Academy for Nonviolence
Certificate Description: Transformative Nonviolence
The James Lawson Institute Academy for Nonviolence is a formation series for those who realize that our world is in need of transformation. We are inundated with the news of violence and injustice, and many have discovered that we all need to deepen our commitment to nonviolence and justice. The James Lawson Institute Academy for Nonviolence invites you to deepen your commitment to both. This journey begins with heart and hands open to change.
We believe that change occurs when we attend to three dimensions of experience: 1) the internal, 2) communal, and 3) systemic. The cultivation of nonviolence must be at the center of any path toward change.
If you are ready to engage in a process designed to foster your commitment to a world imbued with justice, courage, spiritual wisdom, and communal care enroll in the certificate in “Transformative Nonviolence.” This six-session series, open to the public, will:
- Prepare you to be active in the work of spirituality and social justice
- Offer resources for your personal formation
- Provide strategies for responding to social issues Introduce you to a group of like-minded learners.
Modules
May 8- Invoking the Wisdom of Our Ancestors and Elders:
Invoking the Wisdom considers the various approaches to nonviolent direct action and the principles and steps that guide efforts to transform society.
May 15- Call and Response:
The Spiritual Teachings of Nonviolence in the Work of Justice Call and Response introduces participants to pivotal figures in the nonviolent movement and the spiritualities that informed their choice of nonviolence.
May 22- Embodying Courage, Compassion and Hope:
Direct Action as Formational Space Embodying Courage, Compassion, and Hope looks at the ways in which working for a more just society is a spiritual practice for individuals and communities and leads to communal flourishing.
May 29- Beyond Allyship:
Solidarity on the Front Line More than Allyship is learning how to go deeper than support from the sidelines toward solidarity that means where we take we take risks to be present, to speak truth to power, and resist the narratives that inflict injustice.
June 5- Hanging in for the Long Haul:
Sustaining Your Practice of Nonviolence Hanging in for the Long Haul helps us to remain engaged, when the pursuit of social justice is most difficult. Drawing on various spiritual practices, we will create a plan for centering our day in nonviolence for social justice.
June 12- Preaching from the Headlines: Embodying Nonviolence
Participants will learn communal practices that they can take to their faith communities to deepen deepen their knowledge and practice of transformative preaching.
Beginning: May 8-June 12, 2024
Wednesdays, 5:00-6:30 PM
Location: Vanderbilt Divinity School
For more information email: jameslawsoninstitute@vanderbilt.edu