Center for Nonviolent Solutions

Creating a Culture of Peace (CCP) is a nationwide program for community-based cepeacemaking. The innovative design of CCP provides a holistic and practical foundation in spiritually-grounded active nonviolence. Participants come to recognize their own power for making personal and social changes without violence and improve their skills for respectful engagement with opponents, instead of confrontation that polarizes and demonizes. Click here for a listing of their trainings in 2011. See the CCP brochure.

THE WAY OF NONVIOLENCE:
A Recognition Luncheon Honoring William P. Densmore
Saturday, October 22, 2011, 12:00 noon, Tilton Hall, Clark University, Worcester, MA
Guest Speaker: Congressman James P. McGovern
The Center for Nonviolent Solutions is honoring one of it's founders, Bill Densmore, long-time community activist, at a luncheon fundraiser. Also featured will be the Premier Showing of "If We Don't Teach Peace," a film by Kyle Forbes Bissell.
Cost: $30 per person. For reservations, contact the Center for Nonviolent Solutions, Phone 774-641-1566. Email: inquiry@nonviolentsolution.org

SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES: THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF RECONCILIATION
All Saints Church, 10 Irving Street, Worcester, MA
Co-sponsored by the Kairos Center and All Saints Church to commemorate the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001.
Friday September 9, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. “Beyond Belief” (a film by Beth Murphy about 9.11 widows who responded to their loss by developing bonds with Afghan widows)
Tuesday September 13, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. “Beyond Retribution” (a film about those who lost family members as a result of 9.11, the Oklahoma City bombing and the war in Iraq.)
Thursday September 15, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. “Becoming Agents of Reconciliation”
(Noelle Dattilo leads this evening’s program on conflict, reconciliation and transformation.)This three part series invites us to hear stories of transformation by people who have experienced great violence in their lives, and yet chose to respond not with more hate and violence, but with forgiveness.

Mass Remembers—Voices of Hope
Sunday, September 11, 2011, 2 p.m. Institute Park off Salisbury Street, Worcester, Massachusetts. Communities of faith across the interfaith spectrum, along with the wider community are invited to participate in Mass Remembers—Voices of Hope, a statewide commemorative event honoring those who lost their lives, sacrificed and responded to the tragedy of September 11, 2001. This fall will mark the tenth anniversary of this devastating tragedy in our nation’s history. Professional, religious, community and children’s choruses from across the Commonwealth will join together in song. Through the solace and transformation of music sung collectively, we will demonstrate the power of community and renew our dedication to a nation that is committed to freedom and justice for all.

BUILDING A NONVIOLENT WORLD, Agape’s Annual Francis Day
Sat. October 1st, 2011, 10 am-4pm
With Renana Gal, Israeli conscientious objector; Alexander Levering Kern, Executive Director, Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries; Raymond G. Helmick SJ, Dept. of Theology, Boston College; Elvis Valdez and the Sal y Luz Community from Manhattan; Brad Landry, social worker and lay-contemplative; Erica Moulinier, The Simple Way community of Philadelphia, Steve and Nancy and Micah James, Baptist Missionaries in Haiti
For more information, Contact: Agape Community, 2062 Greenwich Rd. Ware, MA. 01082 peace@agapecommunity.org

Vigil for Nuclear Disarmament
Saturday, August 6, 11:00- Noon
In front of Worcester's City Hall
The SS. Francis and Therese Catholic Worker is sponsoring a Vigil for Nuclear Disarmament on the 66th anniversary of the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For more information, please call 508 753-3588 or email: therescw@aol.com

Building a Safer Future, 2nd Annual Peace Festival
Thursday, August 11, 2011, 12:00 noon to 8:00 PM
YMCA Fuller Family Park, Murray Avenue, Worcester, MA
Sponsored by the YMCA of Central Massachusetts, Men's Health and Family Services.
The event will feature local live entertainment, community speakers, local artist displays and fun family-friendly educational community activities for all. "Promoting peace of mind, a peaceful home and neighborhood, and being at peace with health and well-being."

Living an Integrated Life of Nonviolence and Sustainability
Thursday and Friday, July 14-15, 2011, 2:00- 4:15 p.m.
Workshop Presenters: Suzanne and Brayton Shanley
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, 9 Lake St., Brighton Campus
Free of charge.
This workshop will develop the theology, theory, and practice of a life that integrates the Gospel of nonviolence, contemplative prayer, simplicity, and environmentally sustainable living, drawing inspiration from the works of Dorothy Day, Mahatma Gandhi, Thomas Berry, Wendell Berry, Thomas Merton, and the poetry of Denise Levertov. The goal is to establish a model for a meaningful Christian way of life for laity in the 21st century. Sessions build on each other, so it is recommended that participants come to both sessions (though one session is permitted). Please register.

Fund Our Communities, Not War!
A Massachusetts Statewide Meeting for Peace and Justice organizers to forge unity
Saturday, June 11, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Worcester Friends Meeting, 901 Pleasant Street, Worcester

War, Morality, Nonviolence: A Conference in Honor of Robert L. Holmes
Friday, April 8, 2011, 4 PM, Prof. Holmes’ keynote address, Toward a Nonviolent American Revolution,
Holy Cross College, One College Street, Worcester, MA

Robert L. Homes has taught at the University of Rochester since 1962, specializing in the philosophy of war, the ethics of nonviolence, and contemporary moral proablems. The Conference is sponsored by the Philosophy Department and Peace and Conflict Studies at Holy Cross College, and the Center for Nonviolent Solutions.

"Scarred Lands & Wounded Lives, The Environmental Footprint of War
Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 6:00 PM
Worcester Public Library, Salem Square, Worcester MA
Free and open to the public

“The Real Costs of War, ” Paul Ropp
Sunday, April 17, 12:00 noon, First Unitarian Church, 90 Main St., Worcester, MAWhy are wars so ever-present and so glorified in the modern world? What have been the causes and consequences of war in the 20th century? What is the relationship between imperialism, nationalism, genocide and war in the past century? By analyzing the history and nature of modern wars from the US Civil War through the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Professor Ropp examines the causes, consequences and costs of modern warfare.

A Land Twice Promised
Thursday, March 31st: 7:30 pm
Little Center, Clark University, 950 Main Street, Worcester
Storyteller Noa Baum, an Israeli who began a heartfelt dialogue with a Palestinian woman while living in the United States, weaves together their memories and their mothers' stories. She creates a moving testimony illuminating the complex and contradictory history and emotions that surround Jerusalem for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Free and open to the public. For adults and ages 12 and up.

In addition to the Thursday performance, Noa will lead a workshop, "Risking Peace: Storytelling to Foster Dialogue," on Friday, April 1 (3-6 pm; Dana Commons Fishbowl). Noa describes the workshop as follows: "Peace can be a risk – asking us to make compromises and go beyond comfort zones. In this workshop participants are invited to learn a storytelling model to explore controversial, socially or politically charged topics and demonstrate that storytelling can be an effective peace-building tool. The challenge of not only listening to someone else but telling the story of “the other”, can deepen compassion and understanding for both the teller and listener. It is through the stories that we can break away and move beyond the slogans and political rhetoric to bring forth our common humanity and take the risk for peace."

The Friday workshop is limited to 35 participants. If you would like to participate, please contact Rebecca Moses (rmoses@clarku.edu), the Women's and Gender Studies Program assistant.

“Iraqi Student Project,” Fouad Ahmed and Kevin Kearney
Sunday, March 20, 12:00 noon, First Unitarian Church, 90 Main St., Worcester, MA
Fouad Ahmed, a young Iraqi refugee in his second year at Clark University, will tell of his journey from Baghdad to Damascus to Worcester. Fouad came to Clark thanks to the Iraqi Student Project, an organization dedicated to bringing Iraqi students to the US to pursue an education. Kevin Kearney, coordinator of the Worcester Iraqi Student Project support group will accompany him and explain the local work of the Iraqi Student Project support group.

Women: Essential for Sustainable Peace
Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 7:00-8:30 pm. Fischer Institute at Nichols College, Davis 205/207
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 of the role of women in peace and security. Speakers Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, UN Security Council President in 2000; Grace Akallo (author of Girl Soldier: A Story of Hope for Uganda’s Children) and Virginia Swain (20 years of leadership in the UN Community, http://www.peacewomen.org/news_article.php?id=198&type=event) Free and open to the public. http://www.nichols.edu/fischerinstitute.

Building a Culture of Peace: The Need of Our Times
Worcester Life Leadership Award Lunch with Ambassador Chowdhury
Thursday, March 24, 2011, 1-5 pm, Briarwood Continuing Care Retirement Center. Join Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury and Virginia Swain, Founder and Director, Institute for Global Leadership, for the reception and Ambassador Chowdhury’s address, Sponsored by Briarwood, the Institute for Global Leadership, Fischer Institute at Nichols College. RSVP by 2/28/11 to 508-245-6843. Ambassador Chowdhury was awarded the first Life Leadership Award in 2007 at the Beechwood Hotel, http://www.wccatv.com/node/13927; For more info, go to http://www.socialweb.net/Events/122161.lasso

Annual Meeting of Center for Nonviolent Solutions
Saturday, March 19, 2011, 9:30 - 11:30 M
Worcester Public Library, Saxe Room(main branch)
F eaturing keynote address by David Adams, one of the key architects of the global Culture of Peace campaign.
UN Culture of Peace David Adams

On behalf of UNESCO, Dr. Adams drafted the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, which has inspired countless educational and cultural activities by governments and civil society for a culture of peace.

CONGRATULATIONS to the Winners of the
First Annual Center for Nonviolent Solutions Awards:

Organization Award: Mosaic Cultural Complex, YMCA, Nate Pickens participates in the Peace Circles with young men in Worcester.

Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) and Worcester Immigrants Coalition will have a community meeting, Saturday, February 26, 2011, 2 pm, Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square
MIRA Coalition is collaborating with Worcester Immigrants Coalition to support immigrants and refugee rights in the Central Mass region and in the State. One of the issues of most concern is "Secure Communities". The Office of Gov. Patrick has announced that they will be holding a community hearing to listen to the concerns and people stories about how this program will affect negatively our communities.

"Local Violence and the Need for Nonviolent Solutions," Bill Densmore
Sun., February 20, 12:00 noon, First Unitarian Church, 90 Main St., Worcester, MA
Bill Densmore will speak about the problem of violence in the Worcester community, the sources of violent conflict, and the many programs in Worcester that address problems of violence, in the home, in schools, and in neighborhoods. He will also outline the ways the Center for Nonviolent Solutions is working to address these problems.

As part of our Just Communities/Comunidades Justas campaign
Centro Presente invites you to a Public Event to deliver more than a thousand postcards URGING the Patrick administration to not enter Massachusetts into the "Secure Communities" Program.
Monday February, 14th at 11 a.m , Grand Staircase, Massachusetts State House, Boston.
Recognizing that the Secure Communities Program is only one component of a larger problem with the U.S. Government's current "Enforcement Only" response to immigration in this country, the Just Communities/Comunidades Justas Campaign seeks to not only educate and mobilize people against this program, but also to organize our members in order to more effectively engage our elected officials and the public in a discussion about proactive and respectful responses to our broken immigration system.
Supporters: ACLU of Massachusetts, AFSC Project VOICE, Agencia ALPHA, Boston May Day Committee, Boston New Sanctuary Movement, Brazilian Immigrant Center, Brazilian Women's Group, Cambridge United for Justice with Peace, Center for Nonviolent Solutions, Centro Presente, Chelsea Collaborative, Dominican Development Center, Immigration Task Force of First Parish in Cambridge, Jobs With Justice - MA, Justice at Work, La Comunidad, Matahari - Eye of the Day, Neighbors United for a Better East Boston (NUBE), The Network/La Red, Proyecto Hondureño, Student Immigrant Movement, The Welcome Project, and United for a Fair Economy.

The Centrality of Compassion in Human Life and Society”,
a screening of a talk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 7 pm, in Dana Commons, Clark University
Difficult Dialogues at Clark University is sponsoring a series of talks on Compassion. His Holiness gave this talk at Stanford University for a conference on Compassion, Science and Society. The screening will be repeated at 9 pm. Join the “conversation café” to discuss the talk between the screenings.

Establishing the Charter for Compassion, a talk by world-renowned theologian and scholar of religion, Karen Armstrong
Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 12:00 noon in Dana Commons on the Clark campus
Difficult Dialogues, is sponsoring a series of talks on compassion. Ms Armstrong launched a worldwide initiative to highlight the importance of compassion. (www.charterforcompassion.org).

“Interpreting for Social Justice,” with Roberto Tijerina
January 29 & 30, 2011, 9am-6pm at Central Mass AHEC, 35 Harvard St., Suite 300, Worcester, MA
This workshop will provide practical tools for developing and improving simultaneous and consecutive interpretation skills, explore the social, political and ethical dimensions of language access and explore how we can include this work in social movements.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Breakfast, Saturday, January 15, 2011, 8:30 AM
Worcester State University Gymnasium. For more information contact Marcella or Karen at 508-929-8049

A Celebration of the Life and Dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by OurStory Productions, Saturday, January 15, 2011, 1:00 PM, Worcester Public Library. Fun for the whole family with birthday cake and the film, "Our Friend Martin."

26th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast.
Monday, January 17, 2011, 8:00 AM, Quinsigamond Community College Gym. "Race: An Old Topic for Our New World" Keynote Speaker, Dr. Deborah Plummer, Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Equal Opportunity at UMass Medical School.
Tickets: $25 each. Table for 10 $250
Call 508-854-4368

"Beloved Community," a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration. Sponsored by Dynamy and Worcester PeaceWorks.
Monday, January 17, 2011, 12:30 PM, Worcester Youth Center, Chandler Street. Potluck dinner. For more information call Etel at 508-755-2571 ext 23 or Gordon at 508-757-5873.

Annual Meeting of Center for Nonviolent Solutions,
Saturday, March 19, 2011, Worcester Public Library (main branch), 9:30-11:30 AM Keynote address by David Adams, one of the key architects of the global Culture of Peace campaign. On behalf of UNESCO, Dr. Adams drafted the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, which has inspired countless educational and cultural activities by governments and civil society for a culture of peace.

Anti-Torture Activists Demonstrate and Fast for Justice, January 11-22, 2011
Event: Rally and “prisoner procession” to the Department of Justice, followed by non-violent direct action.
Date and Time: Tues, Jan. 11, beginning at 11 am
Location: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.
Witness Against Torture

Opportunities for Training in Nonviolent/Compassionate Communication, Fall, 2010
Are you interested in learning new ways to communicate more effectively and compassionately with family, colleagues and friends? Check out these opportunities for training in Nonviolent/Compannionate Communication in locations throughout New England.

Pace e Bene's 2010-2011 Agents of Nonviolent Change Certificate Program, Cenacle Conference and Retreat Center in Chicago, Illinois, beginning October 29, 2010
Three intensive workshops over nine months offer tools to transform your life and to create a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world.
For more information about the program, go to
http://paceebene.org/agents-nonviolent-change-certificate-program
For more information about application requirements and fees -- or to
register -- contact program associate Ken Preston: email:
kenpreston@paceebene.org; phone: 510-967-4495

"The Real Costs of War," by Paul Ropp
Sunday, November 14, 2010, 7:00 PM
Unitarian Universalist Church, Holden St, Worcester
Talk and Discussion by Paul Ropp, Professor of Chinese History, Clark University and President, Center for Nonviolent Solutions.
Free and open to the public

"The Morality of War," by Nancy Sherman
Thursday, November 18, 2010, 4:30 PM
College of the Holy Cross, Rehm Library, Worcester
Nancy Sherman is the author of "The Untold War: Inside the Hearts, Minds, and Souls of Our Soldiers."
Free and open to the public

Kairos Spiritual Life Center, All Saints Church, 10 Irving St., Worcester
Saturday Nov. 6 “Enneagram Advanced Workshop: A Day of Discovery”
Herb Pearce, a leading expert in the Enneagram, will review the 9 Enneagram types, and help us to learn more about the type most basic to our motivation, thinking and behavior. He will then introduce us to the subtleties between them while we learn more about how to develop each of the nine types in ourselves.
All Saints Church, 9:00 – 12:30; $25.00

Vigil for Victims of Domestic Violence
Town Common (corner of Main St./Rt. 140), Shrewsbury, MA
Thursday, November 11, 2010, 6:00-6:45 pm
Supported by ADVISE (Against Domestic Violence in Shrewsbury Education Project)
and by First Congregational Church of Shrewsbury

Pax Christi Massachusetts Assembly
"Using Our Voices: Prophetic Witness in a Dark Time" with Kathy Kelly
Hogan Campus Center, College of the Holy Cross, Sat., Nov. 13, 2010, 9 am - 4 pm
Ms. Kelly is a devoted peace activist and author who was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. She was a founding member of Voices in the Wilderness and is a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence.

World Premiere of the documentary film Coexist
Saturday, November 6, 6:30 PM, Temple Israel, Boston,MA Please RSVP.
Coexist explores the personal stories of Rwandan genocide survivors, perpetrators, and bystanders made to try to reconcile with each other.
The evening will include special guests, members of the film-making team, food, and more. http://coexistdocumentary.org
http://coexistdocumentary.org/main/premiere

Kairos Spiritual Life Center, All Saints Church, 10 Irving St., Worcester
The Nonviolent Jesus and His Nonviolent Way to Peace
A retreat led by Rev. Emmanuel Charles McCarthy
Anna Maria College, Paxton, MA Friday - Sunday, October 29-31, 2010
Rev. McCarthy is the founder of The Program for the Study & Practice of Nonviolent Conflict Resolution at Notre Dame University.
To register contact Marc Tumeinski at mtumeinski@annamaria.edu or 508.752.3670

US Nonviolent Peaceforce Chapters Association 5th Annual Conference
October 7-10, 2010, Walker Center, 144 Hancock St, Auburndale, MA
Special guest of honor at lunch, October 9, will be Gene Sharp, internationally
recognized writer and researcher on the use of nonviolence for social
justice. Check the USNPCA website for more information: http://usnpca.org/html/key_events___dates.html

"JFK, Obama, and the Unspeakable: A Parable of Turning, an evening with James Douglass," Tuesday, Oct 5, 2010, Saxe Rm, Worc Public Library, 7:00 PM Douglass traces the "turning" of President Kennedy from Cold Warrior to one with a mission of peace. We too can free ourselves and our country to pursue a vision of peace. Co-sponsored by Saints Francis & Therese Catholic Worker and the Center for Nonviolent Solutions.

Little Town of Bethlehem (2010) film showing
Wednesday, September 29, 7:00 PM
Clark University, Dana Commons, 2nd floor FREE Admission
A new documentary about the struggle of peace movements in Israel and Palestine.
Sami, Ahmad, Yonatan come from radically different backgrounds in a land of unending war. Yet, against all odds, including some within their Israeli and Palestinian communities, they are able to find common ground. They walk a path of non-violent struggle in lockstep with Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. For them courage is found not in taking up arms, but setting them down once and for all and extending a hand in peace.
Co-sponsored by Center for Non-Violent Solutions and Difficult Dialogues, Clark University

Rally for Solidarity and Peace, Friday, Sept. 10, 11 a.m.On the quad at Quinsigamond Community College (Worcester campus / West Boylston St). The event is co-sponsored by QCC, the Worcester City Manager's Community Coalition on Bias and Hate and Center for Nonviolent Solutions. Join us to honor the victims of 9/11, to celebrate and promote respect of different faiths and interreligious dialogue, and to encourage non-violent approaches to conflict resolution.
Questions? Contact QCC Dean of Students
lizw@qcc.mass.edu<mailto:lizw@qcc.mass.edu

Iraqi Student Project,
Friday, August 20th 7:00 pm
Clark University, Tilton Hall,
Presentation by Gabe Huck and wife Teresa Kubasak, founders of the Iraqi Student Project on their efforts to link Iraqi refugees living in Syria with US colleges and universities, obtaining scholarships and establishing support groups for them. Meet the first Iraqi to attend Clark University, Fouad Abdelameer.
The evening will include delicious food offered at the breaking of the Ramadan fast . Open to the public. Donations welcome.

Following a report on the Center’s activities and plans for the future, Mary Bennet and Emma Reinhardt will present “Nonviolent Solutions at Home and Abroad," accounts of successful efforts to build peace in the living room and on the battlefield.

The Center for Nonviolent Solutions Launch event on Saturday, October 17, 2009 was attended by a standing-room-only crowd of nearly 150 people. Listen to the speakers who spoke to this appreciative audience.

Nate Pickens from the Mosaic Program in Worcester, introduced by Claire Schaeffer-Duffy.

Colman McCarthy, Veteran Washington Post correspondent and award-winning nonviolence educator

Video: Mike True at the opening