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2008 Summer Peacebuilding Institute, Nashua Community College
For two weeks in July, the Nashua Community College played host to the Summer Peacebuilding Institute. NH Department of Peace and Nonviolence campaign coordinator, Barbara Thorngren organized this provocative pilot program dedicated to enhancing peacebuilding skills and their transformative possibilities for self, community and the world.
The conference opened with a welcome from Lucille Jordan, College President, and was followed by guest speakers active in the field of actualizing a culture of peace in these challenging times. Theirs was a message of grit and hope.
This global endeavor weaves an international web with the focus on sustainability, non-violence and cooperation. She was thrilled to make the public announcement that for the first time in history, an official Government (Costa Rica!) will be hosting the Global Summit for Ministries and Departments of Peace in September of 2009. The only room she left for despair was for us to rise above it.
The practical application of these skills has ministered to the healing of Rwanda's deep wounds and the rebuilding of their fractured communities.
Barbara Hilt, Founder and Executive Director of Youth Empowerment Services, Inc., addressed issues, closer to home, effecting our own youth. She shared some transformative experiences that young people witnessed within themselves following their participation in Help Increase the Peace (HIP) workshops, the youth application of AVP.
Barbara Thorngren, AVP NE Region Co-Chair and Facility Coordinator in the NH State Prison for Men, revealed the history of AVP and its relevance in prisons, schools and communities, both here in the U.S. and around the world.
The pre-conference ended with the stirring testimony of Richard Nethercut, former AVP/USA President. He recounted his personal journey from the time of his daughter's murder in 1978 to the present. He shared the importance of reconciliation and his dedication to AVP and how it has positively impacted his life to this point.
We each are bombarded by violence daily, either personally or culturally, blatantly or by subtleties. We are each responsible for our own reactions. How can we manage our responses to avoid escalating the violence? How can we hold compassion in the presence of hostility?
The remainder of the Institute addressed these questions. Participants, guided by the expertise of Alternative to Violence facilitators; Barbara Thorngren, Lidieth Guindon and Stephen Nsengiyumva experienced and applied the practical skills of AVP. Certificates were awarded in Basic, Advanced and Training for Trainers workshops.
Click Here to view the complete information and view the Jan Grossman - NH Department of Peace Steering Committee
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