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Purpose

Although, according to our experience, African NVC practitioners confirm that learning about Nonviolent Communication (https://cnvc.org) and integrating it in their personal and professional life has been improving their interactions on a daily basis and is in line with many of their values, there is, so far, only a very small number of CNVC certified trainers in Africa. The limited access many African NVC practitioners have to international trainings, mentoring and assessment, due to economic and political reasons, perpetuates this gap. 

Compared to the US and Europe, a minimal number of NVC International Intensive Trainings has been taking place on the continent so far. There are only very few African CNVC certified trainers who are living in their country (only one in Burundi, for example, none currently in Rwanda, two only in Kenya, none in DR Congo, for data on CNVC certified trainers, see https://cnvc.org). 

Traveling to another country for an in-person International Intensive Training or Residential training was and is far beyond the financial means for many NVC practitioners in the African Great Lakes Region.  Some managed to participate in the NVC Africa Retreat in 2018, as well as a Retreat in Arusha in 2019 or the IIT in Nairobi in 2022 through financial support of their organizations/ institutions. In the meantime, quite some new members have been joining the online activities of the network, after getting to know NVC in an in-presence workshop or webinar, but we did not have a chance to work with them in person so far. 

This is why, after almost seven years of fruitful, but sometimes challenging, online cooperation, we would like to invite 40 members of the network (including trainers) to hold a Nonviolent Communication ® African Great Lakes Retreat in July 2025 (proposed date: July 7-12, 2025) in Gisenyi (Rubavu)/ Rwanda.

The objectives of the NVC AGL Retreat are

Ø  For all participants 

o   to deepen and widen their skills of applying and sharing Nonviolent Communication in their communities and work places at home

o   to develop nonviolent social change projects and agree on mutual assistance and cooperation to implement them

Ø  For the NVC Africa Network 

o   to find new (particularly female!) members for the Team 

o   to prepare future online activities together 

o   to plan joint regional presence activities for the next few years

Ø  For the NVC practitioners who are on the learning path towards CNVC trainer certification to 

o   get the chance to present a session and receive feedback from certified trainers

o   learn from different certified trainers as who present workshops in the retreat

Ø  For the CNVC certified trainers to 

o   Connect with and provide feedback to NVC practitioners who present a session

o   Plan with the NVC practitioners who are on the learning path towards CNVC trainer certification

Outcomes

An ‘Environmental Scan’ that the Center for Nonviolent Communication conducted in 2021 through a survey with its members, confirmed that, consequently, the Global South, including the African Continent, is severely under-served with learning opportunities and options to teach NVC here. At the same time, many people to whom we are introducing this approach to life and to our communication with ourselves and other, tell us that they are eager to learn more and to obtain support to practice and apply it in their daily life and work.  
We want to contribute to bridging this gap, by bringing togegther a group of NVC practitioners originating from and / or living in Africa and organize mutual support and joint learning. 

Fee request

Your possible Support for the NVC African Great Lakes Retreat

We would like to know whether you, individually, have, or your organization/community has the capacity and willingness to

Ø  contribute to the overall cost of the event and / or cover the travel cost of one or more participant/s from your organization/ institution/ community and/ or

Ø  register and participate in the Retreat, -provided you have participated at least in an introduction to NVC (in presence or online)-  cover your own travel expenses and pay the training costs  of USD 1,794 to the organizers

Ø  directly support one or more NVC Africa Network member/s from your location or country; if you are managing and organization or company you may have them do a back-home reporting in your community/ organization after the Retreat, so that others can learn from it

Ø  sponsor the participation of an NVC Africa Network member who would otherwise be unable to participate for economic reasons and get in touch with her/ him directly to agree how you can cater for the travel expenses and training costs.

We are hoping to hear from you to know if and how you would be willing to support this project!

NVC AFRICAN GREAT LAKES RETREAT TEAM 

Type of activities

One week of connection, sharing, networking, learning together and creating social change with NVC in the African Great Lakes Region