Rotary Conifer Peacebuilding Committee

Non-Violent Communications Workshop

Empowering Compassionate Peacebuilding
Workshop to Learn the Art of Non-Violent Communications
February 24-26 at Mountain Resource Center, Conifer

Registration Now Open

 
“Communication skills are not a luxury. They are essential for the health of our society and planet as well as for our personal wellbeing. Deepening your own communication skill is something you can do to change the world that does not involve convincing, arguing, blaming, or becoming a political activist,”  - David Steele, Non-Violent Communications trainer in Denver.
 
Our Peacebuilding groups in Conifer/Bailey and Evergreen concluded that bridging differences through communications should be a priority. However, to begin that process, we first need to master communication skills for that dialogue, be it with family and friends or between citizens in our community.
 
Rotary Clubs of Conifer and Evergreen are partnering to offer this acclaimed Non-Violent Communications (NVC) course to our members and others in the community, in collaboration with the Rocky Mountain Compassionate Communication Network and Carlisi and Associates.
 
The “Empowering Compassionate Peacebuilding” 12-hour workshop will take place at the Mountain Resource Center, 11030 Kitty Drive, Conifer on February 24-26 at the following times:
Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sunday, 1:30-6 p.m.
 
Cost is $75 per person (discounted from $230), including donated snacks, refreshments and Saturday lunch. Course book (see below) costs about $10 on Amazon.
 
 
Workshop will be taught by certified local NVC (Evergreen, Conifer and Denver) instructors, with a special guest NVC instructor from Rotary of Columbus, Ohio, who will teach a component of the course incorporating how the Rotary 4-Way Test is integral to NVC.
 
A sneak preview of the course will be offered on Wednesday, January 18, 7-8 p.m. via Zoom. Information to be posted soon.
 
NVC is based on the seminal work of Marshall Rosenberg, (October 6, 1934 – February 7, 2015) who was best known for initiating peace programs in war torn areas including Rwanda, Burundi, Nigeria, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, Serbia, Croatia, and Ireland. A clinical psychologist, he was the founder and director of educational services for the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC), an international nonprofit organization that offers workshops and training in 30 countries. Dr. Rosenberg is the author of Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life, the book that will be used for the course, See: www.cnvc.org. The book costs about $10 in paperback or e-version.
 
“Our survival as a species depends on our ability to recognize that our well-being and the well-being
of others are in fact one and the same." - Marshal Rosenberg
 
The course will be taught by highly respected local trainers, Ken Rosevear of Conifer and Jean Bell of Evergreen, joined by David Steele of Denver, author of “Radical Authenticity: Strong Medicine for Turbulent Times.”
 
Tom Carlisi, a certified NVC trainer from Rotary of Columbus, Ohio, and founder of the Compassionate Communication Center of Ohio, share how he incorporated The 4-Way Test into the NVC course. Tom is a leader in the Rotary Action Group for Peace, whose vision is to bring NVC training to Rotarians worldwide.
 
 
The course will be tailored for us in Conifer, Bailey, and Evergreen, as well as others in neighboring communities, instilling NVC techniques for both our personal relationships and for bridging larger societal divides.

At the personal level, the course will provide us deep skills in: Making clear observations, honestly expressing feelings, deeply meeting needs, making doable requests, the power of empathy and self-empathy, working with anger, mourning, and gratitude.
 
At the level of society, we will learn about: finding strength and stability amid tension and turmoil; drawing strength from our conviction so we can listen fully to others; and finding deep wisdom in authenticity. When we focus on what we value, what we stand for, rather than simply railing against what we object to or are threatened by, we set aside helplessness in favor of security, oppression in favor of innovation. We step into our power. From this empowered state it is possible to creatively engage what we find threatening, building transformative connection and moving from conflict to common purpose.

We will learn to:
  •  Find deep wisdom in authenticity.
  •  Trust in what matters most to us.
  •  Acknowledge our aspirations.
  •  Draw strength from conviction.
  •  Listen deeply to ourselves and others.

An integral part of the course is practicing what we learn with other students. This training is experiential and provides an opportunity to work with issues from our own lives and incorporate the insights into our heads, hearts, nervous systems, and consciousness. It is about walking the talk and supporting one another in transformation. The class begins by anchoring in what is important to us. By the end, we will practice using the skills we have learned to respond to and maintain calm in difficult situations.
 
Tom Carlisi, internationally known in Rotary for integrating NVC techniques with the 4-Way Test, will present during the first session, based on his highly successful workshop, “Everyone Can Be A PEACEBUILDER: a Peace & Conflict Prevention/Resolution Online Program (Featuring Nonviolent Communication and the Rotary 4-Way test).” Tom has conducted this workshop for youth in Columbus, Ohio and for Rotarians. He hopes that our workshop will be a model for Rotary International.
 
Tom will talk about how we can use these skills to enhance personal growth and enhance NVC conflict prevention/resolution skills, featuring: Empathy, The Power of Deep Listening, Authentic Sharing, Seeking Mutuality, with Respect for All Concerned, Gratitude, and Speaking Honestly, without Judgement, all of which are at the core of Rotary and NVC values.

This, in turn, will enable us to implement peace skills and engage with others to foster peace initiatives in the community.
Rotary Conifer Peace Park

Rotary of Conifer Celebrates Blessing of Peace Park Installation at the  Aspen Park Community Center

Amidst aspens in full glory, a blessing ceremony to celebrate the inaugural stage of the Conifer Rotary Peace Park took place on Sunday, September 25 at the Aspen Park Community Center.

The Conifer Peace Park is a place to reflect on peace and to hold events dedicated to peacebuilding.  

The park’s central Conifer location, in a lovely grove of aspen trees behind the Aspen Park Community Center (APCC), was made possible by the APCC Home Improvement Association.  The park also received generous support from Rotary Club International District 5450, Rotary Club of Conifer, Peacebuilding Club members, and the Conifer community, which contributed funding, skill and sweat for the park. 

“Although the installation has only begun with the placement of benches and boulders, persons who have visited the park say it already gives off a peaceful aura,” said Stanley Harsha, co-chair of Conifer Rotary Peacebuilder Committee.  “The project will be completed by May 2023 with native landscaping and peace poles with messages of peace.”

Rotary Club of Conifer President Diana Phelps cut the ribbon marking the beginning of the Peace Park. She noted that the 285 Corridor’s first peace park is being realized in only four months from conception to installation.   

The park will hold events in the future to commemorate peace and to educate about peace, with an emphasis on reaching children. 

Dennis Swiftdeer Paige, Peacebuilding Club member and the park’s landscape designer, offered a Native American Coal Bundle blessing, carefully collected and containing a piece of coal from The Sacred Fire at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. Bobby Siles, trained by Lakotas as a certified medicine man, blew sacred smoke to bless the park as a place of peace. 

This park takes its place among over a hundred peace parks worldwide. Rotary International established its first peace park in 1932 at the U.S.-Canadian border.  

One feature of the park is a boulder with an inscription of the Rotary Four-Way test, which embodies principles of peacebuilding. "Of the things we think, say or do: 

  • Is it the TRUTH? 

  • Is it FAIR to all concerned? 

  • Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? 

  • Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?” 

 

For more information, e-mail stanleyharsha@outlook.com

Photos
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Conifer and Bailey residents worked together to install boulders and benches in August
 
Rotary of Conifer Peace Park blessed amidst Aspens in full autumn glory
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Dennis Swiftdeer Paige offers Native American blessing
 
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Trained in Lakota ways, Bobby Siles blows smoke to bless the park as a place of Peace
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Rotary of Conifer Diana Phelps cuts ribbon for Peace Park installation
 
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Peace Park embodies principles of 4-Way Test
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Rotary of Conifer Peacebuilder Co-Chair Stanley Harsha remarks how visitors find the Peace Park to have an aura of peace.
 
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"Imagine all the people living life in peace"