{"id":36003,"date":"2017-12-07T12:40:24","date_gmt":"2017-12-07T17:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=36003"},"modified":"2018-04-09T09:03:29","modified_gmt":"2018-04-09T13:03:29","slug":"practical-tools-hard-problems-third-annual-peacebuilding-community-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/practical-tools-hard-problems-third-annual-peacebuilding-community-day\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Practical Tools for Hard Problems\u2019 at third annual peacebuilding Community Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eastern Mennonite University will host its third annual Summer Peacebuilding Institute (SPI) Community Day Friday, Feb. 2. <\/span><\/p>\n

Titled \u201cPractical Tools for Hard Problems in Our Communities,\u201d the day\u2019s workshops will offer practical tools and build skills for peacebuilding, conflict transformation in the workplace, and facilitation and community organizing. The day will also include a morning plenary speaker, opportunities for networking, and a lunch presentation by regional community leaders.<\/span><\/p>\n

The event is also designed to give participants a preview of the community atmosphere and courses offered at <\/span>SPI<\/span><\/a>, a program of the <\/span>Center for Justice and Peacebuilding<\/span><\/a> (CJP). SPI\u2019s five sessions in May and June focus on a variety of topics including trauma awareness, restorative justice, leadership, program management and responding to violent extremism. <\/span><\/p>\n

More than 200 people from approximately 40 countries attend SPI each year. While the early years of SPI were geared more towards international participants, in recent years the program has also attracted local participants and responded to local situations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to support the efforts of local individuals in a variety of positions and occupations who are already engaged in addressing the hard topics in our communities,\u201d said Christi Hoover Seidel, director of admissions for CJP. \u201cWe see SPI Community Day as an opportunity for support, expansion, and connection for those who are committed to peacebuilding, even if they don’t self-identify as \u2018peacebuilders.\u2019 Our goal is to offer practical tools to help sustain their work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The 72 participants in <\/span>last year\u2019s Community Day<\/span><\/a> represented a wide range of professional interests: offender reentry, youth empowerment, adult career education, mediation, climate activism and filmmaking. More than half were from Harrisonburg, with the remainder from Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., West Virginia and Pennsylvania.<\/span><\/p>\n

Workshops and presenters this year include:<\/span><\/p>\n