MINELRES: CfA: TRANSCEND Training Programme, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, April 18 – 22, 2005

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: TRANSCEND <jacobsen@transcend.org>


TRANSCEND Training Programme Announcement – www.transcend.org

Please distribute and forward to all groups, individuals and
organisations you believe may wish to participate.
 

Building Democracy, Participation and Peace by Peaceful Means:

Strategies and Actions for Social Transformation and Nonviolent Struggle
– Learning from and Building Local and Global Movements

April 18 – 22, 2005
Cluj-Napoca, Romania

www.transcend.org

An Invitation to democracy struggles, social justice movements, women’s
organisations, students, unions, human rights workers, peace activists,
and people’s movements from across the world!

In the aftermath of Madrid, September 11th, the war on Afghanistan, the
war on Iraq, and the wars of terrorism, non-violent transformations in
Ukraine, Georgia and Bolivia, and people’s struggles for social justice,
democracy, and human rights in their communities and world-wide,
Building Democracy, Participation and Peace by Peaceful Means is a
practical, concrete course exploring the dynamics and methods of
nonviolent mobilisation and conflict transformation. 

Building Democracy, Participation and Peace by Peaceful Means  is
intended as a meeting point and in-depth, intensive training programme
for those engaged in nonviolent movements and social struggles for
people’s and community rights, democratisation, peace, and social
justice, drawing upon the inspiration and lessons learned from people’s
movements and struggles around the world over the past 50 years.  From
the People’s Power movement in the Philippines to the non-violent
revolutions in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and the
overthrow of political apartheid in South Africa to the Living Democracy
Movement in India, the Assembly of the Poor in Thailand, the Landless
Movement in Brazil, struggles for democracy in Georgia and Ukraine, and
the World Social Forum, Building Democracy  will draw the lessons and
experiences from the history of nonviolence in practice.  

Ideal for community workers and people working for human rights and
struggling against violence in all its forms, Building Democracy  will
bring together social justice and human rights activists, social workers
and organisers, and peace organisations and movements from around the
world creating a space for sharing of experiences and training in skills
and methods for practice – for local and global struggles – learning
from the legacy of non-violent  movements from all continents, and
weaving together and strengthening a global network of committed social
activists and non-violent practitioners. 

For individuals, communities, and organisations working to actively
engage to develop constructive programmes to overcome violence and
injustice in our communities and globally Building Democracy  is part of
the broader movement to show another world is possible, if we work to
build it.

Across the world communities are mobilising to address the issues and
challenges facing them – from domestic violence and rape to social
injustice, exploitation of the environment, repression and denial of
human rights, exploitation of labour, and violent conflict – searching
for ways to overcome violence in all its forms.  From social justice
movements to democratic struggles against political, economic, and
military authoritarianism and interventions, people’s power – the power
of communities to resist violence and to actively unite together to
transform our social, political and economic systems – is growing. 
Networks, linking people within and across communities world-wide, are
being formed, linking theory and practice, action and reflection, and a
commitment to be the change we want to see.

Building Democracy  is a practical hands-on training which will address
the concrete challenges and issues facing movements, drawing upon
experiences and practice around the world in how we develop our
strategies, visions and actions, mobilise to engage people, and work in
our communities and together.  The programme will be devoted to
developing methods and strategies for empowerment, mobilisation,
transformation, nonviolence, strategy and building of movements. In
addition to helping to intensively train and support participants in
gaining experience which will be practical and useful for them in their
daily work and communities, the programme will weave together a network
of practitioners across continents.  

Throughout the 20th century non-violence was used as an effective tool
for strengthening democratic movements and overthrowing violent,
dictatorial and colonial regimes.  The focus of this training programme
will be on the large scale use of non-violent means to transform and
overcome direct and structural violence in conflicts within our
countries and globally.  Drawing upon experiences from around the world,
Building Democracy  will help practitioners, organisations, movements
and scholars to weave together a cohesive view and understanding of the
methods, strategies, tools, legacy and contributions of non-violent
struggles in the 20th, and 21st centuries, challenges facing us in the
world today, and means to work for non-violence and conflict
transformation by peaceful means, building social, economic, political
and civil democracy and people’s power in our own communities and
internationally.

Throughout the five-day workshop and training will be an intensive,
participatory and dynamic experience, helping to develop further
concrete skills, tools and knowledge for committed social activists,
community workers, peace and nonviolence workers and practitioners.

The Training Programme 

April 18 – 22, 2005

The Training Programme will take place from Monday to Friday, April 18 -
22, 2005 at the Romanian Peace Institute in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. 
Participants will be asked to arrive by Sunday, April 17th, at the
latest.

The Training Programme will be divided into a Morning and Afternoon
session for each day, combining intensive training, group work, workshop
sessions, discussions and individually designed working modules.  There
will be a 1 hours break for lunch and individual work in between, and
additional breaks for tea and coffee in each session. The programme will
begin each day at 09:00, and run until 17:00.

A web-site will be created in advance of the programme to assist
participants with training materials and resources to prepare for the
programme. Upon completion of the five-days training, a CD will be
provided to all participants with written reports and follow-up
materials.  Additional books and materials will be provided to the
participants upon their arrival at the programme.

The Schedule

Monday, April 18 th

Morning:
Building Democracy, Participation and Peace by Peaceful Means  
Movements, Struggles, Campaigns: Strategies, Goals and Visions of Social
Movements, People’s Struggles and Community Organisation

Afternoon: 
The basic concepts of Nonviolence and their meaning in our conflicts:
Nonviolence as Principle, Method, and Strategy

Tuesday, April 19th 

Morning:
The last twenty-five years of revolutionary movements and struggles

Afternoon: 
Who is working for change: What is done by who to promote nonviolence
around the world?

Wednesday, April 20th 

Morning: 
On Principles and Methods: Different categories of Nonviolent – Civil
Disobedience, Boycotts, Demonstrations, Direct Action, Non-cooperation
and much more

Afternoon: 
On Principles and Strategy: Political and Social Movements World-wide –
NGOs & Social Movements; Transforming Structures and Cultures of
Violence and War

Thursday, April 21st

Morning:
The Gandhian Concept of Constructive Work 

Afternoon: 
Strategic Planning – Campaigns and Movements

Friday, April 22nd 

Morning: 
Nonviolent Peaceforce – A movement transcending war

Afternoon: 
Building Democracy, Participation and Peace by Peaceful Means  
What are the possibilities for building a strong nonviolent movement for
peace and transcending war  


Who should apply?:

Workers, activists and practitioners engaged in social justice, human
rights, peace, gender equality, environment and ecology movements and
organisations.  Members of community and social organisations.  Members
of social forum organisations and initiatives, grassroots people’s
movements, solidarity struggles, and peace momvements, and anyone who
would like to investigate the potential of Building Democracy and
nonviolence in practice, or want to further develop her/his skills in
this field. 


Cost of participation: 
Participation costs include accommodation, breakfast and lunch as well
as all course fees and materials.  

Participants will be accommodated at the Hotel Napoca, a short walks
distance from the training centre.  Assistance for travel and arrival in
Romania will be provided by the Romanian Peace Institute. For any
questions, or to receive further information, please do not hesitate to
contact the programme coordinator, Jasmina Francetic at
jasmina@patrir.ro 

For EU, North American and South-East Asian/Australian and Israeli
participants, total participation costs are 400 Euros

For all others participation costs are 250 Euros

Deadline for Applications:
For those who require visas: March 21
For those who do not require visas: April 1

For more information, to register as a participant, or for details
regarding travel and administration, please contact:
Jasmina Francetic, Training Coordinator: Jasmina@patrir.ro

For on-line applications please visit: www.transcend.org

About the Trainers:

Jorgen Johansen is a member of TRANSCEND – A peace and development
organisation for conflict transformation by peaceful means.  Since 2001
he has been a Course Director on Nonviolence as Political Tool and
Philosophy at TRANSCEND Peace University (TPU).  He is a Board member of
the Norwegian Peace Council, and the Norwegian Peace Center.  In 1998 he
was an election observer at the referendum on NATO-membership in
Hungary, and, in 1996 took part in a fact-finding tour of Chechnya. 
Since 1995 he has been a teacher of courses in Conflict Resolution,
Peace Work and Meditation at Goteborg University, and, since 1992 a
Board member of Institut fur Friedensarbeit und Gewaltfreie
Konfliktaustragung ..  From 1991 – 1998 he was the Chairperson of War
Resisters’ International, where he had previously been the Norwegian
representative in WRI Council.  Jorgen Johansen has been active in
peacework and non-violence for many decades, and has been involved in
working with and supporting people’s non-violent struggles in many parts
of the world.  Since 1975 he has been an invited participant to more
than fifty international conferences, and has written and extensively
published, both in books and movement magazines.

Kai Frithjof Brand-Jacobsen is founder and Director of the Peace Action,
Training and Research Institute of Romania (PATRIR) and Co-Director of
TRANSCEND, and is on the Executive Board of the TRANSCEND Peace
University (TPU) where he is Course Director for the courses
Peacebuilding and Empowerment and War to Peace Transitions.  He has
worked in Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Russia, South Eastern
Europe, North America, and the Middle East at the invitation of
governments, inter-governmental organisations, UN agencies, and local
organisations and communities promoting local development, community
empowerment, and peacebuilding.  He has written and published widely,
and is author of The Struggle Continues: The Political Economy of
Globalisation and People's Struggles for Peace (Pluto, forthcoming),
co-author, together with Johan Galtung and Carl Jacobsen, of Searching
for Peace: The Road to TRANSCEND (Pluto, 2000 & 2002) and Editor of the
TRANSCEND book series published together with Pluto Press, Critical
Peace Studies: Peace by Peaceful Means.  He is currently working on
preparing a comprehensive handbook for Peacebuilding, Conflict
Transformation and Post-War Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and
Reconciliation in Nepal. He is also a member of the Executive Board of
the Journal of Peace and Development and the Executive Board of the
Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, and an Associate of the
Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, as well as an
advisor to several governments, foreign ministries, the Commonwealth
Secretariat and the Council of Europe.  In 1999 he was founder and
Director of the Coalition for Global Solidarity and Social Development,
and in 2000, together with Johan Galtung, he was founder of the Nordic
Institute for Peace Research (NIFF).  Since 1996 he has provided more
than 200 training programmes in peacebuilding, development, and
constructive conflict transformation to more than 4500 participants in
28 countries.

Jorgen Johansen and Kai Frithjof Brand-Jacobsen will be supported by the
staff and additional trainers of the Peace Action, Training and Research
Institute of Romania (PATRIR).


About the Organisers

TRANSCEND - A Peace and Development Network for Conflict Transformation
by Peaceful Means

TRANSCEND is a network of more than 200 of the world’s leading
practitioners and scholars in peacebuilding and development from over 60
countries around the world.  Committed to the promotion of peace by
peaceful means, TRANSCEND has 20 active programmes, and conducts its
work through action, education/training, dissemination and research. 
With centres in Barcelona (Spain), Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Geneva
(Switzerland), Hagen (Germany), Honolulu (USA), Kyoto (Japan), Moscow
(Russia), Sandnes (Norway), Taplow Court (Great Britain), Torino
(Italy), Vienna (Austria), and Washington, DC (USA) – with several
others now being formed in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia –
TRANSCEND has provided more than 400 training programmes for over 8000
participants in 43 countries around the world.  Participants in
TRANSCEND training programmes have included politicians, diplomats, aid
and development workers, teachers, psychologists, social workers,
journalists, civil service employees, UN staff, professors, students,
and others.  In 2000, TRANSCEND developed the United Nations’ first ever
manual on “Conflict Transformation by Peaceful Means: The TRANSCEND
Approach.”  In February, 2003, TRANSCEND launched the world’s first ever
truly global Peace University on-line: the TRANSCEND Peace University
(www.transcend.org/tpu).  TRANSCEND is involved in peacebuilding,
conflict transformation, and post-war reconciliation and healing in
several conflict areas world-wide, at the invitation of local groups,
organisations, universities, governments, and parties to the conflict. 
TRANSCEND only works in conflict/war affected areas when it has been
invited.  Currently, TRANSCEND is doing research on: Peacebuilding and
Empowerment; Non-Territorial Federalism and Functional Independence;
Self-Determination and the Nation/State Dialectic; Peacebuilding and
Globalisation; Conflict Transformation and Psychological Assumptions;
Comparing Methods of Conflict Transformation from Micro, Meso and
Macro-Levels; the Dialogue Process; Local and Subsistence Economics;
Models for Global Economic Crises; Understanding Genocide.  TRANSCEND
has recently launched the new TRANSCEND Media Service, and is in the
process of developing the Conflict Transformation Index (CTI) and
TRANSCEND Early Warning Index (EWI).  TRANSCEND perspectives are freely
available on the Internet (www.transcend.org), and a TRANSCEND monthly
Bulletin is being prepared for distribution in 12 languages.        


PATRIR – The Peace Action, Training and Research Institute of Romania 

Founded on March 1st, 2001, the PATRIR, is an institute, organisation,
training centre and network, linking together scholars, grassroots
activists, and peace researchers throughout Romania, South-Eastern
Europe and internationally.  Its aim is to address the core challenges
facing Romania and the countries of South and Eastern Europe, to
strengthen and empower grassroots organisations and citizens’ action, to
mobilise people for active peace work and peaceful conflict
transformation, and to address the structural causes of poverty, human
rights violations and economic and social injustice.  PATRIR is an
institute and an organisation for research, training and active peace
work.  PATRIR organises training programmes in peacebuilding and
peaceful conflict transformation; peace journalism; democracy and human
rights; multi-culturalism; empowering civil society; gender and peace;
people-centred, sustainable development; post-war reconstruction,
rehabilitation, reconciliation and healing; and, environment and
ecology.  Participants to PATRIR training programmes frequently include
senior politicians and diplomats, experienced aid and development
workers, UN and NGO staff, civil society activists, professors,
teachers, students, journalists, artists, and psychologists from Romania
and more than 30 countries internationally.  PATRIR cooperates with
TRANSCEND as the TRANSCEND Centre for South-Eastern Europe.  Since 2001,
PATRIR has been one of TRANSCEND’s leading international training sites.

For more information or to register as a participant, please contact:
Jasmina Francetic, Training Coordinator: jasmina@patrir.ro

For on-line registration, please visit: www.transcend.org