The Institute for Sustainable Peace is pleased to offer a series of courses entitled “Peacemaking Begins at Home” aimed at providing practical peacebuilding skills to adult members of our community. 

Courses will be offered as a two-part series during the week and as a condensed one-day class on Saturday.

The first course will be held at the Upper Kirby Management District, 3015 Richmond, between Buffalo Speedway and Kirby.  All other courses will be held at a central location, to be determined.

Essential Skills for Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

Participants will learn seven skills for resolving conflict effectively while strengthening relationships in their homes, on the job, and in their neighborhoods.

            Tuesday, May 11 from 6:30-8:30pm

            Tuesday, May 18 from 6:30–8:30pm

            Saturday, June 5 from 9:00am–2:00pm

Creating Civil Discourse in our Communities

This course is based in part on the books, “Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together” by William Isaacs and “A Different Drum” by Scott Peck, and on the experience of Randall Butler leading over 15 conflict transformation workshops and over 1000 mediations.    Participants will learn how to overcome differences and barriers to community while engaging in a more productive conversation about difficult subjects that would normally polarize and divide them.                 Tuesday, June 8 from 6:30-8:30pm

                Tuesday, June 15 from 6:30–8:30pm

                Saturday, June 26 from 9:00am–2:00pm

Transforming Communities Through Café Dialogue

This course is based in part on the books, “Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together” by William Isaacs and “A Different Drum” by Scott Peck, and on the experience of Randall Butler leading over 15 conflict transformation workshops and over 1000 mediations.    Participants will learn how to overcome differences and barriers to community while engaging in a more productive conversation about difficult subjects that would normally polarize and divide them.                                                

            Tuesday, August 10 from 6:30-8:30pm

            Tuesday, August 17 from 6:30–8:30pm

            Saturday, August 28 from 9:00am–2:00pm

Improving Our Communities Through Appreciative Inquiry

Participants will learn the principles and practice of Appreciative Inquiry, an approach to organizational transformation that fosters change through an exploration of the positive forces of an organization or community when it has functioned at its best.                                               

             Tuesday, October 12 from 6:30-8:30pm

             Tuesday, October 19 from 6:30–8:30pm

             Saturday, October 30 from 9:00am–2:00pm

Creating Win/Win Solutions Through Principled Negotiations

An introductory course based on the work of the Harvard Negotiation Project and three texts: “Getting to Yes,” “Getting Together” and “Beyond Machiavelli” by Roger Fisher, et al.  Conflict is inevitable, even in the healthiest of communities. The ability to engage in principled negotiation to create win/win solutions is a skill set that enables a community to remain healthy.  Learning objectives include new perspectives on conflict and negotiation and the seven elements of every negotiation and how to constructively address them.                                                

             Tuesday, November 9 from 6:30-8:30pm

             Tuesday, November 16 from 6:30–8:30pm

             Saturday, November 20 from 9:00am–2:00pm

 The classes do NOT need to be taken in order

We reserve the right to cancel the class if an insufficient number of students register.