5.3.1 Goals and curricula
The general goal of those small
and large-scale intervenors who
organise their own training is to train and prepare
their staff/volunteers in a way that they are
capable of doing their job. [20] That
means that usually training and mission preparation
elements are mixed; in some cases preparation
might loom higher than basic training. Humanitarian
organisations like ICRC might concentrate solely
on introduction to their mandate/goals, and mission
preparation.
Kurt Südmersen,
one of the creators of the CPS curriculum, has
defined five fields of competence generally important
for training:
Competence to de-escalate violence
and contribute to constructively dealing with
conflict in those conflicts an individual is
involved in (change of social behaviour);
Competence to co-operate in groups
in such a way that the skills of all participants
are used in an optimal way to work on solving
problems and dealing with conflicts;
Competence to recognise and analyse
conflicts;
Competence to know standardised
methods of conflict transformation, and choosing
the right ones for the conflict in question;
Competence to intervene in conflicts
on the private, social and professional level.
While the goals and the curricula
developed to meet the goals may vary slightly,
it seems to me that most of them reflect these
qualification needs, only putting the emphasis
perhaps on different aspects. As mentioned above,
one of the differences is the question whether
preparation for concrete deployment is part of
the training, or if the training is rather open/basic
or orienting people for work with different organisations.
To give some examples, I have
compared the goals of five different trainings
in this category, three open and two organisation-specific[22].
Narayan Desai, the head of the Vedchhi "Institute
for Total Revolution" formulated already
in the 1960s the below quoted four objectives
for training in non-violence.
Witness for Peace is one of the
organisations combining training and preparation.
They describe in their Manual six goals for the
training they gave their volunteers who prepared
to go to Nicaragua in
the 1980s[24]:
The four-month courses of the
German CPS aim at providing a general training
in skills needed for Civil Peace Service, but
have tried to include some elements of mission
preparation whenever possible. They distinguish
seven general objectives[25]:
The (international) trainings
of the German centre "Kurve Wustrow" have
been developed in close co-operation with the Nonviolence Education
and Training Project of the International Fellowship
of Reconciliation. They define five central goals,
and seven aims of the training. The general goals
were:
"To build on long term experiences
of Peace Teams;
To anchor nonviolence as
a liberating force;
To stimulate creativity in dealing
with new situations;
To work closely with the needs
and expertise of the participants;
To empower participants to reflect
on their own situation, to identify needs and
to adjust the training accordingly."[26]
The Basic Courses of the Red
Cross/Red Crescent Societies are intended to
introduce new staff to future work as delegates
in the field, as well as to assess their qualifications
and skills (see Section 7.2).[27] They
do not specifically deal with conflict, or conflict
intervention.
The comparison shows clearly
the different emphasis that is laid on personal
growth and nonviolence on
the one hand, and teaching participants specific
skills and specific knowledge on the other.
Table 5.1 Comparison of Goals
defined by different nonviolent training
organisations, compared with goals of basic training
of ICRC
|
Institute for Total Revolution
(1965)
|
CPS Course Germany (AG
Q) (2000)
|
Kurve Wustrow; International
Training (1998)
|
Witness for Peace
(1985)
|
ICRC Basic Training Course
(2000)
|
|
To help them develop attitudes
leading towards non-violence
|
Personal growth
|
To assist participants
in the development of a deeper awareness
of their personal strengths, weaknesses
and priorities in their work
|
|
|
|
To enable participants
to reach a deeper understanding of non-violence;
|
To value attitudes and
methods and to practice it consciously
(nonviolence)
|
To nurture a deeper understanding
of nonviolence in our attitudes,
thinking and practice
|
|
|
| |
To contribute to peace
creating and promoting structures and ways
of communicating / ”peace building” (conflict
transformation)
|
To gain mutual understanding
and develop a feeling of solidarity and
empowerment
|
A sense of unity and with
a prayerful, nonviolent spirit
|
|
| |
To analyse, understand
and work on conflict (analysis);
To understand developments
of the society / social causes and to work
on them (analysis)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
To develop skills in relation
to nonviolent conflict intervention
|
|
|
| |
|
To explore issues and situations
that participants are likely to confront
in direct intervention /nonviolent action in areas of
war / civil war / violent conflict;
|
|
|
|
To train them for democratic
leadership in conflict resolution through
non-violence
|
To cooperate in groups
and teams (Group competences and technical
skills)
|
|
An effective, agreed-upon
decision-making capability.
|
|
| |
To be able to notice gender
aspects and to derive relating goals for
volunteer practice (analysis)
|
|
|
|
| |
To understand and consider
intercultural correlations (conflict transformation)
|
To explore the social and
political circumstances that the participants
work in and develop a critical understanding
while respecting differences
|
.
|
|
| |
|
Future preparation of those
people who are involved in nonviolent action
as a form of third party conflict intervention
in areas of war or violent conflict
|
Ideas about what the team
wants to do while understanding the need
to be flexible and adaptable
|
To provide participants
with knowledge and practical tips to help
them work effectively in
a delegation
|
|
To equip them with skill
for individual or mass action
|
To use technical skills
(group competences an technical skills)
|
|
|
To discuss issues, problems,
and challenges participants may meet in
situations of conflict, disasters, and
development;
To help develop participants'
skills in relation to relief and development
issues and dilemmas
|
| |
|
|
Knowledge on how to stay
healthy
|
|
| |
|
|
A good understanding of WfP
|
Understanding of and commitment
to RC/RC structure and principles
|
| |
To understand and value
the conditions, situation of the guest
country / the region of conflict (Specific
situation)[28]
|
|
A basic understanding of
Nicaraguan history, politics, language,
culture, and U.S. involvement."
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Provide participants and
National Society with the opportunity to
reassess their suitability as RC/RC delegates
|
5.3.2 Length and structure of
courses
There are different curricula
for longer-term training courses that have been
developed over the last years. To mention only
two of them:
The Christian Council of Sweden has
produced a curriculum for a 8-12 week training
for Nonviolent Peace
service, based on experiences collected in 12
training sessions/seminars given by different
actors, among them the Swedish Military Academy, University
Uppsala, Centre for Nonviolence Osijek,
Responding to Conflict Birmingham.[29]
The Federation for Social Defence
(Germany)
has published a curriculum for a one-year training
in CPS in 1996. It has become the basis for the
mentioned 4-month-course.
But the organisations that developed
these curricula all found themselves having to
scale them down to a few weeks or months when
they started to implement their visions.
One of the longest is the German
4-month (11 weeks)CPS course. It is based on
a spiral curriculum, meaning that topics are
touched upon more than once because it is assumed
that this way of learning is more appropriate
for adults. Four aspects determine the conduct
of the training:[31]
- Orientation toward subjects
as defined in the curriculum;
- Orientation toward the needs
and experiences of the participants;
- Orientation toward the future
projects of the participants;
- Process orientation.
It is structured
as follows:
Language courses that originally
were part of the course have now been separated;
but some sending organisations provide intensive
language training of 4 weeks or more after or
before the course, using the facilities of a
development organisation that regularly offers
such language training in small groups or for
even for individuals.
The IPT courses in Stadtschlaining (4
weeks) have a simpler structure, 2 weeks foundation
course are followed by a specialisation course
of another two weeks:
Shorter trainings usually do
not have such a structure but try to deal with
each subject one by one, often matching the prepared
agenda with the needs formulated by the participants.
In the extreme, the participants have been offered
a list of possible themes, and were asked to
choose which ones to tackle, and in which order.[33]
Some nonviolence trainings
- as PBI trainings and BPT trainings - ask the
participants to form small groups (base or affinity
groups) for the time of the training. These groups
give the participants an opportunity to share
in a more informal way, and may be used as a
tool for on-going evaluation during the training.
Some also value the aspect of
living together during the training as an exercise
for team work in the field, e.g. by cooking and
sharing other household chores.
5.3.3 Contents areas for general
training, mission preparation, and
specialisations
In the appendix several course
programs of European trainings are listed. In
spite of the regional concentration of one continent,
these course programs clearly show the differences
that reflect the different approaches taken by
organisations aiming at preparing volunteers/staff
for missions abroad. The main differences are:
Dealing with the issue of nonviolence. Some NGOs from an
explicit nonviolent background
put much emphasis on it, some deal with it within
a longer list of different topics (German CPS
course, Responding to Conflict), others - and
they constitute probably the majority, from governmental
/OSCE trainings over university-based ones to
the preparations offered by development organisations
- ignore it.
Conflict analysis and strategizing
about conflict, approaches and strategies of
intervention play a larger role in trainings
given by NGOs.
Dealing with the mandate and
role of international organisations in the field,
including the issue of civil-military co-operation.
In the sample, the latter only comes up mainly
in governmental courses.[36]
International Law is, within
the sample, only dealt with by governmental courses.
Practical exercises like 4-wheel
driving, radio communication, mine-awareness
training are also only dealt with in governmental
courses
What they basically all have
in common are:
gender issues,
intercultural communication,
working in a team.
5.3.4 Methods
Most trainings put much emphasis
on participatory learning methods. Role plays
and simulation games play a big role, as do working
in small groups, practical exercises and other
interactive methods.[37].
To give one example from the International Training
for Nonviolence in
the Context of War and Armed Conflict (Kurve Wustrow 1998): "Methodologically,
the training was organised as a shared process
of learning, mainly employing participatory exercises.
Participants learned by sharing their experiences,
discovering new aspects and evaluating them.
As such, the training was a combination of short
theoretical inputs, the introduction into models
of conflict intervention, practical exercises
like role-plays or the application of a theoretical
instrument of analysis, and the evaluation of
these experiences. Among these, the extended
role play offered special experiences, integrating
a lot of skills and issues previously discussed
into a single scenario lasting over an evening,
a night and the following morning."[38]
The trainings differ in how much
more traditional means of learning and teaching
like talks, written material, preparing own talks
are used. It seems that generally nonviolence trainers
prefer a learning style by experience rather
then by having the right definitions presented,
while the more traditional courses work intensively
with long presentations, perhaps including a
simulation game or a role-play.
5.3.5 Costs of Trainings
The costs of trainings vary widely
both on a regional basis, and are dependent on
who the trainers/ the training institution are.
Basically, the following five kinds of expenses
might occur:
Rent of venue; if participants
stay in-house: accommodation, food;
Honorarium of trainers. It seems
that the market is very different in different
countries. But generally there is a tendency
for experienced trainers to make a living by
giving trainings[39],
which means that they do not work for free, or
not usually(?). Also within one country, prices
might vary. To give an example: Training honoraria
in Germany vary
between DM 500 and 1,500 per day (that is between
217 and 652 US$), with some professionals asking
even higher prices.
Materials for the training: This
is, even if modern technology, like Powerpoint presentations
and the like, is used, rather negligible compared
to the other budget items.
Travel of participants: If the
participants are staff/volunteers of a specific
organisation, their travel is usually paid. How
much that is obviously depends on the distance.
Salary for participants*: Professional
organisations usually pay a salary for their
staff while they attend the training. That might
be somewhat lower than in the field.[40]
To give just one example of total
costs: The 11-week CPS course in Germany costs
per participant (total costs, including salaries
for trainers) about 40,000 DM, that is ca. 18,000 US$.
5.3.6 Trainers and Participants
Most of the training in this
field is not recognised anywhere in the world
as a certified profession - like e.g. an electrician
in many countries may only call herself/himself
such if s/he has passed a certain vocational
training and final exam. Some professional groups
(e.g. family mediation, lawyers) may give certificates
only to candidates who have passed a certain
curriculum. Some vocational training institutes
might additionally require practical professional
expertise in the profession whose members are
to be trained, though this is a criterion that
is often not fulfilled. (For example, PBI prefers
trainers who have been to the field themselves,
but the German 4-month CPS course has no trainer
with practical experience as a CPS volunteer.)
That means that, particularly
with the smaller training organisations, the
quality of a trainer cannot be measured by exam
degrees but by other indicators: years of experience,
numbers of people applying to attend his/her
course repeatedly, agreement to voluntary standards
that may have been defined among some training
organisations (there is such an attempt among
some French and German training organisations),
or evaluations of her/his courses if there have
been any. In the case of more academic training
institutes, you might find that all teachers
have PhDs or comparable degrees, but that again
says little about their practical experience
in the field, nor about their pedagogical qualifications.
Some training organisations value
working with multi-national teams (Responding
to Conflict, Kurve Wustrow),
and this is always something that is highlighted
as very important and useful. The problems are
financial limitations, problems of communication,
and problems of getting a visa to enter Europe. [41]
Regarding the qualifications
of participants, most training institutions offering
open courses have some limiting criteria of who
may participate in their courses. These often
are:
a minimum age (between 23 and
30)
experience abroad, often already
concrete work in the country of deployment/ affiliation
to an organisation
experience with conflicts
readiness to use nonviolence and
participatory methods
experience with working in NGOs/social
movements
High motivation and ability to
stand frustrations
Vocational training and experience
in the profession
Ability to speak and understand
the language the training is given in
Proof of these elements by bringing
references.
There are two more sets of criteria
besides the individual aspects:
1. Group composition (in terms
of national and gender balance mainly)
2. Feasibility meaning funding
(participants being able to pay the fees, or
the availability of other sources to support
their participation)
5.3.7 Lessons learned in different
trainings
The evaluation of the above-mentioned
2-week training in the Kurve Wustrow highlights
several aspects that are of general importance.
The Kurve has been involved over many
years in trainings for peace team projects like
PBI and BPT. The trainers voiced the following
criticism:
The sending organisation provides
the training organisation with a long list of
topics. "Therefore the possibility for the
creativity of the team, to take in participants'
experiences, to respond to group processes, was
very limited."
Nonviolence was perceived as a strategy or even reduced
to tactics because participants "had to
learn nonviolence". "The
liberating aspects of nonviolence got
lost."
"The specific approach of
Peace Teams, non-partisanship was perceived like
a given dogma. There was not enough room to reflect
the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches
in specific situations." [44]
This criticism voiced by the
trainers should be compared with the evaluation
by participants of a somewhat earlier training
given by the same institution: An evaluation
done by the participants of the European Volunteer
Training (given by Kurve Wustrow with PBI, BPT and Christian
Peace Service) had as one result on the contents
of the training sessions that many people considered
the project-specific sessions more useful then
the general sessions (e.g. on nonviolence) which they felt sometimes
did not go deep enough into the issues.[45] This
is a very common evaluation to be found in many
different evaluations by participants.[46] That
means that there is doubt cast on the usefulness
of concentrating on the ideology and principles
of nonviolence [47]. But since there has been no study
comparing the usefulness of different types of
training for personnel in the field, it is difficult
to evaluate the different approaches in terms
of impact they really have. Interviewing trainers
and participants right before and after the training
does not provide very useful information about
the usefulness of different training types for
work in the field.
Another aspect of the International
Training that was considered very important was
its multinational character. Arguments given
were that it challenges one's own priorities,
that it allows stepping out of one's own situation,
work on one's own stereotypes, sharing with an
international community and building networks.[48].
This positive aspect, to which
the international team of trainers (a German,
an American and a Nepalese) contributed ,outweighed
the negatives -namely problems communicating
in a language foreign to most participants.
The team evaluating the Swedish
contribution to different election monitoring
programs in South Africa came to the following conclusions:[49]
"The main emphasis should
be on mediating and preparing the content of
the work tasks (conflict resolution, mediating,
methods of investigation etc.)
Deployment at a recipient organisation
and geographical district, and also the composition
of teams, should be carried out before or at
the beginning of the training, so that the building
of the team can start during the training;
The training should be structured
and carried out in close co-operation with representatives
from all the recipient organisations involved;
The major part of the training
should be carried out in the place where the
peace monitors shall work and contain orientation
of the local cultures, as well as an introduction
to the local language.
Include preparations for the
management of conflicts that originate in the
differences concerning sex, class, age, organisation,
and culture."
The Draft Proposal of NP envisages
the following process:
" Training:
Complex conflict situations require
highly qualified competencies. Active members
of the Peace Force will take part in a two month
general training that focuses on history and
theory of nonviolence, nonviolent peacemaking,
cultural sensitivity, listening, mediation skills
and conflict transformation. In addition, military
training models[51] that focus on preparation for entering
conflict situations will be utilised.
A more specific training of up
to two months duration will follow focusing on
the local area of deployment including language,
culture, analysis of the conflict and discussion
of appropriate means of peaceful engagement.
All or part of this training phase will be done
in the deployment area in conjunction with local
peacemakers.
Advance training will also be
offered in various speciality methods including
protective accompaniment, conflict transformation,
and mediation. Continuing education will be required
for all members."
The considerations and recommendations
made below have been made independently of this
Draft Proposal. That means, it has not been asked: "What
is the best way to realise this model?",
but: "What would be the best model"?,
and compare these reflections with the thinking
in the Draft Proposal.
There are several basic choices
to be made planning an "Assessment, Training
and Placement (ATP) process.
5.4.1 Why training and preparation
at all?
Although not all organisations
sending personnel to the field do have special
training, the broad agreement is that there should
be training.
Arguments are:
There is a host of knowledge
on methods and approaches to nonviolent intervention
that have not yet found entrance into normal
university-based peace study etc. courses;
Skills related to managing complex
situations within pluralistic cultures and deeply
divided societies are needed and these are not
covered by a normal professional background.
The experience of learning in
a group is an important practical preparation
for working as a team in the field[53]
It gives the participants the
chance to learn from each other, bringing their
personal experiences and knowledge into the course.
Trainings offer a good chance
to build group identity before starting field
work.
The ambitious character of NP
projects will demand that, in Carl Stieren's words, "individual
members of a NP team must be carefully selected
for success in nonviolence,
and must have training that goes far beyond merely
being an unarmed bodyguard."[55]
5.4.2 Combine training and assessment?
PBI is the outstanding example
for combining general training, preparation,
and assessment in a one-week long session. They
argue in favour of combining assessment and training
with the reason that "there will also be
a lot of stress in the field; it is important
to see how people react under stress", and
that also in the field the volunteers are asked
to continuously re-assess themselves.[56] Another argument in favour is that
it simplifies the procedure (only one event instead
of two), and thereby also lessens the costs to
both the organisation and the participants.
Other projects like Balkan Peace
Team, for example, found that the assessment
element weighed on the participants to the extent
of preventing them from learning, being focussed
on the assessment and on making a good impression,
and therefore gave up the combination soon (see
above).[57]
Recommendation: To separate assessment
and training, as it has also been proposed by Mareike Junge and Tim Wallis in Chapter
6., and organise an assessment of a few days. [58]
The assessment might, like the
BPT assessments did, include information on NP
and some introduction to nonviolence, reflect on the motivation
of the participants, give some basics about the
character of the work within NP, include a longer
role play/simulation game, and end with a process
of self-evaluation and assessment by the NP staff.
One important aspect to be considered
while carrying out the assessment are cultural
differences between the participants. Berndt/Sternberg
have pointed out that in BPT as in PBI assessments
often all African applicants fell through. An
assessment for a global organisation must not
be based on criteria developed by the members
of one culture alone.
But there should be the provision
made that after the training the contract/agreement
with volunteers may be cancelled, because sometimes
new aspects might come up not realised during
the assessment, that cast strong doubts on the
suitability of a future volunteer. Of course,
that right has to be mirrored by the applicant
having the right to withdraw after the training
without sanctions invoked.
5.4.3 What kinds of training
and preparation are needed?
Out of practical reasons (funds,
time available), those organisations that train
their own staff, combine training and preparation.
Training here means dealing with more fundamental
issues like nonviolence, conflict transformation
skills, cultural sensitivity, gender sensitivity
etc., while preparation describes learning about
the goals of the organisation, about the conflict,
country, and learning the language. A third category
is so-called specialisations like specific working
techniques (see below).). Of course, there is
an overlap between the three.
Most training organisations as
well as sending organisations surveyed tend to
agree that - at least theoretically - it is better
to separate basic training and preparation, preparation
building upon what has been worked on during
a more general training. This observation also
agrees with both the NP Draft Proposal and the
ATP-Process recommended by Junge/Wallis (Chapter 6).
Recommendation, therefore: Separate
a basic training from concrete preparation for
work in the field, and offer specialisations
for those working techniques that not everyone
needs to have a knowledge of. But separation
might not necessarily mean that there is a time
gap between the two. Also a model could be imagined
where the preparation follows the basic training
without a break.[59]
5.4.3.1 Basic training
The basic goal of the training
would be to lay the foundations needed for each
NP volunteer in order to later succeed in her/his
work for NP. Concretely, I would like to propose
the following objectives for NP training, based
on the goals other training and sending organisations
have developed for their work:
To assist participants to explore
their motivations;
To assist participants in the
development of a deeper awareness of their personal
strengths, weaknesses and priorities ;
To nurture a deeper understanding
of nonviolence in attitudes, thinking
and practice;
To analyse, understand and work
on attitudes and behaviour regarding gender,
age, sexual orientation, lifestyle, ethnic, cultural
and national differences;
To learn to analyse and understand
different kinds of conflicts and their sources;
To get to know what instruments
of conflict transformation (including peacebuilding,
peacekeeping and peacemaking) are available and
under which circumstances they may be used appropriately;
and to develop skills in relation to nonviolent conflict
intervention;
To explore issues and situations
that participants are likely to confront in direct
intervention /nonviolent action
in areas of war / civil war / violent conflict;
To learn to co-operate in multinational
and multicultural groups and teams.
Perhaps to work on mandate and
policies of the organisation (if the basic training
is organised by NP itself).
There are different options,
and according choices to be made regarding the
Basic Training:
Should every active member of
NP have undergone the same training, or should
allowance be made for the individual qualifications
each person brings, as well as for possible tasks
she/he will be earmarked for? The arguments in
favour of each are:
|
Same Basic Training
|
Different ones
|
|
NP would be sure that everyone
has some common background
|
The training would fit
better to the individual needs of each
person
|
|
Easier to set up because
it needs less co-ordination then matching
applicants with different types of training
|
In a larger-scale mission,
not everyone needs to have the same skills
because there would be probably a higher
degree of division of labour
|
Recommendation: To try to adapt
to the individual needs of each applicant as
much as possible. That might mean for example,
that at the beginning there are only three options:
One more basic Basic Training
for those without any relevant experience either
in working abroad or in conflict transformation,
One training for persons that
have worked abroad but don't know anything about
conflict transformation, and
Waving of basic training for
those who have experience working on conflict
in their own countries, because what they need
to learn would be contents of the mission preparation.
Should NP make use of existing
open trainings, or organise one of its own?,
The advantages of each are:
|
Using existing trainings
|
Organise own NP trainings
|
|
Less co-ordinating efforts
needed because applicants can choose when
and where to attend a course (out of a
list of NP-approved courses, of course);
and probably less costs (?).
|
NP would be sure that everyone
has some common background
|
|
Getting to know different
approaches might later enrich a team
|
The corporate identity
of NP gets strengthened at an earlier stage
|
|
NP would avoid competition
with other organisations offering trainings
|
Possibility to further
assess the future staff/volunteers
|
|
Possibility of relying
on the experience of trainings that work
(guarantee of quality)
|
Possibility to set own
standards and determine own approach to
training
|
|
Need to develop and apply
training standards, in order to decide
which trainings are appropriate.
|
Need to develop own curriculum
|
|
Examples: foundational
two-week course in Stadt-Schlaining or
the International Training by Kurve Wustrow (10
days), or the longer courses in Woodbrooke (Responding
to Conflict) or CPS Germany
|
If one of the possible
roles for NP will be to train other people
in conflict situations, to be able to do
that would be a very strong case for developing
our own training.
|
| |
Example: NP Canada could
organise basic training for Canadians;
NP Japan for Japanese; or central places
could be chosen where people from all over
the world come. .
|
The decision whether to organise
own trainings or use existing trainings also
depends on the length of the training envisioned.
There are very few trainings on the market of
a length of two months or more, and these would
not able to cope with a sudden demand of about
200 (or more) NP volunteers to be trained. That
means that a decision to have a training of that
length would have as consequence that NP would
have to set it up by itself.
If the decision is made in favour
of short, 2-3 week trainings, the courses of
existing training institutions could be used,
and perhaps additionally some NP country groups
might decide to organise their own trainings
(e.g. Canada).
Looking at the pros of each model above, I tend
to vote for own trainings because the arguments
for own courses seem to me to be the more important
ones.
If NP decided in favour of 2-3
week long own courses, it could approach existing
training institutions if they were willing to
provide such a service in co-operation with NP,
rather then NP organising everything (including
finding trainers) by itself from scratch.[61] The
advantage of the first would be that there is
already infrastructure in place. The disadvantage
is that of course the contents of the trainings
would be influenced by the style of each training
institution, and that the sense of unity might
be lessened. To overcome this problem, there
is the possibility of raising a corps of NP trainers
who know exactly what NP is about, and who as
co-trainers in these trainings, or the job could
only be given to such institutions that have
at least one trainer who underwent a NP training
for trainers, learning about NP's specifics.
Places:
If NP voted for setting up its own trainings,
the question would arise of where they should
take place. Here the advantage of training in
a multicultural/national team have to be weighed
against travelling costs.
Recommendation: If there are
own trainings, set them up as multinationally as
possible, because that will be the reality in
the field, and the factor of people learning
from each other would be much stronger. It is
recommended to identify two key centres in each
world region in a well-connected network that
would take care of the training. [62]
This recommendation has to be
weighed against another model that would work
with national contingents, and it also assumes
that everyone in NP will be able to speak a common
language.[63]
The length of the basic training
might prove a controversial issue within NP.
While the Draft Proposal speaks of 2 months,
the recommendation by Mareike Junge and Tim Wallis considers
2 weeks an appropriate time for this initial
training.
Several aspects have been mentioned above:
Costs of a two month training:
Probably costs would depend a lot on the country
where the training is held. Lacking more concrete
figures, an average cost of about 6.650 US$ per
participant is estimated, based on the price
level in Germany. That sum would include the salary of two
trainers, one assistant and child care, venue,
food and accommodation, a (very low) salary for
the volunteers, and some overhead for the administration.[64] It further assumes a training group
of about 15 participants because this is the
size appropriate to interactive and participatory
methods recommended by most trainers. Larger
groups would of course lessen the costs, as would
making the participants pay a fee.
Even if the participants are
paid a salary by NP for the time of the training,
there is the question whether a sufficient number
of people would be able to afford that time span.
A problem would arise if the participants would
have to bridge time between the training, and
later preparation and deployment, because probably
nowhere in the world can someone afford to take
leave of 2 months and still keep her/his job.
Probably only unemployed, those kept by a husband/wife/family,
or students would be able to be away from work
for 2 months. [65] In
order to not limit the choice of future personnel
, NP would have to offer to start the period
of employment beginning with the training.
If a longer training then 2-3
weeks is wanted, there is one other option to
explore: The training could be organised in modules
over week-ends with a few whole weeks in between,
and over a period of one or two years. As mentioned
above, this is the model some training organisations
are going for because of the availability of
their participants.
What length is appropriate? Here
the views among trainers as among sending organisations
and former participants of trainings vary a lot.
There is a blatant lack of comparing evaluations.
What is the training meant to achieve in that
time? Perhaps for different applicants different
lengths are appropriate - the less experienced,
the more training needed (see recommendation
above). On the other hand, the experience with
the German CPS course has cast doubts - at least
in my eyes - on the ability of even a 4-month
course to overcome shortcomings and deficits
weaker participants brought. At least those qualifications
having to do with personal traits in my eyes
have already to be there, unless a training process
of several years were envisaged.
Recommendation: To start with
shorter basic trainings of about 2 weeks length
(to which then preparation is added) because
of costs, and because the usefulness of longer
trainings is not proven. (It must also not be
forgotten that there are mission preparations
and possibly specialisation courses in addition.)
5.4.3.2 Mission-specific Preparation
"To perform successfully
during their assignment, peacebuilders need
to adapt as much as possible to the specific
conditions in the mission area and to link their
activities to the prevailing conflict situation
and the actors involved".[66]
All evaluations have shown that
it is considered to be a big advantage if it
can be organised, that teams are being trained
together[67],
because it helps a lot to bind teams together.
There is a strong argument to do the preparation
in the field or at least close by if the country
in question is too dangerous.
The length of the preparation
would depend on the character of the mission
for which the volunteers would be prepared. For
example, PBI trainer Michael Valliant thinks
that accompaniment etc. can be taught in about
one week, while additional training and experience
is gained in the field.[68] My
view is that a thorough preparation would probably
take more time, even if the participants are
required to prepare themselves carefully beforehand,
e.g. by reading about the region, making contacts
to resource persons knowledgeable about the conflict
etc. I would recommend at least another two weeks
for preparation as the absolute minimum.
Language training should not
be part of this preparation, but be attended
to separately because of the longer amount of
time needed to learn a foreign language. There
are institutions offering intensive (all-day)
trainings to be found in most countries of the
world, and the recommendation here is that NP
applicants after having generally been accepted,
and put into the pool, are not only encouraged
but required to attend such courses - in my eyes
necessarily at the expense of NP.[69]
5.4.3.3 Specialisations
Following up on the recommendations
in the personnel section (Chapter 6), it would
be very useful if further trainings and possibilities
for specialisation were provided. There are two
- not contradictory - options:
Training for volunteers who are
already in the field. As mentioned above, everywhere
where this has been tried it was considered to
be very useful, and should be built into the
NP plan.
Encouraging people to attend
specialisation courses offered on the market,
be it on mediation, election monitoring or practical
skills like bookkeeping.
The average length of such specialisations
is one to two weeks.
5.4.4 Contents areas of general
training (T), mission preparation (P), and
specialisations (S)
The contents of the training
basically fall into the realm of curriculum development,
and cannot be part of this study. It is recommended
that the curriculum should be developed by a
working group of trainers from different parts
of the world, bringing their specific experiences
into the training curriculum. Thereby, hegemony
by one culture (e.g. the Western training tradition)
could be avoided.
Having said this, the following
list of topics is proposed based on programs
developed by different sending organisations
and training institutions. Whoever prepares the
curriculum should read and refer to those curricula
that do exist.[71] Perhaps
it is not necessary to re-invent the wheel. It
should be further kept in mind what has been
said above about the different approaches to
training and preparation. Specifically, there
is an issue around the question how much nonviolence should
be part of the training. If NP is aiming at mainstreaming nonviolent intervention,
it has certainly to take care that it does not
give the impression of wanting to missionise people or exclude those
with a pragmatic approach. On the other hand,
the work it proposes to do requires understanding
of how nonviolent conflict
transformation works.
The nonviolence training
model assumes that all people need equally to
be trained in nonviolence (and not necessarily
in anything else). The professional training
model (e.g. IPT etc) generally trains people,
who already have specialist skills, how to adapt
these to a specific conflict environment. A middle
approach might be to train people for different
roles and levels of responsibility appropriate
to their level of skills and experience at that
time - including a very basic training for people
with little or no skills or experience, right
up to very specific trainings for people with
highly specialised roles or high levels of responsibility
in the field.
The starting point for any training
programme must be to look at what is needed on
the ground, and then ask what training or preparation
may be needed for people to do that.
As already mentioned above, many
organisations distinguish some kind of general
or basic training, and more specific mission
preparation. If the participants of the basic
trainings will later work with different organisations,
the basic training probably will not include
elements like mandate/approach of specific organisations,
nor conflict analysis and culture of one conflict
area. If they all will work for one and the same
organisation, but still go to different missions,
the training would probably include the former,
but still not the latter.
In addition, there are some special
tasks that require more specific training[73], and that may be taken care of by
only certain mission members, not by everyone
in one mission, for example information dissemination,
project management, book-keeping and office administration.
It is those practical tasks that will be marked
as specialisations here. To avoid confusion,
I would like to state clearly at the beginning
that most of the specialisation courses as given
by IPT in Stadtschlaining or
the German CPS course (e.g. election monitoring,
civil society building) deal in fact with tasks
that might be specific to certain missions, but
would have to be included for everyone participating
for example in an election monitoring mission.
Only if the mission was a very large and complex
one, similar to complex UN mission with different
divisions for peacekeeping, peace-building and
e.g. election preparation, it would make sense
to call tasks like civil society building or
human rights protection specialisations. Eventually
NP might arrive at such a point where division
of labour of this type might be introduced. But
based on the lessons learned looking at smaller
(and larger-scale) civilian missions, it seems
to me that the personnel usually had to be rather
multi-functional, being able to monitor, negotiate
with local parties, and give advice to a NGO
in the field all at the same time and as part
of their work description. Therefore, I have
listed these areas here as mission preparation/specialisation
rather than as specialisation only.
Motivation of participants (T & P)
Motivation, e.g. Sharing personal
journeys;
Dealing with possibility of death
and/or suffering
Theoretical framework (T)
Conflict analysis, including
gender-specific issues
Intervention strategies
Concept of impartiality
Conflict resolution skills (T,
some S)
Communication and listening skills
Mediation, facilitation etc.
Training skills
Nonviolence skills (T)
History and theory/principles
of nonviolence
Positioning oneself to nonviolent philosophy
Concept of reconciliation
Interpersonal competences and
awareness (T, P)
Reflection of own role
·Being
able to deal with frustration and ambiguities,
dealing with dilemmas
Stress reduction and relaxation
techniques; dealing with possible trauma, handling
fear
Gender issue awareness
Age issue awareness
Lifestyle issues
cultural and national differences
Special nonviolent working
techniques (P,S)
Accompaniment/presence
Different monitoring techniques,
e.g. election monitoring
Crisis intervention in cases
of threatened violence (interpositioning etc.)[74]
Crowd control
Nonviolent direct action
Knowledge of relevant issues
(T)
Human Rights, International Law
Mandate and policies of international
organisations (UN, OSCE, NATO etc.)
Mandate and policies of international
NGOs in the field
Peacebuilding by local/indigenous groups
Humanitarian assistance
Other work-related skills (P,some S)
Strategy development and project
planning
Campaigning
capacity-building
Dealing with media attention,
information dissemination
Report writing
Project management
Book-keeping and financial reporting
Fundraising
Death and trauma counselling
Mine awareness
Radio communication, 4-wheel
driving, map reading
Project evaluation
Working in a team (T & P)
Decision-making
Life-style and community issues,
Trust building,
Intercultural communication (in
the team)
Giving and receiving criticism
Leadership training
Practical issues, logistics (P)
Information on visas, entering
the country etc.
Working with interpreters
Information flow
Communication technology
Appropriate clothing
Other do's and don'ts in a country
Medical conditions
Other safety recommendations
Knowledge about the organisation,
its mandate, objectives of the project.
Knowledge of country and conflict
(P)
History and dimensions of the
conflict
Understanding the culture (cultural
sensitivity)
Local NGOs, Indigenous peacemaking
efforts
Language Training
5.4.5 How to deal with large
numbers of participants
One of the greatest challenges
of NP will be to handle large numbers of personnel
- the plan is to have up to 2,000 people in the
field at the same time. Assuming an average length
of stay of one year, and a turn-over every six
months so that not all 2,000 stop working at
the same time, it means that at least 6,000 people[76] would have to be trained and prepared
per year. Assuming a group size of 15 participants
per training, that would mean that there would
have to be 200 trainings and 200 mission preparations
per year.
I would strongly advise against
trying to deal with this daunting number by rising
the numbers of participants per trained unit,
or introducing military-style trainings if by
that is meant to train a crowd of hundred or
two hundred persons together. The success of
the trainings would suffer. Rather, either the
establishment of a smaller number of training
institutions in different parts of the world
that concentrate only on training NP personnel,
or even more decentralising the training to the
level of individual states should be considered.
This would not exclude for example having 100
people in one venue at one time, as long as that
group is split up in smaller training units.[77]
5.4.6 One final word
Training nowadays is a business,
and a market with competitors fighting for their
survival. NP will be faced with many expectations
and wishes by training organisations to play
a special role in setting up training for NP,
and many of them may have claims on friendship
and solidarity to support them. There will also
be concerns - and probably not unfounded ones
- that setting up NP-own trainings means competition
for the existing organisations. Here NP will
have to find a way to manage this kettle of worms
without compromising its own needs regarding
training.
Appendix 1:
Examples of different course programs
The following examples are all
recent programs of different lengths, intended
for personnel of NGOs (and governments) going
to work in civilian missions in conflict areas:
International Training for Nonviolence: Nonviolence in
the Context of War or Armed Conflict (Kurve Wustrow)
In a 2-week course given by an
international trainers' team in the English language
the following subjects are dealt with:
Principles of nonviolence, nonviolent direct
action and nonviolent conflict
intervention
Understanding and transforming
conflicts
Political analysis and reconciliation
Observing/reporting human rights
violations
Dealing with stress, fear and
traumatic experiences
Consensus decision making and
team work
Issues of cultural sensitivity
"Other topics, such as nonviolent communication skills,
strategy development, or dealing with threatening
situations, may be included in the agenda if
this is relevant to the group's work." it
says in the program leaflet.
International Civilian Peace-keeping
and Peace-building Training Program of the Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution (Stadtschlaining)
In a two-week foundation course
(in English language) the following themes are
dealt with:
Strategies of varies actors for
intervention
Human rights protection
Project Planning and Project
Management
Workshop on conflict transformation
Case studies on particular conflicts
-Stress
training and trauma work
Gender aspects in peacebuilding
Cooperation with the military,
security issues, mine awareness training
Role of CIVPOL
Practical exercises: radio communication,
map reading, four wheel drive
Complex simulation exercise
Specialisation courses (two weeks
each) are offered on the following subjects:
Election Observation and Assistance
Empowerment for Political Participation
Human Rights Protection and Promotion
Humanitarian Assistance
-Information
Dissemination
Post-conflict Reconstruction
Conflict management (e.g. mediation)
German CPS 4-month course
The curriculum, defining ten
goals, has been described above. Each course
is based on this curriculum, but the concrete
layout of the program so far has differed from
course to course, dependent mostly, it seems,
on the personal preferences of the trainers -
and the composition of the trainees' group that
varies quite a lot.
The program of the autumn course
in 2000 looked like this:
Phase 1: Group finding, communication,
conflict
week 1: Getting to know each
other, NCBI workshop,
week 2: Nonviolence,
communication and conflict
Phase 2: Political peace work
week 3: Political peace work
(international organisations, development work
and CPS, conflict analysis, history of the courses)
week 4: Project experience and
planning
week 5: Project work and organiser
training
Phase 3: Border experiences
week 6: Preventing trauma and
burn-out
week 7: Gender and intercultural
competences
Phase 4: Being a guest at a project (weeks
8-10)
week 11: Evaluation of these
two weeks
Phase 5: Deepening issues
week 12 and 13. Subjects were,
among others, training in facilitation, dealing
with direct violence, justice, reconciliation
in the Caucasus (?), death and trauma, dealing
with group conflicts
Phase 6: Specialisation courses
The topics of the specialisation
courses aren't (yet) fully standardised but vary.
They have a duration of one week so that each
participant may choose two of them. Usually topics
that have been regularly chosen included:
Civil Society Building
Death and Trauma
Mediation, Conflict Resolution
or something similar
Pedagogical Competences
Project Management
A specialisation on spiritual
roots of nonviolence fell through two times,
as have some of the mediation/?specialisations.
Phase 7: End of the course:
week 16: Project development,
planning next steps, evaluation
OSCE Course of IPT
The program of the 2-week OSCE
course given by IPT in Stadtschlaining in
2000 included:
Introduction to the OSCE
Introduction to field work issues
in war-torn societies (human rights, democratisation,
gender issues, trauma work)
Cross-cultural communication
Field work techniques (monitoring,
communicating via interpreters, conflict management technqiques,
information flow, report writing)
safety and security (e.g. mine
awareness, co-operation with police and military)
stress management and mission
readiness
recruitment procedures and employment
conditions of OSCE.
OSCE course German Foreign Ministry
The two week course organised
by the German Foreign Ministry lays more emphasis
on knowledge about the different actors, and
practical skills like mine awareness and radio
communication. It included:
Roles of Foreign Ministry in
crisis prevention, United Nations, OSCE (2 days
all together)
German NGOs and governmental
organisation abroad; ICRC (1day)
Human rights and minority protection
( 1 day)
Humanitarian International Law
(1/2 day)
Support of women (1/2 day)
Intercultural praxis: sensitivity,
personal behavour,
medical precautions, safety
Civil-military co-operation (1/2
day)
Mine awareness training (1 day),
given by the German Army
Orientation exercises and radio
communication (1/2 day), given by the German
Army.
A) Directories
Many organisations have produced
directories of trainers and/or training institutions,
or keep a database offering to link requests
with trainers. International directories of that
type are kept by:
Nonviolence International:
They have announced an update of their International Resourse Guide
for Nonviolence Action Trainers (March
1995). This resource guide includes individual
trainers as well as much literature (mostly US-based
and English language). An updated Annotated Bibliography
can already be found on the website. (www.igc.org/nonviolence/biblio.htm)
International Alert had published
a directory in 1993[81] but
it seems that there is no recent update. It includes
many non-Western training groups and persons,
and therefore might still be worth looking at.
The European Platform for Conflict
Prevention has published a directory of organisations,
including training resources, working on conflict
prevention. The directory contains many addresses
from the Southern hemisphere. (www.oneworld.net/euconflict/publicat/directin.htm)
The International Fellowship
of Reconciliation has a database formed around
their Nonviolence Training
program (that is put on hold at the moment)
The US-based Coexistence Initiative
has a online resource centre (www.coexistence.net/resource_centre)
of which 3 sections are of particular interest
to this appendix: training consultancies; training
courses and a directory of trainers in the field.
(http://www.coexistence.net/resource_centre/capacity_building/
THe World Peace Directory of Housman's (an
affiliate to War Resisters' International) that
is updated every year contains many training
centre addresses. It is not on internet but can
be ordered at: Housmans, 5 Caledonian Road, London
N1 9 DX, UK,
Tel +44-20-7873 4473. E-mail of the Directory:
worldpeace@gn.apc.org (Albert Beale).
War Resisters' League (USA) has
a resource list of nonviolent action
trainers. They may be contacted at: wrl@igc.org.
(The list is not on their webpage.)
The ReliefWeb has
a Humanitarian Assistance Training Inventory
(www.reliefweb.int/training/),
and VENRO regularly
updates a similar one (on paper) concentrating
more on German resources.
The United Nations Peacekeeping
Department has produced a database on Peacekeeping
Training Courses on a world-wide level, listing
offers per Member State and per Type of training/courses. While
most of them are specifically for soldiers, there
are a few open for civilian personnel. Address:www.un.org/Depts/dpko/training/list1.htm
In addition, there are many compilations
either around certain types of trainings (e.g.
mediation), and/or of training opportunities
in one country or one region:
South-East Europe: The Center for
the Study of Balkan Societies and Cultures (University
of Graz/Austria) has published a Documentary
report with an extensive address list of institutions
and NGOs in Albania, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia and Yugoslavia. The list includes training organisations.
Address: www-gewi.kfunigraz.ac.at/csbsc/
USA and international: The Nonviolence Web
offers excellent links to peace and nonviolence organisations
mainly in the USA.
It is a project developed by people coming from
New Society Publishers, and regularly updated.
Address: www.nonviolence.org/
Searching the internet will provide other directories,
e.g. the one by the Conflict Resolution Center including eleven organisations offering
training on conflict resolution and violence interruption
(www.pforpeace/dir1.htm).
Germany: the AGDF has published
a new directory in 2001 called "Civil, nonviolent conflict
transformation"[83],
including about 35 programs and institutions
in Germany and neighbouring German-speaking countries
(although these latter are far from complete).
Address for orders: AGDF, Blücherstr.
14, 53115 Bonn, Email: agdf@friedensdienst.de
The Study by Christoph Dieringer (2001)
includes German and international courses for development
workers, and can be seen as a supplement to the
AGDF publication.
Canada: Carl Stieren has compiled information on eight training
institutions that is appended here.
B) Training Centres offering
open courses
a) Europe
·Swiss
Peace Foundation / Institute for Conflict Resolution
The Swiss Peace Foundation has started to offer
courses for practitioners in the fields of humanitarian
aid, civil society building both from NGOs and
the Swiss Foreign Ministry. Mediation techniques
and intercultural relations are central to the
courses that are organised together with the German Berghof Institute
·German CPS Course = Working Group Qualification
for Civil Conflict Resolution/Civil Peace Service
(Arbeitsgemeinschaft Qualifizierung für zivile Konfliktbearbeitung/ Zivilen Friedensdienst -
AG Q)
The four-month courses held by the AG Q provide
preparation for concrete civil peace service tasks.
The training that is held in Germany language
focuses on conflict analysis and management, communication/interaction,
education, group work and organization as well
as personality work. The courses generally require
a placement in a civilian conflict management project,
participants are either Germans/citizens of EU
states preparing for work abroad, or come from
a crisis area. Average number of participants is
12 per course.
They are held twice a year from February to June
and August to November.
The ACQ is managed by
Aktionsgemeinschaft Dienst für den Frieden e.V.,
Blücherstrasse, 53115 Bonn;
Forum Civil Peace Service e.V., Wesselstr. 2,
53113 Bonn
Kurve Wustrow (see
above);
Federation for Social Defence, Ringstr. 2, 32427 Minden
Ökumenischer Dienst im Konziliaren Prozeß e.V. (See
above)
Address:
AG Qualifizierung
Wesselstrasse 12
D-53113 Bonn, Germany
Tel.: 0228-9814473
Fax: 0228-9814475
e-mail: agqualifizierung@t-online.de
·Bildungs-
und Begegnungsstätte für gewaltfreie Aktion (KURVE Wustrow)
The Kurve Wustrow is
a training centre based close to a nuclear waste
depot; it was founded in the context of resistance
against that depot in the 1980s. They offer different
training programs, including a training for trainers,
and an "International Training for Nonviolence: Nonviolence in
the Context of War or Armed Conflict"
The 2-week course takes place once a year, and
is given by an international trainers' team in
the English language. It deals principally with:
principles of nonviolence, nonviolent direct
action and nonviolent conflict
intervention; understanding and transforming conflicts;
political analysis and reconciliation; observing/reporting
human rights violations; dealing with stress, fear
and traumatic experiences; consensus decision making
and team work; issues of cultural sensitivity.
Trainers: three or four trainers from Germany,
US, Palestine and Nepal.
Costs: DEM 1.200
Address:Kirchstrasse 14
D-29462 Wustrow, Germany
Tel.: 05843-507
Fax: 05843-1405
http://www. comlink.apc.org/kurvewustrow/
Ecumenical Services in the Conciliatory
Process/Germany (Ökumenischer Dienst im Konziliaren Prozeß e.V./ Schalomdiakonat)
The Ecumenical Service is a Christian-based program
offering basic courses of 4 week-end seminars plus
one week, and two types of advanced courses: compact
courses of 3 month length and a consequent internship,
and a part-time course over 2 years (13 week-ends,
1 week, 3 weeks compact at the end)
Their programs include conflict resolution techniques,
intercultural work, interreligious dialogue, mediation,
spirituality and the like.
The courses are based on a joined religious orientation
and motivation of their participants. They describe:
Knowledge - skills - being - vision as four basic
goals. Knowledge e.g. refers to history (of conflict,
of church), skills, to conflict resolution), being,
to training an attitude in the daily life of the
training group, vision refers to nourishing dreams
and open sources of hope and strength" [84]
The courses are open for everyone aged 30 or older,
and being interested in ecumenical spirituality.
Address:
Oekumenischer Dienst /Schalomdiakonat
Mittelstrasse 4
D-34474 Diemelstadt-Wethen, Germany
Tel.: ++49-5694-8033
Fax: ++49-5694-1532
e-mail: schalomdiakonat@t-online.de
www.schalomdiakonat.de
· Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution (Österreichisches Studienzentrum für Frieden und Konfliktlösung- ÖSFK)
and European Peace University (EPU)[85]
The Austrian Study Center for
Peace and Conflict Resolution in Stadtschlaining together
with EPU in Austria offers
several courses every year to prepare civilian
personnel for international missions. Besides the
open IPT courses (see below) there has been in
2000 first special mission preparation courses
for OSCE.
IPT course
The courses are open to international participants.
International Civilian Peace-keeping and Peace-building
Training Program (IPT courses ) have today a duration
of 2 weeks basic course plus 2 weeks specialisation/function
oriented courses. The courses started in fall 1993,
and are supported by the Austrian government.
The program of the foundation course (2 weeks)
includes in 2001[86]:
- Strategies of varies actors for intervention
- Human rights protection
- Project Planning and Project Management
- Workshop on conflict transformation
- Case studies on particular conflicts
- Stresstraining and traumawork
- Gender aspects in peacebuilding
- Cooperation with the military, security issues,
mine awareness training
- role of CIVPOL
- practical exercises: radio communication, map
reading, four wheel drive
- complex simulation exercise
Specialisation courses (two weeks each) include:
- Election Observation and Assistance
- Empowerment for political participation
- Human Rights protection and promotion
- Humanitarian assistance
- Information dissemination
- Post-conflict reconstruction
- Conflict management (e.g. mediation)
Participants include a wide range of NGO activists,
OSCE and UN personnel, Austrian civil servants
and soldiers preparing themselves for peacekeeping
missions.
Fee: 8000 ATS/wee, including full accommodation.
OSCE Course[87]
The program of the 2-week OSCE course in 2000 included:
- Introduction to the OSCE
- Introduction to field work issues in war-torn
societies (human rights, democratisiation, gender issues,
trauma work)
- Cross-cultural communication
- Field work techniques (monitoring, communicating
via interpreters, conflict management techniques,
information flow, report writing)
- Safety and security (e.g. mine awareness, co-operation
with police and military)
- Stress management and mission readiness
- Recruitment procedures and employment conditions
of OSCE.
Participants: The program was generally open for
all participants but preference was given to applicants
supported by their Foreign Ministry or OSCE institution.
The number was limited to 25.
Costs: US$ 1.800 for the 2 weeks.
Address:
Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution
A-7461 Stadtschlaining, Burg, Austria
Tel. ++43-3355-2498
Fax ++43-3355-2662
Website: www.aspr.ac.at
IFMAN: Institut de
Formation du Mouvement pour une Alternative
Non-violente
IFMAN is organised on a regional basis; each centre
offers training courses on different subjects,
from mediation in schools to intervention in violence.
They have also set up the training for the French
CPS volunteers planning to go with Balkan Peace
Team France to Kosovo and/or to one of the PBI projects.
Subjects of the training for CPS are : non-violence
(4 days stretched over 3 meetings), non-violent
conflict resolution (9 days in two meetings), handling
difficult situations (3x3 days), political and
cultural issues (5 days), evaluation skills (3
days).[88] In
2001 another training of again three stages of
1-2 weeks each is under way.
Cun de Larzac
The Cun was established in
1975 by draft resisters who wanted to show their
support for the resistance movement of farmers
in the Larzac area (France). The education centre leads seminars and
trainings about nonviolent conflict resolution
for both French groups and international groups
coming from Africa, Near-East and the Pacific
Rim.
Address:
F-12100 Millau
Tel ++33-6562-6033
Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
School of University Studies and Doctoral Research
This university that offers mainly programs for
advanced students in different fields, offers,
among other courses, a 2-week training for Human
Rights Field Officers.
Address:
Via Carducci,40
56100 Pisa
wwwmgr@sssup.it
Responding to Conflict (Woodbrooke/Birmingham).
Offers a course of 11 weeks in 5 modules that may
be attended separately, and also other courses,
e.g. for NGO workers.
Produced a handbook "Working with Conflict"
Courses
1. Working with Conflict (WWC) is designed as a
single full-time course, consisting of four modules
and lasting ten weeks.. A formal certificate is
issued to each participant who completes the full
course or a module. Participants also have the
option of applying for formal accreditation through Birmingham University in
order to gain 60 credits towards an undergraduate
degree.
The four modules are: April - July 2001
1. Understanding Conflict and Change (30 April
- 18 May)
2. Organising Effectively (21 May - 1 June)
3. Strategies for Addressing Conflict and Building
Peace (4 June - 22 June)
4. Preparing for Action (25 June - 6July)
Participants come from an average of 25 different
countries, all are working in or going to work
for local or international agencies, NGOs or governments. All
have practical experience of dealing with political
and or social conflict. Requirement: good knowledge
of English. Costs £3000 for full 10 weeks. 3
of 4 modules could be taken separately 1,3 £900
each, 2 £600. Accommodation can be arranged for £1660
for ten weeks, to get accreditation will cost extra £350.
2. Practical Strategies for Agencies Working in
Areas of Tension and Conflict
23rd - 27th July 2001, Birmingham, UK.
A residential workshop for staff of international
agencies with advisory or direct management responsibility
for relief, development, rights and peace-building
programmes. It is especially relevant for those
engaged in the planning and implementation of programmes
of humanitarian assistance, and for those concerned
with developing policies for appropriate responses
in complex political emergencies. This course has
proved very popular in the past.
Objectives:
- methods for understanding and analysing conflict
- learn about approaches to evaluating the effect
of programmes on conflict, including Do No Harm
- develop tools for assessing impacts of development
and relief programmes on conflict
- reassess the impact of their programmes in areas
affected by conflict
- methods for intervening in conflict, including
negotiation and mediation
- explore ways in which their agency can integrate
effective conflict prevention and peace-building
into programme planning.
Method: The workshop will be highly participative
and experience-based, including short presentations,
case studies and concrete examples, as well as
group discussions, role-plays and practical exercises.
Fees: The fee for the workshop, inclusive of accommodation
and food, is £750. Where participants are staying
elsewhere and do not need bed and breakfast, the
rate is £650. Places: Numbers will be limited to
26
Address:
Bristol Road, Birmingham B29 6LJ, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)121 415 5641
Fax/answerphone: +44
(0)121 415 4119
Email: enquiries@respond.org
Conciliation Resources
Conciliation Resources is a British NGO having
programs supporting conflict transformation
in different parts of the world.
Address
173 Upper Street,
GB-London N 1 1 RG
Tel ++44-20-73 59 7728
cr@c-r.org
www.c-r.org
INCORE
Summer School (June 10-15 2001) Three courses:
1. Psychological approaches to conflict
resolution
2. Post-Conflict Situations, Dealing with
the Past
3. The Challenges and Contradictions of
Development and Conflict
WHO: Upper/ Middle level NGO, gov’t,
int’l/local agency workers, researchers, academics
Cost: £425 w/accommodation, lunches, £325 without
INCORE, Northern Ireland: The Initiative in Conflict Resolution
and Ethnicity, Derry, N. Ireland
+44 02871 375507
www.incore.ulst.ac.uk
De Expeditie
is a house run by two trainers: Magda van
den Ende and Abel Hertzberger.
They have organised international trainings in
non-violence and conflict resolution. Recently,
they are concentrating on work in Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Address:
De Expeditie
Schimmelpenninckkade 30
NL-3813 AE Amersfoort
Tel ++31-33-475 3001
Gernika Gogoratuz
Gernika Gogoratuz is
a peace research centre based in Gernika/Basque
country, and headed by Juan Gutiérrez.
Among other activities, it organises seminars and
trainings on conflict resolution
Address:
Gernika Gogoratuz
Centro de Investigación por la
Paz
Artekale 1-1
E-48300 Gernika-Lumo
Biskaia-Spain
Tel. ++34-4-625 35 58
Fax ++34-4-625-67 65
gernikag@sarenet.es
b) North
America
Lester B. Pearson Peacekeeping
Institute
See description in
appendix on Canadian resource
Training for Change, Philadelphia
The training centre organised by George Lakey offers
several trainings and workshops on nonviolent action,
training for trainers and the like.
Address:
T4C, Training for Change
1501 Cherry St
USA-Philadelphia, PA 19102-1477
Tel. ++1-215-241 7035
Fax ++1-215-241 7242
Email:peacelearn@igc.org
Website: www.trainingforchange.org
Summer Peacebuilding Institute
at Eastern Mennonite University
These summer courses are designed to provide specialised,
intensive training in peacebuilding,
conflict transformation and restorative justice
to practitioners from around the world. They consist
of five sessions(modules) of 5-10 days length;
each may be attended separately. One session might
deal with several topics, e.g. with Refugees/humanitarian
assistance and conflict, with religion as source
of conflict and peace, and with Intermediary roles
and practices.
The costs for all five sessions are all together
about US$11.500.
Address:
Summer Peacebuilding Institute
Eastern Mennonite University
1200 Park Road
USA-Harrisonburg, VA 22802-2462
Tel ++1-540-432-4491or -4295
Fax ++1-540-432-4449 or -4444
Email:spi@emu.edu
Website: www.emu.edu/spi/
c) Middle and South America
SERPAJ (Servicio Paz
y Justicia)
has branches in several Southern American countries,
and is a good address to start inquiries about
training programs.
Chile: serpaj@crnetnet
Costa
Rica: serpaj@sol.racsa.co.cr
Ecuador: serpaj@ecuanex.net.ec
Mexico: serpaj@laneta.apc.org
Brazil: serpajbr@brnet.com.br
e) Asia
Institute for Total Revolution
Vedchhi
Surat Dt
Gujarat 394 641
Tel ++91-26-252 074
(Director: Narajan Desai)
Akkapka Foundation
PO Box 1756;
Central Post OFfice, Makati City 1257
Philippines
pating@fc.emc.arm.ph
Neve Shalom/ Wahat al-Salam
Israel,Doar Na/Mobile
Post,
Shimshon 99761
pr@nswas.com
f) Africa
All Africa Conference of Churches,
Youth Desk
Offers trainings for young people in all Africa.
Address:
Mutua Mulonzya,
selfhood@insightkenya.com
Building Eastern Africa Community
Network (BEACON)
Work in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Eritrea, Ethiipia,Djibouti,
Sudan with NGOs, Churches and Networks on governance,
peace, policy dialogue, capacity training.
Beaconre@africaonline.co.ke
Nairobi Peace Initiative
POB 14894
Nairobi, Kenya
npi@africaonline.co.ke
Amani Peoples' Theatre
Conflict transformation and peacebuilding training
with grassroots and middle level communites
PO Box 13909
Nairobi, Kenya
apt@maf.org
ACCORD (The
African Centre for the Constructive Resolution
of Disputes)
Pvt Bag X018
Umhlanga Rocks 4320
South
Africa
www.accord.org
g) Australia and
Pacific
Conflict Resolution Network
PO Box 1016
Chatswood, NSW 2057
E-mail: cm@crnhq.org)
h) International
·International
Fellowship of Reconciliation
IFOR has got both a truly international nonviolence trainers
network and a Women Peacemakers' Programme that
also mainly uses training techniques, and is especially
active on the African continent.
IFOR
Spoorstraat 38
NL-1815 BK Alkmaar, Netherlands
office@ifor.org
www.ifor.org
Committee for Conflict Transformation
Support
This Committee is a loose networks of trainers
mainly from Britain offering
training in nonviolence,
conflict transformation and reconciliation on an
international level. They can be reached through
the IFOR office in Alkmar (see
above).
Transcend
Transcend is a Peace and Development Network headed
by Johan Galtung. They have developed a
standardised training program (with a manual
available on internet) for what they call the "Transcend
Method - a method for conflict transformation
by peaceful means".
In 2001 they have organised a five day seminar
in Norway on "Peacebuilding,
Conflict Transformation and Global Development" together
with a couple of other organisations, among them
the Transnational Foundation
for Peace and Future Research.
E-mail: 102464.1110@compuserve.com
Website: www.transcend.org
C) Examples for organisations
offering training in special fields
These are really just examples
given in order to provide those who are not familiar
with training an impression on what is out there.
It is not a specially recommendation of those
organisations mentioned here, implying that they
are better or especially exemplary of their field,
though some care has been taken to include only
such that ARE recommendable to the best knowledge
of the author.
Mediation
Mediation UK
Mediation UK
Alexander House
Telephone Avenue
Bristol
BS1 4BS Telephone: (0117) 904 6661
Facsimile: (0117) 904 3331
E-mail: enquiry@mediationuk.org.uk
http://www.mediationuk.org.uk/
Run courses in mediation and advice on other services
offering training.
General: No particular qualifications or skills
are necessary to enter into training as a mediator. Currently,
community mediation training is provided by local
mediation services. The training is vocational,
and is normally offered when the mediation service
requires additional mediators. There may be a fee
or an agreement to give some of your time as a
volunteer in exchange for training. There are
also two qualifications: Level 2 Mediation Skills
- Intermediate Award and Level 3 Mediation Skills
- Advanced Award which are sometimes provided by
services or colleges. To find out if these are
being provided locally, contact your nearest mediation
service or college.
Mediation UK: has launched a major new pilot training
scheme for youth justice practitioners. They have
brought together some of the country's most experienced
practitioners in the field of Restorative Justice
and mediation to deliver training. They are holding
courses in various regions according to demand,
to give practitioners the opportunity to learn
new skills in Victim/Offender Mediation
Training provided in:
- Benefits of using Victim/Offender Mediation
- How to deliver reparation within the new legislation
- Developing mediation within a voluntary or statutory
agency
- Developing a service agreement in partnership
with a local service
- What is needed in order to develop local policies
and protocols
- Developing effective skills in Victim/Offender
Mediation
- How to set up relevant, realistic and socially
inclusive restorative justice schemes
Nonviolent Communication
The Center for Nonviolent Communication
(CNVC) - European Office
Marshall B. Rosenberg
PO Box 232,
CH-4418 Reigoldwil
Phone: ++41-61-941 2440
E-mail: Marshal_Rosenberg@compuserve.com
www.cnvc.org/contact.htm
Intervention in direct violence
on the street
·Guardian
Angels
local group in London, taken up here as an example for training
in intervention in direct violence.
Cost: free.
Time: three months of weekly (uninterrupted) training,
plus patrols to become a full member. The training
programme is cyclic, so anyone can join at any
time. No previous training or experience is required
to be a Guardian Angel, simply the right attitude.
Communication training includes legal training,
negotiation skills, street-smarts, patrol craft
and in-depth training on how to diffuse violent
confrontations. Role playing is a must.
Address:
London Guardian Angels
22 Bardsley Lane
GB-London, England SE10 9RF
Phone: 011-44973110644
E-Mail: london@guardianangels.org.uk
www.guardianangels.org.uk
Prejudice and Racism
National Coalition Building Institute
(NCBI)
NCBI is a nonprofit leadership
training organisation based in Washington, D.C.
Founded in 1984, NCBI has today Chapters in many
towns in the US as well as in other countries.
They offer different kinds of training, from one-day
prejudice reduction workshops to full-sized training
for trainers.
Address: NCBI
1120 Connecticut Avenue,
NW
Suite 450
US-Washington DC 20036
Phone: ++1-202-785 9400
E-mail: ncbiinc@aol.com
www.ncbi.org
Human Rights Training
·There
is an excellent directory of Human Rights Education
programs produced by the US-based Human Rights
Internet. It includes 196 records from all over
the world. Address: www.hri/ca/coldfusion/cfteac/
Dealing
With Death and Trauma
Kurve Wustrow, Germany (see above)
Affirmation and Resistance
(community resistance facing
threats of torture and death)
A handbook "Afirmacion y
resistencia. La comunidad como apoyo" has
been published by Carlos Martín Beristain and Francesc Riera (1992)
Both are trainers who have been involved with
Peace Brigades International; PBI can provide
contact to them. Beristain is
based in Spain.
Nonviolence in its Gandhian meaning
Institute for Total Revolution, India (see
above)
D) Online Courses
·United
Nations Peacekeeping
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research
(UNITAR) is an independent institution within the
United Nations and has the mandate to contribute
to a more efficient functioning of the United Nations
by providing training opportunities and engaging
in research. They run a correspondence course on
UN peacekeeping that is open for non-soldiers.
Address: www.wm.edu/unpeacek/nf-index.html
International Online Training
Program on Intractable Conflict
by Burgess, Guy and Burgess, Heidi
Organization: University of Colorado: Conflict Research Consortium
This is a free online training program on the theory
and management of difficult and intractable conflicts.
This website contains a set of theoretical and
practical materials on common problems and solutions,
designed to help people better deal with difficult,
long-lasting, and resolution-resistant conflicts.
http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/
Nova Southeastern University: School of Social and Systemic Studies-Dispute Resolution
Program
Organisation: Nova Southeastern University, USA
This is the site for the NSU School of Social and
Systemic Studies' Dispute Resolution program. It
provides an overview on the program, as well as
faculty information, and distance learning information.
It also contains links to conflict resolution resources
and programs in higher education.
http://www.nova.edu/ssss/DR/
Online Course Transforming Civil
Conflict
Organisation: The Network University (TNU), Amsterdam,
Netherlands and Centre for Conflict Resolution
at the Department of Peace Studies in Bradford
This course is a four-week Online certificate course
in conflict resolution, - prevention and -analysis.
It is designed for professionals that work in conflict
areas.
www.netuni.nl/demos/tcc
On a per-capita basis, Canada may
have more training available than any other country
under consideration for training for a Nonviolent Peaceforce.
Canada could play a key role in training for a Nonviolent Peaceforce because
of the following:
the Canadian government’s role
in creating the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre in Nova
Scotia
the level of activity in Ottawa where there
are three training centres
the role and experience of PBI-Canada
in hosting training for PBI projects worldwide
Trainers NP would like to use
from other training centres could be brought
to the place where the training would be given,
most likely in Ottawa, Ontario; Waterloo, Ontario; or Clementsport, Nova Scotia. Ottawa may be
the first choice for NP training because the
largest number of NP supporters are located there,
and there has been an office of NP-Canada in Ottawa since June,
2001.
The eight training centres in Canada offering
courses that would be appropriate to NP are the
following (in order from east to west):
Lester B. Pearson Peacekeeping
Training Centre
Canadian Institute for Conflict
Resolution
Canadian International Institute
for Applied Negotiation
Nonviolent Peaceforce - Canada
Peace Brigades International
- Canada
Institute of Peace and Conflict
Studies, Conrad Grebel College, University of Waterloo
Conflict Resolution Studies, Menno Simons College, University of Winnipeg
Peace and Conflict Studies Division, Royal Roads University
Trainers’ Fees: Only three centres
answered the question about what fees they paid
their trainers. These three centres’ rates for
trainers range between $75 and $583 a day, which
may be near the bottom of the scale. One Canadian-based
international trainer with a number of years
of experience, whose own fee is CDN $1200 per
day, said the range for most trainers’ fees in Canada are between $850 and $1200 per day. A second
trainer stated the range of most fees in Canada as between $800 and $1500 per day. The
first trainer also quoted a UN study that said
the average international trainer’s fees were
US $650 a day (about CDN $1000).
Highly Recommended: The Advanced
Course: Issues In Modern Peacekeeping (C99) at
Pearson Peacekeeping Centre was highly recommended.
So was the general course given by CIIAN. Among
individual trainers, Karen Ridd of Menno Simons College (also
a PBI trainer) was highly recommended, and so
was Sylvia McMechan of Royal Roads University. A contact at one centre said a dream team
would include Lyn Adamson of Toronto (PBI), Karen Ridd of
Winnipeg (Menno Simons), Walter Dorn of Kingston
(Royal Military College), and Andrea Young-Bernier
of Ottawa.
Other Centres: While there are
peace studies departments at MacMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario; Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and
the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, these programs are more academic and not
practice-oriented. The programs at Menno Simons College and Conrad Grebel College are more practice-oriented.
1. Lester B. Pearson Peacekeeping
Training Centre
Summary
The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre
was established in 1994 as part of the former
Cornwallis Canadian Forces Base in Clementsport, Nova Scotia.
Their website, on June
8, 2001 said ”The PPC conducts roundtables, research,
seminars, and courses, and produces a number
of publications each year. All are attended by
Canadian and international military and civilian
participants. Programs are presented in English
and selected courses are also offered in French
and Spanish. Off-campus activities in Canada and
abroad are conducted by mobile training teams.”
They offer two-week and four-week
courses, two of which are offered in French.
Trainers
There are 6 to 7 course managers,
and 350 external faculty from across Canada and
around the world who can be called upon for any
particular course, and brought to the course
site for the duration of the course.
Per-diem average
or average honorarium per day (or per hour) for
a trainer: Classified.
Students
PPC has up to 30 per cent civilians
in some of its courses, and would like to increase
that percentage to 50 per cent in some courses.
For other courses, PPC sees an ideal course composition
as one-third Canadian Forces, one-third military
from overseas, and one-third civilians. The Canadian
Department of National Defence funds the Canadian
Forces members who study at PPC, the Military
Training and Assistance Program or MTAP from
the Canadian government funds the overseas military,
many from the Global South or Eastern Europe.
Canadian civilians are eligible for some funding
or scholarships.
For longer-term courses from April
1, 2000 to March 31, 2001,
there were
Canadian Forces: 320 participants
International Military: 351 participants
Civilians: 292 participants (of
these, between 5 and 7 per cent were employees
of the Canadian Forces)
In 2000, PPC did a cross-country
tour to raise awareness of the centre (the facts
on which workshops were available and to discuss
the Brahimi Report
and its implications for Canada’s role in international
peacekeeping with one-day workshops in Halifax,
Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary,
and Vancouver that attracted 1058, of whom 766
were civilians.
Courses
Approximately 100 courses have
been offered since PPC began. Most are offered
at Clementsport, NS, but some are offered in Montreal, and
others have been held overseas.
Their on-site courses, from their
website, June 8, 2001:
*C-01: Interdisciplinary Cooperation:
The New Peacekeeping Partnership In Action
*C-02: Creating Common Ground
: Negotiation for Peacekeepers
C-03: Myths And Reality : The
Legal Framework Of Modern Peacekeeping
*C-04: The Humanitarian Challenge:
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
C-06: Live, Move And Work : Technology
And Engineering In Modern Peacekeeping
C-11: La coopération interdisciplinaire:
Le nouveau Partenariat pour le maintien de
la paix en action (French version of C-01)
C-12: Hard Road Home : Disarmament,
Demobilization, And Reintegration
C-16: "As Pass On The Seas…" …" The
Peacekeeping Dimension of Maritime Operations
*C-25: "Free
And Equal… Human Rights and Modern Peacekeeping"
*C-26: "Libres et égaux…":
les droits de la personne et
le maintien de la paix (French version of C-25)
C-46: "To Secure The Peace" Civil-Military
Co-Operation In Modern Peacekeeping
C-99: Advanced Course: Issues
In Modern Peacekeeping
CS-12: Risks And Rewards: Conflict
Zone Preparation Training, a Programme for the
Media
CE-66 ELDERHOSTEL: An Introduction
to Modern Peacekeeping
Selected Course Descriptions:
C-99: Advanced Course: Issues
In Modern Peacekeeping
Oct, 2000 Session: 38 students
participated, of whom 14 were civilians (Roger
Wilson)
The aim of this course is to
provide a comprehensive perspective on key issues
in modern peacekeeping appropriate to intermediate
and senior members of the New Peacekeeping Partnership
- all those individuals and organizations working
together to improve the effectiveness of peacekeeping
operations. This course is unique in its attempt
to establish a common standard of professional
knowledge on vital issues relevant to successful
peacekeeping, applicable to such a diverse group.
The course consists of four principle Series:
Central Presentations - addressing
key issues within the framework in which modern
peacekeeping occurs (Changing Face of Peacekeeping,
Conceptual Framework of Modern Peacekeeping,
Peacekeeping Partnership, UN, Legal Framework,
NATO, Human Rights, conflict Indicators, Human
Security, Early Warning & Strategic Options,
Refugees, Humanitarian Assistance, Peace Agreements,
Law & Order, Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC),
Disarmament, Demobilization & Reintegration(DD&R),
Governance, Mission Transition, Information & Intelligence,
Cross-Cultural Dynamics, Measures of Effectiveness,
Media, Building Sustainable Capacity, Reflections
on Modern Peacekeeping);
Exercise - in a realistic simulation,
experience the complexities of all peacekeeping
partners conducting peacekeeping operations across
the four principle phases of the spectrum of
peacekeeping - Prevention, Mitigation, Termination, & Recovery
(Conflict Indicators, Minority Rights, Developing
a UN Response, Negotiating a Peace Agreement,
Putting the Law into Practice, Law & Order,
CIMIC, DD&R, Governance, Mission Transition,
Measures of Effectiveness, Sustainable Capacity)
how function;
Discussions - an opportunity
to explore lessons learned in peacekeeping and
the issue of peacekeeping reforms, and
Field Studies - a study trip
to an active peacekeeping mission in order to
experience first-hand how current peacekeeping
issues are being handled by senior peacekeeping
staff.
Duration: 4 weeks
Language of Instruction: English
C-06: Live, Move And Work: Technology
And Engineering In Modern Peacekeeping
The way in which engineering
and technology are applied to peacekeeping missions
greatly affects how well both peacekeepers and
the people that they help live, move, and work in
the face conflict situations. The accommodation
of personnel, the transportation of aid, the
provision of local assistance, for example, all
require the application of basic or special engineering
skills. Technologies are indispensable tools
for many engineering projects and for other essential
mission tasks. Modern technologies can extend
the range of observation and communication, improve
the safety of personnel, and enhance the efficiency
and effectiveness of the mission. Peacekeepers
also need to know about the technologies that
can be used by them, by others working with them,
and even by belligerent factions with whom the
Peacekeepers may come into conflict .. There
is a need for all members of the New Peacekeeping
Partnership to have the best possible understanding
of the roles and realities of engineering and
technology in modern peacekeeping. These issues
are examined in this course.
Duration: 2 weeks
Language of Instruction: English
Fees
The fee for a two week course
is of $2,300 CDN.
The fee for C-99 : "The
Advanced Course; Issues in Modern Peacekeeping" is
$9,000 CDN. Course C-99 lasts four weeks and
includes a field study trip to an active peacekeeping
mission.
Fees include tuition and materials,
accommodation and meals, meet and greet, happy
hour, Company of Good Cheer dinner, and transportation
to and from Halifax and Yarmouth airports.
Scholarships:
Aside from scholarships for Canadian
military personnel and military from overseas,
civilians as well as military may apply for the
Lester B. Pearson Memorial Scholarship. Scholarships
awarded from this fund are usually partial scholarships:
for the C-99 course, that includes a trip to Bosnia and Herzogovina,
the maximum scholarship amount awarded is 50
per cent of the course fee.
The website states: ”If you wish
to apply for a scholarship your application must
include a Curriculum Vitae together with a letter
of request for financial assistance and the course
application form. You should include, in your
letter of request, an indication of the amount
of assistance you would require. The degree of
assistance provided is determined by the scholarship
committee.”
Residences: 138
rooms for students in two residences
Contacts
Registrar
Pearson Peacekeeping Centre
Cornwallis Park
P.O. Box 100
Clementsport, Nova Scotia B0S 1E0
Canada
Email: registrar@ppc.cdnpeacekeeping.ns.ca
Website: http://www.cdnpeacekeeping.ns.ca/
Telephone: (902) 638-8611 Ext.
107
Fax: (902) 638-8888
Our Contacts
Lyndell Findley 638 8611 Ext.. 117, Email: lfindlay@ppc.cdnpeacekeeping.ns.ca
Roger Wilson 638-8611 Ext. 107
2. Canadian Institute for Conflict
Resolution
The Canadian Institute for Conflict
Resolution, founded in 1988, is on the campus
of St. Paul’s University
in Ottawa, Canada. Its website on June 9, 2001 listed its
mission as ‘in the public interest, to foster,
develop and communicate resolution processes
for individuals, organisations and communities
in Canada and internationally, and to further
the objective to embody, within the conflict
resolution process, the positive attributes of
common sense, compassion and spirituality.”
Diplomas or Certificates
A 160 hour Third Party Neutral
certificate program.
Courses
Number of courses offered in
2000/2001: information not available by 24 June, 2001
Number of courses offered since
inception: information not available by 24 June, 2001
Selected Course Descriptions:
TPN 1 - Becoming a Third Party
Neutral
This is experiential, basic training
that stands on its own as a training course but
is also a prerequisite for the other Third Party
Neutral (TPN) training workshops. Here, participants
explore the differences between disputes, underlying
conflict and deep-rooted conflict and are introduced
to mediation and conciliation skills, group process,
as well as the responsibilities of the Third
Party Neutral. Participants are given the opportunity
to both mediate and facilitate. The foundational
skills in these processes can be further developed
through more specialized training.
In French: TPN1 - Devenir une tierce partie neutre
TPN 3 - Developing Mediation
Skills
The course is a combination of
theory and the practicing of skills. The mediation
process is placed within the context of conflict
theory and interest-based bargaining. Mediation
training includes such things as building rapport,
identifying interests and issues, analysis of
options, and implementation of agreements. It
is augmented by the application of enhanced communication
skills. Participants practice effective listening,
questioning and reframing. Additional themes
include caucusing, intake and assessment, and
complex mediation.
In French: TPN 3: Développer les habiletés de la médiation
Language: All courses are offered
in English and in French.
Trainers
Richard Batsinduka,
Esther vanGennip, Colleen
Walker
Non-staff trainers:
Robert P. Birt,
Elaine Bushnik, Louis Carrière,
Nicole Charron-Poggioli, Vesna Dasovic-Markovic,Julie Lalonde, Sylvère Kabwa,
Brian McQuinn, Andrea Morrison, Jean Ogilvie, Nabil Oudeh, Kendel Rust, Henri Tremblay, Rick Weiler
Per-diem average or average honorarium
per day (or per hour) for a trainer is not public
information and is negotiated with each trainer.
Students
Number of Students in year ending
Spring, 2001: information not available as of 24 June 2001
Number of Students since inception:
information not available as of 24 June 2001
Fees
$975 CDN for each four-day course
Contacts
The Canadian Institute for Conflict
Resolution
c/o St. Paul University
223 Main Street
Ottawa, ON K1S 1C4
Canada
Tel: (613) 235-5800
Fax: (613) 235-5801
E-mail: cicr@ustpaul.uottawa.ca
Web: www.ustpaul.ca/cicr
3. Canadian International Institute
for Applied Negotiation
Summary
The Canadian International Institute
for Applied Negotiation or CIIAN began in Ottawa
in 1992 and offers domestic audiences courses
in ”negotiation, mediation, anger management,
multi-party, multi-issue consensus building.
CIIAN works in partnership to offer peacebuilding and
conflict resolution courses to target international
audiences.
The Canadian International Institute
for Applied Negotiation (CIIAN) offers two certificates:
Certificate Program in Alternative
Dispute Resolution (ADR)-largely aimed at domestic
dispute resolution in various sectors
Certificate Program in Peacebuilding and
Conflict Resolution - largely aimed at an international
audience for those working in conflict or post-conflict
(read violence) zones
Courses
Since its inception, CIIAN has
offered 70-80 courses in addition to the Peacebuilding and
Conflict Resolution Program, which started in
1998.
”The ADR Certificate Program
is offered a number of times each year. The PB & CR
Program has been offered once each year. This
year it will be in the Fall in either Ethiopia or Somalia.”
Content of Certificate Program
in Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution:
Peace Nurturing Triad - Challenges
and Themes
Complex Humanitarian Emergencies
Transitional Society - Emerging
Democracies
War Torn Societies
Human Rights and Humanitarian
Law
Rules of Engagement
Negotiation skills
Mediation skills
Role and importance of culture
Students
600 since 1992
CIIAN's ADR Program draws largely from the workplace
and corporate sector with some NGO personnel. The
PB & CR Program involves a diverse group
of participants with the majority from NGOs. CIIAN
has done specific training for military personnel
including UNMOs and
also for civilian police(UNCIVPOL) and UN nuclear
site inspectors.
Trainers
Contract faculty as needed.
Per-diem average or average honorarium
per day (or per hour) for a trainer. Per diem
ranges and is negotiated at the time of engagement.
Personnel:
Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution Program and programs
in general:
Flaurie Storie, Executive
Director, Canada
ADR Certificate Program: Gerry Tessier, Director
Contacts
Flaurie Storie
The Canadian International Institute
for Applied Negotiation
200 Elgin Street, Suite 701
Ottawa, ON K2P 1L5
Canada
Tel: (613) 237-9050
Fax: (613) 238-3340
Email: conciian@magma.ca
Website: http://www.canadr.com/main.html
4. Nonviolent Peaceforce - Canada
Summary
Nonviolent Peaceforce - Canada (NP-Canada)
began meeting in May, 2000, and in the spring
and summer of 2001 offered its first training
series in Ottawa. The goal
of NP-Canada training is to provide training
that could be used personally (or be of personal
interest) and be of use on a peace team for a
domestic or international project.
Trainers
There are no faculty members
- individuals are recruited as needed from NP-Canada’s
good connections and good will among personal
networks of trainers in the Montreal/Toronto/Ottawa
triangle (to keep transportation costs down).
For the Introductory Training Series in Conflict
Resolution Techniques: Veronica Pelicaric,
Montreal; Andrea Young-Bernier, Ottawa; Lyn Adamson,
Toronto; Vern Neufeld Redekop,
Ottawa; Peter Dougherty (willing, but unable
to travel to Canada), Lansing, Michigan USA and
Sheri Wander, Ann Arbour, Michigan USA.
Per-diem average
or average honorarium per day (or per hour) for
a contract trainer:
For the introductory series,
all trainers donated their time. For the fall
training series, because NP-Canada has funding,
the plans are to offer $150 CDN per half-day
of training.
Students
For the first series, 35 individuals,
with an average seminar attendance of 19. The
maximum per seminar was 24 or 26, and although
this number was enrolled, attendance never exceeded
22 because of illness and other reasons for cancellations.
All may apply, but the targets of NP were participants
from NGOs (staff and volunteers), members of
the federal civil servants, and members of faith
communities. All these groups were represented
in the spring, 2001 training series.
Courses
For the Spring, 2001 Introductory
Training Series in Conflict Resolution Techniques,
five Saturday afternoon seminars were offered:
From Violence to Wholeness
Interpersonal Conflict Resolution
Peace Brigades International
introductory training
Reconciliation of Deep-Rooted
Conflicts
Michigan Peace Team introductory
training
Selected Course Descriptions:
Michigan Peace Team introductory
training
Peter Dougherty of Lansing, MI (June 9) is
the Outreach Co-ordinator for Michigan Peace
Team. He has been on violence reduction peace
team projects in Chiapas, Mexico; Bosnia, Haiti, Hebron & Michigan. Michigan Peace
Team has also helped prevent violence at rallies
in the United States where the Ku Klux Klan was present.
Participants will be invited
to explore their boundaries of nonviolence in
hands-on exercises. They will experience working
in simulations as small affinity teams, primarily
in international situations.
Conflict is for the birds: interpersonal
conflict resolution
Andrea Young-Bernier of Ottawa is a trainer
in conflict resolution who received her training
at the Canadian International Institute for Applied
Negotiation in the same city.
Participants will learn a common-sense
approach for recognizing the differences in personal
styles that may lead to interpersonal conflicts. Every
encounter with someone whose views differ from
your own offers the potential for friction, wasted
time, bruised feelings and looking foolish. Using
a specially-developed conflict mode inventory,
this workshop offers the opportunity to learn
to use the differences well. Recognize your
personal patterns for handling conflict, for
anticipating and for dealing with conflict, and
feel more confident when you are confronted with
conflict. Participants gather in type-alike groups
and work out a solution to the conflict, then
share the solution with the whole group.
Fees
First series: $15 CDN per four-hour
seminar or $55 CDN for the series of five seminars.
Fees for the fall series have not been determined
as of June 14.
Contacts
Carl Stieren,
Chair
Nonviolent Peaceforce - Canada
211 Bronson Ave. - Suite 100A
Ottawa, ON K1R 6H5
Phone: (613) 564-0999
Fax: (613) 564-0068
Email: canada@nonviolentpeaceforce.org
5. Peace Brigades International
- Canada
Summary
Peace Brigades International
(PBI) is a non-partisan international organization
dedicated to practicing nonviolence in conflict areas.
PBI volunteers, by providing protective accompaniment,
create "breathing space" for groups
working nonviolently for
social justice in their respective countries.
PBI currently maintains protective accompaniment
teams in Colombia, Mexico and Indonesia, with a joint project in Chiapas, Mexico. Former
PBI projects include those in Sri Lanka, Guatemala, El
Salvador, Haiti, and with First Nations in North
America. Specific work
done varies according to the specific requests
received in the situations where the team is
located. The general areas which PBI volunteers
are often asked to respond to include requests
for protective accompaniment from individuals
and groups threatened with political violence,
facilitation of workshops on non-violence upon
request, and dissemination of first-hand reports
internationally. (from PBI-Canada website)
PBI-Canada was founded in 1982,
as the first country group of PBI, one year after
PBI International was founded on Grindstone Island near Portland, Ontario, Canada in
August , 1981. There was a Central
America office of PBI in Toronto started in 1982 for the project in Guatemala. The
first staff of the Central America office
was JoLeigh Commandant, and a key volunteer Alaine Hawkins.
The first CIDA (Canadian International Development
Agency) grant was received when PBI’s Canadian
operations were a project of Canadian Friends
Service Committee, the Quaker peace and service
agency. PBI-Canada later separated from CFSC
and received its own charitable registration
with Revenue Canada (now
CCRA). (from Carl Stieren).
PBI-Canada only organizes physical
(logistical) arrangements for trainings, which
are the responsibility of the PBI project committees.
The project committees, which have members worldwide,
decide on the training curriculum and choose
which trainers to invite.
Trainers
Canadians who have been PBI trainers
now living in Canada include Karen Ridd of Winnipeg, Lyn
Adamson of Toronto, Lucho van Isschot of Montreal, and Alan Dixon of Toronto. Lyn Adamson, a conflict resolution professional
from Toronto who worked
on the Indonesia project, also did a half-day introductory
training in Nonviolent Peaceforce - Canada’s
five-session Introductory Training Series in
Conflict Resolution on April
28, 2001.
Per-diem average or average honorarium
per day for a trainer: CDN $75 to $150.
Students
Typically, only the applicants
for PBI service who have applied to volunteer
on a PBI mission are eligible to participate
in trainings. An average PBI-Canada training
has between 8 and 20 selected volunteers as participants.
However, one or two other interested individuals
may be able to attend if space permits.
Courses
There have been an estimated 5
to 8 trainings held in Canada since
training began in the 1980s. Many more have been
held in the U.S. and
in Europe, which Canadians have attended.
An example: East Timor Training
for June, 2001
The agenda will include sessions
on the history of PBI, on the principles of nonviolence,
and on the political analysis of the Indonesian/East
Timor and Aceh contexts
as well as participatory exercises, role-plays,
to help orient people to what work on a PBI is
like. The session will be conducted in English
with some Indonesian. At the end of the training,
the volunteer meets with the training team to
jointly evaluate their suitability for the work,
and, if accepted, joins our pool of available
volunteers. Actual scheduling for service varies
and will be negotiated individually. Volunteers
are also encouraged and supported to do outreach
and fundraising work in their own communities
and regions. (from PBI-Canada website)
Requirements:
you are at least 25 years old
availability to make a one-year
commitment
fluency in Bahasa Indonesia
(OR, have experience learning foreign languages
and are willing to learn the language before
service)
experience with NGOs, human rights
or international work
Dates: June
8 - 20, 2001
Location: (Camp NeeKauNis (a Quaker camp in Wabushene, Ontario near Toronto, Ontario, Canada (at
a camp on beautiful Georgian
Bay -- transportation will be provided from Toronto and Toronto Airport)
Application Deadline: May
1, 2001 (can be extended with prior arrangement
- please contact us)
Cost: $300-500 US - sliding scale
- to cover training packet, lodging & vegetarian
food (limited subsidies available)
Colombia Training:
A two-week training for potential
volunteers for the Colombia project (in Spanish) is tentatively planned
for fall 2001 in Montreal. A North
American training for the Mexico Project is also
tentatively planned for fall 2001. Contact PBI-Canada
for more information.
Contacts
Rob Thompson, Rubén Vicente or
Amanda Montgomery
Peace Brigades International
- Canada
427 Bloor Street W. #201
Toronto, ON, M5S 1X7
Canada
Tel: (416) 324-9737
Fax: (416) 324-9757
Email: e-mail: pbican@web.ca
Website: http://www.web.net/~pbican/
6. Institute of Peace and Conflict
Studies, Conrad Grebel College, University of Waterloo
Summary
The Institute of Peace and Conflict
Studies offers a Certificate in Conflict Management,
a techniques-based curriculum. IPACS is part
of Conrad Grebel College, a Mennonite College that is part of the University of Waterloo, about
100 km west of Toronto, Ontario. Conrad Grebel College also has a Peace and Conflict Studies department,
which offers a more academic program and offers
undergraduate degrees.
”The program, at the Institute
of Peace and Conflict Studies, is designed to
provide practical and relevant skills training
in conflict management that inspires and empowers
proactive, positive agents for change within
personal and family relationships, the commercial
sector and within our communities. It intends
to prepare participants to respond in creative
and positive ways to the conflict each may face
in their daily lives. Instructors employ information
sharing, case studies, role plays and group discussion
to illustrate collaborative responses to conflict.
Participants not only learn theory, but will
experiment with techniques that develop confidence
in their ability for effective problem solving
in business, societal and personal situations.”
The Certificate in Conflict Management
has two streams:
professional and work skills
(ADR, Advanced Mediation, Coaching Skills for
Effective Managers, Dispute Resolution in the
Workplace, Negotiation).
effective community influences
(Communities in Conflict, Community in Diversity,
Building Peaceable Communities).
Sample course description
Advanced Mediation
Course objectives focus on development
of analytical and mediation skills; application
of mediation model to both transactional and
relational disputes with emphasis on strategic
use of evaluation mediations; techniques for
overcoming impasses and achieving closure with
maximum hands-on experiential learning through
role-playing in small groups and use of videotaped
playback.
Students
Number of Students in year ending
Spring, 2001: information not available as of 24
June 2001
Number of Students since inception:
information not available as of 24 June 2001
Number of certificates awarded
last year: information not available as of 24 June 2001
Number of certificates awarded
since inception: information not available as
of 24 June 2001
Trainers
Permanent teaching staff: 8
Sessional lecturers: 11
Per-diem average or average honorarium
per day (or per hour) for a contract trainer:
information not available as of 24
June 2001
Contacts
Mary Lou Schwartzentruber,
Certificate Program Manager,
Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies,
Conrad Grebel College, University of Waterloo
200 Westmount Rd. North
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G6
Email: certprog@uwaterloo.ca
Website: http://grebel.uwaterloo.ca/ipacs/cert1.htm
Phone: (519) 885-0220 ext. 254
7. Conflict Resolution Studies, Menno Simons College, University of Winnipeg
Summary
Conflict Resolution Studies seeks
to understand the nature and dynamics of human
conflict, and to look at appropriate alternatives
for dealing with conflict in ways that develop
healthy relationships and prevent violence. Conflicts
are analysed from an interdisciplinary perspective
together with topics such as violence, power,
justice, peace, communication, culture, war,
conflict transformation and dispute resolution.
CRS prepares students to understand and interact
constructively in response to personal, local,
and global conflict situations.
Our program offers a BA in Conflict
Resolution Studies involving 30 unique courses.
These courses are interdisciplinary and utilize
small-group, problem-based learning methods. The
key organizing principles for course progression
in CRS are theoretical and applied in nature. Courses
prepare students for theoretically informed "hands
on" conflict transformation work and research. These
emphases highlight the close relationship between
careful academic scrutiny of particular problems
and a firm grounding in experiences of people
living in community, whether in personal relationships,
organizational settings, civil society, or our
global culture.
Conflict Resolution Studies is
one of the two majors offered through Menno Simons
College (MSC), an affiliated college of The University of Winnipeg. There is flexibility in this program to
allow for double majors. All MSC students register
as University of Winnipeg students. All degrees are University of Winnipeg degrees.
There are two undergraduate degrees
offered:
Three-year B.A.: 90 credit hours
Four-year B.A.: 120 credit hours
Sample course description:
60/61.2443/3 CONFLICT AND DEVELOPMENT
ISSUES IN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
Within the broad frameworks of
international development and conflict resolution
studies, this course explores the dynamics of
indigenous people globally, with special reference
to the Canadian context. The course describes
key elements of indigenous cultures and world-views.
It will examine inter- and intra-group conflict
and conflict resolution processes involving indigenous
communities. Processes of marginalization and
underdevelopment will be presented in order to
understand the indigenous communities' social,
economic, and political situations. Strategies
for community development and conflict resolution
will be highlighted as means to achieve transformation.
Trainers
Per-diem average or average honorarium
per day (or per hour) for a contract trainer:
$3,000 CDN per 36 hour course (which averages
out to $583 for a seven-hour day).
Students
In year ending May, 2001: 508
Since inception: 2,375
Degrees conferred in year ending
May, 2001: 50
Degrees conferred since inception:
230
Part-Time:: 800 full-course equivalents
Contacts
Paul Redekop,
Co-ordinator and Assistant Professor
Menno Simons College
300 Spence St., 3rd Floor
Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9
Canada
Phone: (204) 786-9102 (Paul Redekop)
Fax: (204) 783-3699 (Sherry Peters)
Email: paul.redekop@io.uwinnipeg.ca
Website: http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~msc/crsprog.htm
8. Peace and Conflict Studies
Division, Royal Roads University
Summary
Royal Roads University is located 10 km from downtown Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
It was created in 1995 after Royal Roads Military College was closed. RRU offers three programs in
conflict analysis and management from their Peace
and Conflict Studies Department:
an M.A. program, in Conflict
Analysis and Management - 32 credits (Cost: $16,000
for two years for Canadians; $24,000 for international
students)
a graduate diploma program -
16 credits (Cost: $8,500 for Canadian learners
and $13,000 for international students)
a certificate program - 6 credits
(Cost $4,500 for two semesters)
Courses
The Certificate Program requires
completion of the following:
CAM 500 Introduction to Conflict
Analysis and Management (offered during 3 weeks
in residence, during which you also can take CAM 520 - Applied
Theory)
This course provides an introduction
to conflict analysis and management including
the most commonly used concepts, terms, models,
and practices in the field. Topics include the
types, sources, processes, and consequences of
conflict at the group, organizational, inter-group,
and international levels, as well as the various
methods for managing and resolving conflict.
CAM 530 Designing Dispute Management
Systems for Multicultural Environments (offered
as distance education)
This course is comprised of the
theory and practice of designing effective dispute
resolution systems for different kinds of conflicts
and organizational settings, especially in multicultural
environments. The course first examines the basic
principles and elements of dispute resolution
policy and processes, with emphasis on alternative
dispute resolution techniques and various combinations
of arbitration, conciliation, and mediation.
This is followed by a study of the ways in which
culture, especially ethnicity, contributes to
the origins, expression, dynamics, management,
and resolution of conflict. The course concludes
by examining how recognition of, and respect
for, cultural differences can be incorporated
into the design and operation of conflict management
systems.
Skills-based Certificate or Diploma
from a recognised post secondary institution
such as the Justice Institute of British Columbia.
Cost: $4,500 CDN
M.A. in Conflict Analysis and
Management
Length: 32 credits over two residence
semesters and two distance semesters, chosen
from the following: (* = required course)
*CAM 500 (3 credits) Introduction to Conflict
Analysis and Management
*CAM 520 (3 credits) Applied Theory
CAM 510 (2 credits) Introduction to Law and
Its Relationship to Conflict Analysis
CAM 511 (2 credits) Legal Framework for International
Trade and Commercial Disputes
CAM 512 (2 credits) Legal Framework for Environmental
Conflict Management
*CAM 521 (2 credits) Practicum in Conflict Analysis
and Management Skills (student must arrange this)
*CAM 530 (3 credits) Designing Dispute Management
Systems for Multicultural Environments
*CAM 575 (3 credits) Methods for Conflict Research
and Analysis
*CAM 600 (3 credits) Issues in the Theory and
Practice of Conflict Analysis and Management
CAM 650 (5 credits) Analyzing and Managing
Conflict Involving Political, Ethnic and Security
Issues
CAM 661 (5 credits) International Trade and
Commercial Conflict Management
CAM 662 (5 credits) Environmental Conflict
Management Issues
CAM 670 (5 credits) Modern Peacekeeping Issues
CAM 690 (8 credits) M.A. Action-based Major
Research Project
Trainers
14 permanent faculty members
with either Ph.D. or M.A. degrees.
Per-diem average
or average honorarium per day (or per hour) for
a contract trainer:
Classified
Students
175 students since 1995.
Contacts
Dr. James Bayer
Dean, Peace & Conflict Studies
Division
Royal Roads University
2005 Sooke Road
Victoria, BC
V9B 5Y2
Phone: (250) 391-2654
Fax: (250) 391-2608
E-mail: rruconflict@royalroads.ca
Sandra Lewis, Senior Program
Associate
Our contacts
Linda Nelson, Program Associate
Sandra Lewis, Senior Program
Associate
Sylvia McMcMechan,
Professor, Peace and Conflict Studies Dept.
