Trainers

Annamaria Pappini – Project Coordinator & Trainer

Annamaria took a Master Course on ‘Mediation as an operative tool within the penal, familiar, and civic field’, (University of Padova, Italy – 2009) and had the chance to collaborate and volunteer with various organisations in Italy and Montreal (QC, Canada). She is co-founder and vice-president of the ‘Pe.R. Me. – Persona Relazioni Mediazione’ association whose mission is to promote the culture of mediation, support people in retaking responsibility for your own actions, and facilitate reconciliation. She is an expert on non-formal education methodology and works with the training and evaluation cycle for EVS volunteers on behalf of the Italian National Agency. She worked as EVS mentor and youth mobility for the Municipality of Padova (Italy) operator organising, facilitating, and managing many youth exchanges and training courses with Youth in Action, Europe for Citizens, and Erasmus+.

Nina Koevoets – Trainer

Nina followed a 10 week long training programme in Nonviolence in the USA (2009), which motivated her to develop this programme. She has a master’s degree in Conflict Resolution and Governance and another master’s degree in Global Studies. She also attended a Summer University on Civil Resistance at the Central European University of Budapest. She did internships at Save the Children, United Network of Young Peacebuilders, for which she organized a training “Peacebuilding for Youth Workers” with the Council of Europe (2008), Middle East Nonviolence and Democracy (Israel-Palestine, 2009), Center for Conflict Resolution and Human Security (India, 2010) and a European Voluntary Service in Israel-Palestine with the Holy Land Trust (2010-11). Nina worked as a workshop facilitator for two different Dutch NGOs, one dealing with development aid issues, the other with conflict. Through this and a few Erasmus+ (previously ‘Youth in Action’) trainings she developed her knowledge on non-formal education.

Hulya Ucpinar – Trainer

Hulya participated in training for trainers on nonviolence in Kurve- Wustrow/Germany in 1996 and organizing/facilitating nonviolence trainings both at national and international level since then. She is cofounder and co-director of the Nonviolent Education and Research Center whose mission is to promote culture of nonviolence through publications, researches, trainings, providing grounds for interactions and discussions. She is an exec member of War Resisters International and a member of the Nonviolence Program. She has also been working in the field of human rights specifically on the prevention of torture, mass extrajudicial killings and conscientious objection as a lawyer and a human rights activist.

Support Staff

Marcus Armstrong

Marcus Armstrong has been a Peace & Justice and Human Rights worker for over 20 years, specialising in peacekeeping missions to the Middle East. Marcus also works as an international mediator, negotiator and trainer in nonviolence and conflict resolution, mainly in Europe, Africa, India, Palestine and Iraq. He has extensive experience as a trainer and as a community worker and describes himself as an anti-nuclear and anti-war activist, participating in nonviolent acts of disarmament and civil disobedience. Marcus will be with us as a mentor and coach to support the team in deepening their skills as nonviolent trainers.

Marieke van Andel

Marieke was a participant of the first edition of ToNoWo, that took place in the Netherlands in August 2015. She is driven by the power of one single smile: it are small acts of compassion that can have incredible effects. Marieke studied anthropology, languages and cultures, and holds a Master’s degree in International Humanitarian Action. She loves to use storytelling as a tool for empowerment and is developing herself as a trainer to put this into practice. Currently, she works as a project coordinator for a foundation that focuses on adressing human rights issues in Israel/Palestine. Besides, she volunteers at Dutch schools where she speaks with pupils about improving the social atmosphere in the classroom.