perhaps hear your spouse or co-parent or coworker in their experience, without agreeing with them? This is an introduction to a process that threads that needle.

Space is limited. If you plan to watch the recording and not attend live, please let us know at info@paceebene.org after you sign up below so we can keep registration open for as many people as possible.

About the Nurturing Nonviolence Series:

Do you want to:

Deepen (or begin) a practice of nonviolence at home?

• Move from a punitive to a restorative model in your household?

• Speak your truth to your family with the care that they want to receive?

• Remove punishments but don’t know what to do instead?

• Know how to support your children’s squabbles instead of refereeing?

Then these drop-in sessions are for you. Each week, Sarah Kmon will facilitate a participatory, small group opportunity to learn and practice around a different theme. The sessions help people like you take a deep dive into nonviolence at home—a home-revolution, where we learn to place needs at the center of the family system. These workshops are intended for parents or caregivers for children.

Nurturing Nonviolence Drop-In Class: Self-Responsibility is Sexy

Online Workshop with Sarah Kmon
Monday, May 29
4:30-6pm Pacific / 5:30-7pm Mountain / 6:30-8pm Central / 7:30-9pm Eastern
$20, scholarships available

Back by popular demand! Sarah Kmon's Nurturing Nonviolence At Home Series will now be offered as drop-in classes. Sign up for each one on May 22 and May 29, and stay tuned for more course offerings coming.

Self-responsibility is sexy . . . . Or, if we're not going for sexy, we can say it increases opportunities for authentic connection with anyone. Blockages to connection can be our stories, our judgments or our analyses. These are all normal, human responses. Nonviolent Communication helps us take responsibility for these narratives and show up open and authentic, deepening our connection with our partners, coworkers, or children.

Space is limited. If you plan to watch the recording and not attend live, please let us know at info@paceebene.org after you sign up below so we can keep registration open for as many people as possible.

About the Nurturing Nonviolence Series:

Do you want to:

Deepen (or begin) a practice of nonviolence at home?

• Move from a punitive to a restorative model in your household?

• Speak your truth to your family with the care that they want to receive?

• Remove punishments but don’t know what to do instead?

• Know how to support your children’s squabbles instead of refereeing?

Then these drop-in sessions are for you. Each week, Sarah Kmon will facilitate a participatory, small group opportunity to learn and practice around a different theme. The sessions help people like you take a deep dive into nonviolence at home—a home-revolution, where we learn to place needs at the center of the family system. These workshops are intended for parents or caregivers for children.

Nurturing Nonviolence Drop-In Class: Limit-Setting From the Heart

Online Workshop with Sarah Kmon
Monday, May 22
4:30-6pm Pacific / 5:30-7pm Mountain / 6:30-8pm Central / 7:30-9pm Eastern
$20, scholarships available

Back by popular demand! Sarah Kmon's Nurturing Nonviolence At Home Series will now be offered as drop-in classes. Sign up for each one on May 22 and May 29, and stay tuned for more course offerings coming.

Do you struggle with boundaries and how to navigate them in a nonviolent manner? Instead of boundaries, we will explore the limits of our willingness and how to convey that to anyone in our family.

Space is limited. If you plan to watch the recording and not attend live, please let us know at info@paceebene.org after you sign up below so we can keep registration open for as many people as possible.

About the Nurturing Nonviolence Series:

Do you want to:

Deepen (or begin) a practice of nonviolence at home?

• Move from a punitive to a restorative model in your household?

• Speak your truth to your family with the care that they want to receive?

• Remove punishments but don’t know what to do instead?

• Know how to support your children’s squabbles instead of refereeing?

Then these drop-in sessions are for you. Each week, Sarah Kmon will facilitate a participatory, small group opportunity to learn and practice around a different theme. The sessions help people like you take a deep dive into nonviolence at home—a home-revolution, where we learn to place needs at the center of the family system. These workshops are intended for parents or caregivers for children.

Gospel Nonviolence 101 

Online Workshop with Rev. Jerry Maynard
Thursday, May 18
10-11:30 am Pacific / 11am-12:30 pm Mountain/12-1:30 pm Central / 1-2:30 pm Eastern
Fee: $20, scholarships available

This course provides participants with a virtual space to learn at an entry level the study of gospel nonviolence. You will be trained in the theology of nonviolence, the practice of using nonviolence as an approach to interpreting the gospel narratives, and the interplay of gospel nonviolence when applied to contemporary social issues—i.e. anti-racism, misogyny, queer/gender rights, and more. The course will use three educational approaches: 

Descriptive: The instructor leads studies in the art and theory of gospel nonviolence 

Dialectical: The instructor provides space for participants to explore collective consciousness around the material offered and mutually empower each other under the guidance of the instructor.

Applied Praxis: The instructor will provide scenarios where the participants will be invited to integrate the theory that is learned into practice with fellow participants. 

The hope of this course is to equip participants with necessary skills to practice gospel nonviolence in their daily lives, workplace, and the global social system, with special emphasis on using gospel nonviolence for global transformation within the spirit of leaders such as Dorothy Day, Howard Thurman, Audre Lorde, and many others. 

Cost: $20. If you are in need of a scholarship, just let us know. No one will be turned away. Email us at info@paceebene.org

Writing Nonviolence II: Personal Stories & Memoir 

With Rivera Sun
6 week course via Zoom, 1.5 hours per session
Tuesdays, May 16 - June 20, 2023
4-5:30pm Pacific / 5-6:30pm Mountain  / 6-7:30pm Central / 7-8:30pm Eastern
Fee: $80, scholarships available. 
Limited to 30 people - please register early to get your spot! 

Note: Everyone is welcome in this course. You do not need to have taken the previous Writing Nonviolence Course we offered. 

From saving spiders to eating a vegetarian diet to protesting against nuclear weapons, we all have nonviolence stories to share. This 6-week course will explore how you can express your experiences in writing. We will look at personal stories, creative essays, and memoir for people of all ages. Each week, you will learn a different style and technique for writing down these stories. We will do imaginative exercises, share feedback in a constructive and affirming manner, and learn tips and tricks for great writing. Every session will include an optional reading assignment and a weekly writing prompt. You will have fun, learn a lot, and dive into writing down the stories you've lived and breathed!

What are nonviolence stories? Resolving disputes among friends, finding a way to be truthful and kind, holding a sign at the weekly vigil, getting arrested for climate action, joining a boycott, growing local food. . . . The list is endless. We will look at nonviolence toward yourself, toward other people, toward the Earth, and toward the whole world through social justice movements. You have stories to tell!

You will:

• Learn practical writing skills

• Receive encouraging and constructive feedback

• Explore the many dimensions of nonviolence

• Benefit from the invitation to write each week

• Engage in lively, respectful conversations with others

• Get to share your stories!

Some comments from participants in the first Writing Nonviolence Course:

"If you don't think of yourself as a writer, don't believe it. Rivera's class helped me see what is possible." – Donnal Walter
"Writing for peace and nonviolence is what we are called to do. Rivera can help us actualize that for each of us." – Tom Hastings

Fee: $80. If you are in need of a scholarship, just let us know. No one will be turned away. Email us at info@paceebene.org

How To Hold A Nonviolence Teach-In

Saturday, May 13, 2023
12-1pm PT / 1-2pm MT / 2-3pm CT / 3-4pm ET
Free Online Workshop

Easy. Fun. Meaningful. You can do it! 

Get trained to hold a nonviolence teach-in during the Campaign Nonviolence Action Days, the Int'l Day of Nonviolence Oct 2nd, or any time. 

Get skills and tools for holding a nonviolence teach-in on Oct 2nd, the International Day of Nonviolence and the birthday of Mohandas K. Gandhi. This session will cover what to teach, how to facilitate a lively discussion, where to hold your teach-in, and how to reach out to partner groups to make it happen. We will share creative ideas for your teach-in and help you feel comfortable in asking your faith center, local school, youth group, or even your workplace to hold an event on Oct 2nd.  

Everyone is welcome at this informational session. If you are unsure if you are going to hold a teach-in, come anyway. This is a place to get your questions answered … and hopefully get excited.

Check out ideas for trainings and resources in our Action Days Toolkit.

Don’t forget to tell us you’re planning to take action.

Swarms & Flocks, Phase Shifts & Tipping Points—Living Systems For Changing Systems

With Rivera Sun
2 hour workshop on Zoom
Wednesday, April 19
4-6 pm Pacific / 5-7 pm Mountain / 6-8 pm Central / 7-9pm Eastern 

The world is changing all the time. By tapping into the wisdom of living systems, we can find ways to work with the patterns of change. From the grace of swarming bees to the strategy of flocks of birds, we can glean knowledge that can help us work with our communities to unleash powerful, transformative change. We can learn to see beauty and potential in the seemingly chaotic multiplicity of groups and people working toward overlapping goals. We can think strategically about how to leverage what Mary Oliver called "our one, wild and precious life." We can examine how to push an issue to a phase shift—like ice forming or a river melting in the spring. This workshop with Rivera Sun is about learning from living systems and applying the wisdom to our efforts toward social justice.

Fee: $25. Scholarships are available for anyone who cannot afford to attend. Email Erin at info@paceebene.org to request a scholarship.

CNV Action Days 2023 - Everything You Want To Know

Wednesday, April 12, 2023
4-5pm PT / 5-6pm MT / 6-7pm CT / 7-8pm ET
Free Online Orientation & Launch Party

Get Info! Get Ready! Get Connected! 

Campaign Nonviolence is picking up steam for another powerful year. Join the national coordinating team and organizers from across the country for this “launch party” and informational session. Find out what creative calls-to-action are brewing for Sept 21-Oct 2, 2023. Share your ideas. Meet fellow organizers.

In 2023, in addition to our usual practice of welcoming your events and ideas for actions, we’re inviting you to participate in specific calls-to-action. Hold a racial healing circle. Engage friends in acts of kindness and mutual aid. Call upon banks to divest from violence. Offer a teach-in on nonviolence. Train your community in ways to end violence. Sound the alarm for climate action. This year’s Campaign Nonviolence calls-to-action have something everyone can do.

(Let us know you’ll take action Sept 21-Oct 2 and learn more here.)

On April 12th, come find out what’s new, beloved, and exciting in this year’s Campaign Nonviolence Action Days. 

REGISTER BELOW

Nurturing Nonviolence at Home

With Sarah Kmon 
4 week course via Zoom, 1.5 hours per session
Mondays, April 10-May 1 
4:30-6pm Pacific / 5:30-7pm Mountain / 6:30 -8 pm Central / 7:30-9 pm Eastern 
Fee: $60, scholarships available
Limited to 10 participants. 

Do you want to:

• Deepen (or begin) a practice of nonviolence at home? 

• Move from a punitive to a restorative model in your household?

• Speak your truth to your family with the care that they want to receive?

• Remove punishments but don’t know what to do instead?

• Know how to support your children’s squabbles instead of refereeing?

Then this participatory, small group opportunity to learn and practice with Sarah Kmon is for you. 

You will take a  deep dive into nonviolence at home—a home-revolution, where we learn to place needs at the center of the family system. This workshop is intended for parents or caregivers for children. 

• Week One: Single steps, radical changes. Finding the starting point and going further. Removing punishments. Deepening our commitment to care, consideration, and authenticity.

• Week Two: Repairing and sharing towards trust and connection. The perfect parent isn’t possible. Repair is more important than perfection. 

• Week Three: Using vision to increase togetherness and collaboration. 

• Week Four: Self-responsibility and authenticity. Setting limits with transparency.

Learn more about facilitator Sarah Kmon here: https://sarahkmongrowinghearths.substack.com/about

Cost: $60. If you are in need of a scholarship, just let us know. No one will be turned away. Email us at info@paceebene.org

Mindful and Nonviolent Communication

With Piero Falci
3 week course via Zoom, 1.5 hours per session
Tuesdays, March 21, 28, and April 4
1-2:30 pm Pacific / 2-3:30 pm Mountain / 3-4:30 pm Central / 4-5:30 pm Eastern
Fee: $60, scholarships available 

Join Piero Falci for a 3-part, experiential workshop where we will explore the elements of mindful communication as a nonviolence practice. In a participatory setting, you will learn to bring more awareness to your conversations with attentive listening and thoughtful speaking. Take your nonviolence practice to the next level through focusing on how you use words, speech, and dialogue with friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers.

Communication is a rich and complex activity. Most people can speak and listen, but not everyone is capable of communicating skillfully. Research has shown that one of the most important elements for mental, emotional, and physical health is a nourishing social network. Having a group of good friends is an incredibly powerful medicine. Healthy relationships are fundamentally important for our health, and communication has a huge impact on our relationships. Good, clear, efficient communication is the most fundamental element for preserving and improving relationships. Unskilled communications, on the other hand, create tensions that may become difficult to dissipate. 

This special 3-part workshop is presented as part of Pace e Bene’s mission to provide nonviolence training for nonviolence toward self, toward all others, and toward the world, through nonviolent thought, word, and deed. This course will be offered twice in 2023. Learn more about facilitator Piero Falci here. 

Cost: $60. If you are in need of a scholarship, just let us know. No one will be turned away. Email us at info@paceebene.org