Creating a Culture of Peace Training

Creating a Culture of Peace Training
January 9-11, 2026
St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church

The goal of C.C.P. training is to equip groups to develop and implement projects to make nonviolent social change in their communities.

The learning process is based on Paulo Frere's Popular Education model. It is highly participatory and includes ritual, exercises, role plays, story telling, drawing, discussion, private reflection and journaling.

The training is composed of five modules culminating in action planning. 1. The nature of violence. 2. Active Nonviolence. 3. Nonviolent Social Change. 4. Community building. 5. Nonviolent social change planning.

Throughout the training certain core principals are emphasized. “All are wounded and all are sacred.” “Without the support of the people, movements cannot succeed, and becoming violent will lose that support.” “Nonviolence is not a tactic; it is a way of life.”

The first module explores the nature of violence, the forms it takes, its prevalence in culture, whether it is inherently part of human nature and its impact on individuals and communities. One participant noted that she had always thought of violence in terms of physical violence without considering the many other ways that violence can be inflicted. Another said that he had come to see that violence is a choice and that a person can choose a different response.

The second module looks at Active Nonviolence. It looks at the history of nonviolent teaching from Jesus to Gandhi to King and others. It examines stereotypes of how nonviolent individuals are viewed by society and compares those to the experience that participants have of such people. We look at the commitment and personal spiritual
involvement in resistance to violence without becoming violent of those who led in the practice of active nonviolence. One participant remarked on the difference between being passive and actively interfering with violence without becoming violent: “It takes thoughtfulness and discipline.”

The third module examines Nonviolent Social Change. The effectiveness of non violent movements and the things that such movements have jn common. We look and the stages of development of these movements and at the roles that people can play in them. We also look closely at the things that can negatively impact these movements
and even cause them to fail. Key factors in success were described by one member as being training, discipline, patience and celebrating the successes along the way- even the small ones.

The fourth module is on Community. The group examines the stages of evolution that communities move through. Together they look at the factors that make for strong communities. Different methods of making decisions are explored, and practiced. The importance of community in effecting change is emphasized. The members work
together to imagine their ideal community and what is needed to build and protect it. One stated that she felt the training itself had given the group the opportunity to become a true community.

Finally in the last module the group looks at what is important in putting what has been learned into practice. The importance of being able to put yourself in the shoes of those who sees things differently than you do, and as Gandhi says hold a piece of the truth. Then the group works together to create and select projects to work on. They begin to develop concrete plans and look at both the long term goals of the projects and the next steps.

If you are interested in knowing more about C.C.P. training or how to sponsor a training please contact Daniel Petersen-Snyder at dpetersensnyder@gmail.com.