Building Restorative Systems Online Series

Conflict is inevitable. What matters is how we respond to it.   In your NVC activities, what systems and procedures for dealing with conflict do people have access to? What mindset and skills are needed to make these systems work?   We in the Conflict Transformation Weave (CTW) are dreaming of a time when everyone in the NVC UK community has access to a restorative approach to responding to conflict when needed. To this end, we envisage:  

• such an approach embedded in each weave/group/camp

• a wider structure and system available when the nature of a conflict exceeds a group’s internal resources.

• people being sufficiently skilled to walk confidently and safely towards conflict

  As a step towards making this happen, the CTW is offering a series of online workshops offering support in setting up a restorative system in your weave/group/camp. This series ran for the first time in Spring 2018 and these were some of the feedback comments.     “I’m amazed at the amount of learning in just 6 weeks.”   “I’ve enjoyed being part of a group bringing conflict into the normal to and fro of life”   “I’m very grateful for a solid foundation.”   “I’ve enjoyed feeling like part of something bigger, a wider community.”   “I celebrate stepping forward and trying to host a circle. I didn’t feel confident but i recognise the value of stretching. That is really significant for me.  ”   “My own edges are mastering being around conflict and not running away from it. I need to practice. I have a little shift in me around the conflict we practised.”   “I appreciate the systemic approach.”   Online sessions   These sessions are for:

• organisers of events and/or camps
• practice group leaders
• Admins and moderators of social media forums
• longstanding NVC community participants
• ‘weave’ participants

who are curious about and want to explore how to set up a collective, agreed way of responding to conflict in an NVC gathering, camp or group.   Ideally we would recommend having two people from your group /context attend this offering (so you build in support for this work and you are not engaging with it on your own).   Format 8 x 2 hr online Zoom sessions   Dates Autumn 2019 8 weeks from week beginning Monday 23rd September 2019 until week beginning Monday 18th November 2019. There will be a week’s break for half term on Monday 21st October.   Time 19.00-21.00 UK time   Outcomes We want to enable people to:

• feel more confident to walk towards their own conflicts and other people in conflict
• take steps to evolve a restorative system in their own context in a way that belongs to the whole community

  Content

• Developing a mindset that embraces conflict
• Developing the human resources necessary to respond to conflict
• Skill building (setting up and facilitating mediations and restorative circles, being with intense pain and hurt, working towards agreements)
• What do we mean by system building?
  • What does it involve?
  • What are we committing to in ourselves when we set up a restorative system?
  • What kind of agreements between people might be made?
• Understanding all the options in a restorative practice, and when each option  is and isn’t appropriate
• Identifying and applying the ‘preconditions’ of a restorative system (Identify power, space, resources, communication, access) in your context.

  Theme of each week  

1. Developing a mindset that embraces conflict
2. Developing the collective mindset  and human resources for a restorative system
3. System building
4. Skill building: Mediation
5. Skill building: Restorative Circle input
6. Restorative circle practice
7. Restorative circle practice
8. Case studies and further practice

  About the hosts   The sessions will be hosted by Jo McHale, Sarah Ludford,  Ceri Buckmaster and supported by Certification Candidate Dany Schirmer   The intention of the Conflict Transformation Weave in the UK is to provide a service to the community by putting in place structures and procedures to help people respond creatively to conflict. In addition to the practice of NVC itself, these structures and procedures aim to support NVC practitioners when conflict arises in gatherings, trainings and camps, and in temporary or ongoing communities.   Financial contribution: £80-£300   In requesting a financial contribution, we ask you to consider your needs and ours when deciding what financial resources you can offer to this initiative. Please also bear in mind that structures to respond to conflict are going to be much more effective if they are properly resourced.   When we have the resources to do so, we would like to produce a video to publicise this work to embrace conflict in order to support people who prefer visuals over text.   If you are part of a camp organising team, please consider budgeting for this from your camp funds.   What to do if you are interested: Please contact Jo, Sarah or Ceri with any questions you may have.   If you are interested, please complete this form and pay a deposit to register your interest.   We ask for a deposit of £20 to Josephine McHale: Sort Code: 089288 Account: 11072894 IBAN GB15 CPBK 0892 8811 0728 94

SWIFT code CPBK GB22

You can also pay by Paypal, making a personal payment to email address jomchale@talking-truly.com

    Please use Reference: BRS4 + your name.     Background to the work of the CTW   October 2018 Update presented at the NVC UK annual trainer gathering.   The CTW formed in November 2016, and in the first year we conducted an online survey to hear from people’s experiences and needs around conflict in the NVC UK network. At the NVC UK trainer gathering in November 2017, we hosted a Restorative system building session to look at what the dreams and visions are for ways of responding to conflict in the NVC community. Some input captured here.   Following on from this, we hosted an online meeting on 15th January 2018, attended by 10 people which included camp, training and event organisers, as well as certification candidates and longstanding members of the NVC UK community. We discussed what resources different contexts would need to implement a system for meeting conflict. Some input captured here.   In response to what people have been asking for, we intend:

• host a series of six online sessions to support people in setting up a restorative system within the boundaries of their group or event
• distribute a resource pack sharing ways of responding to conflict in NVC gatherings, in alignment with the Pathway of Support we have been sharing so far.
• suggest other resources for responding to conflict, share information on the NVC UK website
• When we have the resources to do so, we would like to produce a video to publicise this move to working more systemically to embrace conflict in order to support people who prefer visuals over text.