Nina – Organizer and trainer

Towards a Nonviolent World is a sentence I chose to name my work, and this project is the first one we’re able to realize! In 2009  I did a Nonviolence training in the USA that changed my perspective on life. I got many insights and while living in India, Israel-Palestine and other places I became more and more convinced that we can solve conflict without perpetuating violence, where-ever we are. I have a master degree in Conflict Resolution and Governance and another master in Global Studies, where I also focused on conflict and social movements.

My vision is that ToNoWo will let me co-create a more peaceful world, in which people live a wholesome life in which they act from compassion and in which they feel loved, listened to and seen. I want to give space for people’s imagination and dreams to arise and speak up and out, so they can put their ideas into action. Violence is built-in to the structures of our society so that many have become blind to it. I hope to encourage people to see with new eyes and broaden their imagination towards a nonviolent world!

Annamaria – trainer

I am a Personal and Professional Coach and a Mediator. I believe that everyone has the resources and power inside themselves to create the life they desire. And I believe in peace and respect as the main values we should focus on in each of our interactions. For these reasons I joined Nina in her efforts for Towards a Nonviolent World. In the trainings we shed light on the violence we are surrounded by in our everyday life and offer tools and methods to write a different story. Each of us has the responsibility to live peacefully, but also to promote peace, and to prevent conflicts or manage them nonviolently. 

I work in the field of non-formal education and EU projects since 10 years, organise activities since 7, I work as a trainer since 3. I deeply enjoy witnessing how participants evolve during our trainings, gaining insights and self-awareness, learning about topics they are passionate about, re-defining their present, and creatively planning a new future. 

Maddalena – volunteer

I am taking part in this project because, not only do I think that workshops and trainings are very powerful means to spread knowledge about nonviolence, but they can also show different useful tools in this field. I had the chance to learn more about peace building and conflict transformation strategies at an international training in Armenia last November. I learnt how to solve a problem using a nonviolent instead a violent solution. Sometimes a nonviolent idea can seem utopian, but actually we can forestall several problems through an assertive behavior and a well planned nonviolent project. As Aldo Capitini said, “nonviolence is not about conservation but transformation”, because of this nonviolence is very active and intervenes in thousands ways. In a society nonviolence fosters deep solidarity between people. I believe that Towards a Nonviolent World can be a great opportunity for whomever wants to embrace nonviolence as a way of life!

Sarah – volunteer

Violence should never be found as ‘normal’ as it is often thought to be. Growing up in an environment without war nor conflict, I was lucky enough to be able to study and work – I therefore see it as my ethical responsibility to do whatever I can for those who did not. When I lived in Jerusalem to study the Israel-Palestine conflict, and in Lebanon to work with Syrian refugees, I saw time and over again that violence is never the right way to end a conflict. Violence only sets the stage for more violence, and creates a mentality in which ‘collateral damage’ and ‘enemy casualties’ become accepted, and even wanted occurrences… But they should never be any of that. This is why peace-building and nonviolence are such important themes, and why I believe in the potential power of projects like the one offered by Towards a Nonviolent World. I hope that everyone who participates in it will learn how to contribute, each in his or her own way, to what we aim all to achieve: A world with less violence.