Summer Convening on Experiential Learning and Conflict Transformation

In July 2023, we will gather diverse stakeholders who are engaging with conflict transformation through experiential learning to:
- Deepen our understanding of conflict transformation as a framework for relationship building and social change;
- Build connections and share learning among students, educators, and community partners;
- Explore mindfulness as a skill for connecting with others across difference and transforming society. 

Schedule

Responding to Conflict as Engaging in Community
July 18, 2023, 3:00-5:00pm EST (Zoom)
Invitees: All students (and educators, as listeners) engaged in Conflict Transformation experiential learning 
Our grounding session will explore definitions of conflict, how we respond to it, and what we need to do so effectively. The winner of our Projects for Peace Alumni Award, Joseph Kaifala, will share a keynote address. Together we will:
- Listen to the experience of an advanced practitioner of conflict transformation;
- Explore conflict as a transformational space;
- Frame our community connected experiences through the lens of conflict transformation.

Topical Discussions over Meals
July 19 and 20, 2023
Invitees: Vermont-based Middlebury College educators and community partners
In-person conversations on supporting student learning in conflict transformation and building space for and skills of mindfulness at multiple levels of our relationships (from self to social structures). Individual invitations will be sent via email.

Building Compassionate Communities with Mindfulness
July 20, 2023, 3:00-5:00pm EST (Zoom)
Invitees: All students, faculty, staff, and community partners engaged in Conflict Transformation experiential learning
Dr. Beth Berila, author of Integrating Mindfulness into Anti-Oppression Pedagogy, is a speaker and facilitator whose work focuses on embodied (un)learning of oppression and co-creating more just alternatives.
She will guide students, educators, and partners in an embodied reflection of our relationship to conflict, offering mindfulness practices to align with our values and transform conflict into generative opportunities. This workshop will offer time for dialogue and connection with other participants engaged with the Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation. Pre-work will be provided in June.

RSVP opportunities and more details coming in June!