Nonviolence Training for Personal & Social Change
  
The innovative design of this national training program provides a holistic and practical foundation in spiritually-grounded active nonviolence. Participants come to recognize their own power for making personal and social changes without violence and improve their skills for  respectful engagement with opponents, instead of confrontation that polarizes and demonizes.  Unlike trainings that focus only on anti-war protest, Creating a Culture of Peace training is an incubator for participants to raise issues which most concern them --- group controversy and conflict, neighborhood violence, domestic violence, climate change, war and militarism, discrimination, video games, homelessness, peace education, and lack of health care. 

The training is highly participatory and does not depend on reading a book or lectures.  It draws upon the wisdom, experience and talents of all the participants and on the skills and knowledge of trainers. Mutual learning occurs through storytelling, meditation, small group sharing, brainstorming, role plays, thought-provoking exercises, music and movement. CCP offers training on nonviolence principles, analysis of social change and community-building, skills for peacemaking and resources.   Every group chooses and plans concrete projects for change. 

CCP emphasizes two forms of active nonviolence: Constructive Nonviolence includes the ways of creating a just and peaceful culture by developing new relationships, new practices, and new institutions. Nonviolent Resistance includes tactics such as boycotts, petitions, and rallies; it is designed to protest, and even to interfere with, injustice and oppression. Both forms are enhanced by increased democratic participation.

Creating a Culture of Peace is offered in communities across the country and at Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center in Bangor, Pennsylvania, where the CCP office is located. Within its first four years, CCP traveled to 36 states and Palestine, trained thousands of participants and 300 trainers, and was adopted by national and regional faith groups and Veterans for Peace. Janet Chisholm, who established and coordinates CCP, refers trainers and provides resources, materials, and consultation for community groups and the teams of trainers.  The CCP program reflects Janet’s experiences in anti-poverty work, religious education, teaching children and student teachers, peace activism and collaboration with other talented trainers. She claims she was inspired and challenged by her faith tradition; by the cloud of witnesses for peace, and by her six years at the Fellowship of Reconciliation as executive and nonviolence trainer. 

Janet Chisholm, CCP National Coordinator, Kirkridge, Bangor, PA
610-588-1793         www.kirkridge.org       This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it