“Connecting the dots: nonviolent action for our planet, each other and ourselves” will be held in The Netherlands, from the 10-18th of September 2020.

This project is about nonviolence on a social, interpersonal and personal level. Now that violence against nature has reached a point where extinction of humanity is a possible future expectation, it is urgent to question the extent to which violence is normalized in Western cultures. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported in 2018 that we only have 11 years to experience catastrophic climate change (i.e. drought, forest fires, floods and food shortages) by changing our lifestyles.

So it is urgent that we change our behaviour radically, but for that we need a change in our thinking and in our culture. With Connecting the Dots, we hope to change your thinking and show you can do something for the future and how. We activate youth workers who in turn activate young people to work together for a peaceful and sustainable culture.

During this training we will look at the interrelatedness of many forms of violence and nonviolent responses,  from treating our natural environment with respect, to overcoming structural racism, to dealing with inter-personal conflict and with our own emotions. The aim of this training course is to provide youth workers with knowledge, skills and a holistic framework to activate and empower youth to contribute to a sustainable peaceful culture. The framework is based on three elements:

1. inner peace,
2. peaceful relations, and
3. a culture of peace.

The objectives of this training is to enable youth workers to:
1. empower young people and strengthen the emotional resilience of young people and themselves.
2. Prevent violence, resolve conflicts, and facilitate respectful dialogue.
3. guide youth groups in cooperation and strategic organization for peaceful societal change.
4. exchange knowledge and support each other, so that they can improve their work in the short and longer term, continue to develop themselves and make an ever greater impact.

Youth workers from or residing in Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, Spain and Italy are eligible to apply. Please fill out the application form here. The deadline is the 5th of August.

>> for late applications go here

The training course will be held at “De Heidebloem” in Schaijk, Netherlands

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You can download the Program here