NVC training Shari - Hi Sejin, Im smiling as I remember the sweetness of...

(1) Sejin Pak - Hi Sejin, Im smiling as I remember the sweetness of...







Sejin Pak

21 September 2016 · Campbelltown ·



Hi Sejin,

Im smiling as I remember the sweetness of our connection at the NVC training - and wondering how you are going with connecting with your son in a new way?

You asked about NVC being used in the world in creating social change and peace, and I said I would come back to you. I see this as a really important question as Im constantly asking, "how can I contribute to creating a world where there is care for all beings through our systems and structures" . Of course, the contributions NVC has had often are not captured on video or recorded in an article, but are part of a dialogue… frequently unrecognised within a worldwide community… but still potent and having affect. So here are a few of the examples of what is happening world wide in recent times (with people other than marshall) that I AM aware of.

1. There is for me such an inspirational documentary which was created in Nepal which was part of the reconciliation from the civil war. There is a bigger program which has now flowed on from this documentary. The link to that is… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqA2OydkXgg&feature=youtu.be

2. This is an outline of what happened to bring a group of decision makers together to reform Minnesota’s child custody legislation. Everyone believed reform had no possibility of happening to this legislation as there was such diverse perspectives and because people had become so hostile with each other. This change affects thousands and thousands of families to create more peaceful families - the basic structure of society. Miki Kashtan who headed this reform dialogue is an NVC certified trainer who developed systems based on using NVC as the basis of everything she does. http://baynvc.org/minnesota-dialogues/

3. Dominic Barter has been engaged in Rio at a grass roots level, working in the favelas and directly with the police force there. Here is an excerpt from an email he recently sent. The work he has done there using NVC has reduced killings by large numbers by affecting systemic systems through creating understanding and engagement. Sadly, government policy has now changed and much of the work is undone but still there were 100’s if not 1000’s of lives saved in the time it was working. Here is his email…

In the next few days and weeks many of you will see news reports from Rio, and maybe wonder how this experience relates to the NVC work we do here.

This article, published yesterday in the UK's Guardian newspaper, gives a good summary of the situation as it relates to the police. The article describes the very significant changes brought about by the controversial, significantly flawed but nonetheless transformative programme of Police Pacification Units in the city's favelas. From 2011 to 2014 I was 'orientor' of the mediation programme for the police in these units. This involved basic introductions to NVC for hundreds of police, but mostly it involved intensive accompaniment of them in their daily work as they patrolled communities and worked in their makeshift bases. It also involved supporting them in building different community relationships and creating what I call 'spaces safe for dialogue', with the systemic conditions necessary for offering mediation and conducting Restorative Circles.

The article also describes how the significant drops in death rates and the improvements in community relations were lost in the years since. I hope knowing of both the changes and their recent loss can help you in your work of illustrating the conditions that violence requires to grow and to diminish, and in exemplifying to those you teach how NVC is being used around the world.

http://www.theguardian.com/…/rio-police-violent-killing-oly…

Today and tomorrow you may see images from the official opening of the Olympic Games. You're unlikely to see the thousands who occupied Rio's most iconic music venue last night, or the many more who'll be demonstrating for a more humane response to unmet social needs throughout the day. Please keep such 'invisible' actions in your thoughts.

Sejin, This is a small smattering of what I know and what I can quickly connect with to send you. But without understanding and moving beyond our enemy images, I cannot see how any shift in peace can occur - and our inherited language won’t help us.

I will call you separately to explore attending the ENCT in October. To check it out, http://embodyingnvc.com/.

Blessings Sejin

Shari