
Hamburg / St. Paul September 2001
Nonviolent Peaceforce
Director: Mel Duncan
801 Front Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55103, U.S.A
(++1)-651-487-0800
mailto:info@nonviolentpeaceforce.org
5.2 Practice of intervention organisations
5.3 Goals, contents and organisation of trainings
5.4 Basic choices and recommendations
Appendix 1: Examples of different course programs
Appendix 2: Training Resources
Christine Schweitzer, Mareike Junge
Appendix 3: Training in Canada
Summary and Recommendations By the Author
The research was done by Peaceworkers as part of the research phase of Nonviolent Peaceforce with the support of USIP. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in the publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Nonviolent Peaceforce or the United States Institute of Peace..
The chapters of the study are:
1. Putting Nonviolent Peaceforce in the Picture Christine Schweitzer
2. Strategies,
Tactics and Activities in Intervention
Donna
Howard, Christine Schweitzer, Carl Stieren
3. Best Practices in Field Relationships Donna Howard, Corey Levine
4. Nonviolent Peaceforce Personnel Mareike Junge and Tim Wallis
5. Training and Preparation Christine Schweitzer, Carl Stieren, Mareike Junge
Training is a process by which one acquires new skills or further develops existing ones. In contrast to other, more academic types of learning, training describes "learning formats leading to changed behaviours in action situations" (George Lakey).[2]
There are many types of training with potential relevance to NP. There are conflict resolution trainings, mediation trainings of different sorts, trainings in nonviolent communication, training against prejudice and racist attitudes, training for empowerment, trainings for specific tasks like election monitoring, nonviolent actions trainings, trainings in dealing with direct violence and many more. For each of these categories of trainings there are trainings for trainers, sometimes rather loosely organised weeks, sometimes certified programs running over several years.
And as varied are the target groups for trainings: ranging from pre-school children to pupils, potentially violent youth, prison inmates to lawyers, social workers, teachers, police, soldiers and all the other professional groups one can imagine.
Training for volunteers/staff preparing to work in civilian missions of conflict transformation may include different elements. They could include a number of different training elements, including some sort of basic training, trainings related to the specific roles which people may be called upon to undertake (also called function-specific or task-specific training/preparation, and preparations for a specific deployment (also called mission-specific training).[3] This last type of training may be more focussed on relevant issues for that deployment, as well as including information on the sending organisation, country, conflict and often intensive language training.
In addition to these three kinds of pre-mission training, there can also be on-going trainings that may not be directly related to preparation for deployment but may be more aimed at developing and improving one's skills generally. There is also in many cases an on-going programme of trainings in the field, during deployment, in order to constantly improve and expand skills relevant to the deployment.
Generally, there are several approaches to training, and it is important to be aware of them when comparing goals, programs and contents of trainings. There is a big difference in approach between the nonviolence trainers, who focus more on personal development and inter-personal dynamics, and other approaches which focus more on skills, techniques or analysis of particular conflict situations.
Another major difference among nonviolence trainers is between Western and Gandhian styles. In a nutshell, the difference may be that the Gandhian style looks at the participants as whole beings who participate in the training with her/his whole personality, undergoing a longer-term transformation and in addition acquiring a variety of skills. Trainers and training institutions on the African and South American continent have developed yet other approaches, e.g. trying to refer to traditional ways of conflict resolution, or being inspired by the teachings of the Theology of the Oppressed. Generally, trainings in the Southern Hemisphere tend to concentrate more on empowerment of the oppressed. The issue of intervention, and of non-partisanship does usually not play a role.[4]
The Western style often is more skill-oriented, though training institutions vary very much in how much emphasis for example they lay on the philosophy of nonviolence, and/or on influencing personality traits etc. In the extreme, the Western thesis is that personal or social competences cannot be learned - a view taken e.g. by the development services in the German debate on training for Civil Peace Service[5], while the Gandhian is that everyone can change, no matter at what age she or he starts.[6]
As will be described more in detail in the next chapter, some organisations forego everything but specific mission-preparation.
Generally it seems that most nonviolent and other intervenors described in Chapter 2 of this study prepare their staff/volunteers with training courses between one and three weeks[7]. This is or has been the case for PBI, Witness for Peace, Michigan Peace Teams, and most of the Civil Peace Service Programs described in Chapter 2 of this research, as well as the larger scale training programmes now preparing civilians for deployment with the OSCE and the UN. There are a few organisations that at least in the past have offered almost no training or preparation (for example OSCE[8] in the past or PBI at the very beginning).
The only exception I have encountered of organisations providing longer preparation for their own staff are some development services that prepare their personnel for a duration of up to almost one year[9], including intensive language studies. These preparations often are tailored to the individual needs of each participant.
The other trainings that are longer then 3 weeks (apart from the more academic trainings run by various universities, etc) are provided by organisations that have specialised on training, accepting individual participants from different projects. Project organisations may either send their staff to such courses (as in the model of the German CPS), or recruit their volunteers/staff from the participants of the courses.[10] To mention just a few of them in Europe: Responding to Conflict in Woodbrooke with 3 month courses once a year that take place since 1991, "Working Group Qualification for Civil Conflict Resolution/Civil Peace Service" in Germany with 4-5 month courses that take place twice a year since 1997, International Peacekeeping Courses in Stadtschlaining/Austria of 2 plus 2 weeks (2 weeks basic, 2 weeks specialisation) organised three times a year since 1993.
In the
In North America longer-term trainings are offered mainly by colleges/universities like Eastern Mennonite University, the Canadian Lester B. Pearson Peacekeeping Institute; there are fewer free-lance training institutions than in Europe (: (George Lakey's institute in Philadelphia being one).
A very few organisations have placed at least part of their training in the country, as the very beginning of the work. Witness for Peace is one of them: They organised a training in the home country, and then a 3-week training in the country where the volunteers visited places, liased with families and checked in daily with the trainers.[12]
Sometimes, mission-specific training (preparation) is separated from general training, while other organisations (e.g. the smaller peace teams) tend to lump the two together. If there is special preparation, it usually includes information on country, culture and conflict, sometimes language training. Some organisations and missions (e.g. EMPSA/South Africa) have organised the preparation in the field, while others prefer to do it before departure to the field (German development services).
Some organisations combine assessment with training, for example Peace Brigades International. At the end of their trainings, there is a self-evaluation of the participants as well as an evaluation by the trainers, ending up in a recommendation to the applicants if they should become volunteers with PBI or not. Balkan Peace Team has experimented with the same form but gave it up after two years because it seemed to BPT that the knowledge of being assessed weighed too heavily on the participants, and prevented them from being open to learn.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies[13] have introduced one-week (5-6 days) Basic Training Courses that since 1993 are organised by all National Red Cross Societies. These courses are intended to introduce new staff to the Red Cross/Red Crescent organisation, and to prepare them for fulfilling their role as delegates in the field. The courses serve also to evaluate the participants, and to come to recommendations about possible future positions. Before eventual departure to the field, the new staff members undergo additional preparation at the ICRC headquarters in Geneva. [14]
The OSCE has recently begun to
get interested in training for their civilian
personnel. Because it had enormous problems finding
a sufficient number of civilian verifiers at
short notice for the Kosovo Verification Mission
(see Chapter 2.4), the REACT (Rapid Expert Assistance
and Co-operation Teams) program has been started
in 2000/2001. REACT establishes a matrix of personnel
requirements, unified recruitment procedures,
and pre-mission training standards. Some countries
have started to organise courses for future OSCE
personnel, e.g. the German Foreign Ministry developed
a 2-week training, and institutions in
Regarding military peacekeeping,
there is a big difference between the sending
countries whether and how much special training
soldiers receive for peacekeeping missions. If
there is training, it is usually one or two weeks,
organised on a national basis, although some
of the trainings are open to participants from
other countries. Some countries have established
training institutions specialising in peacekeeping,
for example the Lester B. Pearson Peacekeeping
Institute in Canada, the School for Peacekeeping
Missions at the Netherlands Manoeuvre Training
Centre, the Cairo Center for Training on Conflict
Resolution and Peacekeeping in Africa, and the
Peace Training Centre in Turkey. In other countries,
military academies or comparable institutions
take care of this training, e.g. the US School
of the
Mission preparation has been a special problem for those organisations that do not train their own participants but send their people to training institutions (like IPT/Stadtschlaining, German CPS etc.). These training institutions usually are unable to provide mission oriented preparation because they have in each course people training for different missions. Truger (1995) already stresses the importance of that preparation but IPT had not seen itself as the place to set up such preparation.[16] The International Trainings of the German Kurve Wustrow have a few times given the possibility to projects like BPT of attaching 2-3 special days to the general training. German CPS had originally expected the sending organisations to organise two weeks of mission preparation after the end of the course, but this has not been realised so far.
Information on approach and field policies of the sending organisation may either be included in the training - usually if it is a training set up by one sending organisation for its own staff, or in the preparation - especially if the staff attended trainings open to future participants in different missions.
To summarise, there are basically the following different options available for organisations sending personnel to conflict intervention missions:
They may organise a training
of their own (examples: Peace Brigades International,
Witness for Peace, Austrian Peace Services)
Given the rather small number of volunteers needed
each year, it usually means that there are only one
or two trainings per year, and that again means that
there are longer waiting periods for applicants until
they can attend and complete their training. But the
sending organisations can fix the dates to meet their
needs.
They may send their personnel
to trainings offered by training institutions
(examples: German Civil Peace Service, UN and
OSCE, sending their personnel to institutions
like Stadschlaining,
Swiss Peace Foundation or Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in
Pisa, Italy, as well as NGOs sending their personnel
to institutions like Responding to Conflict/England
or Kurve Wustrow/Germany)
In that case the sending organisations do not have
to invest time and energy into the courses, but
on the other hand are dependent on the dates of
the courses which they cannot influence. In the
German CPS there are a few examples of organisations
which decided not to send an applicant to the course
rather than wait for several months for the course
to start.
The training institutions, on the other hand, have
the problem of finding enough participants for
their courses, especially the longer-term courses.
The 4-month German CPS course has never managed
to fill its courses, and a comparable middle-term
program organised by an Ecumenical organisation
has been reduced in favour of part-time courses
people can attend while working in their normal
profession. Responding to Conflict allows for participation
of only part of the program at one time. As mentioned
above, also the projects in
Kurve Wustrow once
tried as an experiment combining the training
for three peace team organisations in a European
Volunteer Training: In January 1996 volunteers
from Peace Brigades International interested
in going to
They may organise a preparation tailored to fill the gaps each individual staff person newly hired still has (example: German development services).
They may hire only staff who are sufficiently qualified, e.g. by having attended courses of training institutions at their own expense. (This has been at least in the past the policy of OSCE and often also UNV).
Besides trainings and preparations, there may be five other related kinds of events (see also Chapter 6, Personnel):
Orientation weekends like PBI runs , and which may already serve to pre-select applicants besides informing potential volunteers about the work of the organisation.
Assessments that sometimes combine some training elements with their basic objective of choosing future volunteers (e.g. Balkan Peace Team)[17]
Specialisation courses, e.g. in election monitoring or in mediation that people might attend before going to the field, or after having been to the field for some time already.
Reflection, perhaps combined
with further training during the mission.
When BPT had more then one team in the field, the
teams used to meet twice a year to discuss and
compare their experience, and sometimes an external
trainer was present to work with the team.
The majority of the personnel sent out under the
German CPS scheme meets once a year at something
called Practice Reflection Seminar, a meeting that
is led by two trainers of the 4-month course plus
one or two externals.
Also the evaluation of the International Training
of the Kurve Wustrow emphasised
the use training has for participants with long-term
practical experience. Kübler states: "There
is a big need for this kind of follow up training
for people already working."[18]
Debriefing meetings after the
end of the deployment
While most organisations emphasise the importance
of such debriefings, it seems that in reality it
is often handled in a rather informal way - a meeting
with a rep of the organisation (BPT) or a visit
in the office. Only some volunteer and development
services seem to set up regular debriefing weekends.[19]
In the ideal case, there is training accompanying a volunteer from the time of her/his application to the end of her/his work for the organisation.
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[21], 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[23].
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
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 |
CPS Course |
Kurve Wustrow; International Training (1998) |
Witness for Peace |
ICRC Basic Training Course |
|
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 |
|||
|
Provide participants and National Society with the opportunity to reassess their suitability as RC/RC delegates |
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
The Federation for Social Defence
(
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[32]:
|
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.[34]
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.
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.
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
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
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:[42]
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)[43]
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
"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[50]:
" 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)[52] process.
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.[54]
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[60]
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.
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
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.)
"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]
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.
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.[72]
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[75]
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
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]
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.
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[79]
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[80]:
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,
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[82] 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
Address: www-gewi.kfunigraz.ac.at/csbsc/
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.
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
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
Costs: DEM 1.200
Address:Kirchstrasse 14
D-29462 Wustrow,
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
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,
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
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 (
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,
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,
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,
+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-
Tel. ++34-4-625 35 58
Fax ++34-4-625-67 65
gernikag@sarenet.es
b) North America[89]
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
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.
e) Asia[90]
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
pating@fc.emc.arm.ph
Neve Shalom/ Wahat al-Salam
Shimshon 99761
pr@nswas.com
f) Africa[91]
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,
npi@africaonline.co.ke
Amani Peoples' Theatre
Conflict transformation and peacebuilding training
with grassroots and middle level communites
PO Box 13909
Nairobi,
apt@maf.org
ACCORD (The
African Centre for the Constructive Resolution
of Disputes)
Pvt Bag X018
Umhlanga Rocks 4320
www.accord.org
g)
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
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
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
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,
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/
Kurve Wustrow,
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
Nonviolence in its Gandhian meaning
Institute for Total Revolution,
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,
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,
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
Lester B. Pearson Peacekeeping Training Centre
Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution
Canadian International Institute for Applied Negotiation
Nonviolent Peaceforce -
Peace Brigades International
-
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
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
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
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
*[92]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[93]:
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
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
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,
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
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
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[94]:
Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution Program and programs in general:
Flaurie Storie, Executive
Director,
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
Tel: (613) 237-9050
Fax: (613) 238-3340
Email: conciian@magma.ca
Website: http://www.canadr.com/main.html
4. Nonviolent Peaceforce -
Summary
Nonviolent Peaceforce -
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,
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 -
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
-
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
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,
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
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
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[95]:
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,
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)
A two-week training for potential
volunteers for the
Contacts
Rob Thompson, Rubén Vicente or Amanda Montgomery
Peace Brigades International
-
427 Bloor Street W. #201
Toronto, ON, M5S 1X7
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
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,
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.
[1]. The research was done by Peaceworkers as part of the research phase of Nonviolent Peaceforce with the support of USIP. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in the publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Institute of Peace.
I have to give special thanks to Tim Wallis who went over a draft of this chapter and made a large number of additions, corrections and comments (of which I did not all include here), as well as to Hagen Berndt, Jill Sternberg and Stella Tamang who were willing to give an interview to me in the middle of a two-week training at the Kurve Wustrow they were just giving, and to Arno Truger and Elise Boulding who commented on the finished text. The responsibility for the contents of this chapter is of course mine alone.
[2] George Lakey, "Why training for nonviolent action?", print from the International Journal of Nonviolence, VOl II, No 1 (without date). Similarily it could be read in a leaflet from PBI and Kurve Wustrow: "A training is different from a seminar. Its focus is on becoming conscious of values underlying our actions, and transforming them into actual behavour. It can be emotionally stressful." (Leaflet for European Volunteer Training January 4-17, 1996)
[3] See Truger 2001:36
[4] Stella Tamang in interview; Kübler 1999. This also explains the lack of training institutions specialised on preparing personnel for civilian missions outside Europe and North America.
[5] Georg Sticker 1998 and 2000. (AGEH). He lists a profile of a CPS expert going to work in Brazil with the landless movement there, saying that knowledge about country, conflict , institutions and office communications can be taught and learned in full; organisaitonal competences, language, journalist skills, behaviour in violent situiations, knowledge of development policy in general and practicil skills can only partly be taught, and personal/social competences (ability to live in an isolated area, stability, ability to tolerate closeness, being a person exercising restraint, and team abilities cannot be taught but at maximum supported. See also Tempel 2000:226
[6] Desai (1965:4) defines four objectives for training in non-violence: 1. To enable participants to reach a deeper understanding of non-violence; 2. To equip them with skill for individual or mass action; 3. To train them for democratic leadership in conflict resolution through non-violence; 4. To help them develop attitudes leading towards non-violence.
[7] ZFD, BVTN and Global Peace Service all proposed originally training courses of one year, but subsequently scaled these down to a few weeks or months.
[8] The
OSCE (www.osce.org) as an organisation offers some mission
preparation at their headquarters in Vienna. Participation
is open to those who have already been accepted
for an OSCE mission. The courses last two days
and are free of charge. In addition, in some countries,
governments recently have started to fund and/or organise courses for civilian OSCE
(or UN) personnel that is either concretely preparing
for a mission, or added to a roster:
[9] DED
(German Development Service): 8 months, including
one part of preparation in the host country (Würtele 1998);
EIRENE: 3 months including 2 weeks preparation
for deployment organised by EIRENE itself; World
Peace Service: 3 months, AGEH: average of 5 months,
Services Oversees: 3 weeks preparation for departure
and additional qualifications as needed. (Berndt
1998). In
[10] The difference between the two approaches usually being the issue of who is paying for the course - the sending organisation or the participant.
[11] Information
from Bart Horeman (e-mail
16.7.01) on BVTN, own knowledge of the author on
the German courses, verbal information from MAN
representatives of the situation in
[12] Schirch 1995:80; I do not know if this is still current practice.
[13] Having more than 170 National Societies, see Wouters 2001:43.
[14] Wouters 2001.
[15] See Peacekeeping Training Courses Database, set up by the UN Peacekeeping Department. (www.un.org/dpko/training/)
[16] Verbal information by Arno Truger
[17] Balkan Peace Team has been one of the organisations holding extra assessment weeks separate from (consequent) training. These weeks combined the introduction to BPT and its work with some training elements (working in a team, conflict resolution, report writing, a day-long simulation role game) and with an assessment at the end of the participants. The general evaluation of these assessments has been positive both from the side of the participants and of the organisation. (See for example "Report on BPT Assessment, September 22-26, 1997, in Amersfoort/NL")
[18] Kübler 1999:9
[19] And
some UN Member States organise debriefings
for their UN soldiers, e.g.
[20] A survey done by the German AGDF (The German umbrella of mostly protestant peace services and training institutions, see chapter 2 (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Dienste für den Frieden) among sending organisations resulted in a list of qualifications expected from 'peace experts' in the field:
Capacity to recognise conflicts and analyse them;
Understanding of theoretical models of conflict dynamics and the ability to leave them behind you in a concrete situation;
Capacity to determine and question one's own role;
Capacity to choose appropriate methods of nonviolent intervention and apply them;
Sufficient knowledge of language, local situation and culture to use these instruments efficiently;
Knowledge of relevant structures of international organisations, regional networks and important local partners;
Developing empathy with other people;
High degree of ability to communicate, diplomatic skills;
Intercultural competences;
Team work capacities;
Pedagogical skills;
Skills to develop and evaluate concepts and strategies for one's own work;
Self-organisation, dealing with/avoiding burn-out;
Sufficient knowledge of administration, office and project management, fund-raising;
Having the necessary technical know-how;
Knowledge of the sending organisations (history, structure), adequate dealing with those structures.
In addition it is also necessary to deal in the trainings with one's own motivation and attitudes.
Berndt 1998. The survey
was done in 1997, and included the most relevant
sending organisations in
[21] Südmersen 1998
[22] Unfortunately, many organisations seem not to have bothered to formulate detailed goals, or otherwise I have been unable to locate them. So neither Peace Brigades International, nor Responding to Conflict could be included in this comparison.
[23] Desai 1965:4
[24] Witness for Peace Training Manual, Third Edition, November 1986
[25] Curriculum 'Training for Conflict Transformation/Civil Peace Service' (2000), authors: Hagen Berndt/Konrad Tempel.
[26] Kübler 1999:5.
[27] Wouters 2001.
[28] But remember that the participants usually go to very different countries.
[29] Empowerment for Peace Service. A Curriculum for Education and Training in Violence Prevention, Nonviolent Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding, ed. Christian Council of Churches, Stockholm (1996).
[30] Training for nonviolent conflict transformation. Two Curricula, ForumZFD/Bund für soziale Verteidigung, Bonn/Minden 2000.
[31] "Themen und Inhalte Kurs AG" 2000 b", concept paper.
[32] Graphic stems from the Curriculum 'Training for Conflict Transformation/Civl Peace Service' (2000), authors: Hagen Berndt/Konrad Tempel (a.a.O.); the numbers of weeks are as practiced today (autumn 2001). In comparison to 2000, the length of the deepening phase has been prolonged, and the basic training shortened. (Before it had been 7 weeks 'basic' to 2 weeks 'deepening'.)
[33] The Kurve Wustrow has experimented with that method. But participants usually had problems choosing because they did not know what the topics were about, nor know what they needed. The evaluator therefore recommends not tohave a very open planning process at the beginning. (Kübler 1999:10-11)
[34] The German CPS course has after two years in a house where participants were served all meals decided to go to a 'simpler' house in order to provide this aspect.
[35] Sources: Schirch 1995:82 pp; the training programs quoted in the appendix.
[36] And in the IPT course in Stadtschlaining.
[37] See Truger 2001:41.
[38] Kübler 1999:4, 13 . Role plays are usually well received by participants, and are one of the elements participants tend to remember later.
[39] This was, and in some places still is, different in the case of nonviolent action trainings given by trainers understanding themselves as peers to the activists.
[40] As mentioned in 7.2, there are also many courses, like RTC, IPT, etc, people PAY to go on. This is the difference between 'hiring' someone who is expected to already have certain skills (and therefore must do their own training) or 'hiring' them as they are and then training them yourself.
[41] See Kübler 1999:10.
The Kurve Wustrow more
then once saw itself faced with both participants
and trainers not getting a visa on time to come
to
[42] Berndt 1998; Wagner 2000; Kübler 1999:9; the line about references I have added (CS).
[43] Kübler 1999:9.
[44] Kübler 1999:4-5.
[45] "European Volunteer Training, Wustrow, 4-17 January, 1996, Report on Participant Evaluation of Training"
[46] See Summary of the 'Questionnaire for participants of BPT trainings', 1996; Zellentin/Fischer 1998 on the CPS 4-month course.
[47] This is definitely the case with PBI, which used to be entirely about nonviolence and now is almost entirely about the conflict in the country, team-building, etc. It also plays no part in the trainings of IPT, Pisa, OSCE training, Red Cross, development agencies, RedR (trainings for humanitarian relief workers), mediation training, prejudice reduction training, training of monitors, most conflict resolution trainings etc. (Remark by Tim Wallis).
[48] Kübler 1999:14-15.
[49] Ewald/Thörn 1994:30. See chapter 2.4 for information on these projects.
[50] It also states: "All active members will be compensated. A provision for college scholarships and contributions to retirement funds will also be developed. Highly visible participants such as Nobel Peace Prize laureates, religious leaders and former government leaders will also be recruited for specific situations."
[51] It has been unclear to me what is meant by 'military training models'. Since the recommendations on strategy and activity all point in the direction of work in smaller teams rather than 'massive troop deployment' because the wars of today are characterised by a lack of clear front-lines that can be monitored by 'massive troops', I think the idea of training a 'nonviolent army' can safely be discarded. What remains.the training of a large number of civilian personnel, is dealt with in the recommendations following below.
[52] See Appendix III to Chapter 6, Personnel.
[53] This assumes all NP deployments will be in teams. But also in cases of individual deployment, the ability to function within a broader structure/bureaucracy of NP would make training in a team very useful.
[54] Tempel 2000:231; Truger 2001:36.
[55] Hagen
Berndt/Jill Sternberg confirmed this view in interview
when they emphasied the
need for nonviolent interveners to be flexible
and able to adapt quickly to new situations. In
their eyes, it was one of the reasons for the failure
of PBI volunteers being transferred from Latin
America to
[56] Reason given by one PBI trainer to the author when Balkan Peace Team discussed the issue in 1995/96; Berndt in interview.
[57] Interview Sternberg/Berndt.
[58] Junge/Wallis propose assessment week-ends. In my eyes, the length should be discussed further - in BPT's experience four to five days was the ideal time because it took a few days to get a really good impression of people. (It is easier to bluff your way through two days then through five.) (Interview Berndt/Sternberg).
[59] Proposal at the Research Review Seminar of NP in July 2001 in St. Paul.
[60] This would be the equivalent of what Junge/Wallis call "boot training" or "boot camp".
[61] I propose this only for the 'short' version because it is highly unlikely that existing institutions would be able to handle additional 2-month courses, perhaps several of them per year.
[62] Recommendation
by Elise Boulding (in
her "Commentary on Chapter 7, received July
2001), and also a preferred approach at the Research
Review Seminar organised by
NP end of July 2001. An alternative might be the
foundation of one central training institution
somewhere (e.g.
[63] Speaking a common language means of course domination by those whose native language that common language is, be it English, French and Spanish, and would strengthen the tendencies of globalisation that some people in NP might find problematic. On the other hand, the experience of UN missions has shown clearly the need for a common language.
[64] The
calculation is based on usual salaries and costs
for venues in
[65] : International participants in Kurve Wustrow cannot afford more than 2-3 weeks according to the experience of this training institution. See Berndt 2000:277
[66] Truger 2001:38.
[67] See Schirch 1995:80. THis was also the experience made in BPT, and in EMPSA (Ewald/Thörn 1994:30).
[68] Michael Valliant, "Training Research Report", submitted to the Research team meeting 17.-18.1.2001 in St. Paul.
[69] Tim Wallis argues against this saying: " Why should NP be paying people to learn Spanish or French, for instance?"
[70] Sources: Schirch 1995:82 pp; the training programs quoted in the appendix.
[71] Besides the different sources and curricula quoted above, I have used the result of a study Christoph Dieringer did recently on competences of development workers (Dieringer 2001:29 pp)
[72] This and the paragraph before have been added by Tim Wallis.
[73] I exclude here tasks that require a special professional background like medical or psychological training, for example. The specialisations referred to here are such that can be learned within a short time frame. This goes also for the qualification to work as a trainer.
[74] This is an area where many organisations in Europe and North America offer trainings in today WHO??. Special experience might also be found in groups like London' 'Guardian Angels' (see Appendix).
[75] This point is an addition by me; I have not found it in any of the training programs surveyed.
[76] Verbal information by Arno Truger: The military usually calculates with three times the number necessary.
[77] Idea proposed at the Research Review Seminar of NP at St Paul in July 2001.
[78] The research was done by Peaceworkers as part of the research phase of Nonviolent Peaceforce with the support of USIP. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in the publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Institute of Peace.
[79] Leaflet "Mission preparation training for the OSCE", 14.-27. October 2000
[80] Program of the course 22.-31.Mai 2000
[81] "Intercultural Conflict Resolution Training".
[82] VENRO = Verband Entwicklungspolitik Deutscher Nichtregierungsorganissationen (Association of German Development NGOs). The directory is called: "Offene Qualifizierungsangebote von Organisaitonen im Bereich humanitäre Hilfe". Address: VENRO, Kaiserstr. 102, D-53113 Bonn, Germany, e-mail: sekretariat@venro.org, website: www.venro.org
[83] "Zivile, gewaltfreie Konfliktbearbeitung. Qualifzierungsprogramme in der AGDF. Übersicht der Aus- und Fortbildungen im deutschsprachichen Raum, 2001
[84] Voß ?1998
[85] Truger 1995; leaflets and internet information on IPT courses
[86] IPT Program 2001/2002
[87] Leaflet "Mission preparation training for the OSCE", 14.-27. October 2000
[88] "Interventions civiles non-violentes. Formation des volontaires. Projet (15 octobre 1998)".
[89] For further information, the following persons should be contacted: George Lakey, George Willoughby.
[90] Other organisations mentioned
in the interview with Stella Tamang and
Hagen Berndt were: Tamil Nadu Theological
Seminary, THREAD, Gandhian University,
the FOR branch on
[91] There
is an elaborate list of contacts in
[92] Asterisks: Higher than average enrollment by civilians in these courses
[93] website, June 8, 2001
[94] from website, June 8, 2001
[95] Before being accepted, all candidates must complete an application form, present letters of reference, take part in a telephone interview, and participate in a 10-day training session (from website - dates indicate an 11- or 12-day training session)