The training started Friday afternoon with an introduction to the Darst center where we're staying. There has since been a slight information overload, but I seem to remember that we after that introduced ourselves and celebrated a Ritual of Arrival where we shared some of the stories of how we ended up here. We, the participants, are a pretty mixed group of ten people. We come from all over the US and Colombia, Germany/Costa Rica, Wales and Sweden.
I was not pleased to discover that the schedule requires us to be at the CPT office at 8 and that on Saturday morning that meant that we had to leave the Darst center at 7. Most of us now has bikes, which makes commuting a lot quicker. Yesterday was a packed and long day with loads of information and not many breaks before it ended at about 9:15. We also received our binder/manual.
CPT understands violence to be rooted in systemic structures of oppression. We are committed to undoing oppression in our own lives and in the practices of our organization. Within that framwork, participants in CPT's Peacemaker Training will:
1. Practice peacemaking skills in three core areas:
- Public Witness & Nonviolent Direct Action
- Conflict Transformation & Undoing Oppressions
- Presence Ministry & Human Rights Reporting
2. Connect and nourish Biblical faith and spiritual centeredness as roots for active nonviolence and transforming the church.
3. Explore issues of team life and skills for leadership, decisionmaking and communication in cross-cultural crisis settings.
Today has been a more regular day, I guess, with sessions on "Trauma Healing and Self Care" followed by "Writing", "Role Plays" and "Orientation to Chicago". Really looking forward to next week when we'll prepare for our first Nonviolent Direct Action.
(Some kind of Swedish version to follow)
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