The civil society, over the past decades has repeatedly demonstrated the potential to bring about social, cultural, and economic change without resorting to violence. Peaceworkers facing complex situations do not only employ ‘classic’ peace work but rather a combination of different approaches and tactics. Further, peace practitioner and author Diana Francis puts out a conflict transformations model that emphasizes on the centrality on power dynamics and the role of nonviolent action as an integral part of the whole conflict transformation processes.
The training content focuses on the potentials of non-violent action in transforming conflicts as well as advocacy . It will critically reflect the role of existing power structures, comparing success rates of violent vs. non-violent activism and review campaigns in relevant conflicts, as well as related approaches like civil disobedience, boycotts and sanctions.
📅 When: 13-16 March 2026 (4 days) from 9:00 to 17:30 daily
📍 Where: Jugendakademie Walberberg, in Bornheim, Germany
🗣️ Language: English
🪙 Course Fee: 640 €. The course fee covers: training materials, lunch, morning and afternoon tea/coffee.
This training is intended for people who work in or plan to enter the field of civil conflict transformation, non-violent activism, peacebuilding or conflict-sensitive international cooperation and have an interest in the topic of non-violent action.
Depending on methods and topic of the training, we limit the number of available spaces to a maximum of 16 participants. Register early to reserve your place!
Objectives
The training aims to strengthen the skills of practitioners by building their capacity to plan for and implement nonviolent actions and advocacies through gaining a variety of methods and tools which they could potentially apply in their own contexts. The training will explore the role / complementarity of nonviolent action and advocacy within peace. Further, the training will relate to the topic to their own working context and deepen their existing skills in self-reflection and strategic thinking through a number of multi-purpose exercises.
Key Concepts
Non-violence as a Philosophy and a conflict transformation tool
Organizing non-violent action, and strategies for action
Complementarity of nonviolent actions and peace work
Exploring the difference between the roles of facilitator, activist and “outsider-in-solidarity” – and their intersection
Strategies, methods and tools for advocacy work
Developing an advocacy plan
Methodology
In this training we employ an elicitive methodology that builds on the participants’ experiences from the fields of the humanitarian-, development- and peace sectors. The overview of key concepts and learnings from past non-violent approaches provides a base for practical orientation of the training. During the exercises we provide a safe-space that allows us to learn from mistakes and create small feedback loops for an optimal learning progress.
Join us to learn how to harness the power of collective action for positive change.
After a successful participation, participants receive a certificate and become part of the academy’s alumni network.
Do you have questions about this training? Our team is happy to assist you. Please do not hesitate to contact me: robert.sakofski@propeace.de
Application
Please register for this training online via our website by 30 November 2025. We will then contact you for the next steps. Please note that the number of available spaces per training is limited, and that your participation in the training is only guaranteed if the training fee is paid in time. Early registration is highly encouraged.
Please make sure to clearly express your motivation and expectations for the training. Also, please share your experiences relevant to the topic.
Visa: Participants from outside the EU will need a visa to enter Germany. We can generally support the visa process with a formal invitation letter from our side. Be advised that it takes a significant amount of time to get the visa processed, so be sure to start the process 8 weeks before the training start. Please make sure you are eligible and check the specific requirements and usual timeline for processing with your local German embassy. The responsibility for obtain-ing the visa lies with each of the participants themselves.
Registration
Ready to go? We are looking forward to your participation:
Or click here for more information and to register to the combined block with a 10% discount.
Further information on our cancellation policies can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Trainings. If you have any questions about financing options, please refer to our FAQs.
