Santa Cruz Mountains, CA
NVC: A Language of Compassion That Can Help Us Walk the Talk of Critical Social Change
For full details see http://diversity.learnnvc.com/
Have you ever attended a workshop (NVC or otherwise), noticed that you were not connecting as deeply as you would like with those around you and wondered if your race, ethnicity or economic level was a contributing factor?
Do you ever choose to stay silent when you feel uncomfortable with the behavior or speech of another because that person belongs to a different racial or ethnic group than you do?
Do you ever feel frustrated or discouraged when you hear certain ideas repeated about people from distinct groups, experiencing these feelings and ideas as barriers to connection?
Do you feel hopeless about being able to have effective and honest dialogues with decision makers in larger systems that have power over others (e.g., justice system, educational system, social services, INS)?
Have you ever been in an ongoing group (e.g. NVC practice group) and noticed that the people from a different racial/ethnic background from yours did not come back after one or two sessions?
Do you ever feel torn about opening your heart to a person from a dominant racial, gender, or cultural group who is in pain, because you do not trust that they truly understand and appreciate your experience, your pain?
Have you ever despaired of having your experience deeply understood by someone from a different racial/ethnic/social class than you?
We (Nancy Kahn, Roxy Manning, Kristin Masters and Edmundo Norte) have had these experiences and long for greater connection and understanding among people from backgrounds diverse in race, ethnicity and socio-economic level, both for the sake of enriching the quality of our lives and for creating a more just and humane world. We often feel excited and inspired about the possibilities of increasing such connection with the support of NVC; we have experienced these possibilities in some NVC contexts already. Yet we have also noticed that at the vast majority of trainings we have attended in North America, South America and Europe, there have been very few, if any, persons visibly identifiable as from a non-white racial/ethnic background.
At other trainings, we have heard people from non-white groups express sadness, resignation, or anger because of experiences they have had in NVC circles that did not meet their needs for safety, inclusion and understanding/critical awareness.
We also have been told by some White participants that they were confused and sad because, in spite of their intentions and efforts, they believed something they did stimulated pain in another person and they believed something about their being White was part of what contributed to that stimulation. And they didn’t know how to work with this stimulation using NVC.
We hear many people we meet expressing a desire for critical awareness, for connection, for safety, for communication across group differences.
We deeply believe in the potential of NVC to create connections across social groups, to create opportunities for healing from the pain resulting from the social structures and divisions that currently exist, and to support the development of critical awareness. We are therefore organizing this event - The Diversity Retreat: NVC & Race, Ethnicity and Social Class in North America - to meet our needs for inclusion, connection, contribution and hope.
Join us in developing both greater critical awareness of the impact of race, ethnicity and social class on communities and individuals, and also a greater capacity for compassionate, healing connection with one another across these and other social barriers, as the basis for creating more connected, effective and transformative soical chnge.
Our Goals
Grounded in principles of NVC, at this six-day retreat, we hope to:
At the NVC and Diversity retreat, we hope to create a retreat environment that nurtures, supports and inspires a community process of exploring, examining and practicing tools, based on the principles of Nonviolent Communication, that we believe contribute to greater cultural competency and awareness.
Our Intentions
We are fully committed to introducing NVC to all people, of all races, ethnicities, and economic levels, so that each person can see if living in NVC consciousness is truly life-serving and so that we can move with all people toward a world where everyone’s needs matter. We are also particularly committed to bringing NVC consciousness and skills to bear in supporting both greater critical awareness of how certain institutional/social structures and power dynamics serve to divide and dehumanize us, and also to support the healing, transformation, and strengthening of our compassionate connection with each other, especially across our differences. To this end:
(For other extended training programs with different focuses, consider Compassionate Leadership or the Bay NVC Leadership Program or see our extended training page.)
Deepen and Integrate NVC nto every moment of Life!
Dear NVC Friend,
I'm am still accepting applications for the next NVC LIFE Program which will begin in February 2011. LIFE is an acronym for Learning & Integration, Full Embodiment and it is a program that focuses on deepening and integrating the consciousness that is the foundation of NVC.
I began offering the NVC LIFE Program in 2006 in the United States and have now worked with a small group of participants each year. Each group has had profound experiences of healing, transformation and deep community connection.
In 2011, I will be offering this two-year program in the Portland, Oregon area for the first time. The program is designed for people with intermediate to advanced skills in NVC. Participants are expected to already have basic skills in expressing honestly in NVC, practicing self-empathy and empathizing with others.
Working with the NVC LIFE Program has become the most exciting and deeply enriching work that I've done to date. I hope you'll consider joining me in this journey.
Robert Gonzales
Building and developing a strong and clear foundation is a basis for applying the NVC process in our lives. Without this inner foundation, it is easier to practice NVC as a mechanical or rote process, or to get stuck in jackal reactivity without the living quality of needs. The major aspect to developing a foundational consciousness is the ability to transform our life-alienating thinking and reactivity to the more life serving consciousness of authenticity and presence.
The primary focus of this program will be to develop awareness of the consciousness of "the living energy of needs" or "the beauty of needs." This is the foundational base for Living Compassion and is core to living and integrating NVC into life. The deepening work that we will focus on is to establish a clear pathway to first identifying, then experiencing and cultivating this consciousness. I am interested in supporting an embodied spirituality and a way to engage in a living practice in our everyday, moment-to-moment living. We will apply processes/tools that serve this integration and development.
This work is comprised of three dimensions:
Inner Dimensions of this work:
1. Cultivating and Dwelling in the Beauty of Needs
· Meditations, walking meditations and work in pairs and small groups2. Compassionately Embracing to Healing and Transformation
· Transforming the Pain of Unmet Needs to the Beauty of Needs
· Transforming Core Jackal Beliefs/Compassionately Embracing
· The Illusion of Conflicting Needs or Choosing and Staying in Life-serving Consciousness
Relationship (Outer) Dimension of this work:
3. Living our Being in Relationship
· Preparation for Authentic Dialogue
· Mutuality and Dialogue from the Beauty of Needs
· Empathy practice from the Beauty of Needs
· Embodied Spirituality in Living Compassion
· Development of Group ("We") Consciousness
This is a two-year program, 2011 & 2012.
There will be two, six and one-half day retreats EACH year, held at
Alton L. Collins Retreat Center, 32867 SE Highway 211, Eagle Creek, Oregon 97022
The retreat center is 45 minutes from the Portland International Airport.
The dates for the retreats are:
February 12- 19, 2011 &
September 24- October 1, 2011
March 24 - 31, 2012 &
October 6 - 13, 2012
There will be two, 2 hour tele-classes that Robert will facilitate between the two retreats each year.
There will be three, one hour individual phone sessions between retreats with each participant. One call will be with Robert and there will be two additional calls, one with each of Robert's Assistants in the program.
The program will also include small group phone meetings (practice groups, empathy sessions, etc.) with participants-only.
The cost of the program per year is:
$3,250 for single occupancy
$2,950 for double occupancy
The above prices include all tuition, room and board for two retreats.
Cost breakout per year:
Tuition: $1,850
Housing and Meals: $1,400 single room
$1,100 double room
There are no scholarships or tuition cost reductions available for this program at this time. It is requested that you carefully consider the financial and time commitment that this program entails before applying.
For more Information or to Request an Application
Email phyl...@prescottnvc.org (click dots to see full address)
or call Phyllis Brzozowska at (928) 771-2420
[This is the first retreat of an extended training program. See http://susan.nvcti.com/ for official details]
Dear NVC Friends,
I am excited to announce that I will be offering an intensive residential program for those of you who are committed to a life's work of integrating transformational processes. Together, we will explore a deeper understanding of how we live in mutuality with our own inner energies, and then work with how to bring that to the world outside of us.
I have been asked many times over the years to develop an on-going residential program and could not see my way clear to taking on the organizational work that goes with such an undertaking. I would therefore like to express my appreciation to Mikki Fogg and Barbara Sanderson for volunteering to do some of the work involved, so that I felt the support I needed to say yes.
I would like to give you a sense of what I am thinking about in terms of content. I would not be interested in doing this if it didn't have an element of going deeper and breaking new ground - I am an Aries, after all.
The breakthrough work in brain research, together with the living energy of needs gives us the opportunity to actually re- form what we call "jackals" into life-connected thoughts and feelings. By combining this with the process of identifying and communicating with disconnected parts of ourselves, we can reach a depth of integration and self-empowerment that is richly satisfying. That is the territory that I intend to explore in this intensive. I would also like to hear about any content areas you would like to see included.
You will find information about the content and logistics for the intensive following this note.
I look forward to being with you!
With much love and anticipation,
Susan Skye
CONTENT of NEW DEPTHS
Working with patterns of upsets and emotional triggers:
Identifying and processing core beliefs
Learning strategies to use when triggered
Integrating new breakthroughs in brain research:
Understanding and working with the limbic system
Applying Daniel Siegel's Nine Domains of Brain Integration
Identifying inner energies that comprise our personality:
Disconnected, traumatized parts (mostly very young)
Other parts - inner artist, adventurer, earth mother, organizer, and so on
Learning the Inner Dialogue Process:
Connecting with disconnected parts or energies that are often the foundation of reactions and behaviors
Relating in a whole, new way to those frightened or lost energies we refer to as "jackal"
Integrating all of these inner parts:
Mediating between our inner parts so that the needs of all of these energies are considered
Using NVC and Dynamic Self Governance (DSG) to connect our inner energies so that they can function together in an integrated whole
Connecting more deeply with living in partnership:
Exploring a much deeper and more integrated understanding of what we call mutuality
Freeing ourselves from patterns of intimidation and fear of those we admire or name as leaders
Developing a life-affirming group structure:
Creating a "we" which can be used within ourselves and in the outer world
Applying a needs-based consciousness through the structure of DSG to our work together
All of our work will, of course, be in the context of needs, empathy, and honesty. We will devote lots of attention to staying connected with the flow of life-energy as we speak of our needs, met or not yet met.
LOGISTICAL INFORMATION for NEW DEPTHS
Format:
Three, separate residential weeks, spanning 2010 and 2011
Two, two-hour individual phone consultations with Susan Skye
One small-group phone call facilitated by Susan Skye
Dates:
Sept 18-24, 2010, March 5-11, 2011, and June 4-10, 2011
Please plan to attend all three weeks.
Location: Menucha Conference Center - Portland, Oregon -
www.menucha.org
On the beautiful Columbia River Gorge
Prerequisites for this intermediate level training:
Strong working ability with NVC basics: expressing honestly, empathizing with self and others
Familiarity with: Living Energy of Needs Process, Transforming Pain Process, and Core Beliefs Process
Participation in: Living Energy of Needs seven-day intensive, Susan's PLTP, Robert Gonzalez's LIFE program, or etc.
Questions about the program, prerequisites, or the facility?
Please email Barbara Sanderson at barb...@comcast.net or
phone her at (952) 939-0456.
Total Program Cost in US Dollars:
Covers all fees, including tuition and room & board for all three week-long retreats, as well as the individual and group phone sessions
Application by February 1, 2010 - $4,500
Application by May 1, 2010 - $4,700
Application after May 1, 2010 - $4,900
Deposit and Payment Information:
A $600 deposit must accompany your application. You will receive a confirmation e-mail and payment schedule when you are accepted into the program.
Once you have been accepted into the program, your deposit of $600 is non-refundable. If you are not accepted, your deposit will be refunded.
We would prefer that you make full payment by June 1, 2010.
If that is not possible, then, please follow this plan:
DUE DATES FOR PAYMENTS
One half of remaining fees will be due on June 1, 2010
The other half will be due on February 1, 2011
If full payments are not paid by the DUE DATES, then an additional administrative fee of $200 will be due.
Cancellation Policy:
If we cancel the training for any reason you will get a full refund (including the $600 deposit).
If you cancel:
By August 18, 2010, your fees will be refunded minus the $600 non-refundable deposit.
After August 18, 2010, your unused fees will be refunded (minus the $600 non-refundable deposit) only if we can fill your place in the training with another participant.
There will be no refunds after the beginning of the first retreat.
Application:
Use the Online Application Form on the website of the NVC Training Institute to begin the application process.
Questions about the application process?
Please email Mikki Fogg at mik...@zoomtown.com or call her at (513) 791-6068.
International Intensive Training
with Marshall Rosenberg and other trainers. See the CNVC IIT page.
I am excited to invite you to join me for a five day intensive focused on cultivating and dwelling in life enhancing energies -- the Beauty of Needs -- and deepening the practice of Self-Compassion.
In the retreats and workshops that I offer, people consistently share with me how grounding, opening and inspiring these practices are for them. I want to support an inner consciousness of Being that I see as having fundamental importance in the development and cultivation of living life authentically and fully in relationship.
This Beauty of Needs / Self-Compassion Intensive provides an environment and community support to practice and deepen the foundational consciousness of the spirituality inherent in each of us.
This five day retreat will take place
October 3 - 8, 2010
and will be held at the
Alton L. Collins Retreat Center
near Portland, Oregon.
www.collinsretreatcenter.org
This intensive will include opening talks, questions and answers, daily meditations, a body movement time, and opening (remembering) and closing (celebration and mourning) circles.
Daily meditation practices will take various forms: practice in pairs, in small groups, in the whole group as well as walking meditations.
With intensive meditation on the Beauty of Needs, what can arise are deep woundings, mourning or contractive patterns. Recognizing this, I want to incorporate practice of the "Compassionately Embracing Process" which I find supports and complements an embodied fullness of Beauty of Needs work. The "Compassionately Embracing Process" has grown out of my work with transforming core, non-life serving beliefs and is one of the most profound processes I have experienced for developing deep and abiding self-compassion.
This retreat has evolved from an experience that took place in June 2009 when a mix of people who participated in the 06, 07 and 08 NVC LIFE programs came together for a three day "Beauty of Needs Intensive." In last year's intensive, participants expressed how much they enjoyed a retreat with the singular focus on the Beauty of Needs. This focus allowed them to go much deeper than they had in the past and supported a more full integration of the consciousness. Having shared the common experience of working with the teachings of the LIFE program, the group quickly bonded and created a close community in the short three days of the workshop.
This year, I welcome anyone who has participated in one or more years of the NVC LIFE program as well as anyone who has worked with the "Beauty of Needs" through the NVC Training Institute's "Living Energy of Needs" trainings or my "Deepening into Living Compassion" retreats. I look forward to joining in community with participants who already have experience with the "Beauty of Needs" who want to build on their prior experience and to contribute to the total group learning.
The cost of this intensive is
$975 for single occupancy;
$725 for double.
This cost includes tuition, room and board.
Single occupancy rooms are limited and will be available on a first requested basis.
To register for this intensive:
email Phyllis Brzozowska at phyl...@prescottnvc.org (click dots to get full address) or call 928-771-2420.
Warmly,
Robert
International Intensive Training
with Marshall Rosenberg and other trainers. See the CNVC Marshall's schedule page.
Applications for the Bay NVC Leadership Program are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis, and should ideally be received by October 15, 2010, for the program starting in February 2011.
For full information on this 9-month program (which most NVC trainers in the Washington DC area have attended), see http://lp.learnnvc.com/
(For another extended training programs with a different focus, consider Compassionate Leadership or see our extended training page.)
Whereas "retributive justice" attempts to figure out who is to blame and how to punish, "restorative justice" aims to restore what was torn in the social fabric, to repair relationships and set things on a better course for the future. Inspired by ancient approaches to justice among a variety of native cultures, restorative justice is proving to be transformational in the modern world where it is used. It is useful in schools, communities, and other places, as well as in criminal/civil justice settings.
Dominic Barter has developed a form of restorative justice called "Restorative Circles" which is inspired by the principles of Nonviolent Communication. While any restorative justice system is likely to have advantages over the alternatives, the hope is that the insights of NVC may make this particular approach even more restorative. Barter developed Restorative Circles in Brazil. They are widely used there, and interest in applying them in other parts of the world has been growing. Dominic will be offering a number of trainings in North America this coming year, as are listed below. For the Restorative Circles web site, and to register for trainings, see http://www.restorativecircles.org/
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, USA
Dominic Barter is returning to Seattle, Washington for two Restorative Circle events. This will be his only west coast trip in North America in 2010.
An Introduction to Restorative Systems
Sat and Sun, May 22-23, 2010Restorative Circle Facilitator Practice
Mon, Tues & Wed, May 24 – 26, 2010ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, USA
An Introduction to Restorative Systems
Sat and Sun, September 11 - 12, 2010Restorative Circle Facilitator Practice
Mon, Tues & Wed, September 13-15, 2010ATLANTA, GEORGIA, USA
An Overview of Restorative Systems
Thursday, Oct 28, 2010Restorative Circle Facilitator Practice
Friday – Sunday, Oct 29 – 31, 2010
Note that, although Dominic himself will not be there, his style of Restorative Circles will also be taught at the New York Intensive Residential Training in NVC, July 31 - August 7, in Geneva, NY.
We would like to acknowledge that in the US, Maryland is a leader in restorative justice, typically referring to it as "Community Conferencing." The pioneering nonprofit Community Conferencing Center founded by Dr. Lauren Abramson is located in Baltimore. And many counties in Maryland, including Montgomery and Prince Georges counties have Community Conferencing programs available to the public for dispute resolution. (We are not familiar with restorative justice programs in DC or Virginia. If you know of any, please let us know.)
We encourage you to support and utilize these existing restorative justice programs. At the same time, we believe Dominic Barter's Restorative Circles add beneficial refinements to prior restorative justice processes, and we encourage you to consider his trainings.
Whereas "retributive justice" attempts to figure out who is to blame and how to punish, "restorative justice" aims to restore what was torn in the social fabric, to repair relationships and set things on a better course for the future. Inspired by ancient approaches to justice among a variety of native cultures, restorative justice is proving to be transformational in the modern world where it is used. It is useful in schools, communities, and other places, as well as in criminal/civil justice settings.
Dominic Barter has developed a form of restorative justice called "Restorative Circles" which is inspired by the principles of Nonviolent Communication. While any restorative justice system is likely to have advantages over the alternatives, the hope is that the insights of NVC may make this particular approach even more restorative. Barter developed Restorative Circles in Brazil. They are widely used there, and interest in applying them in other parts of the world has been growing. Dominic will be offering a number of trainings in North America this coming year, as are listed below. For the Restorative Circles web site, and to register for trainings, see http://www.restorativecircles.org/
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, USA
Dominic Barter is returning to Seattle, Washington for two Restorative Circle events. This will be his only west coast trip in North America in 2010.
An Introduction to Restorative Systems
Sat and Sun, May 22-23, 2010Restorative Circle Facilitator Practice
Mon, Tues & Wed, May 24 – 26, 2010ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, USA
An Introduction to Restorative Systems
Sat and Sun, September 11 - 12, 2010Restorative Circle Facilitator Practice
Mon, Tues & Wed, September 13-15, 2010ATLANTA, GEORGIA, USA
An Overview of Restorative Systems
Thursday, Oct 28, 2010Restorative Circle Facilitator Practice
Friday – Sunday, Oct 29 – 31, 2010
Note that, although Dominic himself will not be there, his style of Restorative Circles will also be taught at the New York Intensive Residential Training in NVC, July 31 - August 7, in Geneva, NY.
We would like to acknowledge that in the US, Maryland is a leader in restorative justice, typically referring to it as "Community Conferencing." The pioneering nonprofit Community Conferencing Center founded by Dr. Lauren Abramson is located in Baltimore. And many counties in Maryland, including Montgomery and Prince Georges counties have Community Conferencing programs available to the public for dispute resolution. (We are not familiar with restorative justice programs in DC or Virginia. If you know of any, please let us know.)
We encourage you to support and utilize these existing restorative justice programs. At the same time, we believe Dominic Barter's Restorative Circles add beneficial refinements to prior restorative justice processes, and we encourage you to consider his trainings.