{"id":32006,"date":"2017-02-23T13:28:56","date_gmt":"2017-02-23T18:28:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=32006"},"modified":"2017-04-26T08:52:54","modified_gmt":"2017-04-26T12:52:54","slug":"prepare-civic-engagement-tough-conversations-polarized-times-2017-summer-peacebuilding-institute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/prepare-civic-engagement-tough-conversations-polarized-times-2017-summer-peacebuilding-institute\/","title":{"rendered":"Prepare for civic engagement and tough conversations in polarized times at 2017 Summer Peacebuilding Institute"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The skills taught for 22 years at Eastern Mennonite University\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.emu.edu\/cjp\/spi\/\">Summer Peacebuilding Institute<\/a> have always been relevant to people in the United States, but now they have a renewed significance.<\/p>\n<p>Learning how to communicate in polarized communities, turning conflict into connection, recognizing and analyzing systems of oppression, taking steps in your community toward dismantling those systems \u2014 these are some of the <strong>peacebuilding skills that more than 3,000 people from 124 countries have learned since SPI began in 1994<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Now there\u2019s a heightened awareness among many living in this country \u2014 citizens and non-citizens alike \u2014that participation in marches and protests, and even the fuzzy concept of \u201cresistance,\u201d isn\u2019t enough to solve the serious challenges the country faces.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"highlight highlight-right\"> View all <a href=\"http:\/\/www.emu.edu\/cjp\/spi\/\">SPI course offerings<\/a> from May 8-June 16.<\/aside>\n<p>That\u2019s a realization SPI director <a href=\"https:\/\/www.emu.edu\/personnel\/people\/show\/goldberw\">Bill Goldberg<\/a> expects many first-time participants in civic action and advocacy to have, a realization also reflected in his communications with alumni and participants at a <a href=\"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/02\/got-conflict-growing-spi-community-day-reflects-citizens-need-peacebuilding-skills\/\">recent one-day training for regional peacebuilders<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat is the next step to stay involved for a first-time marcher? How does a person who realizes his neighbor might be deported help? If you disagree, perhaps for the first time, with your political party or Congressperson, how do you speak out? We need to think about long-term solutions to make progress and that requires new skills for anyone, across the political spectrum, who is motivated to political and social action.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Throughout May and June of 2017, SPI offers 23 five- and seven-day courses, with several focused on strategic organizing, nonviolent resistance, coalition-building and tough conversations.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThink Thanksgiving dinner,\u201d Goldberg jokes. \u201cNext year, it can be better.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>&#8216;Choose your next wise move&#8230;&#8217;<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cLet us help equip you to choose your next wise move,\u201d says human systems design expert Dr. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hsdinstitute.org\/about-hsd-institute\/hsd-team.html\">Glenda Eoyang<\/a>, who will teach \u201cAdaptive Action: Nonviolent Resistance for the 21st Century.\u201d \u201cWe are a long way from the civil rights movement, where physical oppression was visible in segregation, the lunch counter, the policemen and dogs. Now oppression is virtual. How do you resist hate?\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"highlight highlight-right\">If we want a world built on peace with justice, we need to work effectively without the expectation of government support, at the community, local and regional levels in every country, including ours.\u2014Bill Goldberg, SPI director<\/aside>\n<p>In all SPI courses, <strong>practical skill-building is the priority<\/strong>, Goldberg says. Participants will come away with concrete strategies that have been tried and tested by peacebuilders around the world.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Eoyang\u2019s course will teach how to \u201ceffectively engage in the political and social world when you are pulled in many directions, analyze the dynamics that drive complex change in human systems, and find practical ways to respond to forces that oppress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have 22 years of experience helping people work for justice, peace and good governance in places where governing systems are not working well and where people are in conflict,\u201d Goldberg said. \u201cIf we want a world that is built on peace with justice, we need to work effectively, without the expectation of government support, at the community, local and regional levels in every country, including our own.\u201d<\/p>\n<h1>Selected Courses<\/h1>\n<h3>Session 2, May 18 \u2013 26, 2017: Adaptive Action: Nonviolent Resistance for the 21st Century, with Dr. Glenda Eoyang.<\/h3>\n<p>Choose your next wise action to transform oppression into opportunity. Learn how to effectively engage in the political and social world when you are pulled in many directions. Analyze the dynamics that drive complex change in human systems and find practical ways to respond to forces that oppress.<\/p>\n<h3>Session 3, May 29 \u2013 June 2, 2017: Restorative Justice Organizing for Communities, with Dr. <a href=\"http:\/\/zehr-institute.org\/staff\/carl-stauffer\/\">Carl Stauffer<\/a> and Soula Pefkaros.<\/h3>\n<p>A powerful restorative justice is one that is integrated into all movements for liberation and justice, reaching beyond the confines of the criminal justice system. This begins in our communities. Together we will uncover and expand the application of restorative justice frameworks and practices to community building and community organizing.<\/p>\n<h3>Session 4, June 5 \u2013 9, 2017: Engaging Polarized Communities for Shared Action, with Dr. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.emu.edu\/personnel\/people\/show\/jsd636\">Jayne Docherty<\/a>.<\/h3>\n<p>Learn to organize across divides to create a vision of a shared future and identify opportunities for shared action. Frame invitations that bring people together. Bring someone from your \u201cother side\u201d or come alone. Learn to identify opportunities for shared action. Play with framing invitations that bring people together. Explore approaches that have worked in polarized communities. Leave with concrete ideas for your situation.<\/p>\n<h3>Session 5, June 12 \u2013 16, 2017: Tough Conversations: Turning Conflict into Connectedness, with Dr. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.davidcampt.com\/\">David Campt<\/a>.<\/h3>\n<p>As the society we live in is becoming more and more polarized, people are exploiting and fearing differences rather than celebrating diversity. To keep communities from fracturing along religious, socio-economic, and cultural lines, we need to learn how to have difficult conversations with people across the spectrum from where we sit. Learn to listen and hear people from all sides of an issue. Design and harness the power of dialogue to turn tense situations into opportunities for collaboration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The skills taught for 22 years at Eastern Mennonite University\u2019s Summer Peacebuilding Institute have always been relevant to people in the United States, but now they have a renewed significance. <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/prepare-civic-engagement-tough-conversations-polarized-times-2017-summer-peacebuilding-institute\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"more-link\">... read more <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">about Prepare for civic engagement and tough conversations in polarized times at 2017 Summer Peacebuilding Institute<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12503,5861,17562,8845,264,265,12537,12499],"tags":[5798,13825,11321,6003],"feature":[17424,17241],"class_list":["post-32006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cjp","category-conferences-and-events","category-digest","category-emu-at-lancaster","category-graduate-programs","category-seminary","category-star","category-spi","tag-bill-goldberg","tag-carl-stauffer","tag-events","tag-jayne-docherty","feature-featured-graduate","feature-news-feature"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - 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