WORKSHOP: “Implementing Peacemaking Circles in Higher Education at Stanford University”

IPI will be at the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice conference in June.  This workshop will address the following objectives:

1. One cutting-edge model for teaching non-native college students several beneficial practices associated with indigenous peacemaking circles.
2. Successful model to Integrate peace circles into college residential setting.

This work is the continuation of work that happened when The Native American Cultural Center, Native American Studies Department, and Design Thinking School at Stanford University recently collaborated to create a short 3-day course on conflict resolution for interpersonal conflicts. Teaching students about Peacemaking empowers them to bring conflict resolution skills into their own lives, while building a group of potential leaders able to create and adopt conflict resolution mechanisms at higher levels of their lifetime experiences.   A first step in this process was tested when a campus dormitory trained some of its upperclassmen in Peacemaking. By the end of the school year, a system was developed whereby anyone who wanted to address a conflict through Peacemaking could utilize one of the trained student peacemakers. Additionally, residential staff can submit recommendations for individuals or topics that could be addressed through Peacemaking.