This page gives an introduction; elsewhere you can read up on the five module Syllabus, explore the venue, self-catering and fees, or fill in the online application form.

It’s all about building community! This Year Training is based on the insights unearthed by CNVC’s New Future Process into community-building and self-organising groups. Learn how to apply the principles and skills of Nonviolent Communication to building community.

There are five, three-day residential modules offered in the spirit of Gift Culture, between October 2023 and June 2024, held at Maitreya House, near Hereford. The fifteen days of the training count towards CNVC certification.

What do we mean by community?

Your community is the people you share time, space and resources with. It’s the people you eat with, the people you share space with. It’s the people you share common resources with, whether it’s a well or a website. In sharing resources with others, you also share risk about how those resources are used.

Dates for your diary

• Taster Session #1: Saturday 17 June, 2.30 – 5.0pm.
• Taster Session #2: Sunday 10 September, 10.30am – 1.0pm.
• Module One: Setting up support systems (5–8 October 2023)
• Module Two: Group decision-making by consent (7–10 December 2023).
• Module Three: Healing past pain (29 February – 3 March, 2024)
• Module Four: Conflict Transformation (25–28 April 2024).
• Module Five: Access and Resource Allocation systems (27–30 June 2024).

More about the Year Training syllabus.

The benefits of a year-long training

• The five modules give a sense of structure and progression.
• The format offers greater depth than one-off workshops.
• We become a community of people living NVC.
• The community offers mutual support.

Trainers

All modules are led by CNVC-certified trainers Shantigarbha and Gesine Schrader, and Barry Jones (recommended for certification with CNVC in April 2023). About them. Between the three of them they have decades of experience of supporting different communities.

Learning and living together

As well as learning the principles of NVC, we will also be exploring how to live as a temporary community during our time together. This will include working together on community tasks, such as cooking, washing up and cleaning. We will also be exploring how we make decisions and address conflict as a community.  We invite you to bring your courage and self-responsibility, bearing in mind that coming together as a community can be challenging, and conflicts may arise. It is in these situations that we are most likely to grow in our capacity to build community.

Online taster sessions and interview

We will be going on an intense yearlong journey, and we want to get a sense beforehand of how it will be to travel together. We invite you to attend one of two online taster sessions: Saturday 17 June, 2.30 – 5.0pm or Sunday 10 September, 10.30am – 1.0pm. The fee for attending a taster session will be £25.00, deductible from your organisational fee when you register for the Year Training. Book one of these Taster Sessions.

When you register, we will invite you to a short online interview, so that you can ask us questions, and we can get a sense if you’ll thrive on the way.  

About the Training: What is Nonviolent Communication (NVC)?

NVC was developed by Marshall Rosenberg over a period of forty years as a response to one simple yet powerful question: why do some people continue to act compassionately, even in deeply challenging situations? NVC is now being used by a worldwide network of trainers and practitioners in fields such as education, parenting, mediation, conflict resolution, psychotherapy, and social change. Further introduction to NVC.

General Information

• Participants will be invited to form Empathy Home Groups that will meet daily during the modules and be encouraged to meet face-to-face or by online between modules.
• Introductory reconnecting session at the start of each module.
• Concluding session at the end of each module including next steps.
• A morning session ‘Remembering’ our collective purpose and planning the day.
• An evening session ‘Harvesting’ the day’s learning.
• Space in the evening for fun and games, including singing and dancing!
• Community calls in between modules to foster community and for ongoing support.

Who will benefit from attending this training?

This Year Training is open to you if you have done an NVC Level One training or equivalent 2-day Foundation Training with a CNVC-certified trainer. You will gain from:

• Learning how to apply the principles and skills of Nonviolent Communication to building community.
• Opportunities for healing and learning a process you can use to support others.
• Developing your communication skills to improve relationships at home, work and in the community.
• Learning and support from fellow-participants in an on-going NVC community.
• Ideas and support to create the kind of world you want to live in.