| Click here to download an application. Experiences from Prior Years' Participants Following are a few of the experiences Leadership Program participants have shared with us. We are including them here to contribute to understanding, connection, and inspiration. We also have experiences from other participants and trainers acquainted with our work on several other pages on the website.
Now that I am teaching NVC I find that there is virtually not a moment or situation where I don't have incredible clarity about how to respond or support someone in their learning process or with something they are stuck on. I credit a lot of that to simply being around Miki, Inbal & Meganwind for two plus years and getting to soak in on conscious and unconscious levels the distinctions that allow for thriving, fulfilling relationships/communication with others. My time in the Leadership Program allowed me to integrate, through their guidance, modeling, and teaching, the consciousness of the tremendous body of work we call NVC. Matthew Blom, LP06 participant, LP07 assistant, Grass Valley, CA
As I scan back over the last few years and how much my life has been transformed by this teaching, I am at a loss for words to express my gratitude to the three of you. I want you to know your role modeling and integrity with living NVC has been an inspiration and example to me. You are the "NVC family" example that I look to and watch for break throughs and continued confirmation of how power with creates the loving world I want to live in. My ministry with NVC has taken me into the local jails as well as San Quentin and I am heartened by the inroads we are making and the vision we hold for these men and women to have the option of choice and liberation. My heart aches for the community sense that I have experienced at the retreats which is inclusive, nurturing - giving me the encouragement and space to observe my growing edges and the support to do so. It is coming here in my local community little by little. Carol Chase, LP02 participant, Santa Rosa, CA
Participating in the Leadership Program has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. With the caring support of the leaders, the assistants, and my fellow participants, I have become much more aware of, and accepting of, my deepest feelings, needs and vulnerabilities. I am using this awareness to be more present in my relationships and teaching and am treasuring the impact of this on myself and others. On the last night of our third retreat I became aware of feeling love for every one of the 30+ individuals in the room. If it is possible for this degree of connection and caring to develop in a room of 30, it could develop in a village, in a city, in a world. Jane Connor, LP04 & LP05 participant, LP06 assistant, Binghamton, NY
I participated in LP 02 and 03 and really increased my understanding of key concepts and my ease in responding in NVC consciousness in my own words. More importantly, I finally confronted the area where I thought NVC had no chance of working, namely social change. When I assisted in LP05, I got to take risks and explore my own authenticity. It was hard, and it was rich. Someone who was in my practice group and moved away for two years was totally amazed by my growth in skill and heart-centeredness while she was gone. Katy Dawson, LP02 & LP03 participant, LP05 assistant, San Jose, CA
Prior to LP08 I had experienced NVC as an empowering tool, a piece of the puzzle for peace on earth. I wanted very much to learn it. And now through the leadership program, I am experiencing NVC as pieces of the puzzle being put together within and as me; I am Becoming that which I sought to learn. This program has brought me joy, sometimes through my pain, hope, through my learning, and connection through empowered transparency. I look forward to meeting you in July of 2009! Cindi Fisher, LP08 participant, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Going through the application and interview process was already a great way to deepen my self-understanding and vision, and to participate in a giraffe dance…. At the end of each retreat I have in my body a deep sense of relief, release, and healing. I find myself more able to be present for others as a giver of empathy and as a leader, teacher and facilitator. The healing work that I am participating in with some of the participants is profound, moving from intense separation at the beginning to intense connection. Also the challenges to participate in activities where there is room for feedback, and to experience receiving supportive as well as challenging feedback is exciting, meeting my needs for growth and self-acceptance. I have come to accept my own abilities to offer NVC to myself and others in a deeper way and thus am more willing to "put myself out" to others. Bob Gailer, LP04 & LP05 participant, Chapel Hill, NC
I have taken the Leadership Program for 2 years in a row. The most remarkable thing I've gotten from it is a sense of personal freedom. I feel free of the depleting effects of internal conflicts. It's not that internal conflicts don't arise, it is that when they do, I have the tools and capacity to untangle things, make life-serving choices and get back to a place of equanimity very quickly. I feel I have access to those same skills for inter-personal conflicts as well. I feel absolutely free to move forward in my life with ease, clarity and confidence. It’s a pretty amazing gift to be given. In my 2nd year, I was able to concentrate on how I want to "offer" NVC in the world. I initiated a project to bring the Restorative Circle work of Dominic Barter to the LP08 community for its use. Based on the learning in this safe and supportive environment, I come away with a sense of clarity and confidence about how to bring this application of NVC to ANY community. It’s been an absolutely satisfying way to spend 2 years. Carol Hillson, LP07 & LP08 participant, New York, NY
I was ready for a big change in my life, a move into my own empowerment. The Leadership Program has provided a framework for me to uncover my vision: to be creating, moment by moment, in anything I do, opportunities for people to appreciate their own and each others humanity. As I shift my attention from my fear of rejection to the beauty of my dream, both inspiration and energy become available to me to foster a local NVC community. The Leadership Program teaches the skills that support that work. Sue Holper, LP04 participant, LP05 assistant, Mountain Ranch, CA
This program has helped me find ways to meet so many longings: especially my profound need for companionship in what I most deeply value, my need for community, and my need for hope at this time in our country’s history. When we come together with all our longings, our differences, and our tender willingness to engage with each other, I am inspired to live this way more fully in the world. Though I have taught full-time for 12 years, I have never had the opportunity to learn from such skilled trainers who can give such richly detailed and concrete feedback on my gifts and growing edges as a teacher. This program is a veritable Babette’s Feast of mind and heart for anyone wanting to grow in their leadership skills. Deborah van Deusen Hunsinger, LP05 participant, Princeton, NJ
I returned from each retreat with more competence and greater confidence to not only live NVC more fully, but to teach it as well. My beginning forays into teaching and sharing NVC have been exciting opportunities to contribute, as well as to take steps in personal growth. When the year ended, I was so longing for more capacity and consolidation that I made the decision to do LP08. Life has become so rich for me because I am living in double time--not twice as fast but twice as full. I am grateful to the Leadership Team and the participants for their contributions to my awakening to ever greater open-heartedness, transparency, and connection with self and others. As a result I am becoming more able to share NVC as well as find more joy in my own life. Sherry Jennings, LP07 & LP08 participant, Wilton, NH
When I look back to the LP program, I notice it has supported me to make a huge progress in my growth as a person, a leader and a teacher of Nonviolent Communication. I am much more willing to see myself in the role of a leader and I have more peace with that role. I experience that my sense of responsibility and interconnectedness has been growing, so that even when I find myself in groups where I am not designated leader I still take action and make offers to contribute to the group. I notice that my ability to hold others and their different wishes with care has also been expanding. I so much more enjoy leading groups and feel myself like a "fish in the water" - my ability to navigate the group in different situations has been growing rapidly. The other area where I notice my progress is mediation. Before and during Leadership Program I thought mediation is not for me! But recently I heard from a woman that the mediation I provided was the first time she felt heard by her ex-husband! And they both want to continue! A year in the North America Leadership Programme has tremendously enriched my life from a personal growth, teaching and also leadership point of view! I would recommend to each NVC trainer to go through this programme no matter how long they have already been certified!!!! Merike Kahju, LP07 participant
I have been incredibly supported in thinking about and otherwise preparing for sharing NVC by written and electronic materials, fellow LPers, and trainers taking personal interest in my teaching goals. As a person who's learned most everything in a rather solitary fashion this has been a wonderful stretch for me. Further, as with the CP, I have experienced deep and fulfilling connection and companionship. The retreat venues have been energizing and nurturing places to be, and having a full week to spend with the community 4 times over the course of a year is proving to feed my needs for care, contribution, and continuity. YUMMY! Barbara Kochan, LP08 participant
In the Leadership Program, we had many opportunities to deepen and integrate not only NVC theory, but also NVC consciousness through the immersion experience of being in community where everyone needs are valued and held with care, be it the needs of one person or the needs of the majority. In the trainings that I do now, both in the US and in Thailand, my homeland, the two components of theory and consciousness have proven invaluable. Since participating in LP, I have had many experiences that I deeply cherish including being part of a training team for peacemakers in conflict ridden areas, facilitating group decisions where there were differing points of view, being the voice of a rape victim in a role-play that helped women who had never talked about their experience feel heard and understood. I am grateful to have participated in the Leadership Program because the teachers as well as members of this community have uplifted me to be a part of life-serving energy in the world. Kanya Likanasudh, LP04 participant, LP05 & LP06 Assistant Trainer
My first BayNVC retreat was the single most intellectually, emotionally, and experientially powerful experience I had engaged with since my freshman year in college decades ago. Now, in the Leadership Program, I have experienced a wonderful balance of both challenge and support in growing and stretching myself in a very holistic way. I have been challenged to examine and understand my most basic assumptions and world views; to open my heart and be fully in touch with all that I have found therein, from deeply seated fears and despair, to authentic love and possibilities I’d nearly ceased to believe were possible. Because the Leadership Program provides a structure that fosters the development of a supportive, like-minded, like-hearted community, I am now experiencing the opportunity to learn how to be fully human in myself and with others so that I am better able to “walk the talk” as I work with others to transform our world to a place that is “heart-centered” and welcomes our full humanity. Edmundo Norte, LP05 participant, CNPP assistant trainer, Oakland, CA
I have found my participation in the Bay NVC Leadership Program to be fulfilling on many levels. As a life coach I have learned ways of being with both individuals and groups that are more heart connected and meaningful. As a group facilitator, I have learned that it can be quite challenging, but possible, to facilitate a group process that is striving for consensus - where consensus means everyone's needs being met. I have also learned the gifts of connection, community, compassion and understanding that are manifested by staying with the process until all needs have been met or at least attended to. As an individual, I have learned how to hold my unmet needs until such time as they can be met. This has supported me in having a greater ability to be present with people and with myself, even when I am feeling anger or frustration. I also have experienced a deep learning and healing around meeting my needs for love, self-love and connection. I highly recommend this program to anyone who is committed to learning how to teach NVC, become more present and connected to themselves, their community and what most matters to them. Curtis Watkins, LP04 & LP05, Carmel, NY |
