If you answer yes to at least one of the questions below, then this course may be key to building the relationship you want with your children:

• Do you know in your bones that you want to build a relationship in which both your needs and those of your children are fully included?
• Are you tired of seeing yourself time and again using methods to get your children to "cooperate" that you don't actually subscribe to?
• Do you struggle to imagine how to find enough hours in the day to collaborate for real with your children?
• Do you brace for any conversation with extended family and community who criticize you for being too soft with your children? 
• Do you often feel all alone and wonder if you are actually on the right path?

We each have the power to be the creator of our own inner experience, no matter what is going on externally. The moment you imply wrongness on others, you give power to them. In this excerpt, Aya Caspi shows that the more self-responsibility you take, the more freedom you will have.  

Here are seven self inquiry questions. Half of them can help you assess your NVC consciousness. The other half can help you move from pain, fear, resistance, judgement, criticism, and shame – to love, compassion, understanding, appreciation, curiosity, and more.

What does nonviolence have to do with group facilitation?

Miki Kashtan believes that nonviolence is a way of being and living that orients us in all our thoughts, words and deeds toward the integration of truth, love and courage. All nonviolent individual and collective actions are aimed at preserving what serves life and challenging what does not. Facilitation is one clear path for bringing nonviolence to the world!

How can we act now, as facilitators, as if the world of our dreams, the Beloved Community, is already in place?

When Dian works with managers, they often ask how they can manage others more effectively. She almost always asks them: how are you managing yourself?

This question applies to all aspects of life, both at work and at home. How are you: 1) gaining clarity around your needs; 2) managing your internal reactions; and 3) clarifying your requests before you open your mouth (or judge) others? This is why self-empathy – which Dian calls “self-management,” now a buzzword in business – is central to the practice of Nonviolent Communication.

Yet self-empathy is not always easy, especially if events in your life stimulate old, “fossilized” needs. These “fossilized” needs are often precognitive and connected to trauma, and as a result, “live” in your muscle memory. In order to fully release this “stuck” energy, it is necessary to engage your felt-sense while learning to empathize with your body and deeply connect with your younger parts.

Dian calls this process Somatic Self-Empathy (SEE).

Yoram Mosenzon shares that the role of a mediator is often misconceived as solving conflicts, which can create stress and exacerbate the conflict. Instead, the true essence of mediation is about remaining untriggered, understanding the pain of the conflicting parties, and facilitating communication.

Duke Duchscherer shares that community well-being is created by the relationships that exist within the community. He discerns two vital components: bonding connections within similar groups and bridging connections between different groups. This interplay forms what is commonly termed as social capital, a cornerstone of community vitality.

Duke says that a community's strength lies in its ability to foster connections across diverse backgrounds. This notion resonates deeply with him, reinforcing his commitment to utilizing restorative circles. These circles, with their focus on building and restoring relationships, hold the key to enhancing collective resilience and unity. He believes they represent a proactive approach to sustaining community cohesion and preventing fragmentation in the face of adversity.