Often peace is mis-understood as the absence of conflict. Well, that’s never going to happen! If we’re human and engaged in any way with other human beings, we will find ourselves in conflict.
The question is, how do we address, confront, conflict before it breaks something or someone?
Someone might ask, why bother?
Because the failure to deal well with conflict ends up with pain, hurt, a work or personal relationship damaged. It can end up in death. We lose sleep; our health is compromised; we duck and dodge rather than dive in.
But it goes further. Social dis-integration begins at home, blossoms further in our schools, our places of worship, workplaces, in our politics, and into our wars.
In these four workshops, we will be looking at four topics that overlap a fair bit, but each with its distinctive challenge and application of understanding and skills.
Conflict is not going to go away. But we can learn ways to work with it, to understand it, and to better negotiate our way through the murky waters of new understandings.
Rev’d LeeAnn McKenna, who has facilitated trainings around the world in non-violence, conflict transformation, economic literacy, and in Canada and the United States on health equity and cultural humility, anti-bullying and anti-racism, decolonisation and difference, will be offering this series of four workshops every other Wednesday beginning on 16 October. While the sessions will be stand-alones, each session will be drawing from those that proceed it.
The cost per workshop is $20 at the door or PWYC (pay what you can) including refreshments and all hand-outs. If you’re a parent, a teacher, a student, a neighbour, a leader or a follower, a human, you will hear your stories, your questions and your answers in these workshops. Come for the series or the sessions of your choice, interest and passion.
Workshop One : Wednesday October 16th
Difficult Conversations: How to Have the Conversations We Need to Have
Workshop Two: Wednesday October 30th
Getting in the Way: Disrupting Unconscious Bias for the Good of Us All
Workshop Three: Wednesday November 13th
Peacemaking in a Changing Neighbourhood and a Changing World
Workshop Four: Wednesday November 27th
Educating for Peace, Nonviolence as a Life Skill
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
You Belong Here Room
Trinity United Church
200 Owen Sound Street, Shelburne, Ontario
