We want to know that our collective efforts to bring about needed changes and work toward Just Transition will be fruitful. When we pour ourselves into the things we care about, we want to know it matters. Especially in times such as these, how exhausting to see our hard work melt away as conflict slows down, stalls out, or, worse yet, dissolves our collaborations.

The legacies of a domination paradigm (capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, to name a few) have left us without the skills we need to lean in to interdependence. This makes it incredibly hard to collaborate effectively. It makes it harder still to find generativity in conflict.

But it doesn’t have to be this way! Nonviolent or “Compassionate” Communication (NVC) offers us a toolkit to deepen our own embodied self-connection,build our capacity to reach out for support, and relate to ourselves and one another with empathy so that we can show up more fully to our work in the world. And as we begin to unpack the way that domination culture has shaped our very language, we can learn new/old ways of communicating that bring us more deeply into alignment with our values, our purpose, and into connection with one another.

During this 7-week, online course, we will explore practical strategies for undoing domination in ourselves, our communication, our relationships, and our collaborations. Each two-hour session will include interactive content and practices to engage with real-time examples from your life. You will have the opportunity to be paired up with a buddy for practice in between sessions. This course will support you to:

Identify patterns of domination culture and develop a needs-based orientation that can enable you to undo domination
Explore NVC as an embodied mindfulness practice and grow your capacity to tune into body sensations as valuable feedback from your nervous system pointing you towards what matters to you
Grow your awareness of and vocabulary for resonant language including “feelings” and “needs”, and your understanding of the brain science behind why this kind of language works
Develop an empathic listening practice with a buddy between sessions as a foundational tool for resourcing yourself to show up better in conflict and collaboration

Dates:

March 3, 2021 - 4 - 6 pm
March 10, 2021 - 4 - 6 pm
March 17, 2021 - 4 - 6 pm
March 24, 2021 - 4 - 6 pm
March 31, 2021 - 4 - 6 pm
April 7, 2021 - 4 - 6 pm
April 14, 2021 - 4 - 6 pm

FACILITATORS

This offering will be facilitated by Nicole Bauman with the support GWI Workers.

Nicole Bauman is a white, middle class, queer, genderqueer, farmer, healer, facilitator, movement builder and parent, rooted in community and organizing in the Rust Belt city of Elkhart, IN (occupied Potawatomi territory). Nonviolent Communication and Somatics have been empowering tools for Nicole's own personal healing and transformation, and has also increased their capacity to show up more skillfully to communication, conflict and collaboration interpersonally and within the movement. Nicole’s embodiment and teaching of this work is deeply shaped and informed by their own parenting journey, as well as years of work as a birth doula and yoga teacher, and a decade of living in an intentional community. Nicole is also training to become a certified Healing-Centered Coach.

REGISTRATION

Deadline:

We are opening registration to the first 20 participants and closing it at noon on March 2. Register today!

Fee:

Your registration fee covers online workshop facilitation and materials.

Amount requested: $210 - The registration fee reflects discounts made possible by the generous support of our donors. The full cost of the workshop is $300.
Sliding scale: $120 - $300 - If your current access to financial resources is limited, please consider paying less than the registration fee. If your current access to financial resources is ample, please consider paying more toward the full cost of the workshop and helping underwrite costs for fellow participants.
Scholarships: If the low end of the sliding scale is still out of reach, we have a limited number of scholarships available. Apply here or if you would like to speak to someone fist, please email Micah (micah@goodworkinstitute.org)
Donations: We welcome donations to help provide discounts and scholarships for Good Work Institute programs. Please email Hélène Lesterlin (helene@goodworkinstitute.org) if you would like more information before considering a donation.

Registrations are closed

Navigating Conflict: Building Skills for Connection and Resilience